U.S. News – Teacher wants job back after telling student: ‘Go back to Mexico’.
A Texas teacher is fighting to keep her job after she admitted to losing her temper and telling a Hispanic student to “go back to Mexico.”
Shirley Bunn, a math teacher at a middle school in Arlington, has been on paid leave since the Sept. 30 incident at Barnett Junior High School, according to a report on myFOXdfw.com.
She was handing out forms to her eighth-grade students when one of them repeatedly asked her for a form in Spanish, by saying, “I’m Mexican. I’m Mexican.”
According to documents made public in the case, the Fox station reported that Bunn told the student he could get the form in the office but he continued to argue by repeating, “I’m Mexican.”
She then blurted out, “Go back to Mexico,” the website reported.
I would love to see this turd try that crap in Mexico. Heck, I’ll pay for the kid’s trip back. I suspect that this student is neither a master of Spanish or English. Can we say that assimilation is failing? h/t TexasFred
February 17, 2012 at 8:58 pm
According to the PC bible, even a twelve year old brat whining about his ethniiy has more rights than an American adult.
Frankly, I don’t give a damn whether the Mexican//black,/Muslims feel insulted when their whining is not indulged. They’re just full-of-crap bullies who knpw they can get away with it.
Hats off to the teacher!
February 18, 2012 at 8:59 am
Hat’s off to the teacher! I am sure that she is fed up.
February 17, 2012 at 9:08 pm
I disagree on this one. The teacher should have used some common sense here in this case. This is an Eighth grader, a boy.
The student was trying to say that he spoke Spanish not Mexican, the teacher should have corrected him not insult him. This bigotry will not stop at the class room or that student but it will cause more bigotry throughout the state and cause persecutions against others. The teacher should have had the forms present if that is her obligation to do.
No I’m not a liberal I just know this was a wrong move by the teacher and why they have not made a decision on this case after six months is beyond me. No I don’t think there should be lawsuits against her. She was out of line…
February 18, 2012 at 9:45 am
I am as Hispanic as they come wayne. English was not my first language. Eons ago, I was the ONLY white kid in an entire school that didn’t speak English. I learned the language in less than three months. I didn’t have parents that spoke to me in English which made it more difficult to practice. My mother went to night school to learn English so that she could help me as well. I did just fine. Back then, we all did fine if we remembered why we were there.
Indulge me please.
This was not bigotry. Bigotry is allowing that fool to insist on some entitlement which inevitably holds him back as well as the entire class. She is a two time winner of Teacher of the Year award for her service and dedication to the Hispanic community.
I taught school for 27 years on the border. Unfortunately, this is VERY common on the border. I think the woman had just had enough. She slipped up. She should NOT lose her job. Please explain to me why anyone should be forced into creating two documents to placate these kids and their parents. Many of which are not US citizens, or even legal residents. The Dept of Ed doesn’t allow the districts to ask for any documentation that states whether they are here legally or not. The districts are more than happy to comply because of the federal funding that they receive per head count.
Now, let’s talk about how all of this affects the quality of teaching a class. The class gets dumber. Why? Because kids are not stupid, many will slack off while the teacher is trying to pull the others up to the level that they are trying to reach. Or in this case, trying to keep the class order. Why? Because no child can be left behind. Unfortunately, we fail both those that are able to understand and those that are not. We create a slower learning class environment where many slack off and never refine their skills because they are told it’s always good enough since the others are working at a lower level. False sense of confidence. For those that do not speak English, we create a lifetime of slavery. Are SATs and ACTs given in any other language but English? Regardless of what those kids have to offer, they will NEVER be able to reach their full potential because they don’t have to. We doom them by enslaving them into a false sense of security. By the time that they reach college, their English writing skills are poor at best. As an adult, those grades might allow them to continue to a graduate or professional degree or not. Their ACT and SAT scores will dictate where their skills will take them.
This is the reality of giving into what you perceive as an “obligation.” The repercussions are life long and politicians are the least to accept this when they create stupid laws like No Child Left Behind. Sadly many of my high school friends were left behind. They were offered wonderful opportunities to go to college in wonderful places. That attitude that everyone should acquiesce to their needs because they couldn’t really cut it elsewhere ate at their confidence to the point that they returned beaten. It was all in their heads, but most certainly in concrete. Anyone of them could have realized any of their dreams had it not been for that false sense of security that had been drummed into them.
That kid had no right to even state what he spoke. That kid was a rude little sob.
I interpret that statement to mean that this kid rules the classrooms with his (and his buddies) behavior.
I have seen how people have been played to the point that they believe that they cannot overcome anything. Then comes the guillotine in college. I never gave my students the opportunity to believe that they could become a victim of bigotry. And believe me, many of them came in with one sorry ass attitude about what I was there to do for them. If this kid wants to succeed, he needs to understand what his purpose in school is. And his parents need to empower him with what knowledge will do for his future. When kids understand what that purpose is, teachers no longer feel trampled upon. It is a gift and great joy to see anyone move forward, but the resentment comes from having been pushed to the brink as you watch everyone elses education sacrificed for the sake of the few.
