The Books That Got Me Fired

[proud2BlibKansan]

Two weeks ago today, I walked out of my classroom for perhaps the last time.

It wasn’t anything I planned. Even when I wrote for Huffington Post a couple of weeks ago recommending that young people not become teachers, I never stopped loving my job. I never lost my enthusiasm for teaching eighth graders the finer points of writing.

My students are still in my classroom every day and will be until May 21. I miss them greatly and hope, perhaps against all hope, that I will get a chance to be with them at least one more time before the school year ends.

That usually doesn’t happen, however, for teachers who have to be escorted from the school building by a police officer in full view of students who were boarding school buses to leave for the day.

You would think that I committed murder or engaged in one of those horrific relationships that bring shame to the teaching profession. That is not the case.

My crime- I write books.

more . . . http://rturner229.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-books-that-got-me-fired_25.html?spref=fb

[Deep13]

1. never agree to a private interview.

If they don't want you to record something, it is because they are about to do something wrong. And yeah, sounds like there was no Loudermill hearing.

[proud2BlibKansan]

3. The meeting was recorded

&feature=player_embedded

[Warpy]

5. Yes, the second they required the cell phone be off and put on the desk

I would have told them the interview was over.

Oh, I'd still have been fired, but it would no longer have been a he said/she said kind of thing.

Undoubtedly they have documented his refusal to give his side of the story.

And I agree with some of the comments. He needs to sue. He did nothing illegal nor immoral and it's a transparent set up to fire a tenured teacher in favor of a cheaper new grad once the teaching to the test is done for the year.

[ChazII]

2. Where was the union rep.?

I feel so bad for you and your experience.

[proud2BlibKansan]

4. I wondered that as well.

No way would I ever go to a meeting like that without a union rep.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

6. That is horrible. And horrifying.

I hope that somehow he can get justice, and get to tell his side of the story to the public.

Damn.

[Lady Freedom Returns]

7. Sadly, that is how most business is done in Joplin/R-8 schools.

I come from there and I have to be honest, it is not really ... it is a little shady .

That's what worried many of us after the Tornado, we knew the City Council would find a way to get as much money in their pockets from the relief fund. And odd things were happening with the building permits as it was. Certain people that used certain contractors were getting them before others, even if the others filed before them. And those were ones owned by Council members. We all, the people of Joplin, knew they owned them, but what could anyone say or do?

The City Council is very close to the School Board. And before we were shipped out, the Council and the School board was heavy Rep. and saying stuff like that Book in the story, "No Child Left Alive" could get you in big trouble. Being a Dem. there was... hard.

[HiPointDem]

8. kr

[Hekate]

9. Please say he's gotten a lawyer. Please.

[proud2BlibKansan]

18. His union will provide one.

[Lady Freedom Returns]

20. With what I know about how things work in Joplin....

It is amazing how what your union is supposed to do, magically does not happen in Joplin. Or how the lawyer (which is a local person) comes in saying in a nice way "You will lose, give up now". He better get his own, not from the area. And to make sure the case is not heard in the area.

[Sancho]

10. You needed collective bargaining and a union witness...

My wife is in her 35th year of teaching. When a crazy and abusive principal called her in over an imagined problem, she knew not to go in the room without a representative and a copy of the contract. She prevailed easily over the issue and the principal and assistant principal ended up with a reprimand!

Never go into a meeting with a supervisor without your representative. If you see them in there, turn around and demand your union witness and due process.

This kind of stuff happens all too often, and collective contracts is a way to fight back.

[Wednesdays]

11. K & R

[Orrex]

12. What am I missing here?

Of course, we have only one side of the story here, so it's difficult to draw conclusions. It would be helpful to have the school's perspective as well. Turner seems to give a link to the "28 pages of charges" against him, but he actually links to another of his blog pages in which he selectively excerpts those charges. Are they available online? Does he provide a link?

I gave away 1,111 free e-copies of Scars to fulfill a promise I made that all students and staff at East would get one and I had also offered the same deal to the community.

How and when was this promise made? If it was made during class time or school hours, then it seems to me that the school might have a case here. Certainly he didn't make the promise on his website that only gets 5 to 10 visitors per month--what would be the point of promising anything to such a small audience?

Tough way to make a profit.

On that one book, perhaps, but the internet abounds with bloggers who blog for free in hope of boosting their visibility and their sales. Turner obviously knows this, and his dismissive snark here is disingenuous.

It's clear that he feels he was fired for the content of his work, which may or may not be the case. At present we have no way to know for sure.


Two things:

He should have union representation in the prosecuting of this case.

We need to hear more than his side of the story before we draw any conclusions.

[proud2BlibKansan]

14. You're missing quite a bit.

He discusses the whole issue at more length on his blog.

Honestly, as a long time reader of his blog, I'm not surprised this happened. He calls out politicians frequently. And you know we can't have that.

[mercuryblues]

13. It is obvious

by the way the called the meeting, they wanted to blindside him. I hope he slaps a lawsuit on them so big it would have been cheaper to keep him.

Randy should then use that money and run for the school board or support those that challenge the existing members.

[proud2BlibKansan]

15. Forget school board.

We need his voice in the state capital.

[mercuryblues]

16. I have always found

that working from the bottom up is better than trickle down. You learn the players, who to trust and who are asses.

I would enjoy it if his students, past and present held a protest in front of the school to support him.

[1-Old-Man]

17. Did I ever tell you about the time my neighbor came crying that his wife was running around on him?

A couple of years ago my next door neighbor caught his wife screwing some guy. The boy was heartbroken, mad, and utterly devastated by the situation. He was ranting and raving this and that and I told him to shut the fuck up. I told him not to talk to me, his best friends, his parents, or anyone else about what had happened except a Lawyer - his lawyer. And then he started up again and I stopped him dead in his tracks and told him I did not want to hear one single word of it, that he should shut his mouth and get his ass to a Lawyer immediately. And over and over again I told him to just shut the fuck up, do not say a word to anyone but the lawyer and then to do exactly as the Lawyer instructed. Needless to say that as soon as he got a Lawyer (the very next day as it turned out) he got exactly the same advice.

About 6 months later, after the divorce was complete, I ran across him again and in all my life I have never got such profuse thanks as I did from that young man. He said that in the end it was the best advice anyone had given him.

I would make the same suggestion to the author of that article. Shut the fuck up and go get a Lawyer, do not say another word to anyone about what happened until you do.

[DainBramaged]

19. Sue the bastards, make the settlement include the firing of te HR clown