| 
|
Page: Profile: Wren's Nest News Local
| Total Views: 4,942,836
|
Article: 19109
[Schools/Ed]
Date Posted:
12/28/2007
10:10:24 am EST
Wvox Stats
Views: 6,140
RSS: 15,737
Comments: 10
|
Substitute Teacher Says Religion, Not Blue Hair, Behind Trouble
Author: Alison Bath Source: Sheveport Times (LA)
Title: SUBSTITUTE TEACHER SAYS RELIGION, NOT BLUE HAIR, BEHIND TROUBLE
Watch out Cookie Monster. Being blue isn't cool in Vivian.
Ask Jennifer Harmon. The 39-year-old mother of one recently was told her blue hair was unacceptable after nearly a week of substitute teaching at Vivian Elementary/Middle School.
But Harmon, whose appearance has remained the same since early 2006 and was evident during her substitute application process, doesn't think it was her hair color or an accompanying nose piercing that got her in trouble. Rather, it was religion.
The same early December day a fellow substitute teacher asked if she was Wiccan, Harmon found herself in Principal Jamie (Rene) Tolbert's office answering questions about her appearance and whether she had discussed religion with students.
| Options: [Read Full Story] [Comments Locked]
[Email to a Friend]
|
|
Community Thoughts: There are 10 comments posted | Reverse Sort |
| Well, | Dec 31st. at 1:33:43 am EST
|
Sharon (Lake Charles, Louisiana) - Email Me
After reading this article, what exactly was the point in all of this? This kind of thing makes me so angry that the kind of discrimination that takes place in todays society. Can people just respect the beliefs of other individuals and stop all the bigotry by covering up religious prejudice and making it seem like the initial point of "no return" is because of something so... vague as having blue hair and a noce piercing.
I had several piercings at one point a couple months ago, one including my nose, and the discrimination that was subjected towards me was incomplacent. I can only imagine if they would have known my religious beliefs.
( I was trying to get a job, haha)
Anyways, I just wanted to post my views on this ridiculous matter and I pray that the indecent and immoral behavior will stop one day.
Blessed Be.
|
| Didn't She Look That Way When They Hired Her? | Dec 29th. at 8:14:51 am EST
|
Silver Tree (Fort Worth, Texas) - Email Me
"Oh, so you're interested in my religion? My lawyer will be explaining it to you."
And didn't she look that way when they hired her? Were there any complaints regarding her teaching, classroom demeanor or personal behavior?
Blue hair may be unusual, but no more than a "chemical" blonde, brunette or red head. Nose piercings may be unusual for an American woman over 30. So?
Any lawyer should be happy to take on this case.
There is probably more to this story than in the newspaper report.
|
| Can We Say "Witch Hunt"? | Dec 28th. at 11:39:17 pm EST
|
nasionnaich (Stanchfield, Minnesota) - Email Me
Okay.... Here is what I see in the article:
A teacher is told by another teacher, who was told by yet another teacher that a parent had complained about Ms. Harmon's hair color and nose ring. Yeah, really professional, those teachers in Vivian, Louisiana -- "I got no problem with it, but this is what I heard..." Same goes for the Principal of the school, too.
They knew about her hair and nose ring when they hired her; if there was a problem - i.e., if it was somehow against their "dress code" or something, it should have been addressed then. Why wait a full year until a "parent" complains about it?
And here's the real kicker: The school principal supposedly didn't think that anything would come of it all -- until the "Religion Card" was played.
To anyone who is even considering a career as a Teacher: The mere **whisper** of suspicion about your chosen religion will get you fired -- especially if you do not conform to the Societal Ideals of the community you teach in.
Bottom line: She is Different, and therefor must be gotten rid of.
----nasionnaich
|
| ... | Dec 28th. at 8:29:49 pm EST
|
Draken (Bronx, New York) - Email Me - Web
Consider where this happened.
|
| Sounds Like Gossip Behind This... | Dec 28th. at 6:35:12 pm EST
|
bigcat (peoria, Illinois) - Email Me
If she was considered capable before the dreaded "W" question came up, then it was religion and not the dress code. They just pulled the so-called dress code out of the works as a cover for their discrimination because they believe she is, whether it is true or not.
I hope she nails them to the wall.
|
| She Looked The Same When She Was Hired | Dec 28th. at 5:36:27 pm EST
|
Shadowbear (Hillsboro, Oregon) - Email Me
Blue hair, nose ring and all. Looks pretty professional to me and the hair and ring probably helped the kids relate to her - especially since she dressed professionally. Sort of, you can be your own person and still conform to what society demands of you with your dress.
Her problems started when the other teacher asked if she was Wiccan - then suddenly she is not ok to teach with the hair and nose ring. I'll bet if she had changed her looks to conform with their "new" requirements, they still would have stopped her from teaching because she has been tainted by the whisper of "witch" I am not in favor of suing for any little thing but I hope she nails their hindmost parts to the wall for this one, after all, they knew what she looked like and she isn't a Wiccan after all.
|
| Possible Issue | Dec 28th. at 1:23:08 pm EST
|
Rhiannon Dragonraine (St. Robert, Colorado) - Email Me
Honestly the possible issue at hand could indeed be a dress code- Most the High schools here in town, have dress codes that forbid a student from having peircings (other than ear) and from having "Unnatural; for example, blue, green, pink and orange, hair color. " So if this is the case part of me wonders how she got hired in the first place because it does seem a bit of hipocracy to allow a teacher with blue hair and facial piercings to teach students who are not allowed to- which then leads to questioning the authority of the school. "Do as I say and not as I do" does not sit well with most children and in this case I can understand that- but at the same time they hired her with the appearance she currently has and there fore sanctioned it. Why this arose at a later date is not clear- and as for the religion question part of me feels it was thrown in just to send people into an outrage. How many people would truly stand up for someone just because they have chosen to alter their appearance in a way that keeps them from professional work and then sit there and complain that they can't get a professional job?- When it is things that can not be controled we will fight when it is a matter of personal choice (as having blue hair is) most people would say that is the consequence of the choice made. but touch on religion and everyone is up in arms.