BTW, an eighth grade boy assaulted my sister (a middle school teacher) three weeks ago and tore her rotator cuff. She will be undergoing surgery. He’s here illegally. Nothing has happened to the kid. If he is taken to juvenile court, he will return to Mexico for a year and come back for the new year. And we, the taxpayer will continue to take this from him. Imagine what an outstanding piece of work this kid is going to become when he turns 18 and moves in next door to you?
February 18, 2012 at 9:50 am
Peruse the comment section of the story. Many are sickened by the lack of respect that these kids have and how they damage the learning environment with their bad attitudes. I read many that were from Hispanic parents and they were on the teacher’s side.
February 18, 2012 at 9:41 pm
BRAVO, MCN, BRAVO!!!
February 19, 2012 at 11:01 am
From one teacher to another…thank you.
February 18, 2012 at 10:49 am
When you say Hispanic are you from Mexico or another country? This is an Eighth grader who will be persecuted because of this teacher. If the teacher was fed up then she needed to take a break or not teach students at that age.
That was bigotry that was how she really felt about Mexican or Hispanic students, she curried favor from the other students by insulting the “Mexican” student.
February 18, 2012 at 11:40 am
I am a US born citizen. One of my parents came to this country legally as a young adult and the other a US born citizen. I lived and spent much of my time in Mexico with my grandmother before attending school, and that is why I did not learn to speak English until I was in first grade. Add to the that, I was the only child in my neighborhood. It was new and there weren’t many kids. I attended a school where the majority of the children came from military homes.
This 8th grader will not be persecuted. Heck you can’t even throw them out of the classroom for biting these days. Instead, they go to anger management sessions with parents in tow. I taught teachers wayne. I was appalled to learn that a child (pre-K) that has never done anything but sit in front of the teevee with daddy watching porn can dry hump another child with little repercussion for the parent. Kicking and biting seem to be par for the course at this age. A teacher cannot take a child who has relieved itself in class to the bathroom for fear of having a parent claim abuse. It is that bad. I won’t tell you that there are not bad teachers because they are there.
She was not insulting the kid. How is this bigotry? I can only view it as bigotry against a lazy, loud mouthed fool. What favor did she curry? IMO, kids who constantly disrupt the ability for the class to learn should go straight to alternative where they can be babysat. It is what their parents want.
I had an 18 year old kid in my math class that was classified as a freshman. It turned out that he was a serial murderer. Liked to go after homosexuals on the weekends. No kidding. And you know what, I let him sleep during class because there was something very wrong with this kid. As for the teacher, you are right…she needs a break. She doesn’t need to lose her job.
I don’t know what field you are in, but I would garner that you don’t have to deal with people telling you day in and day out that you should provide what they want because they don’t intend on making any effort whatsoever to do what you ask. I don’t teach any longer. I left that long ago, but the entitlement mentality of many is becoming more and more prevalent. The border is not the interior of this country. Middle America would cringe if they walked a mile on the border.
I understand what you are saying about bigotry and discrimination. My father faced that many a time and my surname is German. Times are different. The only bigotry that I see is that it is best to keep ‘em stupid and dumb. Remember eubonics? Someone wanted to make that a legally recognized language. I smelled rats everywhere when that came along. Those writing books, and curriculum stood to make a lot of money off this recognition. Those that would lose would be the children that were filled with ideas of succeeding without having the English skills to take an ACT or SAT. That was criminal.
I resent the entire premise of Spanish being taught to children as their first language. As school curriculum becomes more complex, where does that leave those kids? They should learn English. Trade schools do not test in any other language. That is why I find all of this to be so reprehensible. Those that should be given every opportunity to succeed are ensured failure in the long run. That is wrong.
February 18, 2012 at 12:39 pm
Am I a bigot? No. Was the teacher a bigot? Not according to the definition of a bigot. Her response was to his entitlement action. I don’t think it would have been any different if the kid had been a Martian. Her response would have been the same. Go back to Mars.
I am intolerant of laziness. I will admit to that. Life is short. Life is very important to me. I can’t see not making the most out of it.
February 18, 2012 at 3:24 pm
I don’t agree with students learning Spanish as a first language in America either. Assimilate into our society by learning English.
It is obvious to me that the teacher was not thinking when she said go back to Mexico then…when the student was trying to say he spoke Spanish not English. No where did it say this student was wanting an entitlement nor a hand out, he just wanted to learn and this is why they should have classes for immigrants to learn English.
This student had already known some English but did not know the proper use of it. The teacher should have known that he was trying to say he spoke Spanish that is obvious to me.
