Article: Montgomery County Teacher Under Fire for Allegedly Harassing, Humiliating 8-year-old Muslim Student

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't know. As an elementary teacher, I can tell you that all kinds of things are said. We had a student claim a teacher choked him this year. The teacher did nothing of the sort and luckily there were 2 other teachers in the room at the time, but the teacher still had to go through the disciplinary process and was on leave for a week during the investigation. The teacher was humiliated, and the case was found to be completely unfounded- just a student trying to be "funny."

We have had other situations as well where there is an investigation, but it turns out that it was just a misunderstanding or miscommunication.

I am not doubting the 8-year-old, but as a teacher and a parent, I know how often things are misunderstood or something goes home and is blown WAY out of proportion. Again, this is not to say this is what happened here, but I have been around long enough to know that you need to wait for the investigation.

If this did happen, I hope appropriate education will happen.

I’m glad you’re so obviously not doubting the 8 year old.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't know. As an elementary teacher, I can tell you that all kinds of things are said. We had a student claim a teacher choked him this year. The teacher did nothing of the sort and luckily there were 2 other teachers in the room at the time, but the teacher still had to go through the disciplinary process and was on leave for a week during the investigation. The teacher was humiliated, and the case was found to be completely unfounded- just a student trying to be "funny."

We have had other situations as well where there is an investigation, but it turns out that it was just a misunderstanding or miscommunication.

I am not doubting the 8-year-old, but as a teacher and a parent, I know how often things are misunderstood or something goes home and is blown WAY out of proportion. Again, this is not to say this is what happened here, but I have been around long enough to know that you need to wait for the investigation.

If this did happen, I hope appropriate education will happen.

I’m glad you’re so obviously not doubting the 8 year old.

DP. It's not about doubting or believing, it's about conducting an investigation and learning more about what did happen.

[Anonymous]

The kindergarten teachers at my children’s school tell the parents at BTSN, “If you all promis to not believe half the things your child says happen at school, we will promise to not believe half the things they say happen at home.”

Words born of years of experience teaching young children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The kindergarten teachers at my children’s school tell the parents at BTSN, “If you all promis to not believe half the things your child says happen at school, we will promise to not believe half the things they say happen at home.”

Words born of years of experience teaching young children.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m a little surprised that this hasn’t gotten more play, apart from a few places. This is a clear-cut situation here. I’m shocked (\sarcasm) that administration didn’t get, equally, in trouble for not resolving this before it had to be escalated.

While Montgomery county touts most diverse place to live. Discrimination based on race and religion is more common than one would think in Montgomery county in general.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’d also wait to hear facts. There was an allegation at our school that turned out to be 100% unsupported.
It’s good they separated the teacher from the child since either way they won’t have a productive working relationship but I wouldn’t automatically assume the teacher was Islamophobic just because CAIR says she is.

The part about bathroom access seems questionable to me — many many teachers limit bathroom access. It’s my daughter’s number 1 complaint about MS. Every day she comes home complaining about a teacher that didn’t let her or some other girl use the restroom when they asked. It’s a big problem in my opinion, but seems very widespread, not targeted. Kids are very quick to say “that teacher hates me!” when they get a result they don’t like.

LOVE, love, love how you give the school and the teacher a wide array of the benefit of the doubt and none to the Muslim 8 year old girl.

I’m giving both the benefit of the doubt. Maybe it happened, maybe it didn’t. I don’t know either person so I don’t give either one more credibility than the other.

Let us assume this true which is most likely situation here, what do you have to say?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't know. As an elementary teacher, I can tell you that all kinds of things are said. We had a student claim a teacher choked him this year. The teacher did nothing of the sort and luckily there were 2 other teachers in the room at the time, but the teacher still had to go through the disciplinary process and was on leave for a week during the investigation. The teacher was humiliated, and the case was found to be completely unfounded- just a student trying to be "funny."

We have had other situations as well where there is an investigation, but it turns out that it was just a misunderstanding or miscommunication.

I am not doubting the 8-year-old, but as a teacher and a parent, I know how often things are misunderstood or something goes home and is blown WAY out of proportion. Again, this is not to say this is what happened here, but I have been around long enough to know that you need to wait for the investigation.

