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Middle school teacher Melissa Cairns told newsnet5.com in Cleveland that she gave a female student a roll of duct tape after the girl asked for tape to fix a binder. Cairns claims the student then cut a piece of tape, put it over her own mouth and laughed. The incident happened last October at Buchtel Community Learning Center in Akron.
"The other kids in the class thought it was funny also, and they proceeded to pass the tape and scissors around the class," Cairns told newsnet5.com.
Ultimately, eight or nine students put tape on their mouths, Akron Public Schools told newsnet5.com. Thinking her Facebook privacy settings would only show her friends, the math teacher posted a picture of the duct-taped students on the social network, with a caption that read, according to newsnet5.com: "Finally found a way to get them to be quiet!!!"
It was all supposed to be a joke, Cairns told newsnet5.com, adding that the students had encouraged her to take the picture. But the photo was spotted by another employee, who alerted a supervisor, and Cairns was asked to take the picture down.
The Akron School Board is pursuing termination, but the teacher's attorney is filing paperwork for an appeal process, according to newsnet5.com. School board president Jason Haas told the TV station the act violated the students' privacy.
"I would never in a million years do anything to harm students," Cairns told newsnet5.com, who added that she regrets the decision. "Do I feel that this one, stupid mistake should cost me the last 10 years of all the good I've done? Absolutely not."
But Cairns was disciplined in 2007 over references to sex, marijuana and alcohol on her MySpace account, the Akron Beacon Journal reported.
Cairns is on unpaid leave, the Beacon Journal reported. A referee -- requested by a local teachers union -- will hear the case and present a recommendation to the school board, which will meet on Jan. 28, according to the newspaper.
The issue of teachers questionably engaging with social media isn't new. In 2011, a Chicago teacher posted a photo on Facebook, mocking a 7-year-old schoolgirl's hairstyle. Last summer, a teacher in Florida got in trouble for a Facebook post comparing a student to an orangutan. In 2011, a New Jersey teacher who made anti-gay posts on Facebook was placed on leave. She eventually resigned.
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This teacher is another example of an adult trying to be kids friends.Her joke was pure idiocy and putting it on Facebook, juvenile.I think that she should be terminated.Teachers are supposed to be teaching.This begs the question of what caliber of people are being hired for teaching positions today?
teaching is more than text book, they are relating to students in the human development on all levels, and now the lesson is... ?
when things go wrong, find the humor in it... Buddha
PATHETIC!
This teacher didn't encourage this action, the student did this herself and a few other followed her lead. The teacher saw the moment as light hearted fun during the school day and let her STUDENTS be the children that they are and went with the moment. A MOMENT by the way that didn't involve anything that put anyone in any danger.
What is wrong with you people? Do you not see any humor in anything any more and always need to find some way or reason to judge and run someone down, and this case you have to search really heard to do so. But apparently you are such a holier than thou person that even a teacher letting her students have a little HARMLESS fun in what is otherwise a mundane day at school is something to get your panties in a twist over.
I don't think that this lady is of any detrimental "caliber" to be concerned about.
Get off your soap box and so you can use it to clean with Lady. ;)
You use that phrase "begs the question".... it does not mean what you think it means.
This is an over reaction by the school board. They could have simply told her not to put any pics up of the students and left it at that.
I totally agree! There are a lot bigger problems in our school system and that should be the focus of the school board.
My fifth grade teacher used to pick up student desks and dump them in the middle of the room, ridiculed students, and had one student in particular who he was absolutely brutal too--to the point of forcing him to sit in his classroom seat until he soiled himself and then, over the course of weeks, writing a song about diarrhea and singing it at the guy in classes. My sixth grade teacher an numerous occasions picked kids up and slammed them into lockers. You want someone fired for a picture? Really? People have lost their damned minds.
Sometimes teachers need to lighten the mood and give the students a giggle every now and then. It keeps them happy and willing to listen and learn. Was it a stupid way to do so? Of course. But I'm sure all of us as children have played with tape and taped our face in funny ways to make silly faces, especially during Christmas and wrapping time. I don't think termination is necessary, a stiff smack on the wrist and public humility is enough I feel. She obviously is a nice teacher and realizes her mistakes.
Facebook...the place idiots go to make stupid comments and post stupid pictures that they think other idiots care about!
There is only one rule about privacy on FB, IF IT'S PRIVATE, DON'T POST IT!!!!
just a cleaning lady, I agree with your first two sentences
URQ196,Thank you.We have two teachers in our family in California.I am thankful that they love kids and love teaching.It is most often a thankless career.
Putting it on Facebook is certainly risky, but other than that, it seems harmless to me. Let the woman keep her job. We're wound too tight these days.
Risky? How about incredibly stupid?
Harmless? Probably, except as an indicator of a remarkable lack of judgement.
I was wondering what kind of douchebag would tattle on that teacher to her boss, and I now I know.
