A very revealing commentary, Deb.<br><br>Many teachers transform lives in positive ways that can't happen in any other way, regardless of what the Lunies say. As a person living in extreme poverty while growing up in rural Idaho, I owe a great debt of gratitude to several very inspiring teachers who took extra time and effort to assist in learning and growing.<br>
<br>However, one of the big problems in education is how to improve the performance of all teachers, especially the bad ones. And what to do with the bad ones that don't or can't improve.<br><br>I can say from my direct experience in Boundary County that the teacher's union, who were once quite student oriented and who frequently forced the administration to adopt more progressive learning programs, evolved away from that ideal to one that rigorously defended some very terrible teachers. Hence, part of the solution to the problem is to convince the teachers' unions to present equitable, progressive, and realistic solutions to improving teacher performance, and to join in rather than oppose the elimination of ineffective teachers.<br>
<br>w.<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Mon, Nov 19, 2012 at 9:30 PM, deb <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:debismith@moscow.com" target="_blank">debismith@moscow.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
<u></u>
<div bgcolor="#ffffff">
<div><font face="Arial">I am now the co-chair for Palouse Women Artists,
have had shows of my artwork in lots of local and regional venues, and am a bit
chagrined still when I'm described as an "artist". The reason is a fifth grade
teacher who told me my water colors of onions didn't "feel" like onions, my
paintings of Native American children who were my friends were "derivative" and
my collages were "too controversial". </font></div>
<div><font face="Arial"></font> </div>
<div><font face="Arial">Some teachers need a restraining order to keep them
away from kids.</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial"></font> </div>
<div><font face="Arial">On the other hand, I had a sixth grade teacher who
fostered both my creativity and my "voice", a ninth grade teacher who convinced
my skeptical parents that I should have art classes rather than tap dance
classes, and the best high school art teacher in the world---he actually took me
up in his airplane so I could sketch the world from above!!</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial"></font> </div>
<div><font face="Arial">Teachers are not all good, not all bad, but just
like everyone else in this world need others to keep them on a path that
produces healthy, productive adults from the children with whom we are
blessed.</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial"></font> </div>
<div><font face="Arial">And that reminds me---a huge KUDO to Mel Siebe, who
taught art in Moscow schools for umpteen years. She "rescued" a lot of kids who
would otherwise never have found their creative energy, my son being one of
them. He still, at 35, credits Mel with opening his mind. He now designs and
creates bicycles for world class teams, and does some of the best black and
white photography on the west coast....</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial"></font> </div>
<div><font face="Arial">Teachers need support. Teachers need parental
feedback. Teachers need better pay. Bad teachers need to be drummed out of the
corps...</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial">Debi R-S</font></div>
<blockquote style="BORDER-LEFT:#000000 2px solid;PADDING-LEFT:5px;PADDING-RIGHT:0px;MARGIN-LEFT:5px;MARGIN-RIGHT:0px">
<div style="FONT:10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </div>
<div style="FONT:10pt arial;BACKGROUND:#e4e4e4"><b>From:</b>
<a title="thansen@moscow.com" href="mailto:thansen@moscow.com" target="_blank">Tom Hansen</a>
</div>
<div style="FONT:10pt arial"><b>To:</b> <a title="dickow@turbonet.com" href="mailto:dickow@turbonet.com" target="_blank">Robert Dickow</a> </div>
<div style="FONT:10pt arial"><b>Cc:</b> <a title="vision2020@moscow.com" href="mailto:vision2020@moscow.com%3E" target="_blank"><vision2020@moscow.com></a> </div>
<div style="FONT:10pt arial"><b>Sent:</b> Sunday, November 18, 2012 7:28
PM</div>
<div style="FONT:10pt arial"><b>Subject:</b> Re: [Vision2020] students and
learning</div>
<div><br></div>
<div><span></span></div>
<div>
<div>I know whatcha mean, TM.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>I, too, was humiliated (oh, I
don't know how many times), every time my fourth grade teacher found me
bustin' a move to . . .</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>. . . this Chuck Berry
classic</div>
<div><br></div>
<div><span style="LINE-HEIGHT:19px;WHITE-SPACE:nowrap;FONT-SIZE:15px"><a href="http://www.tomandrodna.com/songs/ChuckBerryClassic.mp3" target="_blank">http://www.tomandrodna.com/songs/ChuckBerryClassic.mp3</a></span></div>
<div><span style="LINE-HEIGHT:19px;WHITE-SPACE:nowrap;FONT-SIZE:15px"></span><br>
<div>Rock on, Moscow, because . .
