The Teacher & Her "OFFENDING" Photo
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| Home Front: Politix |
| NJ Middle School Teacher In Trouble Over Posting President's Photo |
| 2004-10-04 |
| HT to Drudge Monmouth Junction-WABC — You might say it is a symbol of the Great American Divide, a teacher putting up a picture of President Bush in the classroom. Some say it is partisanship while others say it is patriotism. Rita Bianco, Parent: "Children should know their president and their first lady!" Hmmmmm - sounds contradictory to today's multi-culti claptrap Parents expressing outrage after a teacher is kicked out of her public school for hanging a picture of President Bush next to pictures of other presidents in her classroom. Shiba Pillai-Diaz, Teacher: "It happened on a small bulletin board near the American flag and also with a poster of the Declaration of Independence." "Yar - we're against those too!" This is Crossroads South Middle School in Monmouth Junction, New Jersey. On Thursday, there was a back-to-school night for parents of students. Veteran English teacher Shiba Pillai-Diaz says she was shocked when three parents confronted her. The three, insisting the teacher either add John Kerry's photo to the montage of presidents or remove the Bush photo. When Pillai-Diaz refused, she says the school's vice-principal threatened her job which is an act that has parents here fuming. Paula Sjolund, Parent: "She didn't do anything wrong, and I think that it should have stayed up there." Pillai-Diaz ultimately removed the entire bulletin board and says School Principal Jim Warfel told her she disrupted the school with her "inflammatory politics". She says he then ordered her out of the building. While she says she is a Bush supporter in her personal life, Pillai-Diaz says she keeps politics out of the classroom. Shiba Pillai-Diaz, Teacher: "There was no political intent, nor was there any political content in that photograph nor on the bulletin board." How about: It's a political and governmental fact. Get over it, Dems! School officials would not talk on camera but insist nobody here has been fired. To that, Ms. Pillai-Diaz asks what does it mean then when your boss asks you to hand over the keys and kicks you out of the building? She also says she is not sure if she'll be returning to school tomorrow. Sounds like a lawsuit and some firings are in order. |
| Posted by:Frank G |
| #21 That's OK Throons---It's really those images of Lincoln and FDR that I want eliminated from all pictorial displays of American Presidents. Damn statists, both of them. You OK with that, or you gonna bitch? |
| Posted by: Asedwich 2004-10-05 11:26:23 PM |
| #20 I wonder if your b!tching and complaining changes the ground situation towards Bush and away from Kerry. My guess is no. FD: I will be voting for Bush in the fall. |
| Posted by: Throons Omoons7966 2004-10-05 3:01:15 AM |
| #19 I wrote to the school after reading about this on Michele Malkin's blog. Got back a reply (also shown in this link. The schools statement is at odds with the original article and with what the teacher said tonight on O'Reilly. For me it's a little less clear cut than yesterday, and more of a Rashomon situation. |
| Posted by: A Jackson 2004-10-04 11:26:41 PM |
| #18 LOL The wife comes home from work. Sees this story on FOX and goes balistic. She teaches school. This principal is lucky he is way over there on the east coast. She has been Republican her whole adult life. |
| Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom 2004-10-04 8:07:16 PM |
| #17 Well, I may differ from the general consensus here, but I think it is just shocking the way this teacher is so blatantly trying to influence her students into voting for Bush! Oh, wait, they're 13 and 14 YO middle school students... never mind... Of course, if the Dems get their way, these kids will be voting soon, God help us. Britney Spears for President, anybody? |
| Posted by: Dar 2004-10-04 8:01:52 PM |
| #16 It's New Jersey. East coast Democrats consider patriotic people evil. The people of this state will be voting proudly for John Felcher Kerry what do you expect? The principal needs a good smack down. He is a typical micro managing tool to I bet. Wonder where the money in education goes? It goes to principals like this twit and the folks above him. It doesn't get to the classroom. This is so totally out of line someone is going to get sued and will lose. This story isn't going to be pretty for this principal. This tool will connive and lie to get out of this. The message to this school board should be clear. Fire this guy, today. |
| Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom 2004-10-04 5:59:38 PM |
| #15 damn ppl will bitch about anything |
| Posted by: smokeysinse 2004-10-04 5:08:23 PM |
| #14 The Teacher & Her "OFFENDING" Photo |
| Posted by: BigEd 2004-10-04 4:18:20 PM |
| #13 Hmmm, ColoradoMike does have an appealing ring to it. Thanks ed. |
| Posted by: JerseyMike 2004-10-04 3:42:22 PM |
| #12 JM, Have you considered Colorado? There are a lot of SW eng and programming jobs there. If you like mountains and gorgeous scenery, you can't beat Colorado Springs. Try a monster.com search. |
| Posted by: ed 2004-10-04 3:33:57 PM |
| #11 In totalitarian countries you're in deep shit if you DON'T have a picture of your president in the classroom. The dems are no less dictatorial for taking the opposite stance. So now what's going to happen? Are they going to push for a law that you have to remove all pictures of a president in public places a certain time before an election? Welcome to the Brave New Democratic World. |
| Posted by: Bryan 2004-10-04 3:22:00 PM |
| #10 Ugh..Any RBer's know of any COBOL or VB jobs available in say Sheridan Wyoming or Billings Montana? NJ isn't America anymore, I have got to get out of here. |
| Posted by: JerseyMike 2004-10-04 3:15:38 PM |
| #9 Lex, I'm sure the NEA (Teachers Union) will be all over this on her behalf to get her re-instated and have an apology issued.... .... in about 50 years. |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2004-10-04 2:09:55 PM |
| #8 School officials would not talk on camera but insist nobody here has been fired. We can still hope. |
| Posted by: 2b 2004-10-04 2:04:09 PM |
| #7 If you'd like to let the school know how you feel, here's a web page with all the email addy's, even Principal Jim Warfel and his 3 Assistant Principals... |
| Posted by: Frank G 2004-10-04 1:18:12 PM |
| #6 This lady actually had a picture of President Bush, the American flag, and the Declaration of Independence in her classroom? And she lasted a whole month into the school year? Whoa, get on the job, moonbats. We're talking a major right-wing nut job here. |
| Posted by: Matt 2004-10-04 1:01:56 PM |
| #5 She should tell 'em she'll put up a picture of "President Gore" too. That'll get them cooing and purring... |
| Posted by: tu3031 2004-10-04 12:55:40 PM |
| #4 A good time to make those NEA membership dues mean something. Sounds like she's got a serious grievance against her employer. |
| Posted by: lex 2004-10-04 12:55:33 PM |
| #3 I don't know about the New Jersey election laws, but if you got enough people angry, they can go to the school board and let the board know if they don't call off the Leftist Totalitarian Principal* Warfel, thay can and will be recalled... *Using the term "inflammitory politics" is a tipoff. |
| Posted by: BigEd 2004-10-04 12:51:17 PM |
#2 He has not, so far, won a presidential election, but they think he should be on the board anyway.Well, yeah. They're Dims, after all. |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2004-10-04 12:44:39 PM |
| #1 The three, insisting the teacher either add John Kerry’s photo to the montage of presidents or remove the Bush photo. He has not, so far, won a presidential election, but they think he should be on the board anyway. Guess that would make his people feel good about themselves. You know the Kerry campaign is in deep doo-doo when they start pulling out the Special Olympics "Everybody gets a medal" tactics. |
| Posted by: BH 2004-10-04 12:14:54 PM |