At one time when I thought of legendary teachers, I thought of someone like Friedrich Froebel (the guy who started the first kindergarten), or, on a more personal level, Ruth Ann Gaines of Des Moines’ East High School. Recent “news” events however, have me thinking along entirely different lines.
Before I get into that, I should tell you that I worked in the Des Moines Public School system for eleven years, most of those as a library associate. I was fortunate enough to work with some outstanding teachers. I understand the amount of effort they put into their jobs. I “get” that they don’t really have summers off. I support teachers, and appreciate their hard work and commitment to students. In other words, after you’ve read this please don’t accuse me of being anti-teacher because that couldn’t be further from the truth.
What I am about to write about is a bit of a hot-button issue in Des Moines at the moment, but I have to wonder. Why?
On Monday, February 15, a group of Des Moines teachers, on break from an in-service, had lunch at Legends American Grill on Court Avenue. Insert hair-in-salad, and the story begins. What we do know:
There was the offensive hair.
The waitress did not react appropriately.
Legends’ owner Mark Rogers acted like a pompous ass, telling them to get out, saying teachers weren’t wanted in his establishment.
Rogers apologized.
The teacher who ordered the salad with the unfortunate extra topping had her meal comped.
This should have been then end of it, but it wasn’t. Another teacher started a Facebook page, asking others to boycott Legends because of Roger’s anti-teacher attitude. I’m pretty sure that, even faced with a table full of bankers, Roger’s reaction would have been much the same. Obviously, it just wasn’t his day. I’m certainly not excusing Mark Roger’s deplorable behavior, but I am questioning the outcome.
Around 48-hours after the Facebook page’s creation all admins had disappeared; Elvis has left the building. No one was willing to deal with what they’d started. Suddenly, that hair in the salad and Mark Rogers became a bit less important. With no moderators, you can imagine what’s become of the Facebook page. It’s an insult-flinging free-for-all. As I read the posts, I can’t help but see comparisons to the way battles are fought on the elementary school playground. Maybe this particular group of teachers needs more adult time?
My point is, a teacher is, by definition, “a person who teaches or instructs, esp. as a profession; instructor” (www.dictionary.com). What are we being taught with the Legends’ incident and the ensuing result? Real advocacy could have started in the classroom. The teachers could have shared their experience with students and discussed constructive ways to resolve the situation. Instead, these teachers resorted to the favorite medium of their students to bring their “cause” to light.
It’s not too late to turn this into a learning experience for all. Any teachers willing to take it on? I’d love to hear about it.
http://dmjuice.desmoinesregister.com/article/20100221/NEWS03/2210336
http://blogs.desmoinesregister.com/dmr/index.php/2010/02/17/the-legendsschool-teacher-brouhaha/
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