Gothamist: Teacher Fired for Calling Students Filthy Animals Speaks

goofynoodlehead

Wed, 10 Dec 2008 23:01:03 -0500

Teachers are to show DECORUM. That's the point. It doesn't matter Clarke was perturbed at events that had led up to his outburst and this just happened to be how that particular sentiment was expressed; teachers and professors are expected to behave in a professional manner and to serve as role models to this end. Teachers who lash out at students are going to have students who lash out at teachers back. What's more, an Ivy League education does not make one better than everyone else. Handed to Clarke on a silver platter or earned by Clarke himself, an Ivy League education doesn't make one BETTER.

ufquacker

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 15:37:16 -0500

How much you wanna bet that this douchebag is just another Teach for America brat that thinks his intellect can move mountains? I taught ninth grade in DC, and this guys story sounds ALOT like the TFA'ers that I worked with, or rather, out-worked.

whitecastlerock

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 10:12:15 -0500

This is such a disturbing story. This guy was in way over his head and snapped. I don't think he should have been fired. People make mistakes and should be given the benefit of the doubt. Good management would have determined that he was struggling with unruly students early on. Instead of offering any semblance of guidance, they left him alone. It was irresponsible of the administration to hire him in the first place and subsequently to not monitor his progress as a worker. He lost his temper-he used language that these kids are very familiar with. They call each other far worse as means of normal communication. His punishment was absurd. Give him a written warning and move on. If there was such a thing as retroactive abortions, I would be all for it. We euthanize homeless animals for just existing and they cause far fewer problems to society at large.

Felix Hoenikker

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 09:43:55 -0500

Agree with BH....thank god for RvW. Those kids didn't deserve an apology. The administration should be canned, not him.

Rob T Firefly

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 09:31:00 -0500

"Keep the change, ya filthy animal!"

ides_of_march

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 22:58:48 -0500

The public school system's only function is to provide the fast-food industry with an abundant supply of burger flippers and the democrat party with mindless voters.

r1b2

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 21:57:51 -0500

No question, the administration let him down. My experience teaching at a really bad school (Franklin Lane) was that administration doesn't care about faculty, and doesn't care about students too much, either. They failed him. That said, this dick had a chance to simply apologize and keep his job, but he was too big of a fool. Move on.

r1b2

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 21:56:39 -0500

No question, the administration let him down. My experience teaching at Franklin Lane was that administration doesn't care about faculty, and desn't care about students too much, either. They failed him. That said, this dick had a chance to simply apologize and keep his job, but he was too big of a fool. Move on.

berniegoetz

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 21:42:52 -0500

Wow. I thought the only people they could get to "teach" in inner-city schools were lemmings fresh out of liberal arts universities. This guy seems to have, like, actual experience in the real world. What the hell was he doing there in the first place?

ilikecameras1010

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 21:04:07 -0500

as a high school student, i will say that many tenth graders are filthy animals who belong in a fucking zoo.

Jen S

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 21:02:53 -0500

I'm sure the kids deserved it. All 10th graders are assholes, and I'm sure they're only worse in the city. Some big-mouth parent probably got wind of this and made it a bigger deal than it had to be. I'd let Clarke teach my kids.

NannyState

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 20:53:37 -0500

Those kids don't belong in school. they belong in a malaysian sweatshop gluing insoles into $200 sneakers. The fact that they are in a school miming the learning process is what's at fault here.

Peter

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 19:44:14 -0500

Blame the parents. You mean parent, singular. In most cases there are no fathers, just semen depositors.

felixthecat

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 19:35:42 -0500

i agree with babyhitler accept "extermination of these fetuses", it is termination. women should have be forced to have children when they don't want them. It is unfair for those children who have no chance in life.

babyhitler

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 19:05:49 -0500

#15- it's not government funded birth control. These people have kids cause of the social specter of christianity deeming it bad to have abortions. Now if it was okay then I'd gladly have my tax dollars go into funding the extermination of these fetuses rather than housing them until i have to pay for their jail cells.

