Alright, I found this and to be honest, I was upset when I read these posts. This story was very wrong, as the media put their own spin on the entire situation.
The kids that she sent the memo to, that very day in class, were speaking of a "boozing party" that they were going to attend that evening but were not going to invite several kids that they considered "Trailer trash". The teacher was attempting to teach a class at the time of this conversation, and these kids were talking at such a level that the teacher could barely think. She assigned book work, and sat behind her desk, thinking of how to get through to the kids. (She sent the memo to ten kids, but it as directed towards two kids, the two who had used the term "trailer trash" in class that day.)
This teacher, Mrs. Shipman, had known these kids for years, through 4-H, and was disappointed in how they had been behaving during school and during other related activities.
The memo was derogatory, and she admitted that she was in the wrong for sending it. At the same time, she was attempting to make a point by using a term that these kids had used themselves. Also, the phrase she used was "If you want to act like "trailer trash", I will treat you like "trailer trash". She never in fact called the kids trailer trash, but hinted that they had been behaving poorly. Also, the quotes mean that she was quoting them from earlier in the day.
And for those of you who were upset because she had "never lived in a trailer": She lived in a trailer for the first 13 years of her life, and was treated poorly because of it all through grade school. From that trailer, she moved into a house in even worse condition, and was once again insulted throughout high school.
I, once again, was appalled by the way my sister was spoken about. No, I am not sticking up for her only because she is my sister, and my best friend, but because she apologized for what she had done, but people who didn't even know the whole story found the need to discuss her character as if they knew her.
Also, her Parliamentary Procedure team will be traveling to the National Competition for the 5th time in 5 years. :crazy:
First, welcome. Thank you for coming on and giving a more "personal" account of this story.
Unfortunately, we don't get the luxury of personal reading into stories most of the time. So the only thing we CAN do is go on what's written in the public domain.
There are several of us here that have been or are teachers. And there are several of us who have lived in trailers most of our lives (I have never actually lived in a stick-built house). I know that for one, I have walked a ways in her shoes -- both personally and professionally from your description. I'm sorry if my opinions offended you as well, but I still believe them based on my own personal and professional experiences. Sometimes coming on a public forum one must have a thick skin and realize that everyone has an opinion -- and it may differ based on what they know/think/believe.
Also, I do have a question (from a professional standpoint). Why did she not get administration involved if they were completely unruly in class (which could really have stopped the whole situation) and were openly planning illegal activities? I know here we're required to report known illegal activity (planned or otherwise) to adminstration or face a loss of certification -- thus my question. Also, how does this affect tenure/certification for her? This is really a professional question for me -- I really do want to know.