h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2004-04-23-ga-teacher_x.htm

Whuh?

And the response of the man whose website was responsible for introducing me to this story:

"You know, when I was a boy, teachers threw their own students out of windows. They didn't get other students to do it for them."-Neil Gaiman

I find it interesting that the gender of the teacher is not stated.

I wonder how close the teacher was to retirement. Boy, did he/she screw up.

I'm off to find out more. This fascinates me.

Is there a set returement age for US teachers? I think the article said (s)he was 63.

I just re-read the article:

"...teacher at a Newton County school has resigned after officials say *she* admitted *she* told two students to throw a 14-year-old girl from a classroom window...63 year-old Conyers Resident"

http://www.newtoncountyschools.org/

http://www.newtoncountyschools.org/sharp/

"Sharp Learning Center serves as the home to Newton County’s Alternative School Program. The center serves approximately 100 students in grades seven through twelve who have been placed in the program for behavioral, academic, parenting and self-referral reasons."

I'm guessing the teacher was provoked. Not that that is a good excuse.

62 is the earliest retirement age to qualify for social security benefits. If you wait until age 65, you will get a higher benefit.

Actually, many teachers (in New Jersey, anyway) retire earlier than that because they either have fully paid up pension plans or the district has a buyout. The buyout will usually give them a paid up pension and health benefits. They have buyouts to encourage experienced highly paid teachers to leave so the district can higher cheaper inexperienced new teachers.

Then, when they reach 62 or 65, they collect the social security benefit, too.

Ah, she is probably one of those little tiny teachers so she needed 2 strapping young men to give the girl the heave ho.

~hire~ inexperienced new teachers.

http://www.citizenonline.net/citizen/archive/article0856082EB7E142BCBD22EC5A7E13403D.asp


http://www.newtoncountyschools.org/sharp/peoples.htm

Quick question....anyone know what floor this window was on???

I'm presuming ground, as the injuries to the girl didn't sound like the result of a great fall.

yeah, that citizen link from WM says that it was "first floor", or ground floor to us.

I don't think the teacher can be 100% to blame. Press, reporters, parents and the like can often received distorted quotes from pupils. I told my Year 10 class to throw me out of the window yesterday but, much as they would like to, they didn't.

B

Shame.

Don't be nasty!!

This has reminded me of something that happened to one of my teachers not long after he started his first job at my secondary school. He was known at the Great White due to the he used whenever he entered a room to put someone in detention.

Anyway Mr D had either a year 11 or year 12 class that was giving him a bit of bother. One lad in particular was winding him up every lesson and the situation got to the stage where Mr D declared "the next time you do X you won’t be leaving through the door but through the window". The room he taught in was on the upper floor of the block.

Anyway, the next time he has the group again this chap kicks off again and Mr D looses his rag and orders him out of the room, at which point the boy gets up, walks over to the window, opens it and then proceeds to throw himself out of the room onto the tarmac below.

Mr D apparently turned a rather funny colour and dashed over to the window, looking out he saw the lad below sitting on a large pile of thick crash mats from the gym + waving up at him.

He after the event.

Brilliant

And very well planned. I wish I'd been a witness.