.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>"Moscow Cares"</div>
<div><a href="http://www.MoscowCares.com" target="_blank">http://www.MoscowCares.com</a></div>
<div> </div>
<div>
<div>Tom Hansen</div>
<div>Moscow, Idaho</div>
<div> </div></div></div>
<div><br>On Nov 18, 2012, at 4:54 PM,
"Robert Dickow" <<a href="mailto:dickow@turbonet.com" target="_blank">dickow@turbonet.com</a>>
wrote:<br><br></div>
<blockquote type="cite">
<div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY:'Calibri','sans-serif';COLOR:#1f497d;FONT-SIZE:11pt">A
bit off topic: This classroom incident reminded me of my own childhood
schoolroom humiliation. When I was in the 3<sup>rd</sup> or 4<sup>th</sup>
grade, we had ‘music’ during the day. One day the teacher asked us all to
close our eyes and imagine a ‘picture’ in our minds while we listened to
Grieg’s ‘Morning Mood’ from Peer Gynt. Each student was called on in turn,
describing their ‘waterfalls,’ or pretty forest scenes. But when my
turn came, I could offer nothing. I had no mental imagery. Nada. I was
mortified. I felt like I was defective. Nevertheless I was instantly
enchanted by the music (and it was the first classical recording I ever
requested for a Christmas present). But I don’t blame the teacher; I
doubt that she had any idea that I was having that reaction, nor did she
intend this to happen. After all, most people easily form mental pictures
while listening to music. I have NEVER cared to do so. And although I
became a composer with international prizes and performances, and numerous
publications, the memory of the experience gives me shudders to this
day.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY:'Calibri','sans-serif';COLOR:#1f497d;FONT-SIZE:11pt"><u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY:'Calibri','sans-serif';COLOR:#1f497d;FONT-SIZE:11pt">Kids
are delicate.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY:'Calibri','sans-serif';COLOR:#1f497d;FONT-SIZE:11pt"><u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY:'Calibri','sans-serif';COLOR:#1f497d;FONT-SIZE:11pt">Bob
Dickow, troublemaker<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY:'Calibri','sans-serif';COLOR:#1f497d;FONT-SIZE:11pt"><u></u><u></u></span></p>
<div>
<div style="BORDER-BOTTOM:medium none;BORDER-LEFT:medium none;PADDING-BOTTOM:0in;PADDING-LEFT:0in;PADDING-RIGHT:0in;BORDER-TOP:#b5c4df 1pt solid;BORDER-RIGHT:medium none;PADDING-TOP:3pt">
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="FONT-FAMILY:'Tahoma','sans-serif';FONT-SIZE:10pt">From:</span></b><span style="FONT-FAMILY:'Tahoma','sans-serif';FONT-SIZE:10pt"> Tom Hansen [<a href="mailto:thansen@moscow.com" target="_blank">mailto:thansen@moscow.com</a>]
<br><b>Sent:</b> Sunday, November 18, 2012 3:53 PM<br><b>To:</b> Shirley
Ringo<br><b>Cc:</b> Robert Dickow; <<a href="mailto:vision2020@moscow.com" target="_blank">vision2020@moscow.com</a>><br><b>Subject:</b>
[Spam 5.51] Re: [Vision2020] This is Wrong on So Many Levels . .
.<u></u><u></u></span></p></div></div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u><u></u></p>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">The impression I was left with, after reading the
article, was that the "powers that be" we're merely going to let sleeping
dogs lie . . . at least until the next reading assignment and those with
marked faces board the bus again.<u></u><u></u></p></div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u><u></u></p></div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">If this were done at home by parents, what would the
charges be?<u></u><u></u></p></div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u><u></u></p></div>
<div>
<p style="MARGIN-BOTTOM:12pt" class="MsoNormal">Esto perpetua,
VPeeps!<u></u><u></u></p>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">Seeya round town, Moscow, because . .
