General Discussion

cali

(114,904 posts)

17. Bad idea

Thu May 14, 2015, 04:13 PM

May 2015

"educating" the parents doesn't change that
.
In any case, that's irrelevant. This is not something, which as a teacher, you involve 8 and 9 year old kids in. It's far too complicated, confusing and controversial.

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N.J. teacher fired over students' 'get well' letters to convicted cop killer [View all] hack89 May 2015 OP

I don't get the problem Kalidurga May 2015 #1

Or Mumia is a cop killing murderer - take your pick hack89 May 2015 #2

What evidence do you have he is a murderer? Kalidurga May 2015 #4

I have no strong feelings about him one way or the other hack89 May 2015 #6

He's been convicted of murder leftynyc May 2015 #9

He never even denied killing the cop (nt) Nye Bevan May 2015 #38

isn't he in jail? samsingh May 2015 #74

I don't see the problem with sending him well wishes even if he did kill a cop. morningfog May 2015 #31

Some parents don't want their kids communicating with criminals hack89 May 2015 #35

We communicate and interact with "criminals" everyday. morningfog May 2015 #36

I have never communicated with a murderer hack89 May 2015 #37

You have absolutely no way of knowing that. morningfog May 2015 #43

Are you deliberately being obtuse? hack89 May 2015 #46

So you concede you have no way of knowing how many "criminals," "convicted murderers" or morningfog May 2015 #75

In this case, the parents have a way of knowing. delta17 May 2015 #94

Oh please - convicted cop murderer. 840high May 2015 #86

Huh? morningfog May 2015 #93

You are splitting hairs here. delta17 May 2015 #95

I am saying the teacher was wrong. 840high May 2015 #106

I'm with you morningfog. Damn, he was convicted in 1981, which in itself doesn't grant him any ... BlueJazz May 2015 #45

So then, birthday cards for Charles Manson? brooklynite May 2015 #62

For fucks sake. morningfog May 2015 #112

May he continue to rot... Oktober May 2015 #113

He will. Anyway, there's ten of thousands who should be with him...and they're not. BlueJazz May 2015 #117

So it's a good start... Oktober May 2015 #118

I get the problem. These are third grade students and she cali May 2015 #3

I think perhaps she should have used the opportunity to educate the parents. Kalidurga May 2015 #5

It's a horrible example B2G May 2015 #10

Bad idea cali May 2015 #17

The school board used the opportunity to educate her. pintobean May 2015 #59

But if she had them send letters to Dick Cheney she would never have been fired... Human101948 May 2015 #21

Convicted murderers are still people. I don't have a problem with using it as a lesson in compassion morningfog May 2015 #32

they are 8 and 9 years old- far too young. And there's something cali May 2015 #42

She certainly could have done it better. morningfog May 2015 #44

"Mumia is a political prisoner" Not sure you know what that means... EX500rider May 2015 #11

How does any of that make him a "political prisoner"? NaturalHigh May 2015 #13

You could have read just a teensy bit further in the Wiki entry. Comrade Grumpy May 2015 #15

I read the whole thing....fact is he was convicted of murder. EX500rider May 2015 #16

Don't expect any actual answers of facts. NaturalHigh May 2015 #24

They planted the bullet in his body after the fact of course. NotoriousRBG May 2015 #30

Yes, witnesses have recanted. nt bananas May 2015 #102

Here's a news article from 1996 bananas May 2015 #104

Excellent use of the copy and paste function Kalidurga May 2015 #18

"But it adds absolutely nothing in the form of evidence." EX500rider May 2015 #19

Eye witness testimony is notoriously bad or just wrong. Kalidurga May 2015 #20

How about the gunshot wound from the officers gun & his gun shooting him dead? EX500rider May 2015 #23

The officers gun shot him dead? Kalidurga May 2015 #25

Mumia's gun shot the officer. EX500rider May 2015 #27

Eye witnesses still continue to be unreliable perhaps you have some gunshot residue to talk about... Kalidurga May 2015 #28

"Daniel Faulkner, was shot and killed by somebody" EX500rider May 2015 #29

Ideologues even more so. Nuclear Unicorn May 2015 #70

The problem is the children are learning that... Taitertots May 2015 #53

LOL.... I'm assuming you don't have children. n/t prayin4rain May 2015 #88

Glad she won't be teaching future children anymore. yeoman6987 May 2015 #99

How disgusting. If I were a parent there I would be outraged. Mumia is a cop killer and a scumbag. tritsofme May 2015 #7

"Mumia is a cop killer and a scumbag." NaturalHigh May 2015 #14

If the intent was to teach compassion, why not pick someone closer, who could reciprocate?. . . Journeyman May 2015 #8