Barbj8

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 18:59:41 -0500

The only difference between Clarke and the rest of the high school teachers (myself included) is that he actually said what he was thinking out loud. A lot of these kids are fucktards who wouldn't even pass the entrance exams to get into a zoo.

Billiamsburg

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 18:59:12 -0500

Ok then I support forced abortions for any parent who is collecting welfare. Best of both worlds. Sorta.

Future Taliban

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 18:28:29 -0500

That's ALWAYS been the problem with children. Sure they're cute when they're little but eventually they all grow into azzholes just like their parents. A pet rock is more useful.

Mr Mel

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 18:27:09 -0500

The NYC school system has always been racist. The social promotion effort proved it. What they really were saying is "these kids (the description here is just being politically correct) can't learn, just get them out of here". The results were that the children couldn't identify a % sign, let alone what it meant. They were doomed to mediocrity and poverty. we can thank Mayor Bloomberg for taking the schools back from the Unions and the racists.

ides_of_march

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 18:25:07 -0500

"If liberal policies were actually followed then birth control would have been implemented and abortions allowed to happen...." What planet do you live on? Birth control IS available and abortion ARE allowed to happen. Over 40 million since 1973 in fact.

nice job

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 18:22:07 -0500

I blame the parents for not caring about the kids, the coddling welfare state for letting these people have a million kids leeching off the system and the kids for acting like little turds. I don't really blame the teacher who lost his temper though. I went to these types of schools and I can assure that they're that bad.

Shinobi Shaw

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 18:21:05 -0500

These kids are a product of the culture, ethics of today and lack of parenting. Don't blame the kids, they are just ignorant savage people, we should blame the system and society of today.

inoyourider

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 18:06:53 -0500

Blame the parents.

babyhitler

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 18:06:04 -0500

#10- have you ever been to a public school? the teachers may be liberal but the policies are as conservative as fuck! it's like a prison in there. If liberal policies were actually followed then birth control would have been implemented and abortions allowed to happen, thus none of these fuckhead kids would be alive today.

ides_of_march

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 18:01:27 -0500

Inner city kids are out of control and it's not the parents' fault but the republicans???? The Christian Right can be blamed for dandruff too I suppose. Some people are so rabidly partisan and hateful they're downright deranged.

Joclyn

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 17:58:57 -0500

NYC high schools don't even have toilet paper in the student bathrooms. Some of the kids are animals, but they are all treated as such. I side with the teacher, although he was probably in the wrong profession to begin with.

allie25

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 17:57:11 -0500

i hate children

babyhitler

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 17:50:19 -0500

#6- most of those kids are christians from christian parents who love wearing disembodied diamond encrusted jesus heads on solid gold chains.

Billiamsburg

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 17:47:30 -0500

Why? Have you ever seen those types of kids? They do belong in a zoo. They are the hellspawn of ultra-liberal policies in urban environments that do not teach them that actions have consequences. Instead they are coddled and made to be victims no matter what they actually do.

Rfive

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 17:31:00 -0500

Again, fuck off ides. Clarke, you were obviously in the wrong profession. Klein did you a favor by bouncing you. You are unfortunately not cut out for teaching NYC high school kids. Better luck in NJ.

babyhitler

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 17:30:40 -0500

This is what happens when christianity has run amok. All this "Pro-life" shit really means is that these kids were born out of guilt and for societal convention that you need kids to feel whole. In reality, the parents have quickly lost interest in these kids, and now they are going to be parasites on society. I would have distributed condoms to all the teenage parents when they turned 12. Fucking Republican Christians fucking up the world.

slappy

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 17:30:01 -0500

Typo correction "...fit the bill".

slappy

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 17:28:39 -0500

Tough job they don't prepare you for in teacher's college. The kids AND the teachers in that kind of class are not prepared to meet the challenge of education. The teacher has to make the difference. I remember the 2 (only 2) teachers in my life who fir that bill. That said, its hard to judge if the guy is just unfit or if he is being fired for simply saying what he said (which would be unfair).

ides_of_march

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 17:23:37 -0500

Some of them probably do belong in a zoo. The truth hurts.