.<u></u><u></u></p></div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u><u></u></p></div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">"Moscow Cares"<u></u><u></u></p></div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.MoscowCares.com" target="_blank">http://www.MoscowCares.com</a><u></u><u></u></p></div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <u></u><u></u></p></div>
<div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">Tom Hansen<u></u><u></u></p></div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">Moscow, Idaho<u></u><u></u></p></div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u><u></u></p></div></div></div>
<div>
<p style="MARGIN-BOTTOM:12pt" class="MsoNormal"><br>On Nov 18, 2012, at 3:51
PM, "Shirley Ringo" <<a href="mailto:ringoshirl@moscow.com" target="_blank">ringoshirl@moscow.com</a>>
wrote:<u></u><u></u></p></div>
<blockquote style="MARGIN-TOP:5pt;MARGIN-BOTTOM:5pt">
<div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY:'Arial','sans-serif';FONT-SIZE:10pt">Has anyone
heard how the District plans to handle this? The very idea of using
humiliation as a teaching tool is beyond belief. There should be
strong disciplinary action against the
teacher. </span><u></u><u></u></p></div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u><u></u></p></div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY:'Arial','sans-serif';FONT-SIZE:10pt">Shirley</span><u></u><u></u></p></div>
<blockquote style="BORDER-BOTTOM:medium none;BORDER-LEFT:black 1.5pt solid;PADDING-BOTTOM:0in;MARGIN:5pt 0in 5pt 3.75pt;PADDING-LEFT:4pt;PADDING-RIGHT:0in;BORDER-TOP:medium none;BORDER-RIGHT:medium none;PADDING-TOP:0in">
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY:'Arial','sans-serif';FONT-SIZE:10pt">-----
Original Message ----- <u></u><u></u></span></p></div>
<div>
<p style="BACKGROUND:#e4e4e4" class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="FONT-FAMILY:'Arial','sans-serif';FONT-SIZE:10pt">From:</span></b><span style="FONT-FAMILY:'Arial','sans-serif';FONT-SIZE:10pt"> <a title="dickow@turbonet.com" href="mailto:dickow@turbonet.com" target="_blank">Robert
Dickow</a> <u></u><u></u></span></p></div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="FONT-FAMILY:'Arial','sans-serif';FONT-SIZE:10pt">To:</span></b><span style="FONT-FAMILY:'Arial','sans-serif';FONT-SIZE:10pt"> <a title="vision2020@moscow.com" href="mailto:vision2020@moscow.com" target="_blank">vision2020@moscow.com</a>
<u></u><u></u></span></p></div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="FONT-FAMILY:'Arial','sans-serif';FONT-SIZE:10pt">Sent:</span></b><span style="FONT-FAMILY:'Arial','sans-serif';FONT-SIZE:10pt"> Sunday,
November 18, 2012 1:48 PM<u></u><u></u></span></p></div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="FONT-FAMILY:'Arial','sans-serif';FONT-SIZE:10pt">Subject:</span></b><span style="FONT-FAMILY:'Arial','sans-serif';FONT-SIZE:10pt"> Re:
[Vision2020] This is Wrong on So Many Levels . .
.<u></u><u></u></span></p></div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u><u></u></p></div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY:'Calibri','sans-serif';COLOR:#1f497d;FONT-SIZE:11pt">Yes,
this was a really disturbing situation. One question I have is would it
be best to fire/discipline the teacher straight away, or primarily turn
it into a constructive lesson for the students in the class. It was the
students in the class who chose the marking-pen-on-the-face punishment
rather than a learning rewards pattern. Of course the teacher should
have caught the problem right then and there. But the students need to
learn that this sort of choice is demeaning, socially unacceptable
behavior. Have there been any follow-up news items on this story?
