Houston, Texas Area Teacher on Paid Leave After Rant Caught on Video
We know that teachers have a super hard job. They have to lead a class of 20 plus kids while keeping their attention to assist them in learning something new. Many of our teachers are absolutely fantastic and remain close to us after graduating. But sometimes a teacher will have a moment of weakness and it could cause an incident like this one outside of Houston.
In the town of Richmond, a very miles Southwest of Houston, a junior high teacher was caught on video saying some pretty unflattering things about the students she leads. In her rant, she says that her students are "morons" and "if they fell into a river, I would let them float away." Not that she is suggesting that she is suicidal but the teacher also says "I literally am going to hurt myself if I have to keep coming here." That's pretty harsh. Listen to more of what the teacher said below.
I want to be fired at this point.
That teacher is on administrative leave at the moment. The school district did release this statement:
Wednesday night (January 12), we were made aware of a video circulating on social media where a Wright Junior High School teacher is making disturbing comments.
Of course, we take this very seriously and are actively investigating this situation. Wednesday night (January 12), the employee involved was made aware not to report to the campus and was placed on administrative leave Thursday morning (January 13).
Parents trust us with their students every day and, unfortunately, the actions of a single person have the potential to breach that trust. That is why it is important to underscore that the hardworking, dedicated staff at Wright Junior High School work to create a place where all students feel included and valued, and the comments made in the video are not a reflection of the campus as a whole.
In no way am I defending this teacher. But look, our teachers are have to deal with a lot, especially with what's going on concerning COVID-19 (Lindale is latest school to have to close it's doors for a day or so). This particular teacher could be new. This particular teacher may have had a rude encounter with a student. This particular teacher may just need some time off.
However it turns out, let's hope this teacher can get some help and can be forgiven for her outburst and return at some point to the classroom. To our teachers in East Texas, we can't say Thank You enough but THANK YOU for all that you do for our kids each day.