Teacher Stupidity

[CUDA]

story says it all



BEAVER FALLS, Pa. (AP) - A 17-year-old high school student said he was humiliated when a teacher made him sit on the floor during a midterm exam in his ethnicity class - for wearing a Denver Broncos jersey.



The teacher, John Kelly, forced Joshua Vannoy to sit on the floor and take the test Friday - two days before the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Broncos 34-17 in the AFC championship game. Kelly also made other students throw crumpled up paper at Vannoy, whom he called a \"stinking Denver fan,\" Vannoy told The Associated Press on Monday.

Kelly said Vannoy, a junior at Beaver Area Senior High School, just didn't get the joke.

\"If he felt uncomfortable, then that's a lesson; that's what (the class) is designed to do,\" Kelly told The Denver Post. \"It was silly fun. I can't believe he was upset.\"

Vannoy was wearing a No. 7 Broncos jersey on Friday, because he is a fan of John Elway, the Broncos' retired Hall of Fame quarterback.

Vannoy said he was so unnerved he left at least 20 questions blank on the 60-question test, and just wants out of Kelly's class because he's afraid the teacher won't treat him fairly now that the story reached the media.

\"I'm going to have to deal with him for two more nine weeks (school quarters) and he's going to want revenge somehow,\" Vannoy said Monday. \"I took the test. I'm shaking. I'm furious. I didn't know what to do.\"

Kelly, who wore a Ben Roethlisberger jersey Friday, and his principal, Thomas Karczewski, didn't immediately return messages left on their school voice mail Monday.

Big Beaver Falls Area School District Superintendent Donna Nugent said she was aware of the situation, but said confidentiality rules prevent her from commenting specifically.

\"We'll take whatever action we need to in order for the student to feel comfortable,\" Nugent said.

[Duper]

wow. Good thing we have quality people in \"the system\". Looks like common sense left with the good ones.

[dissent]

Teacher is a moron. It's only a game.


Hey, and I've been rootin' for the Steelers ever since the Bears got whacked.

[Avder]

This guy should be suspended without pay and when he complains, be told by the administration \"It was silly fun. I cant believe you're upset\".

[Lothar]

\"If he felt uncomfortable, then that's a lesson; that's what (the class) is designed to do,\"

Wait... the class is designed to make people feel uncomfortable? What? Whose tax dollars are supporting an \"ethnicity\" class where such \"silly fun\" is considered acceptable, and there doesn't even seem to be a lesson attached to that silly fun?

I could understand if he said \"OK, Broncos kid, you're not a part of our tribe so we're going to make fun of you for a class period\" (with permission from the kid!) and then at the end said \"see, that's how stupid racism is\" and used it as a big object lesson. But singling him out on a test day? Not so cool.

[ccb056]

The kid is an idiot, everyone has been singled out for one reason or another, this kid needs to grow up and not blame his inadequacy on someone else.

He's a 17 year old kid throwing a tantrum like a 5 year old.

[Dedman]

Clearly this is a result of Bush's No Child Left Behind law gone terribly wrong.

[CDN_Merlin]

The kid is an idiot, everyone has been singled out for one reason or another, this kid needs to grow up and not blame his inadequacy on someone else.

He's a 17 year old kid throwing a tantrum like a 5 year old.

Ok lets all pick on ccb056 now and make him feel welcomed.

[ccb056]

Yeah, I won't go the newspapers and try to file a lawsuit for being insulted online.

The kid is 17, don't you think he is acting just a little immature?

[CDN_Merlin]

Don't you think the teacher was in the wrong? I certainly do. The teacher used his power of authority to redicule a kid.

[ccb056]

People of authority ridicule people below them all the time. There is nothing wrong with that. It's life. There is nothing unfair or unjust about being ridiculed by a superior.

If the kid was below 13, I would probably have more compassion, but this kid is 17 years old, old enough to drive in most states. Old enough to drink alcohol in most countries. And old enough to suck it up.

[CUDA]

ridicule

n 1: language or behavior intended to mock or humiliate 2: the act of deriding or treating with contempt [syn: derision] v : subject to laughter or ridicule;

ccb I cannot belive that you would actualy think that. A person in authority or a Leader should NEVER ridicule someone beneath them. especially a teacher. I can not immagine anything worse than being a student in a class and have your teacher mock you. now you have opened the door and set the standard of behavior for the rest of the kids, and children can be the most ruthless in these situations, I wonder who the adult is in that classroom. its no wonder our public eduation system is a mess

[CDN_Merlin]

I think ccb was in that position as a kid and that's why he thinks it's ok. It's never ok. It's the same as bullying. It's wrong and should not be tolerated. I hope that teacher gets fired and has to publicly appologize.

[Dedman]

People of authority ridicule people below them all the time. There is nothing wrong with that. It's life. There is nothing unfair or unjust about being ridiculed by a superior.

One word: Columbine

Nuff said

[Kiran]

ccb... the kid has every right to report the situation. The teacher had no right to force him to sit on the floor during test time and have students throw papers at him all because he is a fan of a team that the teacher does not like.

How exactly is the kid's humiliation an immature thing?

[ccb056]

The immature thing the kid did was blame the teacher for the kid's inability to answer 20 questions on a 60 question test. What the article doesn't say is that if given the test now, the kid would receive the same score.

The environment a person is placed into has nothing to do with the tendancy towards school shootings, the direct cause of school shootings is the inability of the student to control their own stupidity.

[Kiran]

Uhh ccb, when someone gets HUMILIATED during testing time, ie be sat on the floor and be ridiculed by his or her peers, how do you assume that person can continue to take a test like it never happened?

[CUDA]

The immature thing the kid did was blame the teacher for the kid's inability to answer 20 questions on a 60 question test.

so let me get this right, we are blaming the victim for the teachers actions.