</span><u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY:'Calibri','sans-serif';COLOR:#1f497d;FONT-SIZE:11pt"></span><u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY:'Calibri','sans-serif';COLOR:#1f497d;FONT-SIZE:11pt">Bob
Dickow, troublemaker</span><u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY:'Calibri','sans-serif';COLOR:#1f497d;FONT-SIZE:11pt"></span><u></u><u></u></p>
<div>
<div style="BORDER-BOTTOM:medium none;BORDER-LEFT:medium none;PADDING-BOTTOM:0in;PADDING-LEFT:0in;PADDING-RIGHT:0in;BORDER-TOP:#b5c4df 1pt solid;BORDER-RIGHT:medium none;PADDING-TOP:3pt">
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="FONT-FAMILY:'Tahoma','sans-serif';FONT-SIZE:10pt">From:</span></b><span style="FONT-FAMILY:'Tahoma','sans-serif';FONT-SIZE:10pt"> <a href="mailto:vision2020-bounces@moscow.com" target="_blank">vision2020-bounces@moscow.com</a>
[<a href="mailto:vision2020-bounces@moscow.com" target="_blank">mailto:vision2020-bounces@moscow.com</a>]
<b>On Behalf Of </b>Donovan Arnold<br><b>Sent:</b> Sunday, November 18,
2012 12:28 PM<br><b>To:</b> Tom Hansen; Rosemary Huskey<br><b>Cc:</b>
Moscow Vision 2020<br><b>Subject:</b> Re: [Vision2020] This is Wrong on
So Many Levels . . .</span><u></u><u></u></p></div></div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u><u></u></p>
<div>
<div>
<p style="BACKGROUND:white" class="MsoNormal"><span style>This is child abuse. Not to mention telling other
students what another student scored on a test is illegal and a
violation of their rights to academic confidentiality.
</span><u></u><u></u></p></div>
<div>
<p style="BACKGROUND:white" class="MsoNormal"><span style></span><u></u><u></u></p></div>
<div>
<p style="BACKGROUND:white" class="MsoNormal"><span style>Donovan J. Arnold</span><u></u><u></u></p></div>
<div>
<p style="BACKGROUND:white" class="MsoNormal"><span style></span><u></u><u></u></p></div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<p style="BACKGROUND:white" class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:'Arial','sans-serif'">From:</span></b><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:'Arial','sans-serif'">
Tom Hansen <<a href="mailto:thansen@moscow.com" target="_blank">thansen@moscow.com</a>><br><b>To:</b>
Rosemary Huskey <<a href="mailto:donaldrose@cpcinternet.com" target="_blank">donaldrose@cpcinternet.com</a>>
<br><b>Cc:</b> Moscow Vision 2020 <<a href="mailto:vision2020@moscow.com" target="_blank">vision2020@moscow.com</a>>
<br><b>Sent:</b> Friday, November 16, 2012 5:24 PM<br><b>Subject:</b>
Re: [Vision2020] This is Wrong on So Many Levels . .
.</span><u></u><u></u></p></div>
<p style="BACKGROUND:white" class="MsoNormal"><span style></span><u></u><u></u></p>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<p style="BACKGROUND:white" class="MsoNormal"><span style>Exactly, Rose.</span><u></u><u></u></p></div>
<div>
<p style="BACKGROUND:white" class="MsoNormal"><span style></span><u></u><u></u></p></div>
<div>
<p style="MARGIN-BOTTOM:12pt;BACKGROUND:white" class="MsoNormal"><span style>Those students who are struggling to achieve, in
spite of their learning handicaps, are being told by Ms. Summer Larsen
that they are failures. </span><u></u><u></u></p>
<div>
<p style="BACKGROUND:white" class="MsoNormal"><span><span style>Seeya</span></span><span style>
round town, Moscow, because . . .</span><u></u><u></u></p></div>
<div>
