Florida Teacher suspended over anti-homosexual remarks:

pandora

Prince Of Dorkness wrote:

Ugh.

No I did NOT call you "a lesbo."

It's probably a pretty mean-spirited term but "Lesbo-Love" is used to describe that earthy, hippe, "free to be you and me" crap you get in "chicken soup for the soul" books, Hallmark cards and embroidered wall hangings.

Eesh.

I'm sure thats loved by many and still derogatory and as you say yourself... mean spirited :?

At least you admit it

Again we are going off topic by conversing how bout you not read my posts and I won't read yours

we don't want to lock this up

EmBleve

pandora wrote:

yes I know about the rule remember and totally agree because of the rule he should not have spoke out.

I am saying a rule like that should and hopefully will be challenged and brought to where it should be

back to the workplace and classroom

not to entail private time... not in a bar, not on the phone, not on a website
that allows personal opinion rants

Speaking one's opinions is a basic freedom.... each of us enjoys.

What I have heard, if it wasn't for the great rules here, word choices
about this man would have been more rant-ish... that's saying it mildly
also probably directed at those defending the fact he should not be fired over this.

And hate makes more hate but mostly solves absolutely nothing.

Don't do what you don't like others doing....
if you don't like someone being offensive to others... don't do it yourself.

I think Hugh said it pretty clearly above, at least I can understand what he's saying and vice versa:

Hugh Freaking Dillon wrote:

DOES NO ONE HERE UNDERSTAND WHAT A "CODE OF CONDUCT" IS? It's a bunch of rules that govern how a person potentially represents the business they work for, whether it be during work hours or not. He didn't choose to share his hate towards gays in a private setting, he chose to do it in the most public place possible. He therefore cast a bad light on the organization he worked for, therefore giving said organization no choice but to suspend him.

Professions like lawyers, doctors, teachers, and professors have to be concerned with their conduct outside of the workplace. Facebook is not private. And his message was beyond inappropriate. It was a direct representation of what he stands for as a human being.

Hugh Freaking Dillon

pandora wrote:

I take great offense to that and how can you defend that?

I thought everyone was working on kindness and respect... guess not.

you take great offence to most things, mostly because you misunderstand and personlize every comment someone directs at you, and of being hate-filled before, which you do to many others when they don't agree with you.

practice what you preach for once. stop judging others, or stop bullying others and calling them names because they are apparently judging others. it's completely hypocritical.

since you have so many gay friends, how do they feel about this teacher and his public rant? do they agree with your stance that it's his right to free speech, or do they take the, in my opinion, more responsible approach by saying this guy has to be held accountable for what he said?

Jeanwah

pandora wrote:

Speaking one's opinions is a basic freedom.... each of us enjoys.

You're not reading anyone's posts regarding code of conduct Pandora. There are consequences to freely speaking your mind, especially if it has to do with Hate and involving the internet. Why are you refusing to acknowledge this; it's coming from several people on here!!! TEACHERS, and other professionals, risk their jobs every day due to what they write on the internet for all to see.

It's downright stupidity. Everyone should know this by now!!!

cincybearcat

This thread is a really good example of how discussion in this world has become nothing more than personal attacks, shouting louder because then you must be right, and not listening at all. Yet we bitch about our leaders doing the same thing.

Sad. Oh, abd the gang mentality is pretty sickening.

Hugh Freaking Dillon

:roll:

yeah, we anti-hate/bigotry people are pretty deplorable, aren't we?

oh, how you do go on.

personal attacks? really? look at Pandora. she never stops accusing people of being hateful, angry, etc, yet someone says something back and it's "oh, you don't know me, how DARE you!".

hypocrisy at its finest.

Prince Of Dorkness

Nothing worse than people who obviously lose an argument and then whine about how mean people are.

aerial

Prince Of Dorkness wrote:

Nothing worse than people who obviously lose an argument and then whine about how mean people are.

I would say YOU are the biggest whiner on the MT. .

pandora

Hugh Freaking Dillon wrote:

pandora wrote:

I take great offense to that and how can you defend that?

