A high school teacher captured in a YouTube clip performing a cheerleading routine in

[pansmermaidzlagoon]

I feel sorry for the teachers today if you're going to get fired over something like that.

I'd give anything to have these young energenic teachers then the boring ones I had who stood there and made half the kids go to sleep.

true!

that, to me is why it wrong to let the "immature" ones go. At least they care enough to put effort into it by doing these things. Given some guidance and restrictions - they may just turn out to be good teachers once they mature a little. I've seen a couple examples of this - and they were good people and possibly good teachers - just given a little time and guidance. I'd prefer this to the ones too disengaged or worse.

 

[deekaypee]

I agree with pps that say there has to be more to the story. The cheering is no more suggestive than things I've seen junior-high school girls do. I can't speak to the context of the classroom. On the face of it, it seems an odd choice--but we don't know what's going on in the classroom. The kids seem to be enjoying it, even though the clip's editing tries to put the worst possible spin on it.

As for the book, come on! It's obviously YA fiction, a retelling of The Great Gatsby that has made several librarian/YA lists as appropriate. It's listed as appropriate for grades 7-12 or 9-12, depending on the source on Amazon. It even gets rid of some of the darker incidents which are present in Fitzgerald's novel. I'll bet the father wouldn't have a problem with his daughter reading The Great Gatsby itself.

So what's the problem? The cheering plus the assigment of a "cool" YA book? Hmmm. If I had to hazard a guess, it's because the teacher appears to be young, fairly in touch with youth culture, and perhaps friendly with her students. Depending on one's perspective, then, either she's too immature and hasn't established the proper distance between student/teacher or she's too anti-establishment (due to her youth/assignment of texts/classroom perspective.)

Of course, there's probably more to the story than this, too, and the media is just focusing on the most ridiculous aspects.

It's this kind of story that makes me realize why so many people are leaving teaching and/or choosing not to enter the profession.

 

[Ride Junkie]

I'm not sure what the point was of doing a cheer in class, but at the same time, I don't think it was anything to get fired over. It's not like she was dressed as one of the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders. There must be more to the story.

 

[nataliela]

I had a teacher shave his head and I had two teachers perform routines- all because we accomplished something...No big deal.

Maybe she was trying to get spirit in the students. I would commend her on that. I would like to hire her for my local schools! (Even though I have no authority what so ever to do that!)

It's ridiculous that it went that far.

 

[Mickey'sMainMami]

The only thing I can fiqure that parents were upset about was the possible "suggestive moves" in the cheer. Heck, if a cheer gets the kids attention for even minute then you have done something.

Yeah, these same parents who have a problem with the teacher doing "suggestive moves" yet don't have a problem seeing their teen daughters doing the same thing for a bunch of football players in tight sweaters and short skirts. People really do have issues.

I too would love to know the whole story behind it all. There has to be more to it.

 

[believe]

I had a teacher in HS who would play his guitar and sing songs to me due to my name being in the song. I would hate to see what some parents would think of that these days

I think the teacher probably felt that all her decisions were now going to be judged and felt it wasn't worth it.

 

[DVC Sadie]

I think the main problem some of the administrators and parents have with a female teacher behaving this way is due to a epidemic of female teachers having sex with their students.

 

[Fantasmic303]

I haven't kept up with the updates on this story, but I did see it when it originally aired on Today. From what I remember, the cheer was performed during spirit week at the high school, and she is the coach of the squad.


Is there more to it than that? Maybe. But that was the reason I remembered.

 

[mommaU4]

I'm probably just having a blonde moment and am going to regret saying this, but..... I can't seem to find a link to the video clip.

ETA: Never mind, got it!
I watched it and I'd have no problem with any of my four kids sitting in a classroom where the teacher did that. Didn't seem like a big deal to me.

 

[horseshowmom]

I think the teacher probably felt that all her decisions were now going to be judged and felt it wasn't worth it.

Very possible...

 

[5/4Disney]

I agree with pps that say there has to be more to the story. The cheering is no more suggestive than things I've seen junior-high school girls do. I can't speak to the context of the classroom. On the face of it, it seems an odd choice--but we don't know what's going on in the classroom. The kids seem to be enjoying it, even though the clip's editing tries to put the worst possible spin on it.

As for the book, come on! It's obviously YA fiction, a retelling of The Great Gatsby that has made several librarian/YA lists as appropriate. It's listed as appropriate for grades 7-12 or 9-12, depending on the source on Amazon. It even gets rid of some of the darker incidents which are present in Fitzgerald's novel. I'll bet the father wouldn't have a problem with his daughter reading The Great Gatsby itself.

So what's the problem? The cheering plus the assigment of a "cool" YA book? Hmmm. If I had to hazard a guess, it's because the teacher appears to be young, fairly in touch with youth culture, and perhaps friendly with her students. Depending on one's perspective, then, either she's too immature and hasn't established the proper distance between student/teacher or she's too anti-establishment (due to her youth/assignment of texts/classroom perspective.)