<p style="BACKGROUND:white" class="MsoNormal"><span style></span><u></u><u></u></p></div>
<div>
<p style="BACKGROUND:white" class="MsoNormal"><span style>"Moscow Cares"</span><u></u><u></u></p></div>
<div>
<p style="BACKGROUND:white" class="MsoNormal"><span style><a href="http://www.MoscowCares.com" target="_blank">http://www.MoscowCares.com</a></span><u></u><u></u></p></div>
<div>
<p style="BACKGROUND:white" class="MsoNormal"><span style> </span><u></u><u></u></p></div>
<div>
<div>
<p style="BACKGROUND:white" class="MsoNormal"><span style>Tom Hansen</span><u></u><u></u></p></div>
<div>
<p style="BACKGROUND:white" class="MsoNormal"><span style>Moscow, Idaho</span><u></u><u></u></p></div>
<div>
<p style="BACKGROUND:white" class="MsoNormal"><span style></span><u></u><u></u></p></div></div></div>
<div>
<p style="MARGIN-BOTTOM:12pt;BACKGROUND:white" class="MsoNormal"><span style><br>On Nov 16, 2012, at 5:17 PM, "Rosemary Huskey"
<<a href="mailto:donaldrose@cpcinternet.com" target="_blank">donaldrose@cpcinternet.com</a>>
wrote:</span><u></u><u></u></p></div>
<blockquote style="MARGIN-TOP:5pt;MARGIN-BOTTOM:5pt">
<div>
<div>
<div>
<p style="BACKGROUND:white" class="MsoNormal"><span style="COLOR:#1f497d;FONT-SIZE:11pt">I am sick as I read
this. I think if might be useful, or at the very least
informative to Ms. Summer Larsen, if she heard from folks in North
Idaho who have had the benefit of caring, compassionate, and mentally
healthy teachers. She is a monster. Her email address can
be found here: <a href="https://sites.google.com/a/cassiaschools.org/declo_elementary/faculty-staff" target="_blank">https://sites.google.com/a/cassiaschools.org/declo_elementary/faculty-staff</a>
. It might also be useful if the school principal, Mrs. <span>Hunsaker</span>, who apparently lacks the mother wit to
identify the horrendous abuse taking place under her leadership had
her own failures acknowledged. Her email address can be found on
the page above. Unluckily for them (and sadly for the State of
Idaho), the national press has picked up the story. It is to be hoped
that the notoriety will end Ms. Larsen’s pathetic career. One
hardly knows what to think about the rest of the faculty who
apparently continued business as usual in this hell hole masquerading
at as school.</span><u></u><u></u></p></div>
<div>
<p style="BACKGROUND:white" class="MsoNormal"><span style="COLOR:#1f497d;FONT-SIZE:11pt">Rose Huskey
</span><u></u><u></u></p></div>
<div>
<p style="BACKGROUND:white" class="MsoNormal"><span style="COLOR:#1f497d;FONT-SIZE:11pt"></span><u></u><u></u></p></div>
<div>
<p style="BACKGROUND:white" class="MsoNormal"><span style="COLOR:#1f497d;FONT-SIZE:11pt"></span><u></u><u></u></p></div>
<div>
<div style="BORDER-BOTTOM:medium none;BORDER-LEFT:medium none;PADDING-BOTTOM:0in;PADDING-LEFT:0in;PADDING-RIGHT:0in;BORDER-TOP:#b5c4df 1pt solid;BORDER-RIGHT:medium none;PADDING-TOP:3pt">
<div>
<p style="BACKGROUND:white" class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10pt">From:</span></b><span style="font-size:10pt"> <a href="mailto:vision2020-bounces@moscow.com" target="_blank">vision2020-bounces@moscow.com</a> [<a href="mailto:vision2020-bounces@moscow.com" target="_blank">mailto:vision2020-bounces@moscow.com</a>] <b>On Behalf
Of </b>Tom Hansen<br><b>Sent:</b> Friday, November 16, 2012 12:18
PM<br><b>To:</b> Moscow Vision 2020<br><b>Subject:</b> [Vision2020]
This is Wrong on So Many Levels . .