Risky? How about incredibly stupid?
Harmless? Probably, except as an indicator of a remarkable lack of judgement
Says someone who I'm sure is perfect and has never had a lapse of judgement.
You are wrong on both counts. Personally, I wouldn't want someone who is (1) too stupid to realize that there is no such thing as privacy on the internet, and (2) has the bad judgement to take pictures of students with their mouths duct taped shut and post it along with a comment that could be misconstrued, teaching my kids. However, unlike you, I will not assume you hold the opposite opinion.
The only reason it is wrong to put it on facebook is because of the reactions of the people we are seeing now. This photo does not implicate anything and should be meaningless on facebook except to the people who understand the photo itself.
Exactly. The problem is not within the events that occurred...the problem is with the reactions people will have when they do not understand what transpired. At a glance, it looks exactly like the horror stories we have been hearing of late, and that is what this teacher should have realized.
The more I think about it, a funny caption of a different kind could've gone a long way, if you are going to make the choice to post a picture like that.
"I may be crazy, but I could've SWORN she said it was her binder wanted to tape LOL"
"They decided they REALLY wanted to pay attention in class today"
"First it was her ripped binder, then her friend's mouths...you just can't give kids tape these days..."
I'm just saying, if you are going to put something out there that could be misconstrued, try and think ahead and protect yourself if you can. This was, after all, an innocent joke started by the students.
Denver,
However, unlike you, I will not assume you hold the opposite opinion.
I assumed nothing, no one is perfect. I know that as well as everyone has a lapse of judgement at one time or another. I was using sarcasm to to point out he obvious. Sorry it went over your head.
Ban Duct-tape !
I think it was harmless, find the humor please she wasn't trying to get away with anything , what is the big deal? she's probably a great teacher and the students are going to loose her over it? there are worse things ... like, maybe paper cuts... ban duct tape! haha good one !
Good one!
Ask the kids and get the full story. Yes the immaturity of posting it to is totally immature and a very bad example. Others can use this and poin the finger at her and say she got away with it' I* agree wiyh it . Go back to school herself and learn a little more herself before diving into this career.
Really? LOL, this teacher probably has a better relationship with her students than you have with you kids!!!
Nothing wrong with her letting her kids BE KIDS!! It is the idiots in this country that want to judge something where there was nothing to judge!!!
Get a life
"The immaturity of posting it is totally immature." Are you 15? There was nothing wrong with this incident and the only reason taking a photo was wrong, is because of all the naive, angry people who will jump to the most negative conclusions. It is a humorous, harmless situation that she wanted a memory of. She should probably be more careful of the people she is befriending and/or the teachers that are creeping on her facebook page.
As for schooling... You really need help to go back and learn half decent English.
This is the most ridiculous over reaction ever! Im stunned to think its wrong to a human experience called a moment of innocent fun creating a bond with students and teacher,it being healthy to laugh it creates a better learning environment. They cant be serious? I see no wrong doing what so ever, I think there making a big twisted story over absolutely nothing, we live in a world of electronics and facebook is how everyone in the world is expressing the human experience, it life, I think she is being bullied and picked on and the school board may need to cut some jobs if they cant find anything better to do. I will be praying for her. They are ignorant trouble causers. What is the message they are sending the students? its just wrong
she was sharing a moment of silly fun with her students, whats wrong with that? facebook, its how we share our human experiences. was anyone harmed or hurt ? please tell me ? Im having trouble seeing the problem? the school board created the problem... Drama Drama Drama Im sure there's got to be some real news out there somewhere?
I have to agree with Sandy. We put too many restrictions on teachers these days. My best memories of teachers to this day are the ones that broke the norm. and expressed life in it's many forms. I'm glad she took a moment to enjoy a laugh with her students with today's social pressures on our kids I'm sure they needed it. The teachers that received no attention in class was the monotone stiff shirt type who ran everything by the book. (Simple example) I had a literature teacher who would toss bouncy balls around the room when he caught a student sleeping in class to this day I thank him and several others for their encouragement to step outside the box in order to get a goal accomplished.
I agree Richard, me too.
this just goes to show you that we are turning into a country full of IDIOTS!!! Not the teacher or the student, NO, I'm speaking about the morons out there that can't take a damn joke!!
OMG, people, get a damn life!!!
LOS ANGELES -- A former elementary school teacher was arrested Wednesday in a school sexual abuse case allegedly involving at least 20 children and one adult, according to police.
Let's focus on teacher's like this!
One wonders when those who use Facebook realize that they are putting their lives before the WORLD. Stupid. I for one prefer privacy.
Teachers should not be posting pictures of students on the internet in any way, shape or form without parents written permission, with or without duct tape. Teachers should not be taking pictures of students without parents permission.
