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Should this teacher have been fired for his 'sexual' joke?

Should the teacher in question have been fired?

  • Yes I certainly think so!

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • He should have been suspended for a period of time

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • He should have been reprimanded in writing and verbally

    Votes: 1 4.0%
  • He should have had a friendly warning

    Votes: 7 28.0%
  • He didn't do anything wrong, it's a total over reaction.

    Votes: 17 68.0%

  • Total voters
    25

MyOwnDrum

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Should this teacher have been fired?

http://www.fox4kc.com/news/wdaf-story-fired-teacher-talks-111009,0,6698594.story

MISSION, KAN - A Shawnee Mission School District teacher who was fired for using sexual banter in class says that he has been unjustly targeted and treated unfairly, and he says that he's going to fight to get his job back.

Former Mission Valley Middle School science teacher Ryan Haraughty says that he can't believe that he has been fired.

"In my opinion, there is an abuse of power there," said Haraughty.

Haraughty says that the charges that led to his dismissal are based on a single incident, when he drew a map of the United States to help explain how the jet stream works.

"I drew Florida out of proportion," said Haraughty. "The kids jump all over stuff like that, 'Oh Mr. Haraughty, Florida is all wrong. OK, whatever, not thinking, I said, 'Florida got excited.' And right after, I'm thinking, you know, but I decided I'm not going to dwell on it."

But one parent did dwell on the incident, and complained to the school. And now Haraughty is out of a job and his students left without a teacher.
 
If this were the first incident of such behavior....no, he shouldn't have been fired. He should have been disciplined because it was inappropriate for him to say this in a middle school classroom. If it were a pattern of such behavior than after warnings and other discipline, termination would be appropriate.
 
And we now see why I will never be a teacher. I'd never last through the first day.
 
In this case there was no history of anything like this.
 
Assuming that the man's statement that this was his first offense is true, then he should absolutely not have been fired. The comment was mildly innappropriate and he should have been given a warning about it, but firing him is way out of line.
 
What grade was it? I don't think it's necessarily worthy of being fired over it. It was a bad joke, sure, but nothing terrible. There's worse **** on TV all the time. Plus kids take sex ed, and while they aren't making jokes about it, it's not like they're completely unaware either.
 
Stupid, useless parents like the one here is why there is a teacher sortage in the country.
Spend years getiing a degree, then lose your job over a off the cuff remark. They should force that parent to try to teach those "wonderful" children at that age.
 
How in the hell do we know? Do we have all the details? Then how are we to judge? There is no point in starting a poll on every trivial news story that comes along.

There's no point in posting on threads you dislike. ;)
 
I really don't see anything wrong with it. I've had teachers make similar mildly off color jokes. And frankly I see this as a very mild off color joke. At worst he should've got a off the record talking to. Firing him is a complete over reaction by the school and I'm sure he'll get his job back. No way the teacher's union is going to allow this.
 
There's no point in posting on threads you dislike. ;)

I think you missed my point entirely. Look at the three questions I asked, and answer them.
 
I think you missed my point entirely. Look at the three questions I asked, and answer them.

I don't want to answer your questions, so there. Maybe you should post a poll, asking the general public here for their opinions?:2razz:
 
I really expect nothing different from this part of Kansas, though. Shawnee Mission is as uptight, white, conservative and religious as you're likely to find anywhere in the U.S.

I have a high-schooler, and that teacher's joke was EXTREMELY VANILLA compared to what her classmates talk about in a given day.
 
Such a joke would have sailed over an "innocent" kid's head.
 
Any parent that got their panties in a wad over that innocuous little joke would have a coronary if they heard their little darlings conversing with other students on the bus.

Just sayin'.

Or in the back seat of my car during carpool.
 
Should this teacher have been fired?

Yes, but not for the comment in question perhaps.

He said:

"I drew Florida out of proportion," said Haraughty. "The kids jump all over stuff like that, 'Oh Mr. Haraughty, Florida is all wrong. OK, whatever, not thinking, I said, 'Florida got excited.' And right after, I'm thinking, you know, but I decided I'm not going to dwell on it."

"OK, whatever, not thinking, I said, 'Florida got excited.' And right after, I'm thinking, you know, but I decided I'm not going to dwell on it."

If we don't want our children growing up as inarticulate idiots we need to eliminate inarticulate idiots from their teaching staff.
 
Last edited:
Should this teacher have been fired?
Yes, but not for the comment in question perhaps.

He said:



"OK, whatever, not thinking, I said, 'Florida got excited.' And right after, I'm thinking, you know, but I decided I'm not going to dwell on it."

If we don't want our children growing up as inarticulate idiots we need to eliminate inarticulate idiots from their teaching staff.

:roll::roll::roll:
 
What grade was it? I don't think it's necessarily worthy of being fired over it. It was a bad joke, sure, but nothing terrible. There's worse **** on TV all the time. Plus kids take sex ed, and while they aren't making jokes about it, it's not like they're completely unaware either.

That's the relevant question right there.

Haraughty was fired on the grounds that he created a sexually hostile environment at school.

Then again, the US schools have so-called "zero tolerance" for sexual harassment among the students. It's absolutely fair that the same standard be applied to the teachers, if the asinine zero tolerance policy is going to be kept.
 
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