.</span><u></u><u></u></p></div></div></div>
<div>
<p style="BACKGROUND:white" class="MsoNormal"><span style></span><u></u><u></u></p></div>
<div>
<div>
<p style="BACKGROUND:white" class="MsoNormal"><span style>Courtesy of the Magic Valley Times-News
at:</span><u></u><u></u></p></div></div>
<div>
<div>
<p style="BACKGROUND:white" class="MsoNormal"><span style></span><u></u><u></u></p></div></div>
<div>
<div>
<p style="BACKGROUND:white" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt"><a href="http://tinyurl.com/ca7hgxf" target="_blank">http://tinyurl.com/ca7hgxf</a></span><u></u><u></u></p></div></div>
<div>
<div>
<p style="BACKGROUND:white" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt"></span><u></u><u></u></p></div></div>
<div>
<div>
<p style="BACKGROUND:white" class="MsoNormal"><span style>-------------------------------------</span><u></u><u></u></p></div></div>
<div>
<div>
<p style="BACKGROUND:white" class="MsoNormal"><span style></span><u></u><u></u></p></div></div>
<div>
<h1 style="MARGIN-BOTTOM:7.5pt;BACKGROUND:white"><span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-weight:normal">Declo</span></span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-weight:normal"> Teacher
Allows Students to Draw on Faces as Reading
'Incentive'</span><u></u><u></u></h1>
<div style="MARGIN-BOTTOM:11.25pt">
<p style="BACKGROUND:white" class="MsoNormal"><span><span style>DECLO</span></span><span style> •
Fourth-graders who failed to achieve reading goals had their faces
scribbled on with permanent marker by other students last week at
<span>Declo</span> Elementary School — under the
supervision of their teacher.</span><u></u><u></u></p></div>
<div style="MARGIN-BOTTOM:11.25pt">
<p style="BACKGROUND:white" class="MsoNormal"><span style>Some parents and Cassia County School District
leadership are now decrying the consequences for the nine students,
some of whom have learning problems.</span><u></u><u></u></p></div>
<div style="MARGIN-BOTTOM:11.25pt">
<p style="BACKGROUND:white" class="MsoNormal"><span style>When Cindy Hurst’s 10-year-old son arrived home
from school Nov. 5, his entire face, hairline to chin, was scribbled
on in red marker — including his eyelids. He also had green, red and
purple scribble marks over the red, and his face was scratched by a
marker that had a rough edge.</span><u></u><u></u></p></div>
<div style="MARGIN-BOTTOM:11.25pt">
<p style="BACKGROUND:white" class="MsoNormal"><span style>“He was humiliated, he hung his head and wanted
to go wash his face,” said Hurst. “He knows he’s a slow reader. Now he
thinks he should be punished for it.”</span><u></u><u></u></p></div>
<div style="MARGIN-BOTTOM:11.25pt">
<p style="BACKGROUND:white" class="MsoNormal"><span style>Hurst said her son is a quiet, tender-hearted boy
who is always “extremely worried about pleasing his
teacher.”</span><u></u><u></u></p></div>
<div style="MARGIN-BOTTOM:11.25pt">
<p style="BACKGROUND:white" class="MsoNormal"><span style>“I want to see positive changes made at the
school and I’m not after anyone’s job,” she
said.</span><u></u><u></u></p></div>
<div style="MARGIN-BOTTOM:11.25pt">
<p style="BACKGROUND:white" class="MsoNormal"><span style>Teacher Summer Larsen, who has taught at the
school for six years, did not respond to a request by the Times-News
for an interview.</span><u></u><u></u></p></div>
<div style="MARGIN-BOTTOM:11.25pt">
<p style="BACKGROUND:white" class="MsoNormal"><span style>But District Superintendent <span>Gaylen</span> <span>Smyer</span> confirmed what
took place in her classroom, though he declined to name
Larsen.</span><u></u><u></u></p></div>
<div style="MARGIN-BOTTOM:11.25pt">
<p style="BACKGROUND:white" class="MsoNormal"><span style>The 21 students in the class have Accelerated
Reading goals where they read a set number of books in a given time
frame, <span>Smyer</span> said.</span><u></u><u></u></p></div>
<div style="MARGIN-BOTTOM:11.25pt">
<p style="BACKGROUND:white" class="MsoNormal"><span style>Larsen allowed the students to choose their own
incentive to meet the reading goal. The class chose to have students
who did not meet the goal either stay inside at recess until the goal
was met, or have their faces written on by their classmates who met
their goals.</span><u></u><u></u></p></div>
<div style="MARGIN-BOTTOM:11.25pt">
<p style="BACKGROUND:white" class="MsoNormal"><span style>Nine of the students in the class did not meet
their goals. Of those, six chose to have their faces marked on and
three chose to forgo recess.</span><u></u><u></u></p></div>
<div style="MARGIN-BOTTOM:11.25pt">
<p style="BACKGROUND:white" class="MsoNormal"><span style>“Although all the students in the class agreed to
the incentive, once it occurred it was not so well received. Nor
should it have been,” <span>Smyer</span>
said.</span><u></u><u></u></p></div>
<div style="MARGIN-BOTTOM:11.25pt">
<p style="BACKGROUND:white" class="MsoNormal"><span style>Administrators believe the students’ incentives
may have been inspired by a recent PTO activity at which <span>Declo</span> Elementary Principal <span>Rebecca</span> <span>Hunsaker</span> allowed
staff to paint her face and students to paint her hair, <span>Smyer</span> said.</span><u></u><u></u></p></div>
<div style="MARGIN-BOTTOM:11.25pt">
<p style="BACKGROUND:white" class="MsoNormal"><span><span style>Hunsaker</span></span><span style>
did not respond to phone calls from the Times-News
Thursday.</span><u></u><u></u></p></div>
<div style="MARGIN-BOTTOM:11.25pt">
<p style="BACKGROUND:white" class="MsoNormal"><span style>“What occurred with a principal is not the same
when it occurs with a child,” <span>Smyer</span> said.