The teacher, John Kelly, forced Joshua Vannoy to sit on the floor and take the test Friday - two days before the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Broncos 34-17 in the AFC championship game. Kelly also made other students throw crumpled up paper at Vannoy, whom he called a "stinking Denver fan,"

and I'm sure you would have a perfect test. answering all 60 questions while sitting on the floor and having other students throw things at you. you cant be serious, this student gets humilated, verbaly assaulted and physicaly assaulted, granted it was crumpled paper but that is not the point, and you blame the victim???????incredable!!! I'm truly speachless. you probably agree with the Vermont judge that gave the convicted child rapist only 60 days when he raped a 6year old girl for 4 years and also brought his best friend in to partake since she is a victim also

[CDN_Merlin]

ccb has become the lowest form of life in my book by his statements in this thread. You are truely a horrible human being.

[Ferno]

humiliated for wearing a broncos shirt?

yea right. I bet ya this story is BS.

[ccb056]

actually, if judges could be impeached, I would have that judge impeached

and merlin, you are entitled to your opinion

I don't judge a person by what happens to them, I judge a person by how they respond, and it is my belief that the kid was looking for an excuse for his failure on the test.

[CUDA]

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/F/ ... TE=DEFAULT

there ya go Ferno and it wasnt even the FOX news link so you could say it was Biased I went right to the AP site

[Boo]

dbl-post

[Boo]

He wouldn't have needed an excuse if he hadn't been emotionally and physically assaulted while taking the test. Picture yourself, being yelled at, with projectiles filling the air around you, trying to take an exam. Unless you have some extraordinary ability to shut out anything and everything around you, you will fail. The teacher was handing out an unreasonable punishment, and the student apparently didn't even do anything wrong. Anyone who thinks otherwise (Ccb) needs to contact a psycologist in my opinion.

[CDN_Merlin]

and merlin, you are entitled to your opinion

Yes I am and it seems everyone in this thread thinks less fo you now also.

[Gooberman]

I partially agree with ccb056. I can't say without knowing the kid. But I would be surprised to find that this was some shy kid that the teacher did this too. I bet the teacher just assumed that he would think it was a joke as well.

The kid should just be allowed to retake the test. But I wouldn't be surprised at all if this was his \"way out\" to mom-dad as to why he failed.

Was it a bad call for the teacher, yeah, definitely. But its really not news, just a mis-communication/read.

[roid]

ccb056 i'm sorry you had to deal with that kindof treatment as a kid. But just coz your natural emotional responses were/are deemed unimportant by your peers doesn't mean you have the right to pass that pain onto others by invalidating their emotions too - even though passing on your pain to others may feel like the appropriate response from your point of view.

the teacher was merely being insensative, it happens. i'm sure he's sorry after the fact.

but repremanding the kid because you think he's too sensative? haha, yeah shake that baby ccb056, it'l stop crying, you just arn't shaking it hard enough! .

[ccb056]

It's interesting what other people assume about my childhood using only my posts as a basis. If this was your full time job, you would be sending out resume's after a week.

[CDN_Merlin]

ccb, it's human nature for people to act how they were treated as a kid. Battered women keep dating abusers cause it's all they know.

If you didn't go through something liek this article as a child, you are really f*cked up and should be sent to some institution.

[ccb056]

no, people act according to their intelligence and their maturity

immature stupid people make more immature stupid choices

[roid]

i think \"immaturity\" is often caused by a damaging anomaly(s) that stunts the natural maturation process. A big part of that natural process being \"childhood\".

what is your theory as to the cause of \"immaturity\" ccb056? genetics?

[ccb056]

immaturity is caused by birth, every time someone is born, they become immature

during their life, they gain maturity by responding to situations

[roid]

ok so your theory is that immaturity is caused by a lack of situational experience.

you recognise no valid basis to emotional or psychological trauma?

[ccb056]

It is possible that a form of trauma can impact a person's response to a stimuli in such a way that the person would respod differently if the trauma had not occured.

As far as the direction in reference to maturity, it depends on your definition of maturity.

Roid, you seem to know alot about psychology, how did you get your knowledge?

[Palzon]

i'd like to hear more details. i'd like to hear other witness accounts. i didn't read anything in that article to suggest this was truly a violent, degrading, or threatening experience.

[Ferno]

I didn't mention anything about bias Cuda. I still think the story is more or less a hoax.

[CUDA]

I didn't mention anything about bias Cuda. I still think the story is more or less a hoax.

really. why do you think that?do you have any evidence?

[fyrephlie]

recent posts skimmed:

out of curiousity... i wonder if this school, like many around here have adopted the 'no sports jersey' policies to prevent bullying, fighting, and 'gang' activity....

article seems rediculously thin too...

ccb is defending the teacher because the teacher is a \"blonde\".

[dissent]

I don't judge a person by what happens to them, I judge a person by how they respond,...

ok, ccb. So here's the scenario. A kid in my class comes in a week before the big game, wearing a shirt from an opposing team. My response as the teacher is to single him out for ridicule, make him sit on the floor to take a test, and encourage the other students in the class to ridicule him as well.

Is my response in this situation, as the person of authority and power in a classroom, mature?

The teacher's response to the "provocation" of the Broncos shirt was moronic. He owes the student and the entire class an apology.

[CUDA]

ok, ccb. So here's the scenario. A kid in my class comes in a week before the big game, wearing a shirt from an opposing team. My response as the teacher is to single him out for ridicule, make him sit on the floor to take a test, and encourage the other students in the class to ridicule him as well.

Is my response in this situation, as the person of authority and power in a classroom, mature?

The teacher's response to the "provocation" of the Broncos shirt was moronic. He owes the student and the entire class an apology.

well said I think he should publicly apologise to the whole school