Now I am not saying that after they hired her and allowed her to teach with her present appearance it is right to fire her for the appearance that has been in place all along- however this article was extremely vague and leaves one wondering just what the actual issue was.
I do hope this works out for her and perhaps her fight will lead to a little more freedom of expression for young adults still in school.
Blessings
Rhiannon Dragonraine
|
| Are Subs In The Union? | Dec 28th. at 11:11:34 am EST
|
Lora (Leominster, Massachusetts) - Email Me
Are substitute teachers members of the teachers' union? If so, her steward should be all over this.
If not, it seems like the teachers' union is ignoring people who need immediate protection from a discriminatory employer.
From the scarce information presented in the article, it seems that the lady was hired and taught for some time without incident, hair and piercings in their present condition. Then someone, (possibly a parent, possibly a student, possibly another teacher) complained somehow (the exact nature of the complaint is a mystery but apparently had something to do with religion) , and she was let go. I am inferring from this information that the administrator was incapable of adequately addressing the complaint either in management skills or by any sort of training or coaching structure that would enable the complaint to be resolved. This seems to me to be excessively stupid, because any decent manager knows how to deal with personnel issues both in client negotiation skills and in retraining/coaching skills.
I've known an awful lot of ex-teachers who have quit because of bad administration. These ex-teachers tell me plenty of war stories about being disciplined every time a parent complained that Layzeigh and Bratford didn't get an A++ on an exam, being harassed and physically abused by students with no recourse to have the student removed from class or punished. Does anyone really, honestly wonder why people don't want to be teachers? It's got nothing to do with pay or the social status of the profession--it's that no sane person would work under such conditions.
At this point, I think it should be part of the mandatory job training that all school administrators who deal with parents should have to have worked a couple of years in a customer service job--answering phones, "would you like fries with that?" bagging groceries and so on. If you don't like dealing with the public on that level, then being a school administrator is just not the job for you. Your days are going to be filled with idiots akin to the folks on Planet Feedback who believe that because Burger King didn't serve their precious child a Big Mac, they deserve free Happy Meals every day until their child turns 30 to cope with the disappointment. If you're not able to handle that sort of thing with grace and aplomb, you need to not be working with the public.
|
| This Whole Situation Is Still Very Vague - | Dec 28th. at 11:03:00 am EST
|
Silverwing (Colorado Springs, Colorado) - Email Me
I read through the whole article and, essentially, it sounds like an article saying that nobody really knows what the problem was exactly, factually. So, the point in writing it was?
I saw her picture and while I personally thought the hair was well done and she obviously presented herself favorably in an interview, most of us (like me) will make a quick judgement when presented with a new acquaintance. Apparently this was part of what happened here. Who knows exactly who had the problem. Could have been another teacher, could have been anyone. I was thinking that this line in the article -
"That teacher was made aware of the situation by another teacher, who had been told by a parent, Robinson said."
reminded me of the old game of Gossip or Post Office. I tell you something, you try to pass it on, etc etc until the whole thing comes out the other end as something totally different. I hope they get this sorted out. Yep, jumping to conclusions, fun fun fun.
|
Disclaimer: The Witches' Voice inc does not verify the accuracy of the details stated in this listing, nor do we vouch for the value of the goods or services presented here... As with all contacts and financial dealings in cyberspace, we encourage you to use caution and wisdom in your dealings with strangers.
Political Statements: Any and all personal political opinions expressed in the public listing sections (including, but not restricted to, personals, events, groups, shops, Wren's Nest, etc.) are solely those of the author(s) and do not reflect the opinion of The Witches' Voice, Inc. TWV is a non-profit, non-partisan educational organization.
|
State/Country flags created by 3dflags.com and are used with permission
Web Site Content (including: text - graphics - html - look & feel)
Copyright 1997-2009 The Witches' Voice Inc. All rights reserved
Note: Authors & Artists retain the copyright for their work(s) on this website.
Unauthorized reproduction without prior permission is a violation of copyright laws.
Website structure, evolution and php coding by Fritz Jung on a Macintosh G5.
Any and all personal political opinions expressed in the public listing sections (including, but not restricted to, personals, events, groups, shops, Wren’s Nest, etc.) are solely those of the author(s) and do not reflect the opinion of The Witches’ Voice, Inc. TWV is a nonprofit, nonpartisan educational organization.
Sponsorship: Visit the Witches' Voice Sponsor Page for info on how you
can help support this Community Resource. Donations ARE Tax Deductible.
The Witches' Voice carries a 501(c)(3) certificate and a Federal Tax ID.
Mail Us: The Witches' Voice Inc., P.O. Box 341018, Tampa, Florida 33694-1018 U.S.A.
| |
