More than 200 students ask out of blogging teacher's classes
Number of students assigned to Natalie Munroe's three classes at Central Bucks High School East is changing daily, one week before school starts.
More than 200 students ask out of blogging teacher's classes
More than 200 Central Bucks High School East students have requested to be kept out of controversial teacher Natalie Munroe’s classes one week before school starts, a district spokeswoman said Tuesday.
That’s more than double the 90 or so students who have been assigned to her 11th grade Honors English and Academic English classes and her Debate class. Spokeswoman Carol Counihan could not say how many students were still assigned to Munroe, because the number keeps changing and probably would continue to do so until the first day of school.
Munroe, whose blog posts calling students "frightfully dim," "whiny," and "utterly loathsome" prompted her suspension in February, will be returning to the school on Monday, along with 10th graders. Tuesday will be the first day for the full student body of about 1,640, including 547 students in 11th grade.
Students’ schedules were made available Thursday, and those who opted out of Munroe’s classes are being reassigned to the other 11 English teachers, Counihan said.
Munroe could not be reached for comment but has said she “will teach in an empty classroom if I have to.” And Superintendent N. Robert Laws has said the district has “backup plans” if Munroe does not have enough students to conduct her classes, though he declined to elaborate.
Principal Abe Lucabaugh has said that all requests to opt out of Munroe’s classes will be honored -- a policy reserved for “when egregious or unique factors are in play.” He called her blog posts about students, co-workers and adminstrators “unprofessional, disrespectul, and disturbing, partcularly coming from the heart of an educator.”
Munroe has maintained that she posted her comments on a private blog read by her husband and seven friends and that she did not identify students, the school or the district. She called herself Natalie M and posted her photo on the blog, titled, Where are we going & why are we in this handbasket.
She was suspended with pay within a day of students finding the blog and spreading its contents on Facebook. Two weeks later, she went on unpaid maternity leave.
Munroe was reinstrated at the high school in Doylestown because “all parties will be best served by containing the issue and monitoring the known environment,” Lucabaugh has said. “We will not condone shifting a toxic situation to another building and creating a maelstrom there.”
One would think that the little brats would be more concerned with the state of public education in this country.— Trident252- One would think that it would be possible to fire such a poor employee, but sadly, no.— Phthalo
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- The Principal is giving them a choice. Why? Because their teacher has proved herself to be a cruel, obnoxious moron who makes fun of individual students (including at least one with special needs who needed extra help) on a blog that's on the same website as her official class page. Of course the kids were going to find it. Of course this was going to blow up in your face, you ridiculous woman. You don't deserve a lick of respect from these kids, and looks like you're not getting it. — greengal
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- If I wrote "frightfully dim," "whiny," and "utterly loathsome" about my customers or management, then I would expect to be fired.
If she had directed the comments to her colleagues, principals or school board, then perhaps things would be different.— GoshenBebop - uh, public school kids aren't customers, though. they don't foot the bill of their education, and their parents property taxes don't even cover 1/3 of what it costs to educate them. it's thinking like this -- "the customer is always right" -- that is ruining education in this country. — Guacamole
- No comment on her lack of judgement in posting those comments but, sadly, she speaks truth.— Glider2001
- Um, this is not a private school. Students are not "customers." What makes her a "poor employee"? Voicing concern about the idiocy of the children in her class? That may make her a bit*h, but doesn't reflect on her performance as a teacher. Additionally, if you think every teacher does not do the same, you are as dim as her students.— Prosecutor07
- All taxpayers are customers. The parents of these students pay her salary every year with their school taxes. If they aren't paying customers, then who is? Voicing concern is one thing, publicly ridiculing them is another. How many teachers publicly ridicule their students? — Gary Varsho
- Please stop with the "the parents pay her salary" s**t already. a) People that don't have kids still pay taxes so what kind of customer pays and does not receive a service? b) why do the employees pay taxes? So in reality the employees pay part of their own salary if you really want to go that way.
She NEVER identified any students, never used the school's name and never advertised her blog at school. So what exactly did she do wrong? Is it bad judgment? I think it is, but I don't think it is something that should cost someone their job. Tell these kids to go to class and try to learn something foe a change.....— vathi - no, actually, the taxes you pay don't even begin to cover your kids' education costs. i'm paying for your dang snot nosed, spoiled kids to get an education just as much as you are and I say they will take her whether they like it or not. You don't like it? Send your kids to private school, or write me a check to cover my property taxes. — Guacamole
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