Patty Clement's 11-year-old daughter attends Enka Middle School in Buncombe County, North Carolina.
Unfortunately, the girl has Rex Roland for a teacher.
He's taught at the school for 12 years. He's not a rookie.
I don't think his manner of teaching is controversial at all. It's inexcusable.
From WLOS:
An 11-year-old is being harassed and receiving physical threats after her mother complained about her teacher. Patty Clement criticized Enka Middle School teacher, Rex Roland, after he wrote the word "loser" on two of her daughter's assignments. Clement says her daughter is now getting texts, emails and Facebook messages calling her names and threatening physical violence.
Messages sent to the 11-year-old call her a freak. Some use gay slurs, others use obscenities. One says the 6th grader did a "bad thing" and for that she must be punished. Another message says I hope you grow up to work third shift at McDonalds because the strip joint turned you down.
This all started when Patty Clement spoke out on Thursday. She says Mr. Roland wrote loser on a November assignment. Clement says she met with the principal and the principal said she would put a stop to it. Clement says just a few weeks ago, Roland wrote loser on another assignment.
Roland did apologize and said it's how he jokes with the students, but Clement wants him suspended. Our attempts to contact Mr. Roland directly were unsuccessful. The Buncombe County School District says they're doing everything they can for the safety and well being of this student.
It's not funny to write "LOSER" on a student's assignment.
Roland claims it's his way of relating to his students.
Really?
His way of relating is completely unacceptable.
I question whether this guy should be allowed to continue teaching at the school. He was already warned about his "style." He already apologized.
How many times does he have to be warned?
I don't see how parents could defend Roland's methods. It's black and white to me.
INAPPROPRIATE. No question about it.
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Read Rex Roland's profile.
I am a 1977 graduate of Enka High. I am retired from the Air Force. I graduated from Mars Hill College, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Middle Grade Education. My qualified areas are in Social Studies and Language Arts. I've taught at this school for twelve years.
I am married and we have one son, Joseph, head guard @ the Hominy Valley Pool. He is attending AB Tech.
Rebecca Roland also teaches at the school.
Any relation?
Read Enka Middle School's mission statement.
We believe it is important to provide students a safe environment that fosters student success through high expectations, a stimulating, and enjoyable school climate and a sense of community. These characteristics will be derived by allowing students to engage and be challenged in their curriculum and through the encouragement of community and parental involvement.
I think "We believe in writing 'LOSER' on students' assignments" should be added.
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More, from the Asheville Citizen-Times:
Buncombe County Schools Superintendent Tony Baldwin on Saturday said an investigation is under way following reports an Enka Middle School teacher called one of his students a “loser” on a graded assignment.
“Regardless of the intention or context, demeaning or derogatory comments made to students by school staff is unacceptable and will not be rationalized or justified by Buncombe County Schools,” Baldwin said in an e-mailed statement.
“Specific to these incidents at Enka Middle School, we are in the process of fully investigating the actions of this employee,” Rex Roland, Baldwin continued. “We are also making every effort possible to protect the safety and well-being of the student whose mother brought this matter to our attention, and request that the public respect that family's privacy as well as our process.”
...Roland declined comment to the Citizen-Times on Friday. He could not be reached Saturday.
Kim Robinson, co-president of Enka Middle School's Parent Teacher Organization, said the group is declining comment on the matter at this time.
Meanwhile, text messages asking to support Roland have been sent among some students. A page on the social networking Web site Facebook supporting Roland had nearly 300 members as of Saturday evening. There also were a few Facebook pages calling for Roland's ouster. The most popular one had about 150 members.
Some of Roland's supporters, like Kim Kinser, said the matter is being blown out of proportion. Children commonly call each other “loser” and the term is not considered demeaning, she said.
Kinser's son, Hunter, considers Roland his favorite teacher, and told his mother that Roland was not singling the student out by writing “loser” on her paper. Kinser said she always tells Hunter's teachers at the beginning of the school year to let her know if they're having problems with Hunter.
“I correspond with Mr. Roland every other week. I'll send a note, and he's always very quick to reply,” Kinser said. “It very much upsets me that he could lose his job over this one incident.”
Brooke Warlick had Roland as a teacher in middle school. Now a junior in high school, Warlick said Roland made class enjoyable and never intentionally put students down. “He would never say loser to a child that would take offense,” Warlick said. “He would never, ever degrade a child. It's blown out of context and out of proportion.”
I suppose I can understand parents not wanting Roland to be fired, but I think it's nuts to say that the term "loser" is not considered demeaning.
It is demeaning.
It's ridiculous to say that Roland "would never, ever degrade a child."
He did degrade a child.
5 comments:
Not only did he degrade the children, but I doubt that this will ever leave those kids. Children remember the way teachers treated them years after they part ways.
As he graduated in 1977, I estimate that he's @ 53 years old. If this is the only way he can "relate" to his students, I suggest it's time for him to retire. Honestly, he probably never should have gone into this business. What is it about the education field that it attracts so many people who don't really like children?
I agree.
My child had Rex Roland in Middle School and loved him and still does,he wrote these same remarks on her papers and she has done fine and I think even better because of the attention Mr. Roland gave her,we seen Mr.Roland one day at the mall and he gave her the "loser" sign and I laughed and said to my daughter "did he just give you the loser sign and she said "yes he does that to everyone" then I said "he is a character isn't he?" My daughter then said "Mom he is a great teacher" and of course I agreed.All Rex Roland is doing is throwing in some humor with school,it's just too sad when some people have no humor in their lives.
I was a a student of Rex Roland some years back and I LOVED his class. He is definatly one of my favorite teachers. I learned many things in his class, more than I have in almost anyother class. The first day I stepped inside his room everyone took a seat and Mr. Roland started telling us all of his rules and such. He also said that he liked to tell jokes and usually told one before each class started. He also said that he gave almost everyone a nickname if he could think of one for them. So every student in the school knew that Mr. Roland liked to joke around and if you passed him in the hall sometimes he would flash you the "loser sign." No one took it seriously for 12 years while he was teaching at the school until some girls mother got offended. Dear God the man is just trying to have a little fun. He wrote loser on everyone's paper at one point in time. That didn't stop him from teaching us and giving his lesson. Mr. Roland does not deserve this at all! Some people just think their children are special. Like when everyone who's on the team gets a trophy no matter what. That is non sense! It's just teaching children that all they have to do is participate, be on the team and they will get awarded just like everyone else. It sounds to me like that is setting children up for failure. Some day in the real world they will have to realize everything isn't just handed to them on a silver platter.
My son attends a public school in California where his 6th grade teacher would write "Duh!?!" and otherwise mark up his work in borderline insulting ways (i.e. simply cross things out w/big Xs when they were incorrect, w/o making ANY comments...) I felt like she was a big jerk and should have been fired, but lo and behold, many OTHER parents felt it was her "teaching style" and she was "getting down on their level". I disagree, and feel that teachers need to respect their students and vice versa, or choose another profession because they don't have the maturity to teach.
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