“This is a serious concern.”</span><u></u><u></u></p></div>
<div style="MARGIN-BOTTOM:11.25pt">
<p style="BACKGROUND:white" class="MsoNormal"><u><span style>Parents’ Opinions
Split</span></u><u></u><u></u></p></div>
<div style="MARGIN-BOTTOM:11.25pt">
<p style="BACKGROUND:white" class="MsoNormal"><span style>Not every parent agrees with <span>Smyer</span>. Karla Christensen’s daughter, who made her
reading goal, is in Larsen’s fourth-grade
class.</span><u></u><u></u></p></div>
<div style="MARGIN-BOTTOM:11.25pt">
<p style="BACKGROUND:white" class="MsoNormal"><span style>Christensen sometimes helps out in Larsen’s
classroom and she said Larsen puts in extra effort — playing classical
music and wearing a microphone so she <span>doesn</span>’t
have to raise her voice to the children.</span><u></u><u></u></p></div>
<div style="MARGIN-BOTTOM:11.25pt">
<p style="BACKGROUND:white" class="MsoNormal"><span style>“I don’t feel like this was bullying. Bullying
has a malicious intent. This was someone trying to get them
motivated,” Christensen said. “I think it upset the parents more than
the students.”</span><u></u><u></u></p></div>
<div style="MARGIN-BOTTOM:11.25pt">
<p style="BACKGROUND:white" class="MsoNormal"><span style>Christensen said if her daughter had come home
with similar marks, she would have felt it was a reflection on her own
parenting for not making sure her daughter reached her
goal.</span><u></u><u></u></p></div>
<div style="MARGIN-BOTTOM:11.25pt">
<p style="BACKGROUND:white" class="MsoNormal"><span style>“I think (Larsen)is just a very creative teacher
who was trying to do something to motivate the students and it went
astray,” Christensen said.</span><u></u><u></u></p></div>
<div style="MARGIN-BOTTOM:11.25pt">
<p style="BACKGROUND:white" class="MsoNormal"><span><span style>LeRoy</span></span><span style>
Robinson, a grandfather of two of the marked-up students, said Larsen
made a “poor choice and basically, it was
bullying.”</span><u></u><u></u></p></div>
<div style="MARGIN-BOTTOM:11.25pt">
<p style="BACKGROUND:white" class="MsoNormal"><span style>“I think children should feel safe at school and
know the adults there will protect them,” he
said.</span><u></u><u></u></p></div>
<div style="MARGIN-BOTTOM:11.25pt">
<p style="BACKGROUND:white" class="MsoNormal"><span style>Robinson said the children had their faces marked
on in the morning. They had to leave it on all day, but were told to
wash it off before they went home.</span><u></u><u></u></p></div>
<div style="MARGIN-BOTTOM:11.25pt">
<p style="BACKGROUND:white" class="MsoNormal"><span style>“It was a humiliation because they had to wear it
all day and other kids were asking them about it and laughing at
them,” he said.</span><u></u><u></u></p></div>
<div style="MARGIN-BOTTOM:11.25pt">
<p style="BACKGROUND:white" class="MsoNormal"><span style>The marker was hard to wash off, <span>LeRoy</span>’s wife, Karla, said. Both their grandchildren
suffer from self-esteem issues and one child has learning problems,
she said.</span><u></u><u></u></p></div>
<div style="MARGIN-BOTTOM:11.25pt">
<p style="BACKGROUND:white" class="MsoNormal"><span style>“Most of these kids were totally embarrassed and
wanted to hide it from their parents, but the marker <span>didn</span>’t wash off,” Karla Robinson
said.</span><u></u><u></u></p></div>
<div style="MARGIN-BOTTOM:11.25pt">
<p style="BACKGROUND:white" class="MsoNormal"><span style>Children who rode a bus home with junior high and
high school students then suffered further humiliation, she
said.</span><u></u><u></u></p></div>
<div style="MARGIN-BOTTOM:11.25pt">