If this did happen, I hope appropriate education will happen.

MCPS teachers and county staff harbor racial and religious bias towards certain sections of the society. This is a wide-spread problem than one would like us to believe. Its a shame especially considering diversity in MoCo.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't know. As an elementary teacher, I can tell you that all kinds of things are said. We had a student claim a teacher choked him this year. The teacher did nothing of the sort and luckily there were 2 other teachers in the room at the time, but the teacher still had to go through the disciplinary process and was on leave for a week during the investigation. The teacher was humiliated, and the case was found to be completely unfounded- just a student trying to be "funny."

We have had other situations as well where there is an investigation, but it turns out that it was just a misunderstanding or miscommunication.

I am not doubting the 8-year-old, but as a teacher and a parent, I know how often things are misunderstood or something goes home and is blown WAY out of proportion. Again, this is not to say this is what happened here, but I have been around long enough to know that you need to wait for the investigation.

If this did happen, I hope appropriate education will happen.

I’m glad you’re so obviously not doubting the 8 year old.

I think that pp was clear it’s very possible the story as reported is accurate. I don’t know how people can argue that there shouldn’t be some attempt at fact finding no matter what the allegations are!

I also think the teacher is likely at fault but of course the allegations need to be evaluated for accuracy! they should be regardless of the nature of the bias complaint.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The media tends to downplay Islamophobic incidents and give a ton of press to antisemitic incidents. Not surprising that this incident hasn’t been picked up by the mainstream press

Uh huh. Sure.

[Anonymous]

Maybe the teacher limits bathroom and water fountain time. Seems pretty normal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m a little surprised that this hasn’t gotten more play, apart from a few places. This is a clear-cut situation here. I’m shocked (\sarcasm) that administration didn’t get, equally, in trouble for not resolving this before it had to be escalated.

Are you surprised? Why?

[Anonymous]

This isn’t clear cut. There’s nothing at this point except how an 8 year old interpreted things and how the parents jumped to a lawyer. Maybe after there’s some investigation it will be clear cut.

This reminds me of DCUM about that principal last year. Wasn’t clear cut then either even though it was touted as obvious.

[Anonymous]

I have worked for this administrator before. None of this surprises me

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’d also wait to hear facts. There was an allegation at our school that turned out to be 100% unsupported.
It’s good they separated the teacher from the child since either way they won’t have a productive working relationship but I wouldn’t automatically assume the teacher was Islamophobic just because CAIR says she is.

The part about bathroom access seems questionable to me — many many teachers limit bathroom access. It’s my daughter’s number 1 complaint about MS. Every day she comes home complaining about a teacher that didn’t let her or some other girl use the restroom when they asked. It’s a big problem in my opinion, but seems very widespread, not targeted. Kids are very quick to say “that teacher hates me!” when they get a result they don’t like.

LOVE, love, love how you give the school and the teacher a wide array of the benefit of the doubt and none to the Muslim 8 year old girl.

There are literally no examples of the teacher's so called harassing behavior in the article, only very vague assertions. So, yeah, forgive us if we wait to be outraged.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’d also wait to hear facts. There was an allegation at our school that turned out to be 100% unsupported.
It’s good they separated the teacher from the child since either way they won’t have a productive working relationship but I wouldn’t automatically assume the teacher was Islamophobic just because CAIR says she is.

The part about bathroom access seems questionable to me — many many teachers limit bathroom access. It’s my daughter’s number 1 complaint about MS. Every day she comes home complaining about a teacher that didn’t let her or some other girl use the restroom when they asked. It’s a big problem in my opinion, but seems very widespread, not targeted. Kids are very quick to say “that teacher hates me!” when they get a result they don’t like.

LOVE, love, love how you give the school and the teacher a wide array of the benefit of the doubt and none to the Muslim 8 year old girl.

There are literally no examples of the teacher's so called harassing behavior in the article, only very vague assertions. So, yeah, forgive us if we wait to be outraged.

Horrible, mean, bullying things have been said to my SN kids of the years. Things said by mean people that were meant to degrade and embarrasse them. No one wrote an article about it. Sometimes you have to teach your children that jerks walk around in the spaces you occupy. Such is life.