Wool & Words

So I've been cranky lately. I think I've figured out why (that time of the month--geez!), but I've got a new axe to grind...

Those of you living the Atlanta area will have no doubt by now heard about the situation with the Gwinnett County Board of Education and Larry "Doc" Nease. If you haven't, take a stroll and read the story. Then come back if you can stand a rant.

As a former school administrator and current teacher, I'm just appalled. Truly and completely appalled. Bob (one of my coworkers) and I were talking today about the great lawsuit this teacher has against this board. Frankly, I can't believe they fired him for what appears to be a first offense, if you even agree that what he did was offensive.

I can't find any official minutes of the meeting at this point (but believe me, I'm looking--oh, to have been a fly on that wall!), but you'll find here one meeting attendee's account of what transpired.

My big issue as a teacher is that I find it difficult to see how docking a student's assignment grade in a lab class because the student was sleeping (ergo, not doing the assignment as directed) can be considered using a grade as a discipline tool since the problem was one of class participation. Additionally, it is my understanding that the instructor's syllabus has been approved by the administration for the last 10 years that this policy has been in existence in his classroom. If this is the case, as a former administrator I can't see the sense in exposing the school system to a lawsuit when other disciplinary measures were surely available. To say that the teacher was insubordinate for refusing to change a grade in the face of what appears to be a poorly defined rule regarding using grades for discipline (what, after all, constitutes "discipline" in this situation, and how does that vary from the methods teachers use to deal with things like late or no homework?) is a bit over the top and doesn't seem defensible.

To fire a 26 year veteran science teacher over a dispute over one individual class assignment is just foolish. And, as the commenter in the blog link I posted above senses, it seems to have been a railroad job.

Of course, I don't know everything about this. But I'm anxiously awaiting the next bit of information. Surely there must be something that's not been said, some skelton in this teacher's closet that the Board has chosen to keep private? Then again, having grown up aware of the ins and outs of boards, I wouldn't be surprised to discover that all is as it appears.