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Friday, June 01, 2007
Not Good
This article was in the Times this afternoon. Let's hope it was just a vengeful girlfriend.
6 comments:
Anonymous
said...
The article states that the police searched him home based on the tip from the girlfriend and that the case has been referred to the Prosecuting Attorney's office leads one to believe that it is more than a disgruntled girlfriend.
I'm hoping that the kids at Whitman have not been exposed to any illegal behavior and that this teacher has maintained professional behavior with students and staff.
"I hope the accusations aren't true. IF he has been falsely accused, where does he go to get back his reputation?"
That's exactly why I hope the accusations *are* true -- if a guy's life has to be wrecked, I'd be happier if it were because he deserved it, that others were going to be protected from him, etc., rather than contemplate an innocent guy's life getting ruined because of a lie.
There has to be a villain in the case one way or another -- if the accusations aren't true, then his girlfriend must be a really pathological liar. I don't see how they could both be decent people.
While fewer evil events need to be assumed if you assume the girlfriend is a liar, little good would come out of the situation, either. (It's unlikely that anything that would happen to the girlfriend would protect people from her lying forever.) Whereas if he's a pedophile, then he's been caught, and that would be a good thing.
But of course what actually matters is what the real truth is.
I don't know if Neal Summers was involved in pornography, but it can be a prelude to sexual abuse and assault. It's chilling that this happened at the same school where a student shot his teacher 13 years ago. WenG
It really shouldn't be a surprise any longer that pedophiles are where they have access and power over kids- they are in our churches ( see the Seattle Weekly cover story), they are in our kids camps and in our schools.
What we need to do, and even though I knew the importance of it, apparently didn't do it enough ( as when my 14 year old daughter allowed her orthodontist to put bands on her teeth even though it was so painful for her that she took them off while I was driving her back to school)!, is teach our kids that unless they are hurt and medical is needed to help them, that their body is their own, they have a right and responsibility to speak out, and to stop anyone from ever hurting them.
Even if they aren't able to at that instance, they should tell as many people as needed until they get help.
Adults can help by not being complacent, by recognizing that for a child to speak out is usually extremely difficult, and having a relationship with your kids where they don't fear they will be punished if they tell the truth, even if it makes you uncomfortable.
I realize that this teacher is not being accused of molesting children, just of possesing illegal materials in the guise of child pornography.
Im sure it is not the only illegal thing an employee of the school district has ever been accused of doing ( especially not in Ballard).
However, something like this- is probably much more upsetting, than hearing that a teacher smoked pot with a high school student on a field trip. ( although that is pretty disturbing as well-)
6 comments:
The article states that the police searched him home based on the tip from the girlfriend and that the case has been referred to the Prosecuting Attorney's office leads one to believe that it is more than a disgruntled girlfriend.
I'm hoping that the kids at Whitman have not been exposed to any illegal behavior and that this teacher has maintained professional behavior with students and staff.
More from the PI Seattle Teacher Suspected of Possessing Child Porn
Doesn't sound good.
My daughter was in his TV Production class in 8th grade. She enjoyed his class and thought that he was a good teacher.
I hope the accusations aren't true.
IF he has been falsely accused, where does he go to get back his reputation?
"I hope the accusations aren't true.
IF he has been falsely accused, where does he go to get back his reputation?"
That's exactly why I hope the accusations *are* true -- if a guy's life has to be wrecked, I'd be happier if it were because he deserved it, that others were going to be protected from him, etc., rather than contemplate an innocent guy's life getting ruined because of a lie.
There has to be a villain in the case one way or another -- if the accusations aren't true, then his girlfriend must be a really pathological liar. I don't see how they could both be decent people.
While fewer evil events need to be assumed if you assume the girlfriend is a liar, little good would come out of the situation, either. (It's unlikely that anything that would happen to the girlfriend would protect people from her lying forever.) Whereas if he's a pedophile, then he's been caught, and that would be a good thing.
But of course what actually matters is what the real truth is.
Helen Schinske
I agree with anon @10:28 pm. Unfortunately, it sounds like there is substance to the accusations.
The first thing that came to my mind was the Neal Summers case:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002162113_cloud26m.html
I don't know if Neal Summers was involved in pornography, but it can be a prelude to sexual abuse and assault. It's chilling that this happened at the same school where a student shot his teacher 13 years ago. WenG
It really shouldn't be a surprise any longer that pedophiles are where they have access and power over kids- they are in our churches ( see the Seattle Weekly cover story), they are in our kids camps and in our schools.
What we need to do, and even though I knew the importance of it, apparently didn't do it enough ( as when my 14 year old daughter allowed her orthodontist to put bands on her teeth even though it was so painful for her that she took them off while I was driving her back to school)!,
is teach our kids that unless they are hurt and medical is needed to help them, that their body is their own, they have a right and responsibility to speak out, and to stop anyone from ever hurting them.
Even if they aren't able to at that instance, they should tell as many people as needed until they get help.
Adults can help by not being complacent, by recognizing that for a child to speak out is usually extremely difficult, and having a relationship with your kids where they don't fear they will be punished if they tell the truth, even if it makes you uncomfortable.
I realize that this teacher is not being accused of molesting children, just of possesing illegal materials in the guise of child pornography.
Im sure it is not the only illegal thing an employee of the school district has ever been accused of doing ( especially not in Ballard).
However, something like this- is probably much more upsetting, than hearing that a teacher smoked pot with a high school student on a field trip.
( although that is pretty disturbing as well-)
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