An Open Letter to the Post & Courier and Wando High School:

This entire scandal surrounding a teacher playing 2 minutes of “Jackass 2″ is just ridiculous to me. Even more ridiculous are the comments on the Post & Courier’s website, the P&C article itself, and the actions of the Wando High School administration.

I generally just read the Charleston-area news, but sometimes there are stories that I just cannot refrain from commenting on. Years ago I contacted Lucy Beckham, Principal of Wando, through a detailed letter and later a phone conference regarding the high school’s lack of suicide prevention education and the school’s overall poor job of teaching students about bullying, depression, emotional distress, available counseling, and teen suicides. Prior events in the high school (regarding student suicides) had gotten me so worked up that I had to speak up.

This is another story that I just cannot sit by and watch unfold without speaking up. I highly doubt that a phone call or letter to the school would do much at this point (afterall, the administration didn’t change anything for the better years back after I contacted Mrs. Beckham, though I was told that my letter would prompt a change in school protocol…), so my thoughts will just have to be public when it comes to the story of Christopher Poston.

I guess you could say this is my “comment” underneath the P&C article:

I am an alumna of Wando High School, and though I did not have the pleasure of having Mr. Poston as a teacher, I have a sister, as well as many other friends, who did.

Mr. Poston has been described to me as the nicest, most caring teacher at Wando – someone who would take his students to low income schools so they could mentor young kids, someone who taught academic material as well as the value of character and community service. He was described to me as “the kindest person I’ve ever known – Every day I left his classroom wanting to be a better person.” My sister, in college now, says that Mr. Poston is the most influential teacher she has ever had – and that’s even in comparison to her university professors. She said this is because Mr. Poston taught his classes in nontraditional ways that actually got through to students, and he truly cared about the material he was sharing with the high schoolers. He knew everyone’s name, he always checked in with every one of his students, and he genuinely cared about the kids. He helped students who were bullied or having a difficult time, which is MUCH more than I can say about many of the other teachers.

Yes, he made a mistake. Yes, he shouldn’t have been watching “Jackass” on his computer and he shouldn’t have shared it with the class. But you know what? It’s really not that big of a deal. I had plenty of teachers (at Wando and at other schools I attended) who played YouTube videos at the end of class or told jokes that could be considered a bit risqué… and I’m pretty sure that I (and all of my fellow classmates) turned out fine. I’m sorry but these students are going to be going off to college soon and I’m sure they will experience A LOT more than viewing 2 minutes of an inappropriate video filled with sophomoric humor. Sorry, parents… continue plugging your ears and closing your eyes if you want to stay in denial.  

The student who felt uncomfortable should not feel bad about telling her parents – she should be commended for speaking up. But the complaint was taken too far. This should not have been something reported to police, and this one small error in judgment does not merit termination from a job. The school should have been notified, disciplinary action should have been taken, and this would be over with. Additionally, I’m disappointed in both Wando and the Post and Courier for making this story into a much bigger deal than it should have been. “Sexually explicit video clips”? Come on. You’d think the guy set up a projector in the auditorium and aired graphic pornographic films to children by the P&C’s verbiage.

And to all the parents who think this one small inappropriate action should result in the firing of Mr. Poston: you truly need to open your eyes. Of all the problems in America’s public school systems, this is not high on the list of priorities. I’d much rather have my tax dollars support teachers such as Mr. Poston as opposed to ineffective, detached teachers that do not make any notable influences on our children. Every student that has known Mr. Poston absolutely adores him. Mr. Poston would never have garnered the incredible amount of support that he has from his students if he wasn’t an outstanding public servant. Everyone makes mistakes. Firing this man was not the proper way to handle this situation.

Additionally, many parents act appalled that a substitute teacher was not teaching the class or studying about education. I’m pretty sure the Mount Pleasant school district doesn’t have random Latin or German teachers sitting around just waiting to be called in to sub for an hour and a half. And I’m also sure that if you look at any other classroom with a substitute teacher, they aren’t doing much of anything at their desks either. Just saying…  

And just to clear up a few things:

1. There is no comparison between this story and the Skip ReVille “pedophile” story. At this point you are just grasping at straws and trying to find a reason to bash this man.

2. This is not “x-rated” material, as some readers described it as. If this is considered “x-rated” in your book, maybe you shouldn’t open up any magazines or turn on the 5 o’clock news from now on… you may be exposed to something that isn’t quite “PG” rated.  

3. For those of you calling Mr. Poston an “idiot,” “sexual predator,” and so forth: you do not know this man and you are publically dragging his name through the mud. Some of these comments are absolutely appalling. You would think from reading them that no one on this site has EVER made a mistake & feels entitled to judge anyone and everyone after reading ONE article.

