Creative Writing Teacher Resigns After Student Pens Story Involving Jesus & Pot

[Webster]

Only in America....

RIO RANCHO, N.M. —When a Cleveland High School student wrote about Jesus and drugs for an assignment, that caused some controversy in Rio Rancho -- now a teacher at the school is off the job.

“I love teaching,” said creative writing teacher Katrina Guarascio. “I’m not there to judge them. I’m there to encourage them.”

Guarascio said her creative writing class is a safe place for students to find their voices.

The assignment was to take a fairy tale or legend and rewrite it in modern times. One student changed the biblical story about Jesus handing out bread and fish to the poor to Jesus handing out marijuana to the sick. “I don't take any personal offense. It's not written for me. It's written for them. It's how they can express themselves,” said Guarascio.

But according to the teacher, during peer review, one of the other students got highly offended by the story and told her parents. And then the teacher was put on administrative leave while the district investigated.

Guarascio said she felt targeted, harassed and forced to resign. She has one last message for her students. “If they have something to say, say it,” Guarascio said. “Not everyone's going to agree with you. But that doesn't make your point invalid or worthless. Tell your story.”

The teacher was not forced to resign because of the students’ freedom of speech rights, according to a spokeswoman for Rio Rancho Schools. The spokeswoman said the teacher chose to resign.(KOAT, Albuquerque)

Thoughts?

 

[Dee]

There might be some existing laws about potential drug abuse and teacher's being a mandated reporter, but even in this case, there was no hard evidence that the student was abusing drugs. It's sad that the student who got offended couldn't have just come to their teacher instead of reporting it to their parents and thus going through administration instead. The teacher did absolutely nothing wrong here, as far as I know, since they cannot control what their students do.

 

[DrLeftover]

I want to know why the district suspended the teacher during their 'investigation'?

Perhaps there is backstory here that didn't make the news.

 

[Evil Eye]

Such a mature way of handling things.

Perhaps there is backstory here that didn't make the news.

Perhaps. However, given the drama that surrounds some of these cases, maybe she just decided to quit while she was ahead.

 

[WHO IS SERAFIN]

If the teacher would have slept with students the unions would have come out of every nook and cranny to defend that teacher. But by god if a student is offended that is going over the line! Off with the teachers head for allowing that to happen!

 

[Webster]

But by god if a student is offended that is going over the line! Off with the teachers head for allowing that to happen!

That's pretty much what happened, Liberty...some student got butthurt over another student's writing, complained to their parents...their parents got all butthurt in turn and complained to the school, who then threw the teacher under the bus as a result.

 

[Dee]

I have to admit that there are some teachers out there who just don't deserve to be in the classroom, but this is not surprising that this would happen to a teacher regardless of whether it was their fault. Teachers are not given enough respect, and if a student does something wrong, if their class doesn't have the greatest grade averages, guess who gets the blame for it? Yup.

 

[WHO IS SERAFIN]

It is in the Constitution somewhere that no one can be offended ever!