Maybe this teacher deserves a raise. Connecting with students is a critical part of classroom success-- it's not an issue of "trying to be friends with the students". Think of how many professional speeches begin with a joke. Perhaps she could have improved on things by:
(1) before letting other kids follow the first student's example, test things out by putting tape over her own mouth & seeing how much skin it might tear off when she removed it from herself;
(2) putting black tape (real or photoshop) into the photo over the EYEs of the students, to satisfy those who get concerned about revealing public identity (I presume no names were given on her Facebook post -- heck, even newspaper pictures of local school kids doing something good often give the full name of the child!!)
It's hard to know, but maybe the other teacher who reported the Facebook post to school system authorities was jealous of this teacher's success in the classroom? I suspect that if they were on good speaking terms, the other teacher would have directly approached this teacher saying "I'm not sure that it's such a good idea to post that to Facebook-- some seeing it might get the wrong impression."
I suspect that the school system authorities are responding as they are because they are concerned about otherwise being hit by some over-reacting parent's lawsuit-- not because they think it was a bad situation. Some lawsuits accomplish good in society, but too many lawsuits precipitate widespread fears that limit the freedom of people to operate in natural human ways. Robbers sue their victims because of the violence the victim used to defend self, some patient sue their doctor even though the doctor was trying to be diligent in providing service, an automobile accident victim sues the Good Samaritan who took upon herself/himself the inconvenience of stopping & trying to offer assistance-- claiming that the assistance offered increased the level of injury, parents sue (or raise a local stink) about a teacher who disciplines a misbehaving or cheating student, someone sues a hairspray manufacturer because the can exploded when the person was using the compressed-gas combustible contents as a blow-torch, peanut butter labels now come with the " allergy warning" that contents contain peanuts. Other people could easily extend this list. America functions less well, less naturally, less productively because of such overboard reactions or such pursuits of $$$-making or other benefit making complaints & suits. I suspect our society was better off, in this regard, 50 years ago.
Facebook is not private. Facebook will change your privacy settings without notifying you.
The teacher is expected to have more common sense than their students.
Posting this photo definitely shows a lack of judgement.
Only if you think negatively about it and make crude, unintelligent assumptions. It really is a harmless photo if you look at it for what it truly is. Nowadays everyone seems to have the talent to negatively judge people about everything.
I don't think a lot of people realize this about Facebook.
Read all of the links provided folks. This teacher was already under an improvement plan. Taking and posting pictures of students was probably a violation of district student privacy policies. How many strikes should a teacher get before they're out?
Let's investigate male staff and teachers at the high school level. I'm sure we could find something there.
Why do people post pictures on FB every 5 minutes anyway! People that I had hoped or at least thought I would neversee again after high school, and now I know what they eat for lunch everyday. I don't care what food looks like nor do I take pictures of every meal I eat. The teacher should have known that pic would be misunderstood in this FB era of documenting every minute of your life for the whole world to see. Red Solo cup=alcohol and duct tape on students mouths=problems.
Hey Voiceontheleft - I have to wonder if you went to a catholic school. The nuns at my school got away with similar practices.
Jeez, will someone in this country get a sense of humor. Not everything is a secret plot to destroy the world.
(1) There was a different incident in 2012 involving duct tape applied to a human, that human being the principal, applied by students over much of his body http://www.inspirefusion.com/media/2012/Principal_duct_taped.jpg
which was light-hearted.
(2) Searching back through the Akron-Beacon newspaper articles, I've never found the exact wording of the teacher's years-previous personal post to her MySpace account about her sex life & a "strawberry cigar";
(3) I think it is generally considered sufficient for identity protection to cover the eyes (with a thin rectangle of black-out editing) of a photograph of a person to conceal her/his personal identity; it could be argued that a thick rectangle of duct tape over the mouth of an individual is just as effective at concealing the personal identity of the individual;
(4) Again according to Akron-Beacon reporting, apparently in recent time some Akron school board member posted to a public media site a remark saying that President Obama was just like Adolf Hitler, and that member was not removed from her/his position.
Another example of stupidity. She did not do anything. She may have used bad judgement in posting it on facebook but today most people think they have to post their daily movements. She was trying to have a relationship (teacher/student) with her class and have a sence of humor. She was not even the one who did it. The students did it to themselves. Today, everyone is always trying to blame someone else.
The teacher should not be fired! The kids put the duct tape on their own mouths and wanted to be photographed. Let's put this in perspective. They were being funny, not harmed. It was going to be on facebook whether she put it on there or the kids. Ya, shouldn't have done it, but it's not worth firing her over. The children were not being harmed. It is a lesson for sure. If schools were so concerned with photos of the students, they should all think about what they are allowing in their hallways. Let 's really think about this. If you enjoyed watching the Super Bowl this last Sunday, think about one of the players involved and his record. I didn't hear about anyone refusing to watch the Superbowl over it. And he surely wasn't fired or put in jail. Put this situation in perspective! Discipline her, sure. But don't fire her.