Of course, there's probably more to the story than this, too, and the media is just focusing on the most ridiculous aspects.

It's this kind of story that makes me realize why so many people are leaving teaching and/or choosing not to enter the profession.

I somewhat agree.
She is the cheerleading coach RIGHT?
Some parents are letting their daughters perform this routine RIGHT?
In front of the entire student body or in public RIGHT?
I DON"T GET IT!!
It may look a bit suggestive at times, but that is the way these routines are choreographed now days. (the reason my daughters won't be allowed to do this) Do we really know why she was doing the routine. Was it to promote dancing or to help cover a lesson about pop culture? Maybe she is young and cute, but she is not the only one out there doing this. I just think we need more background information. The parents who are complaining, I'd like to know what type of music their kids listen too or what they watch on TV. I'm sure these kids have seen much worse, not that I think the classroom is a place for this type of behavior. I don't know what my reaction would have been, but I would not expect her to loose her job over this. Unless there was a history of this sort of behavior, something we don't know about.

 

[autumnbaby9]

My high school economics teacher was our cheer coach. If we got done with our work and there was still 5 or so minutes left in class she would show us what she was teaching the cheerleaders.


She didn't see the point in moving on to the next subject when we wouldn't have enough time to get into it and this kept us entertained and happy.

But then again this is the teacher that taught us supply and demand by feeding us chocolate (I loved my teacher).

 

[Val]

Sometimes teachers do "silly' things as motivators....at my DD's elementary school the principal shaved his beard if they brought in a certain $ for a charity. My DS's middle school "team" (a grouping of kids) was told if they accomplished an academic skills (mastered some math concepts) that their teacher and I would perform the dance steps to 'solja boy' (or however it is spelled) at the school dance this Friday (I help out sometimes with school)....unfortunately for me, they DID! The teacher is in his late 30's and I am a pooh-sized college prof in her late 40s. While it may be an "amazing" feat, I can guarrantee it will NOT be 'sexy'.....

I think there is probably something else behind this.....that routine alone would not be problematic. Did the teacher put up the altered video, or did a student? Interesting to know the WHOLE story!

 

[princesskelz]

I don't get what the problem is. Teachers always do crazy stuff to encourage their student to learn. Since I don't know the context or the story behind the events leading up to this cheer display, I'll just say it seems pretty innocent.

Yesterday on Ellen, there was a clip of a teacher doing Soulja Boy for his class and it got nothing but favorable responses. Why is the cheering teacher getting so much flak? If she had done this routine at a pep rally, would that have made it okay? Is the issue that she did it in class?

You know...Sam Walton once issued a challenge to his associates and said that if they achieved a certain goal, he would do a hula dance on Wall Street. They did and he hula'ed! Maybe the cheer routine was this teacher's hula dance.

Awsome way to put this my teachers make fools of themselves just trying to help us learn! I think there just over reacting on this whole thing. Teenage girls this stuff in Short skirts and nobody says anything. So when a Teacher is doing a cheer rutine everybody thinks its wrong. she even had cloths on the covered her whole body! i think the Media over reacts on the slightes things!

 

[mchames]

Ok, here's my question: Who recorded this and put it up on YouTube in the first place? It's been a long time since I've been to high school, but I don't recall having video cameras recording our teacher's every move. Did she know a camera was rolling? Did a student record it on a cel phone? I'm just confused as to how something so relatively innocuous (in my opinion) could show up on YouTube and cause such a stir. Did she post it herself or did someone else? Was the person who posted it trying to cause trouble?

I'm guessing that there is something about this teacher that a faction of people are not happy with and they're using this silly cheerleading episode as their ammunition. I actually find it kind of sad.

Mary

 

[crazytp93]

anyone have the link to the vid?

 

[MushyMushy]

Ok, here's my question: Who recorded this and put it up on YouTube in the first place? It's been a long time since I've been to high school, but I don't recall having video cameras recording our teacher's every move. Did she know a camera was rolling? Did a student record it on a cel phone? I'm just confused as to how something so relatively innocuous (in my opinion) could show up on YouTube and cause such a stir. Did she post it herself or did someone else? Was the person who posted it trying to cause trouble?

I'm guessing that there is something about this teacher that a faction of people are not happy with and they're using this silly cheerleading episode as their ammunition. I actually find it kind of sad.

Mary

I just found out that, yes, kids are doing things like this! I was warned (by students) that a couple of boys like to take pictures of subs and put them up on their MySpace pages. They said now the subs hate those boys. I haven't had a chance to talk to the subs about it yet. Anyway, I looked at the pics and they are just silly poses -- the subs and the kids doing thumbs up to the camera, or one with a male sub showing bicep muscles. Nothing at all offensive.

I still plan on ducking if I see a camera or cell phone.

 

[MM27]

My high school drama teacher would start every class by doing a cheer He would stand on the stage in the classroom and do the exact cheer that the football cheerleaders did in a game.

People stress out over the littlest things I'm sure those innocent 14 year old boys have seen much worse than that.