For months, Houston residents Diana and Oscar Mijares heard about behavior problems their daughter Megan was having in school -- problems she wasn't having at home. The concerned parents bought a tape recorder and hid it in the girl's 'High School Musical' backpack. Turns out, 4-year-old Megan isn't the problem ... it's her teacher, who was recorded saying things like "I'm going to be mean to you" and "Y'all are just stupid kids." Not surprisingly, the Mijares -- and other Houston-area parents -- are outraged, and are demanding that the teacher be dismissed.
Reader Comments (Page 53 of 54)
781. I'm a teacher myself and have seen first and second graders use the 'F' word to teachers and to each other. It's a fact that there are horribly, disruptive students in every classroom. Anyone could easily lose his or her temper. The video does not show what happened up until that point. How do you know a student didn't throw a chair at another student or something just as violent. I have seen students do horrible deeds. That teacher could have been at her last wits.
Taping the teacher behind her back was not legal. If there was a question about proper teacher conduct, the administrators should have been in the classroom to observe. That is the proper method. A short recording can be manipulated to mean so much.
Posted at 2:16PM on Mar 15th 2008 by John
782. As a public school teacher, I do not defend her words towards any 4-year olds who look up to one of their first teachers. Yes, there are PLENTY of wonderful teachers in public school settings, but if we defend words that can kill a child' image of themselves, then well-meaning parents should homeschool their children.
The teacher should apologize to the children and parents and learn to talk to the children the way she wants to be talked to. If she can treat them with respect and at the same time, be honest about the children's inappropriate types of behavior without being demeaning then she can turn her situation into a very good learning environment for the children no matter how stressed we teachers feel.
Posted at 2:25PM on Mar 15th 2008 by Christy Bramer
783. Well I do not agree with what the teacher said to the child/ children I understand that it can be frustrating for a teacher to spend 8 hours out of the day teaching kids no matter what the age. I am a parent of three boys ages 8 years, 4 years and 3 years and I can say from my experience as just a single mother that it is not always easy to keep your self calm when a child is acting up or even if they are just being loud or to quiet you do not know what they are doing. I also can say that no child is an angel I do not care what they are like at home the child I am sure that even a child who is brought up with manners and respect can slip at times causing a parent to question how thier child can never do something bad because they are so good at home, but the parents need to also be more involved with thier child/children when it comes to thier education because in case some of you did not know and this is going out directly to the parents we are our childs/childrens first teachers and whatever they do in thier future they learn to do through us. Even if we teach our children all the right ways to do, say and act they are still going to make mistakes and we as parents have to step back, evaluate the situation (mistake that was made) and figure out what we can do to make it right ot to see that it is not a mistake that is repeated. The teachers are there to teach our children and they too can get frustrated if not kept informed by the parent 2-3 times per week what is going on at home that may cause a problem in school. I myself call my older kids scholls at least that many times per week if not more so that they are aware of a problem that occured or of a day that started out bad. Sometimes kids start out with a good day but something along the way causes them to act up and the teacher is not informed of this, so it can cause some concern on the teachers part and they may get iritated, but no child should be belittled by a teacher or made to feel unimportant. I feel that what the teacher said was wrong but I do not think that judgement should be cast on her because she made a mistake and because of that there are alot of people who automatically assume that she is not fit to be a teacher. I agrre that even if the teacher was having a bad day she should have left it outside of teaching even if it was due to an older group of kids that caused her to feel like she was being disrepected. If parents are so concerned then why do they not get more involved in the lives of thier childrns educational future instead of jumping in when a child is called names. To me though it is wrong to call any child names some parents are not concerned enough until thier child is belittled and that is when they decide to get involved with the schools and make sure that thier child is protected. Do not be so easy to judge someone just because there was a miscommunication on the parent/teacher relationship. I have what I believe is a wonderful parent/teacher relationship with all the teachers that teach my children so that they know what is going on at home good or bad and I know what is going on in school good or bad and that way we both can work out what should be done to be sure that the bad is not done again. It is the perfect solution to the parents whos children are coming home feeling down because a teacher called them names, if we do this it will make the educational lives of our children and the way that a teacher teaches and our stress levels as parents a whole lot better and we will find that when we take a big role in our childrens educational lives we are also learning from the teachers and they are learning from us as well as our kids who are also learning from both the teacher and the parents. A conflict with a teacher is never easy but we can reduce or eliminate that conflict completeky when we ourselves are involved.
Posted at 6:30PM on Mar 19th 2008 by Jennifer
784. This kind of abusive language is NEVER okay- I don't care how bad the children were. The teacher is supposed to be a professional. She should be fired.
Posted at 2:36PM on Mar 20th 2008 by Patti
785. This teacher is evil. Who does she think she is talking to little kindergarteners like that? All kindergarteners do is want to play, they don't want to be nasty or "mean"! This freakazoid should be sued. I don't see a reason to stick up for this teacher, either, unless you're absolutely mental.
Posted at 8:04AM on Mar 21st 2008 by Anastasia
786. Things were no different in the 40's 50's or 60's. The teachers could beat your butt for being out of line.
In 2nd grade I had a teach Ms. VanHorn that would take sharpened pencils and poke them in your back when she was mad. I had a nun that would beat you over the head with a solid triangular ruler . Call you names and slam you up against the wall. I didn't mind the whacks ,but name calling on a kid is worse. You get told you are stupid when you are a kid and you do one of 3 things,act out, give up on studying,or go the opposite and get high grades because you want to prove that teacher wrong! If you do ot have patience with children you do not belong teaching them. You call them stupid? get out of the teaching profession. You have a temper and start slapping and poking kids with pencils you better get out of the profession and go be a "screw" in one the penitentaries. Mean hateful people do not belong around kids.
