Dear Rhonda:
I am writing to you with a major dilemma. I work with a gay high school teacher who uses his position to hand out bad grades to students. If he hates the parents or if the student rubs him the wrong way, he justifies the law class grades according to his personal opinion. I have also caught him looking at porn on his computer during class time while teaching. I think the guy is nuts but what am I supposed to do, turn this idiot in? I’m having a very hard time with this situation because as a fellow teacher, I don’t feel it’s right. What should I do? Please give me some direction here.
Tormented Teacher
Broward County Schools
Dear Teacher:
No need for torment if you choose to do the right thing. How would you feel if it were your child in there? If teachers had the ability to be fair, they would be judges, and even that title is not foolproof! Sounds to me like your colleague is just a frustrated wannabe lawyer who never had the ability to make it to law school, let alone ever pass the bar exam. He obviously releases all of his inadequacies on his students.
Teachers hold all the power, if only they realized! Instead of using this power for good, they choose to align themselves with the ways of the Taliban! This person, and I use the term loosely, should be stripped of his teaching degree and prosecuted for the injustice and abuse which he chooses to cast upon our future generation of citizens.
As for the porn, I think your coworker has some major issues -- you shouldn’t hesitate to report him. Do not lose an ounce of sleep over this swine. Look at Bill Kamal; he managed to live large for 21 years without anyone catching on. People who protect these acts of injustice are in my books, ‘guilty by association’, somewhat like harbouring a fugitive. Don’t be a party to this injustice. Remember: what goes around, comes around. Who you meet climbing up the ladder you will most certainly meet coming down. My guess is that you don’t want to be on that receiving end!
Before all of you teachers have an aneurism over the content of this response, take a deep breath and realize that if you are reacting in this hysterical manner, you are probably teachers of integrity. Keep up the great work in sharing your knowledge with our kids. Your efforts do not go unnoticed or unappreciated. On behalf of other parents, ‘thank you’.