I truly hope that this doesn’t drag on for longer than it needs to & that readers will take the time to realize what a small story this is in comparison to everything else going on in the world. The man made a mistake. But one error in judgment cannot overshadow the amazing things that he’s done for this community. Think about it: have YOU positively influenced as many lives as this man has? I doubt it.

TEACHER FIRED

Update:

Wando High teacher fired for showing R-rated movie in class

By Diette Courrégé

MOUNT PLEASANT — The Wando High School teacher who showed a class vulgar scenes from an R-rated movie lost his job Wednesday.

Sociology teacher Christopher Poston had been on paid administrative leave since Feb. 15 after a student told her mother she felt uncomfortable about Poston showing clips from “Jackass Number Two.” The parent informed school officials, who contacted police.

School officials released a statement Wednesday that Poston no longer worked for the district and they don’t disclose the details of personnel matters.

“We have very clear-cut policies and practices in place to ensure a standard of excellence in every school and classroom,” wrote Elliot Smalley, the district’s deputy of strategic planning and communications, in the statement.

Some of Poston’s supporters had started an online petition Monday afternoon that said he didn’t deserve to lose his job or reputation. By Wednesday, more than 1,500 people had signed it.

Students support teacher placed on administrative leave

This story comes out of the high school I graduated from –

Students rally around teacher put on leave for showing ‘Jackass 2′

By Cameron Easley MT. PLEASANT, SC (WCSC) -

Students, former students, and others are rallying around a Wando High School teacher recently placed on administrative leave after reportedly showing scenes from the move “Jackass Number 2″ to some students in Latin class.

Many of 36-year-old Christopher Derek Poston’s supporters say he is one of the best teachers that Wando High School employs.  One senior, Rebecca Powell, was so moved that she went to the website change.org on Monday night and filed a petition defending the teacher.

Rebecca writes, “Poston has changed hundreds of lives. However, the media and certain people have begun to tarnish his name and character. He does not deserve to have his job taken from him or his name ruined.”

The high-schooler woke up Tuesday morning to find that the petition had already been signed over 1,000 times. The petition holds more than 1,100 signatures.

“There’s teachers here that are like, we don’t get anything out of, but Poston actually is the only teacher that we’ve actually learned something for like later in life,” Powell said.

Powell says she started the online petition to bring Poston back to school.

“He admitted that he did wrong, but it should be a slap on the wrist and allow him to come back because he’s probably one of the most inspirational teachers here at Wando,” Powell said.

Powell doesn’t think it is fair that Poston’s in trouble for showing a video most high schoolers could find on the Internet.

“I think just about everyone I know has seen the movie,” said student Alex Myers. “I don’t know anyone that’s really offended by it.”

Along with the signatures, many supporters left messages expressing their gratitude for having learned from Poston. One woman, Carly Sparano, writes, “He is the best teacher I’ve had and has impacted the students more than any other teacher has or will at Wando.”

Poston was placed on leave after a parent told school administrators that her daughter was uncomfortable about an incident that happened in her Latin class where Poston, a full-time teacher at Wando, was covering for another teacher.

According to the parent, Poston was watching inappropriate videos on the Internet and put them on the Smart Board for the entire class to see.

On Feb. 15, Poston wrote a statement in reference to the incident and confirmed the allegations made. He stated that his actions were unexcusable.

Poston said that while the students were working, he began watching “Jackass 2″ from the computer. Poston said that when the students heard the noise, they asked Poston what he was watching.

According to Poston’s statement, he told them what he was watching and then placed the video on the Smart Board. Poston said when he saw how inappropriate it was becoming, he quickly turned it off.

He said he showed about 2 to 3 minutes of movie footage. According to Poston, he then opened up a PowerPoint called the “People of Walmart.” He said it showed people in Walmart in various forms and used it to express what society expects of people and how people break norms.

When school officials questioned Poston about the incident, Poston said that “Jackass 2″ got on the Charleston County computer laptop through his Amazon.com account.

This seems pretty ridiculous that pretty much every student is sticking up for this teacher, saying that he is one of the best teachers they’ve ever had, but one silly mistake puts him in hot water… and now he may lose his job??

I’m sorry, but these “kids” in his class are going to be going on to college shortly… I’m pretty sure they can handle an inappropriate video or two. Yes, he shouldn’t have been watching “Jackass 2″ while acting as a substitute teacher, but he turned it off after he realized how vulgar it was and he apologized for his mistake. I’m also pretty sure that every one of those students has watched this movie in the past or has access to this movie outside of school. They aren’t in elementary school anymore (gasp!).

Also, I had teachers (at this high school, even) who would show YouTube videos for fun at the end of class… and I can guarantee you that some of them were not G rated. They weren’t vulgar, but they weren’t exactly Disney clips either. And I’ve had teachers that told jokes that were a tad inappropriate… and I turned out just fine, thank you.

