Teacher Goes Nuts...and Stuff

So for my first REAL blog on this site, I thought I would turn my attention to a piece of news I find personally disturbing. If you haven't heard about Natalie Monroe, basically she is a teacher who kept a blog but wrote some extremely disturbing things about her own students. It was discovered and as a result, she has been suspended without pay.

Some people might be inclined to sympathize with her. "It's her 1st amendment right to express herself like that." "Children are just evil these days anyway." And yes, there might be some grounds for sympathy because, to an extent, those things are true.

But frankly, I'm disturbed that a lady like this is in the classrooms, NOT just because she obvious can't seem to handle the pressure that well, but because...SHE'S A MORON. Now if you watch the video, you're bound to pick up on it yourself.

I have a question for you guys. Do you think I'm being anonymous on this site? With my first name up, my birth date, where I live, and even a picture of myself could you say I'm anonymous?

If you answer yes to that, you must have had her as an instructor.

Hello? Lady, come on! You've got your name and picture attached to your blog. You are NOT anonymous. Writing crap like what you did is bound to come out. Students are always, ALWAYS trying to get dirt on teachers. For me, before the Internet is accessible as it is now, I remember how we would paw through our social studies' teacher's desk the moment she stepped out of the class. Sadly...the rumors of her drinking Listerine were true...

Anyway, having someone like Natalie Monroe as an instructor disturbs me and certainly supports the theory that these teachers are often scraped off the bottom of the collegiate barrel. Yes, it can be a frustrating job. Yes, kids can be cruel. But Mrs. Monroe's attitude is clear evidence she doesn't belong in that profession (besides the fact that she's a bloody idiot).

Now in regards to the whole "free speech" issue, some people don't realize how limited that "free speech" is. First off all, it was originally added as a protection against the government. That's right. It's not necessarily a one-size-fits-all type of thing. When you look at what's going on in the Middle East, you'll notice that they don't have the freedom to openly criticize their government as we do in the states. So that's the main application of that right. While you can say whatever you want in other respects, most of the times you need to be aware of the possible consequences of saying whatever you want. And there can be consequences, completely justified ones even. In this case, suspension.

As teachers, you're job doesn't end when the bell rings. It's as much of a serious commitment as marriage is. You're constantly being scrutinized, and rightly so. It's your responsibility to help raise the coming generations. You can't afford to be cranky (though plenty are), you can't afford to be harsh (because some of those kids might own you one day), and you can't afford to be this dumb!

Look, I'm not saying she doesn't have a right to complain and mope, but do it in a personal space. Go out and get an old-fashioned journal if you must, but don't assume that what you put on the Internet is EVER going to stay private. Especially if you're dumb enough to attach your name and photo when you're such a public figure in your community. People are going to be curious (thanks Twitter) about nearly every aspect of your life. They will find the things you don't want found if you're going to make it so easy.

But Natalie Monroe's case also emphasizes a pretty big issue in this country. In the video she talked about starting a conversation. I'm sure she was referring to a student's behavior these days. Frankly, I'm referring to the lack of competent teachers. When are we going to start that conversation? People are always complaining about kids when they really should be complaining about the parents. It's THEIR job to keep them in check after all. But the issue of good teachers?

But what about this lack of competent and qualified teachers? Well that's an issue that's constantly being discussed but hardly being addressed. Recently a few measures have been taken thankfully, but it's because we have teachers like Natalie Monroe in the system that makes me question how effective these measures have been. And what standards are these teachers being measured by? What constitutes as qualified? Because if she is considered qualified then hell, I think we need just revamp the entire system.

See, this is the stuff we should be discussing. Not just "What are parents doing with their kids at home" but "What are the teachers who see and instruct them five days out of the week doing" as well. Natalie Monroe is prove, that we have multiple issues on our hands. So thank you Natalie. Thank you for raising awareness in regards to dumb teachers in the classroom.

Take care gang!

EE