I thought everyone was working on kindness and respect... guess not.

you take great offence to most things, mostly because you misunderstand and personlize every comment someone directs at you, and of being hate-filled before, which you do to many others when they don't agree with you.

practice what you preach for once. stop judging others, or stop bullying others and calling them names because they are apparently judging others. it's completely hypocritical.

since you have so many gay friends, how do they feel about this teacher and his public rant? do they agree with your stance that it's his right to free speech, or do they take the, in my opinion, more responsible approach by saying this guy has to be held accountable for what he said?

Not really your business and entirely off topic making this thread about me... why again :?
the poster quoted me ...clearly said "you" to me and admitted his words were mean spirited.

You are directing posts to me about my conduct.... this gets threads locked

please do not read my posts in the future if this is a possibility cause it is not fair to others who want to discuss

stay on topic please

pandora

EmBleve wrote:

Professions like lawyers, doctors, teachers, and professors have to be concerned with their conduct outside of the workplace. Facebook is not private. And his message was beyond inappropriate. It was a direct representation of what he stands for as a human being.

that is your opinion and also how it stands now on the rule

my opinion it should not cover opinions shared in a public manner
I believe they should have freedom of speech and not fear losing their jobs for their opinions

conduct as far as threatening others or promoting that and breaking laws in place... yes
that is what should be of a concern.... not one's core beliefs

pandora

Hugh Freaking Dillon wrote:

:roll:

yeah, we anti-hate/bigotry people are pretty deplorable, aren't we?

oh, how you do go on.

personal attacks? really? look at Pandora. she never stops accusing people of being hateful, angry, etc, yet someone says something back and it's "oh, you don't know me, how DARE you!".

hypocrisy at its finest.

again... making the thread personal? ... trying to lock it up?

But a few are being just like the man this thread is about ... words filled with hate!

I'm not the only one who sees this.

Hate is hate ... sugarcoated tied pretty and civil or in a rant IMO

you can feel it across the miles...

who lost an argument? :?

pandora

As far as my gay lady friends, they are bigger than this man
my friends are empowered, strong, secure in themselves.
If you knew these ladies you wouldn't have to ask.

Shake their heads and laugh a bit at the outrageousness of this man
and the fact it is a debate :?

knowing all to well hate is everywhere ...

and to combat it spread love and stay happy this is where success lies not to get angry
and make more hate.

They are an inspiration and have been for decades, you have no idea the individual
calming effect they have on others in their lives and they are a lot of fun too!

These ladies got it going on!

Beautiful spirits making more with their love and acceptance
bringing change just that way.

Jeanwah

pandora wrote:

EmBleve wrote:

Professions like lawyers, doctors, teachers, and professors have to be concerned with their conduct outside of the workplace. Facebook is not private. And his message was beyond inappropriate. It was a direct representation of what he stands for as a human being.

that is your opinion and also how it stands now on the rule

my opinion it should not cover opinions shared in a public manner
I believe they should have freedom of speech and not fear losing their jobs for their opinions

conduct as far as threatening others or promoting that and breaking laws in place... yes
that is what should be of a concern.... not one's core beliefs

Sadly, the professional world does not work like you would like it to.
It is not an opinion that professionals should be concerned about how they display themselves publicly.
It's a fact, and this story is an example of that fact.
An employer needs no reason to fire an employee, so why would an employee give them a reason? You are a representative of your employer, always. Screw that up and you're out of a job. It goes without saying, Pandora.

Prince Of Dorkness

aerial wrote:

Prince Of Dorkness wrote:

Nothing worse than people who obviously lose an argument and then whine about how mean people are.

I would say YOU are the biggest whiner on the MT. .

And you would be wrong about that, too.

You can add it to the growing pile of things you're wrong about. Shall we take an inventory of the things you've gotten wrong or make a whole new thread?

JonnyPistachio

There are a lot of factors surrounding this deplorable act this teacher committed...
But the one thing I keep returning to is that the things he said eventually were heard by his students and co-workers. I think once it hits their ears, he is finished, no matter how it got there.

