Suspended teacher defends blog calling students lazy whiners

PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - A high school English teacher suspended from her job after she blogged that her students were "rude, disengaged, lazy whiners," said on Wednesday that she did nothing wrong.

"Some of the students, parents and administrators don't want to hear the truth," said Natalie Munroe, 30, a teacher at Central Bucks East High School north of Philadelphia.

In a blog she said was intended to be seen only by a handful of her friends, but was shared on Facebook by a student who discovered it, Munroe was highly critical of some students and school administrators.

"They are rude, disengaged, lazy whiners. They curse, discuss drugs, talk back, argue for grades, complain about everything, fancy themselves entitled to whatever they desire and are just generally annoying."

She suggested more accurate ways to describe pupils on their report cards, including "Seems smarter than she actually is" and "A complete and utter jerk in all ways."

In another post, she denounced the school administration by using a crude anatomical reference.

Munroe, who is nearly 9 months pregnant, was suspended with pay pending an investigation into her blog, said Carol Counihan, spokeswoman for the school district.

Munroe was escorted from the school a week ago by the principal and a security guard.

What do I do? Try to connect with them some way so that they understand this stuff is relevant. This is stuff we go over first thing before we proceed on.

I ask them what do they know, get a handle on where they are starting from. Only then can I work with them to help.

I make it very clear up front, that they have a choice. If they do not wish to attend or do the work, then they can leave. If they are late, I charge the parents as if they were there on time, and then we go extra long the next time I see them, and I don’t charge the parents.

So they quickly learn that they have to be there on time, and they have to be ready to learn. It does work. The kids who are late realize that they are going to catch shit from their parents, and that they are still stuck waiting, and now there’s no class.

Kids don’t understand that Y is related to X, unless they are actually shown. Can’t assume that our knowledge and experience translates to where they are in life.

I’ve taken students from 30 percent, to an A level, it usually takes about 4 months of intensive work. Every kid is different.

I am a 7th grade Math teacher with 20 years of fulltime teaching experience in public schools, and I vehemently concur with your comment, “the education system is broken and has been broken for a long time.” The federal department of education, the notion of “entitlement,” rampant illegal drug use, “blended” families, lack of self-respect, lack of common courtesy, lack of discipline in the home and from school administrators, etc. have all contributed to this decline.

Oh, did I forget to mention No Child Left Behind and “teaching to the test” rather than teaching MATH?

Math skills build! Students must have prerequisite skills and understanding before moving on!

STUDENTS SHOULD BE RETAINED UNTIL THEY HAVE ACQUIRED THESE NECESSARY SKILLS - NO “FUDGING” ALLOWED.

The educational system needs to STOP all of this rampant and reduntant testing that erodes classroom instructional time!!!

We have lost at least TWO weeks of class time SO FAR this year in order for “data to be collected so that I am aware of my students’ weaknesses”. BS!

I look at my students’ test scores every year when school begins and have a base knowledge of their math strengths/weaknesses - or rather test-taking abilities. Not to mention that our school system wants ALL of the objectives - and leave out the “fluff” - to be “covered” by mid-January, even though official testing season occurs for two weeks in mid-March. (The “fluff” consists of extension activities that incorporate history, art, hands-on experiences, real-life applications, the use of technology - like graphing calculators, computer programs such as Geometer’s Sketchpad and PowerPoint, and internet-based research, etc.)

I have not even addressed behavioral issues in the classroom: argumentative, sassy, back-talking students; students with extreme emotional issues who constantly want and do pick a fight with someone; students who talk/sing to themselves; students who REFUSE to get out a pencil and paper and just sit there; students who ATTACK other students, teachers, and bus drivers and are WARNED: “don’t do it again or you’ll go to youth detention”. Whatever happened to EXPULSION? Oh, that’s right. No Child Left Behind

I have said many times for many years that I LOVE being a teacher. However, this is definitely THE year from h*ll.

I DO HOPE NEXT YEAR IS BETTER!

BTW: Not all teachers are bad. I am sick and tired of hearing that poor test scores are all a teacher’s fault!!!

I coach a Math Team and offer complimentary tutoring for an hour once a week after school. In the past, I have had as many as 15 students participate in tutoring. This year, at most, three students have taken advantage of my free tutoring on a given day.

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