N.C. teacher writes 'loser' on 11 y/o girl's assignments

[ztlore]

http://www.necn.com/03/12/10/Graded-paper--20-for-being-a-LOSER/landing.html

Graded paper: "-20% for being a LOSER"

(NECN/WLOS) - A middle school teacher's controversial style of educating has him in hot water with one parent.

Rex Roland teaches sixth grade at Enka Middle School in Candler, North Carolina. Parent Patty Clement said Roland wrote "loser" in red ink after correcting her daughter's paper.

"I went to the principal in November and complained," Clement said. "She said she would put a stop to it."

A few weeks ago, another of 11-year-old Heather Clement's graded assignment made its way home and at the top of the page was a step beyond the original -- "minus 20% for being a loser." The word "loser" underlined twice and capitalized. ....

Clement said that teachers should inspire, not degrade and bully young children.

"This is telling her that you're a loser, you're not going to go anywhere," Clement said. She had her daughter removed from Mr. Roland's class. Some parents defend his teaching style, calling it his way of relating to his students.

[Cha]

1. His way of relating badly to students.

Sounds like he's the loser.

[Quantess]

2. He's lowering himself to their maturity level.

Next, he'll write "this is soooo gay!"

I'm surprised that parents are defending this. It's just so unprofessional.

[htuttle]

3. I remember a number of teachers like that back in the 1970's

I'm not going to say, "Damn, I wish I could have had those teachers castigated nationwide back then!"

Because the thing is, it was pretty fucked up back then, too.

[femmocrat]

4. Who would recommend this?

This jerk would LOSE his job in our district. I agree with the parent in this case.

[Sanity Claws]

5. What a sorry excuse for a human being.

He's a bully to talk to a little girl like that.
Why is he still teaching?

[sandnsea]

6. Oh that can't be possible

Teachers in the DU education forum insist there aren't any teachers who deserve to be fired. Surely the parents are lying just because their precious didn't get an A.

/sarcasm

[femmocrat]

7. You are wrong.

I'm one of those DU teachers and I don't believe any of them would support keeping an abusive teacher in the classroom.

[proud2BlibKansan]

11. Ah geez

Ignore is making more outrageous claims I see.

[provis99]

13. yeah. What did Ignore say?

[QC]

8. dupe

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=7903149&mesg_id=7903149

[Turbineguy]

9. I've always wondered

what happened to my third grade teacher. I guess I have my answer.

[elfin]

10. One Loser Teacher ---- Close all the schools in the district!

Look out Candler -- because you can't take care of one substandard teacher, be prepared to lose them all in today's climate.

[smalll]

12. You know, I bet it's pretty standard for bosses in the private sector to call various employees --

LOSERS.

Not that the teacher should have done this. But why do you think this happened? Possibly because he or she faces so many quote-unquote "students" who do things that on a virtually daily basis would get those self-same students FIRED by the assistant manager at the McDonalds down the street?

And the teacher CAN'T fire the kid? Or at least get them bounced from school for the rest of the year?

Honestly, I've learned that the Constitution of my state GUARANTEES all minors the RIGHT to an education. How can we "fix" the system? Here's my magic bullet --- pull that out of the constitution, and give teachers the same firing rights as some assistant manager at McDonalds. At least for the rest of the year. Sure, they could come back next September. But they'd know they'll graduate at 19 rather than at 18. You'd soon see most kids fly right.

[moshua666]

14. Teacher writing loser on 11 year olds paper.

From my experience, the teachers that would degrade you, make
you feel worthless and call you a loser, can actually push you
into not trying to excell into life.  I would like to know for
what reason you would talk to an eleven year old child like
that when their mind is a sponge and yet we wonder why we have
such a high drop-out rate, robbers, drug dealers, murderers,
etc.......When all it takes is a simple comment to make you
want to learn and stay in the game-of-life, especially when it
is an eleven year old child.  Instead you say loser. Why did
you choose the profession to teach anyway???? I thought
teaching was to help excell the children of the world, make a
better people for a better world!  In my eyes you should be
stripped of your teaching licence, to never teach again, and
called a loser on the way out the door.  Thanks for helping no
one!!



 

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

15. I wonder how the teacher would feel about taking an ass beating in front of his students?

[TheMadMonk]

16. Teach certainly seems to have a serious hateon for the kid.

And no matter how you cut it he should be in for a world of hurt.

But I just can't see a teacher being so "suicidal" without some sort of provocation. A provocation that goes beyond being raked over the coals for his earlier grading effort.

I note that there is no commentary on the assignment itself. Is it possible that the girl went out of her way to turn in as poor an assignment as possible? It wouldn't excuse his behaviour, but it might explain what pissed him off enough to do what he did.

[Spazito]

17. If a student turning in "as poor an assignment as possible" causes him...

to be "pissed off" enough to write LOSER and underline it twice then he has control issues and should not be in the classroom. Handing in a 'poor' assignment receives a 'poor' mark, period.

There ARE bad teachers and this is certainly an example of one, imo. For every BAD teacher there are thousands of good ones, good ones who would be and, I have no doubt, are disgusted by this teacher's actions. Good teachers would NOT write LOSER, underlined twice, on ANY student's paper, regardless of any provocation by the student, imo.

[TheMadMonk]

19. Oh definitely control issues.

Just considering the possibility that the animosity went both ways, with the student going out of her way to wind the teacher up.

Like I said. Doesn't excuse, but may explain.

Constant relentless needling (particularly by someone insulated from retaliation) will eventually drive pretty much anybody to irrationallity. I do not know this to be the case, it's pure speculation, but I do find it extremely unlikely that even the worst of teachers would do something like this without something to touch him off.


And there is a huge world of difference between a poor assignment, and one that has been deliberately crafted to be as poor/intelligence insulting as possible. Personally I'd be tempted to first grade it purely on creative effort, give it a legitimately high mark on that basis, and then take it all away for failure to address the particulars of the assigned work.

[Name removed]

18. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[fujiyama]

20. .

.