I just cant imagine him teaching my kids. People defending this guys actions, would you be comfortable with him being your kids teacher?

Prince Of Dorkness

By the way... This is what he said yesterday...as he gloated about being reinstated.. Right after the KKK threatened to protest on his behalf.

"I try to be like Jesus every day. I teach God's truth, I make very few compromises. If you believe you may have a problem with that, get your schedule changed, 'cause I ain't changing! I try to teach and lead my students as if Lake Co. Schools had hired Jesus Christ himself."
:roll:

cincybearcat

Hugh Freaking Dillon wrote:

:roll:

yeah, we anti-hate/bigotry people are pretty deplorable, aren't we?

oh, how you do go on.

personal attacks? really? look at Pandora. she never stops accusing people of being hateful, angry, etc, yet someone says something back and it's "oh, you don't know me, how DARE you!".

hypocrisy at its finest.

I was including everyone in the thread, even myself. There was very little discussion of the issue in this thread versus the same back and forth bickering of word choice, etc. And then everyone digs in.

So, I've been re-reading it. I still question the "authority" of these coded-of-conduct and how they apply out into the internet world. But I certainly see this as being potentially an extreme case due to the bigotry involved. The problem is it seems like most of the country agrees with the bottom line of the facebook post, if not the hateful words. But, if it's going to change, people need to know that it is unacceptable.

I've come to a new conclusion that he should have been suspended immediately pending an investigation. I believe the investigation would have provided him an opportunity to "repent" and still teach. I think the media coverage of the issue hurt any chance of a real resolution occurring, where a real discussion was had by the teacher and the school. It became just like this thread...dig in and no one listening to the other. And now, unfortunately we are no better off for a future occurrence of anything like this happening. I do think the media coverage and the immediate hatred towards this teacher took away any chance of "educating" him. And that is a shame.

While I may not like it that facebook posts can be used by employers to discipline their employees, the reality may just be that it is SO public and could live forever (either stay online or even after removed, someone surely has the printed words on a screenshot, etc) that it has to be addressed by the employer. It still bugs me though.

cincybearcat

Prince Of Dorkness wrote:

Nothing worse than people who obviously lose an argument and then whine about how mean people are.

Is this direct towards me?

JonnyPistachio

cincybearcat wrote:

I've come to a new conclusion that he should have been suspended immediately pending an investigation. I believe the investigation would have provided him an opportunity to "repent" and still teach. I think the media coverage of the issue hurt any chance of a real resolution occurring, where a real discussion was had by the teacher and the school. It became just like this thread...dig in and no one listening to the other. And now, unfortunately we are no better off for a future occurrence of anything like this happening. I do think the media coverage and the immediate hatred towards this teacher took away any chance of "educating" him. And that is a shame.

While I may not like it that facebook posts can be used by employers to discipline their employees, the reality may just be that it is SO public and could live forever (either stay online or even after removed, someone surely has the printed words on a screenshot, etc) that it has to be addressed by the employer. It still bugs me though.

I agree with all of this..
He was given the chance to apologize, but decided not to. That quote he said (if true) when reinstated is scary to me.
The facebook thing bothers me too.. But like you say, its etched in stone. Its there, and there's a chance that the whole world can see it. This is an interesting discussion to say the least.

cincybearcat

JonnyPistachio wrote:

There are a lot of factors surrounding this deplorable act this teacher committed...
But the one thing I keep returning to is that the things he said eventually were heard by his students and co-workers. I think once it hits their ears, he is finished, no matter how it got there.

I just cant imagine him teaching my kids. People defending this guys actions, would you be comfortable with him being your kids teacher?

I don't know. But I think yes. I don't really on a SS teacher to teach my kid about diversity. really depends on his behavior in the classroom. I would certainly want my kid to know that the teacher is wrong in his opinion and was wrong to use the hurtful words, but that everyone makes mistakes and it's better to tackle issues head on them drive the discussion underground with more hatred sent back his way.

But I understand people feeling the way you do.