mmonk (1000+ posts) Tue Feb-16-10 09:04 AM
Original message
On Facebook, out of class
Religious conflict leads to teacher's suspension
Melissa Hussain, an eighth-grade science teacher at West Lake Middle School in southern Wake County, was suspended with pay Friday while investigators review her case, according to Greg Thomas, a Wake schools spokesman. The suspension came after some of Hussain's students and their parents objected to comments on her Facebook page, many revolving around her interaction with Christian students.
Hussain wrote on the social-networking site that it was a "hate crime" that students anonymously left a Bible on her desk, and she told how she "was able to shame her kids" over the incident. Her Facebook page included comments from friends about "ignorant southern rednecks," and one commenter suggested Hussain retaliate by bringing a Dale Earnhardt Jr. poster to class with a swastika drawn on the NASCAR driver's forehead.
-snip-
On her Facebook page, Hussain wrote about students spreading rumors that she was a Jesus hater. She complained about her students wearing Jesus T-shirts and singing "Jesus Loves Me." She objected to students reading the Bible instead of doing her work.
-snip-
The flash point for the comments came after the Bible was left on Hussain's desk in December. The Bible was accompanied by an anonymous card, which, according to Hussain, said "'Merry Christmas' with Christ underlined and bolded." She said there was no love shown in giving her the Bible.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7724187Pretty stupid of womyn to put that stuff on a public forum. I wouldn't put anything about my employer, or the workplace that is negative on there.
catbyte (345 posts) Tue Feb-16-10 09:14 AM
Response to Original message
1. This is really disgusting
I'm getting angrier and angrier with each incident. We seem to be regressing back to the Dark Ages--can the Inquisition be far behind? And what in hell is the matter with the school board, suspending the poor teacher? She was obviously harrassed by a bunch of snotty, self-righteous teenagers who, I suspect, were egged on by their wingnut parents. I realize I'm making all sorts of judgments here, but this has really ticked me off. Where is Wake County, anyway?
Diane, a devout agnostic
Anishnabe in MI
Searching fro street cred?
mmonk (1000+ posts) Tue Feb-16-10 09:16 AM
Response to Reply #1
4. It is in NC. Most of the county is progressive (around Raleigh)
but Apex is around 20 miles outside the city.
dmallind (1000+ posts) Tue Feb-16-10 09:15 AM
Response to Original message
2. Somehow this "won't be about religion" either......NT
It isn't. It's about how a teacher acts towards her students.
T Wolf (1000+ posts) Tue Feb-16-10 09:16 AM
Response to Original message
3. This teacher will be sacrificed on the altar of Christist supremacy. In order to minimize this
kind of bullshit, we all need to fight back against the reich wing's effort to take over the schools.
Teachers have rights, even in the classroom.
The little brats that harassed her should be expelled.
Yeah, having the lefties in charge of education for the last 40 years has worked out soooo well, right? For teacher's salaries, yes, for the kids education, not so much.
Veruca Salt (761 posts) Tue Feb-16-10 09:21 AM
Response to Reply #3
7. +1
This makes me so angry I don't have any words...
Then why take up bandwidth?
Arugula Latte (1000+ posts) Tue Feb-16-10 12:05 PM
Response to Reply #5
16. The thumpers need to be thumped back down under their rocks.
Nice to see you support freedom of speech.
JerseygirlCT (1000+ posts) Tue Feb-16-10 09:20 AM
Response to Original message
6. That's wrong in so many ways.
Although I do have to say, it's foolish of a teacher to allow her pages and info to be viewed by students - glad I don't teach, but if I did, I'd have things sewn up pretty tight on my page, you know?
Doesn't take away a bit from the wrong done to her, though. Bullying in the name of religion doesn't make the bullying any better.
But her bullying back and "shaming" the students is perfectly fine?
lolly (1000+ posts) Tue Feb-16-10 10:53 AM
Response to Reply #6
12. That's what I was thinking
Why would you put derogatory comments about your students in a public forum like that? It's not very professional.
While some of the incidents went overboard, leaving a Bible on a desk is NOT a hate crime. Pushy, silly perhaps, but not a hate crime. Be the adult here. Thank the students for the interesting piece of literature they so generously gave her, and tell them she looks forward to reading it. Take the wind out of their sails.
Arugula Latte (1000+ posts) Tue Feb-16-10 12:07 PM
Response to Reply #12
18. "Thanks. I was out of fire starter sticks, so this silly work of fiction should do nicely."
OnyxCollie (1000+ posts) Tue Feb-16-10 12:20 PM
Response to Reply #18
22. keep the Bible on the desk and rip out pages whenever Kleenex is needed.
That would be a hate crime, if it were the Quran .