Ben and group:
My principal expects me to resign on Monday during a meeting he’s scheduled. Am I the first person to have been forced to resign after writing a story script about religious tolerance? Yeah, it’s that much of a sucker-punch.
The subtitles of the video pretty much outline the situation. What I’m telling you and the PLC otherwise is that when I gave the 7th grade teachers a heads up about the story and why I made it, the principal called me into a meeting and explained that he thought it was a bad idea. Particularly, he felt that singling out the student was the worst thing I could’ve done (that girl had power, man, and I’m not sure how I would’ve been able to change that power dynamic WITHOUT singling her out!). He added that there were “500” other ways to go about everything, and said that any chance to connect with that girl was gone. What he doesn’t know is that there was absolutely no chance from the start, and that other students began to fall under her spell.
My 30 other videos illustrate the lack of support I’ve received, as well as the ineffectiveness of the school’s discipline policies. My environment wasn’t getting much better, despite what the videos suggested. The girl who said those things about me and Muslims had 3 or 4 suspensions so far, and began poisoning the well for other students. My story wasn’t demeaning, in anyway, and sent a clear message about what isn’t allowed in my classes. I’m not really sure what the principal’s deal is, and I might not find out on Monday either. Just when you think…
Anyway, here it is, the last of “Lance TV.” I present to you “The Story That Forced My Resignation:”
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxlEdumlZ-b0TUVod3BsdHBqeFk/view?usp=sharing
Lance further explains about the video:
Yesterday, a student insulted me, said something about my beard, and made negative remarks about Muslims. The rest of the class found it quite amusing because this student has asserted power in the classroom since September. If you recall, I’m the third teacher they’ve had this year. Today, I’m asking a story to ALL of my classes with the message that “not all people with beards are Muslims,” nor is it acceptable to say anything negative about groups of people in my classroom. The student who made the remarks is the star of our story under a thin alias. This is an effort to shift the power dynamic and gain control over my classes; the negativity has been spreading since I began teaching in December.
Here’s the story script:
likes beards
wants to find an attractive Muslim
goes to
sees an attractive man with a beard
asks him “Are you a Muslim?”
says to her “No, I’m a Christian. Do you think that all men who have beards are Muslims?”
goes to
sees an attractive man with a beard
asks him “Are you a Muslim?”
says to her “No, I’m Jewish. All men who have beards aren’t Muslims.”
goes to
sees an attractive man with a beard
asks him “Are you a Muslim?”
says to her “No, what do you want?”
says to him “I’m looking for an attractive man with a beard.”
says to her “Muslim or not, it doesn’t matter. All are able to have beards.”