I have seen teachers go off on high school kids because these kids have no respect for anyone. They use their cell phones in class and tell the teachers to FO and anything they feel like doing because parents have taught them no respect and no manners. I can see a teacher in high school snatching up these kids and swatting them around but they really should be swatting those piss poor parents that let their kids get away with this. No teaching your children to obey the rules and to behave is child abuse in my opinion.
Telling little kids they are stupid is child abuse.
Parents and teachers that abuse little kids should all be charged and sent to parenting classes and teachers have their right to teach revoked in every state.
Respect for authority starts at home, try it,you may see a nice well behaved child instead of what we see today in our kids.
Posted at 4:50PM on Mar 23rd 2008 by judy
787. This is why I homeschool. I understand that not all teachers are this way but from my experience the good kind respectfull teachers are few and far between. As for the teacher who posted on 781 I agree about older kids and the disrespect but this was a 4 year old. Not to mention you are a teacher who is to set an example. If you can't handle the kids call the principle in and let them call the parents. Don't you talk down to a child or disrespect back. I would have not been as nice to this teacher. I would have called the police went straight to the b. o. e. and then called a lawyer. These parents are way to nice. And to have you know it is not against the law to record. You are just afraid your abusive actions will be caught. This gave me great ideas to see who is disrespecting my children. I will deal with them myself.
Posted at 12:48PM on Mar 24th 2008 by kimberly
788. I have an idea that would solve alot of the problem. Put a video survalance camera in every class room with voice recording and then every teacher would be held accountable as well as every student. I bet the teacher would be on her best behavior and the kids my think twice if they know their every action is being recorded. They do this in daycare centers to protect the teachers as well as the kid. PROBLEM SOLVED.
Posted at 12:57PM on Mar 24th 2008 by kimberly
789. Some people don't want to accept they have stupid kids. Evey kid is gold every kid is an angle. And got forbid you say anything critical of a kid. Then they grow up and somebody dares to criticize them. So they go out and shoots up a school or place of employment.
Posted at 11:18AM on Mar 25th 2008 by big kev
790. I am currently a Sophomore in Harmony Grove High School of Haskell, Arkansas, and I can rightfully say that teachers like that are unfit to teach. When becoming a teacher, they know very well what they're getting themselves into. Instead of blaming the kids, like some of you idiots have done, maybe you should start seeing that the teachers put themselves in such situations to begin with. And they have full knowledge of the risks. Therefore, yes. The teacher should be more than just "dismissed".
This reminds me of the time I had been in Kindergarten at Howard Perrin Elementary. A teacher there, my homeroom teacher named Mrs. Bradshaw disliked me for no reason. And yes, for no reason. You can dish out whatever negativity you feel but it won't matter. Anyway, she drug me across the floor when my classmates and I were taking our naps. She did this simply because she didn't want to see me while I slept. Ended up putting me in the closet.
Well, needless to say she got what she deserved- imprisonment.
What do you think would have happened to other kids if that vile woman had been allowed to teach? I can assure you that many more than just myself would have been hurt by her. That's for sure.
Posted at 4:45PM on Mar 25th 2008 by Raina
791. Of course teachers get frustrated, but it never excuses behavior like this teacher's. Anyone who has worked with children should know that talking to them like she does can easily make the children's behavior worse. Question: if you tell a child that he is bad and stupid, what kind of behavior should you expect that child to continue? The message that needs to be taught is that the child has made a bad decision, and talk to the child about what a good decision would have been. Children this young are still learning very basic concepts of socialisation and following rules. It is our job to teach them. What does calling children names teach them?
Posted at 5:13PM on Mar 25th 2008 by elbosque
792. My thoughts exactly, Elbosque.
Posted at 7:12PM on Mar 25th 2008 by Raina
793. Of course teachers get frustrated, but it never excuses behavior like this teacher's. Anyone who has worked with children should know that talking to them like she does can easily make the children's behavior worse. Question: if you tell a child that he is bad and stupid, what kind of behavior should you expect that child to continue? The message that needs to be taught is that the child has made a bad decision, and talk to the child about what a good decision would have been. Children this young are still learning very basic concepts of socialisation and following rules. It is our job to teach them. What does calling children names teach them?
Posted at 1:49PM on Mar 26th 2008 by elbosque
794. i have a big problem with this because i have 4 kids in kindergarden and i know how mean kids can be but she is teaching small kids so she should not say if you be mean to me i will be mean to you what does that teach those kids. if one is being mean put them in timeout or something like that. i think she needs to get another job
Posted at 10:32AM on Mar 29th 2008 by hippi
795. my daughter is a teacher for childen that age and she was appalled as I am,thi is NOT how you teach kids,as the saying goes children learn what they live so maybe she was teaching them not to be good to her either and how she has gotten away with this is sickening,you must know this isnt her first class she sent threw to another grade thinking they were bad and if your bad to me I can be bad to you type attitude! she needs to be fired now ! if the school suporrt's that then we are in Bad shape get a petion going to end her time with kids ,shes done enough damage !
Posted at 11:28AM on Mar 29th 2008 by Queen of Hearts