This teacher, Mr. Poston, made a mistake, but clearly he is a postive influence on all of his students, a very influential teacher, and a great asset to the high school. I had my fair share of terrible teachers (even at Wando) who were ineffective teachers who didn’t seem to care at all about their students outside of the classroom. Mr. Poston seems to be one of the few teachers that truly makes a lifelong impact on the teens he teaches, and Wando High School would be truly foolish to let him go.  

One of his students has created a petition site to show support for Mr. Poston — click here to sign!

Bullying sexual abuse victims — have we hit a new low??

This article just makes me so angry, yet so so sad for the victim. How can teenagers — one year away from going off on their own to college — be so cold-hearted and cruel to someone in obvious pain?

Alleged Victim In Sandusky Case Leaves High School Due To Bullying

The first known alleged victim in the Jerry Sandusky case, known as “Victim One” was forced to leave his school because of an onslaught of bullying, The Patriot-News reports.

Mike Gillum, psychologist for the family, told the news source that officials at Central Mountain High School didn’t step in and provide guidance to the boy’s classmates, who began to blame Joe Paterno’s firing on the 17-year-old.

Victim One testified he was forced into multiple sex acts between 2006 and 2008. During that time, Sandusky was also assisting the high school with their varsity football program, the report states.

Gillum told The Patriot News that name-calling and verbal threats at the school, which is located about 30 miles northeast of Pennsylvania State University, became too much for the boy to bear.

The Centre Daily Times wrote the 23-page report by a state grand jury investigation alleges that Sandusky molested at least eight boys over a 15-year period, beginning with “Victim 1.” In the report, the victim testifies that Sandusky began a physical relationship with him during sleepovers at his house, where the accused would blow on the boy’s bare stomach and crack his back.

The boy later testified that the relationship became sexual, with Sandusky performing oral sex on him more than 20 times, according to the Centre Daily Times.

Former FBI director Louis Freeh was tapped Monday to lead the inquiry into the child sex-abuse allegations, an investigation Freeh says will go as far back as 1975.

The 17-year-old has left the school in the middle of his senior year, and the Keystone Central School District issued a statement to the Centre Daily, saying it would be said “inappropriate” to comment on the case publicly.

The allegations have also led to the removal of long-time football coach Joe Paterno and university President Graham Spanier.

There are several things wrong with this story…

First off:

FOX, maybe you need to check on who is editing your stories. Is this a Michigan school? Or is this an Illinois school? The title is saying one thing, the article is saying another. I really don’t know how you get those two confused, but whatever.

Then:

Who are these monsters that run this school? Three restroom visits per semester? That’s ridiculous. Of course, letting a student go to the bathroom every day in the same class period does not make sense, but come on! I’m pretty sure that I remember running down the halls in high school just to get to my next class — and that’s without taking time out to stop at the bathroom. You know that may be worse than a student missing three minutes of your incredibly interesting calculus class? A student peeing himself at his desk because he doesn’t want to make up the time after school.

Does this look like “excessive celebration” to you?

Uh, no. The kid pointed to the sky for a grand total of about four seconds. Why? Because earlier in the day he had been a pallbearer at his friend’s funeral. He pointed to heaven as a show of emotion. But as a result of this gesture, the team was penalized and went on to lose the game. Not sure that I support the officials’ decision on this one…

More wisdom from LZ Granderson…

Another great column by LZ Granderson on the CNN.com website:

 

Parents, time to panic about our kids’ education

Grand Rapids, Michigan (CNN) — At the 1988 Summer Olympics, the U.S. men’s basketball team finished with a bronze medal, its worst finish in 11 appearances and the first time it did not win gold since 1972.

We’re a sports-driven country, so of course, we panicked and soon thereafter the iconic Dream Team was formed.

Our best executives, coaches and players such as Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson all set their egos aside for the sole purpose of reclaiming our place as the best basketball nation in the world. And they did so in historic fashion, winning all of their games by an average of nearly 44 points en route to gold in 1992.

If only we were as panicked about our slipping global ranking on education.

In the span of one generation, we’ve fallen from first to ninth in the proportion of young people with college degrees, which I guess isn’t a total surprise considering newly released ACT scores revealed that only one high school graduate in four in the class of 2011 could meet the benchmarks for college readiness in all four core subjects.

Combine that with our global ranking of 14th in reading, 17th in science and 25th in math, and it would seem our education standing is in far worse shape today than our basketball footing was in 1988.

But instead of our educational equivalent of a Jordan or Magic putting their egos aside for the sake of the country, we have teacher unions fighting politicians and poor districts facing even deeper cuts.

In other words, we’re closer to the Bad News Bears than any Dream Team when it comes to education.

In my state of Michigan, we have districts where less than 10% of the students tested were deemed proficient in math.