Totally agree! vankuria May 2015 #71

Stupid of her cwydro May 2015 #12

I had no idea Mumia had a pit bull! KamaAina May 2015 #22

I heard Kalidurga May 2015 #26

Apparently he murdered a guy. Throd May 2015 #33

They've moved on from the Boston University assistant professor to the next target alcibiades_mystery May 2015 #41

It's shocking that someone this dumb can get a job as a teacher. Renew Deal May 2015 #34

One less bad teacher out there FLPanhandle May 2015 #39

Ummm.... having 8-year olds write letters to convicted cop-killers? Nye Bevan May 2015 #40

She wasn't "having" them write the letters. DanTex May 2015 #47

Why did the teacher choose to tell the kids about a convicted cop killer being ill? Nye Bevan May 2015 #50

Mumia was apparently a topic of a "social justice curriculum" that she was teaching. DanTex May 2015 #58

Hmmmm..... she could have chosen Michael Brown, Eric Garner, or any number of current stories, Nye Bevan May 2015 #72

How do you know she didn't? But nobody objected to including Abu-Jamal in the curriculum. DanTex May 2015 #73

Here's a nice summary Orrex May 2015 #83

Good, we've heard from cracked.com. Let's see what Amnesty International has to say. DanTex May 2015 #84

It's not Cracked.com's opinion; you're playing the ad hominem card Orrex May 2015 #96

Of course it's cracked.com's opinion. That's who published it. DanTex May 2015 #97

You're simply wrong. Orrex May 2015 #100

You just admitted that I'm right. DanTex May 2015 #103

You're now nitpicking trivial minutiae Orrex May 2015 #107

Well, now we're getting somewhere. DanTex May 2015 #109

I'm glad you aren't a teacher. morningfog May 2015 #76

If the teacher had been assaulted at an ATM and her attacker were now ill in prison... Orrex May 2015 #51

By all accounts, she was an exemplary teacher, and there aren't any allegations that she DanTex May 2015 #54

I simply don't believe that. Orrex May 2015 #63

Obviously, you're wrong. A lot of adults, very intelligent ones, have been told the objective facts DanTex May 2015 #69

Obviously, her class is not made up of adults, nor is Nelson Mandela among her students. Orrex May 2015 #80

Missing the point... DanTex May 2015 #85

Do you personally believe that Mumia killed him or not? Orrex May 2015 #98

I have no idea. Do you think Amnesty International is wrong about his trial being unfair? DanTex May 2015 #101

I don't believe that his trials have been sufficiently unfair to mitigate his guilt or conviction Orrex May 2015 #105

Now there's justice! No, he didn't get a fair trial, but who cares! DanTex May 2015 #110

Over at conservativecrackpots.com they hate Mumia and use cracked.com as an authoritative source. nt bananas May 2015 #120

Since when is learning about Abu Jamal in the curriculum for kids? FLPanhandle May 2015 #55

The children asked to write the letters. She didn't assign them. DanTex May 2015 #48

Yes, she should have said that, being the adult in charge. hack89 May 2015 #49

That would be imposing her personal political beliefs on the children. DanTex May 2015 #52

Then she should notified the parents hack89 May 2015 #64

I agree, she should have notified the parents. But it's still not worthy of firing her. DanTex May 2015 #67

and you don't think she "imposed her political beliefs" by bringing up Mumia in the first place? brooklynite May 2015 #68

She already did that. Look, if she'd decided to discuss this with cali May 2015 #78

It wasn't her decision to have a social justice curriculum be part of the 3rd grade class. DanTex May 2015 #81

presumably she decided to introduce Mumia as a figure fighting for social justice cali May 2015 #89

Probably. Apparently she decided to have them comment on a quote of his: DanTex May 2015 #92

I agree. If the transmission of the letters (and perhaps the tweeting petronius May 2015 #116

Those people are ill informed... Oktober May 2015 #115

Why? Felons are just as deserving of empathy as you. Taitertots May 2015 #57

They aren't deserving of correspondence from small children prayin4rain May 2015 #91

How do you know they haven't written others? morningfog May 2015 #77

After she brought it to their attention that he was "gravely ill" MH1 May 2015 #56

Yes, she did. Is there a problem with mentioning that? DanTex May 2015 #65

She should have said "You are free to write any letter on your own time" FLPanhandle May 2015 #61

You seriously believe they asked??? justamama83 May 2015 #82

Yes. And nobody has suggested otherwise. DanTex May 2015 #90

She deserved to go... brooklynite May 2015 #60

You underestimate third graders. morningfog May 2015 #79

Why did she not inform the parents or school administrators? Orrex May 2015 #108

Should a teacher get clearance from parents and admin morningfog May 2015 #111

Of course, that wasn't my assertion. Orrex May 2015 #119

Glad she's gone. 840high May 2015 #87

Termination seems harsh, but not unreasonable. aikoaiko May 2015 #66

The lengths people go to romanic May 2015 #114