Several stories are surfacing in the local news about elementary, middle and high school teachers, administrator and assistant principals getting busted for possession of marijuana. Although it is not clear from the articles, it seems that several of the school employees had the drug on school property at the time of the arrest.
Let me just go ahead and state that I really don't care that these individuals were smoking pot, as long as they weren't high while they were teaching. Just like I don't care if teachers drink alcohol, as long as they aren't drunk while teaching.* One significant difference of course, is that possession of marijuana is illegal.
I am not entirely sure that these teachers should keep their jobs. Not because they enjoy pot, but because they are stupid, and I would prefer teacher to, at a minimum, not be stupid. A smart person would not bring illegal drugs into their work place, especially when that work place contains an ass-load of children. Come on people. The presence of a child amplifies any offense. Seriously, what sounds worse? A person who watches children getting busted with weed in their car or a person who bags groceries getting busted with weed in their car?
For those of you that think I am a little harsh for using the word stupid, please factor in that most of these individuals were 39-53 years old. That's old enough to know that bringing illegal drugs to work is not a good idea.
Take home message: Leave your drugs at home. Don't take them to work. Oh and FYI: The parking lot of your work is still considered at work.For those of you that think I am a little harsh for using the word stupid, please factor in that most of these individuals were 39-53 years old. That's old enough to know that bringing illegal drugs to work is not a good idea.
*Hell, if I had to spend all day with 25 children or worse, teenagers, I might need a drink (or five) at the end of the day too.
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6 comments:
Stupid seems an apt description. And reckless. Either way, I'd not want them around children I cared about.
Ridiculous! Seriously, I don't blame them for using (I would also need a little something to unwind after a day spent wrangling children/teenagers), but how dumb do you have to be to bring it to work...are they dealing to each other or to the kids? You have to KNOW that that's going to come up.
I guess I wouldn't be too shocked if they were the fresh-out-of-college-so-I'm-invincible types (although they really ought to know better too), but the middle-agers? Come on guys - you all went to college, so you really have no excuse for being that stupid.
Fire the lot - dumb people shouldn't be "educating" our youth.
What a bunch of morons. Who would have thought that schools would need to start drug testing their teachers?
post-doc - Yes, reckless too.
AA - I know. If you aren't partaking during the school day, then why bring it to school in the first place.
I almost fell out of my chair when I read that two of them were in their early 50s. Aside from being old enough to know better, is it worth risking your retirement over? Who wants to start a career over at that age?
UR - According to the article the same district does test the bus drivers for drugs.
From my experience of working at one of the more challenging schools in the country, might I offer one alternative that you seem to have missed: It's not impossible that the reason they had the stuff at school was that their dealer was one of the pupils.
dominic - I can't believe that didn't even cross my mind. Considering the other elicit teacher/student relationships going on around the country, I suppose student dealers selling to teachers isn't too far of a leap.
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