In the city where I live, less than 45% of the students passed reading.

What do we think is going to happen to our economy as the jobs of tomorrow become more technical and a large chunk of our work force can barely read?

I have one idea — Detroit.

The National Institute for Literacy found that nearly 47% of the Motor City’s adults are functionally illiterate. Not surprisingly, Detroit’s unemployment is near 12%, and the city is the country’s poorest metropolis according to the census.

And this correlation between academic achievement and poverty can be seen nationwide.

Four of our poorest states had four of the lowest ACT composite scores — Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky and Arkansas.

Conversely four of our richest states had four of the highest test results — Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire and New Jersey.

Programs such as No Child Left Behind started in a good place but when school funding, bonuses and jobs hinge on scores, of course there’s going to be a temptation to cheat.

President Barack Obama’s Race to the Top tried to address some of NCLB’s problems but its success is tripped up by the poverty line as well.

In May Obama gave the commencement speech at RTTT winner Booker T. Washington High School in Memphis, Tennessee. Two months later, the city’s school board voted to delay starting school indefinitely because it didn’t have enough money to open doors. Memphis, like Detroit , is one of our poorest cities.

And this is not just an inner-city problem; not when 80% of the country is sharing less than 20% of the wealth. The less money people are making, the less tax revenue that’s available to help fund schools.

What we need is an aggressive, multipronged strategy geared toward closing the education gap between the rich and everyone else because everyone else — in the spirit of the Wall Street bailouts — is too big to fail.

Instead of dangling federal dollars like a carrot that some disadvantaged educators feel they must falsify test scores to obtain, how about the Education Department uses that money to work with some of the Wall Street companies we bailed out to establish paid internships for promising high school students? It would be better to use money from the Education Department to subsidize a tax break for professionals in careers such as engineering who tutor a certain number of hours a school year.

When U.S. basketball won bronze in 1988, you would’ve thought the world used the American flag to wipe mud off its shoe by the way we responded.

Yet our education system continues to slip in the world ranking, and I don’t see a Teachers-of-the Year Dream Team or a Super Committee made of top business leaders to help address this very real crisis.

When the world was less competitive, we could afford to let the rich send their kids to private school and allow the rest of us to scramble the best we could. But technology has made the world smaller and college admission and job hiring is more cutthroat. Today the education of our youth is no longer somebody else’s problem — because kids who lag behind grow into adults and a work force that lags behind. And an inferior work force competing against the best in the world is everybody’s problem.

So if less than gold wasn’t acceptable for us in basketball, why do we continue to accept less than bronze with our kids’ education?

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of LZ Granderson.

Photographer refuses to photograph ‘ugly’ people –

– and I completely support her decision!

It’s not what you think. Photographer Jennifer McKendrick found out that some of her upcoming clients, who were scheduled to have their high school senior pictures taken, had been bullying fellow classmates online. So what did she do? She took screenshots of the girls’ disgusting comments online, sent them to the girls’ parents, and canceled their appointments.

This woman could have just ignored the bullying and gone ahead with the senior pictures. Afterall, this is her profession and she has to make money. But she is an amazing example of how sometimes your values and principles need to take precedent.

The article, from Huffington Post, has been copied below. The links are from the original article, but some portions have been emboldened by me… just because this woman’s quotes are so awesome.

 A Pennsylvania photographer has chosen not to photograph a group of high school girls for their senior portraits after she found evidence of the teens bullying other students on Facebook.

Jennifer McKendrick, from Indiana County, Pa., wrote on her own Facebook page earlier this week that she came across another Facebook page with nasty comments from four high school girls whose names matched her scheduled clients.

She emailed the girls and their parents to cancel their senior photo shoots, while including screenshots of their comments to explain why she was calling off the session.

McKendrick wrote more about her decision on her personal blog in a post titled “I Won’t Photograph Ugly People.”

“I mean how could I spend two hours with someone during our session trying to make beautiful photos of them knowing they could do such UGLY things,” McKendrick writes. “Realistically, I know by canceling their shoots it’s not going to make them ‘nicer people’ but I refuse to let people like that represent my business.”

The photographer told WTAE-TV that the comments she saw were more than just targeting other students for appearance.

“It was beyond ‘your clothes are ugly’ or ‘you don’t have any brand clothes’ or ‘you are ugly, your hair is not right,” McKendrick told WTAE-TV. “It was vicious. It was talking about sexuality.”

Her Facebook page has since been flooded with hundreds of comments from people supporting her decision.

McKendrick blogs that she hasn’t received backlash for her decision so far, but she’s prepared if she does. Two of the teens’ parents responded to her with apologies, noting that they were surprised by their daughters’ actions.

“If you are ugly on the inside, I’m sorry but I won’t take your photos to make you look pretty on the outside … I simply don’t want to photograph ugly people,” she writes.