The teacher may not be a bigot but what she said was bigoted.
February 18, 2012 at 3:26 pm
You’ve accomplished quite a bit from not knowing English when you came to the states…you write better than I do…:-)
February 18, 2012 at 7:24 pm
Thanks. I write okay. I’m old and tired, but I am still learning.
A handout or entitlement to me is exactly what this kid did. I have read several accounts of how this student behaves. I find it to be bullish. The only thing that we come into this world owning is our body and mind. We will not agree on what constitutes bigoted behavior.
On my first day of a semester, I had a student who demanded that I speak Spanish and interpret for her. I asked her why she felt it necessary to have me speak to her in Spanish? The class was taught in French. No requirement necessary to know French, just to want to learn the language. Needless to say that the entire class looked at her in complete disbelief. She stayed the course and completed the class earning a very decent A.
I suppose it was startling to her that someone had told her that she didn’t need that handout (she was quite accustomed to having someone speak to her in Spanish because that is what is done in school). Everyone was starting at the same point in the class. Many of my students became teachers, others professionals and so on. I always believed that my class was a stepping stone to gathering disciplined skills. I was blessed to teach some of their children.
There must be respect in the classroom. This is something that I see is sorely missing in classrooms today. Students are sponges if they are told that they are. The only ones that stop them from learning are themselves. I remember that someone very wise once told me that you can learn from anyone, even a lousy teacher. I thought about it. He was right. You can learn how not to be a lousy teacher.
Many students confuse criticism and correction. Both work hand in hand. You cannot correct without critiquing. To criticize without correction is unfair. The current generation of educators somehow have set self esteem as a higher precedent in life than learning. Self esteem is nurtured. Another confusion for kids today. If a child understands that learning is an ever present evolution, there is nothing to stop them from gaining what they want in life.
February 18, 2012 at 10:45 pm
Typical Establishment Entitlement Attitude.
Wanna bet tha student was fluent in Anglish and was just being mean to the teacher? I’d bet on it.
Look at this example of “Pay-Me-Exhortion” additude.
“My brother rents out 3 houses he owns. One of his tenants, an elementary school teacher, missed her recent rent payment. She quit her job because she got so frustrated. She was trying to teach one of her inner city school students how to read. The boy told her he didn’t need to read. All he had to do was eat some lead paint and then he’d be “set for life” like his cousin. The teacher quit that day.”
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com/2012/02/24-of-small-businesses-not-hiring.html?x#echocomments
February 19, 2012 at 8:39 am
Great, another loss to some fool that has not had the record set about what school is all about. sigh Well, let him eat paint. I foresee a lot of entitlement programs being cut. We cannot continue the way that Greece has gone. Other European countries are well on their way.
Businesses aren’t hiring. The numbers that are being set out are false. I use a rented Pitney Bowes mail station at work. When they sent me a renewal contract, they sent me the one for business in bankruptcy. That is one of the biggest reasons that businesses are canceling their contracts with PB.
February 21, 2012 at 10:14 am
Reblogged this on theconservativehillbilly and commented:
I did a post on this a few days back, but I love your “I would have told this turd” blast!
February 25, 2012 at 10:02 am
http://www.therecord.com/news/local/article/676150–man-shocked-by-arrest-after-daughter-draws-picture-of-gun-at-school
our schools are completely f%cked from top to bottom
February 25, 2012 at 6:53 pm
Yeah, what can they think of next? When I was a kid, we all drew guns, bows, arrows, you name it we drew it. It would be a cold day in Hell if anyone came after a parent.
February 26, 2012 at 10:02 am
RE- go back to Mexico student. does one know how long had the student been in the country? Because if he had been here a few weeks or even maybe as long as a year, I’d think one thing, but if he was born here, I’d think something completely different.
If he had not had an opportunity to learn english and the teacher were aware of this then I fault her, but if he’d had every opportunity and not taken it, then I would not blame her for her remark. (In any case I do not think it grounds for firing).
Re- Mexico: http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/paperchase/2008/09/mexico-supreme-court-orders-wal-mart-to.php Nobody should have to put up with this. Not here and not in Mexico. Yet one more reason no one should ever shop in WalMart.
February 26, 2012 at 11:33 am
Does it really matter where he is born Nom? I’ve read where this kid could go to get the Spanish forms in the office. He preferred his teacher to do it. I don’t think it is her job to do it twice just because she has obnoxio in her class. I don’t think any teacher should have to deal with forms in different languages. I know that every second that they get learning the basics is far more important.
February 26, 2012 at 11:34 am
As for Wally World and their tactics, they only follow what the government of Mexico has allowed them to do. There was a huge brouhaha over Walmart entering Mexico. They had the blessing of that corrupt government. Seriously, this one is not Walmart. Yes, they are a problem, but they only go as far as they are given permission to go.