<p style="BACKGROUND:white" class="MsoNormal"><span style>As a reward a child should never be allowed to
belittle, make fun of or hurt someone else, she
said.</span><u></u><u></u></p></div>
<div style="MARGIN-BOTTOM:11.25pt">
<p style="BACKGROUND:white" class="MsoNormal"><span><span style>Smyer</span></span><span style>
said he could not confirm if the teacher faced disciplinary action,
but parents reported she was absent from the classroom Nov. 7-9 and
back in the classroom on Nov. 12.</span><u></u><u></u></p></div>
<div style="MARGIN-BOTTOM:11.25pt">
<p style="BACKGROUND:white" class="MsoNormal"><span><span style>Smyer</span></span><span style>
said the district received some complaints from parents, while others
were supportive.</span><u></u><u></u></p></div>
<div style="MARGIN-BOTTOM:11.25pt">
<p style="BACKGROUND:white" class="MsoNormal"><span style>Although teachers are allowed some latitude in
class, he said, this incident comes down to an issue of safety in the
classroom and school environment.</span><u></u><u></u></p></div>
<div style="MARGIN-BOTTOM:11.25pt">
<p style="BACKGROUND:white" class="MsoNormal"><span style>“There are things there that we questioned,”
<span>Smyer</span> said.</span><u></u><u></u></p></div>
<div style="MARGIN-BOTTOM:11.25pt">
<p style="BACKGROUND:white" class="MsoNormal"><span style>Hurst said she has since removed her child from
the situation.</span><u></u><u></u></p></div>
<div style="MARGIN-BOTTOM:11.25pt">
<p style="BACKGROUND:white" class="MsoNormal"><span style>“I am really saddened that the teacher <span>didn</span>’t use better judgment, as well as the principal
when she learned about it,” Hurst said. “They marked the children as
being less.”</span><u></u><u></u></p></div></div>
<div>
<div style="MARGIN-BOTTOM:12pt">
<p style="BACKGROUND:white" class="MsoNormal"><span style>-------------------------------------</span><u></u><u></u></p></div>
<div>
<div>
<p style="BACKGROUND:white" class="MsoNormal"><span><span style>Seeya</span></span><span style>
round town, Moscow, because . . .</span><u></u><u></u></p></div></div>
<div>
<div>
<p style="BACKGROUND:white" class="MsoNormal"><span style></span><u></u><u></u></p></div></div>
<div>
<div>
<p style="BACKGROUND:white" class="MsoNormal"><span style>"Moscow Cares"</span><u></u><u></u></p></div></div>
<div>
<div>
<p style="BACKGROUND:white" class="MsoNormal"><span style><a href="http://www.moscowcares.com/" target="_blank">http://www.moscowcares.com/</a></span><u></u><u></u></p></div></div>
<div>
<div>
<p style="BACKGROUND:white" class="MsoNormal"><span style> </span><u></u><u></u></p></div></div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<p style="BACKGROUND:white" class="MsoNormal"><span style>Tom Hansen</span><u></u><u></u></p></div></div>
<div>
<div>
<p style="BACKGROUND:white" class="MsoNormal"><span style>Moscow, Idaho</span><u></u><u></u></p></div></div>
<div>
<div>
<p style="BACKGROUND:white" class="MsoNormal"><span style></span><u></u><u></u></p></div></div></div></div></div></div></blockquote></div></div>
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<div style="TEXT-ALIGN:center" class="MsoNormal" align="center">
<hr align="center" size="2" width="100%">
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal">=======================================================<br> List
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=======================================================<br></blockquote></div><br><br clear="all"><br>-- <br>Art Deco (Wayne A. Fox)<br><a href="mailto:art.deco.studios@gmail.com" target="_blank">art.deco.studios@gmail.com</a><br>
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