Canton, MICHIGAN

QUOTE OF THE DAY

The teen said he tried to downplay Stein's participation in their courtship when he was first approached by Canton Police detectives by saying that he "made" the mother of two have sex with him and send nude photographs to his cell phone.

"She still loved me," he said. "I thought I was still in love with her."

- Victim testified in the trial of Stephanie Stein, the 32-year-old teacher who had sex with the 15-year-old student. She was found guilty. TT entry for Stein.

(What they don't mention is that her lawyer said the trial will reveal the youth's troubled background and his power over Stein. The boy was in ninth grade.)

Canton, MICHIGAN

MEMORABLE MOMENT IN THE COURTROOM

The trial of a Michigan teacher is expected to take three days. Defense attorney Todd Flodd said he will prove that Stephanie Stein, 32, was forced into a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old student.

- Caption under a picture of Stein and her attorney

TT entry for Stephanie Stein

Quote of the Day

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"The UAW union made the US auto industry what it is today. The Teachers Union is doing the same thing to our educational system. "

- comment at news story on of Jon White.

TT - Entry for White who has been sentenced to 60 years.

Lakewood, OHIO

QUOTE OF THE DAY

William Rabel, spoke in his own defense at his sentencing hearing.

When given a chance to speak, Rabel told the judge that his life has been destroyed by his bad judgement. The teacher, who lost his license and took up waiting tables at a restaurant, said he attempted suicide in the past year to protect his family and friends from further pain and humiliation.

"As a mentor, I should have been there to protect (the victim)," Rabel said, his lower lip quivering. "And this must have caused her so much pain and heartache. But I know she's strong, and I hope she can move past this and live a wonderful and productive life."

Rabel asked the judge for lenience and said that the death of his career and the social stigma of being branded a sex offender in perpetuity would be punishment enough.

The judge disagreed and sentenced him to two years in prison and registration for life as a sex offender.

Rabel was married with two children. TT entry.

Quotes

UNBELIEVABLE QUOTES OF THE DAY

"It disturbs me that they removed him from the classroom. There were no children involved, nothing to do with children. It was on his own time and away from school property. There's no reason he should not be in the classroom."
- a parent when interviewed by a t.v. crew in front of an elementary school when asked - with children present - about a teacher who was arrested for lewd conduct for masturbating in a public rest room off I-86.

"He's the greatest teacher ever at Diven and it was on his own time. They should just leave him alone and bring him back to school."
-said another parent (WETM did not interview adults with their children present.)

The teacher is Chris Troncone, 40, an elementary teacher in Elmira, N.Y. Entry
Apparently, masturbation is just another hobby one does in their spare time. In public and wherever the whim hits them.

Quote

Quote of the Day

"Many of those involved pre-pubescent minors who were forced to engage in sadistic and masochistic and sexually exploitive conduct," said U.S. Attorney John Ratcliffe. "Some of those images were of 13 and 14-year-old girls."

- On the sentencing of Frisco, Texas teacher John Lamascus for possession of child pornography. He got ten years.

TT - Link for Lamascus

A thought

QUOTE OF THE DAY

One thing these relationships require is secrecy.

Which usually means the child has to lie to their parents. I wonder how this effects these kids when they have a teacher encouraging them to lie to their parents. I wonder how this effects the relationship these kids have with their parents?

- found at a news story on the indictment of Heather Thorsby.

Quote of the Day

HILARIOUS QUOTES OF THE DAY

"'Please teacher, I process information more slowly than most so I need directions repeated more slowly,' 'I didn't have any breakfast so concentrating is hard for me' 'My ADHD makes it hard for me to focus.'"

- From a teacher who, along with several other teachers, attended a board meeting advocating, what else? more funding and smaller classroom sizes. From another teacher:

We are being asked to perform a miracle" to get students to meet and exceed standards by 11th grade, said [another teacher], reflecting on her teaching situation. She said her classrooms are filled with 27 to 35 students, and some of are parents themselves and are working third shifts at factories."

The district is in contract negotiations. Do not miss the picture at the news site.

The only thing missing was the red banner and a Woody Guthrie song.

Victimization

Victimized twice.

A letter to the editor of the Modesto Bee.

Thank you for running the AP's special report on teacher sexual misconduct (Oct. 21-23). The issues rarely get the unbiased attention they deserve.

It is unsettling when the "court of public opinion" either convicts or vindicates an accused perpetrator before a case has been decided by a judge. How can anyone speak out on these matters, either for or against, without all of the facts?

Even more unsettling, however, is how victims of such crimes are treated by peers, parents, neighbors and the community in which they live. This often occurs even after a court has convicted a sexual offender, and this is perhaps the saddest and most shameful situation of all. Victims shouldn't be punished twice.

If nothing more, I hope the series will inform our community about the long-lasting pain and suffering endured by victims of teacher sexual misconduct, by both the crime itself, and the scrutiny endured in the aftermath of public exposure.

In-service training

LEARNING CURVE

In the wake of recent allegations of teacher misconduct nationwide, the school district now offers a 45-minute in-service devoted entirely to student-teacher relationships.

Hatcher attended the session.

- Sumner County School District spokesman

talking about Holly Anna Hatcher who was arrested for having sex with a 17-year-old student.

Link to Hatcher

It's Florida.

QUOTE of the DAY

I am truly saddened by the condoning of a TEACHER's misconduct with a STUDENT at a public high school by many of you. In a closet, no less.

I may be in the minority, but I expect higher standards from an educator who we trust with our kids. He was not only trusted by the school, and the parents, the students, but also his wife. She was pregnant.

For a few moments in a closet with a 16 yr old, he gave up the first 10 years of his child's life. He gave up his profession, threw away his education, and abandoned his wife.That's nice that she 'believes in his innocence', but that flys in the face of the DNA evidence, his DNA, on the floor of that closet. I wonder how she thinks his semen found it's way there?

If most of you expect a male teacher to have sex with his students, then why allow them near young girls?

- A poster at a news site story of Shawn Totter's sentencing.

Many posters were convinced he wasn't guilty. However, one posted a copy of this story at the Palm Beach Post that cited Trotter's father-in-law's claim of innocence, the DNA evidence found in the closet, and video survelliance cameras that showed Trotter and the girl entering and leaving the classroom after school on each of the days she said they had sex, and on one day the surveillance shows Trotter leaving the classroom with a different shirt than he was wearing when he went in.

Judge Schack wondered aloud how Trotter's fluids could be found mingled with the girl's in his classroom for any other reason than that they had sex.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

QUOTES OF THE DAY

Found at a news story a Michigan teacher who will be tried for sex with a 16-year-old girl.

Speaking for the 8,000 or so people in this state with teaching degrees who cannot find jobs, how can such an UTTER MORON wind up in a plumb job in one of the best school districts in the state?! It seems to me that teachers should be made to take ethics exams, not unlike lawyers or doctors.

AND

Having been a high school teacher, I have seen this sort of thing happen, but I was never ever tempted. These are children and they look to us for guidance and understanding -- NOT SEX! It is extremely inappropriate. This former teacher should have the book thrown at him to the fullest extent of the law. Minimally, he should be given a similar sentence as Latourneau (sp?) and the other female teachers.

Child Predators

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Take time to notice if your child’s teacher, scout leader or a neighbor is paying extra attention to them or giving them extravagant gifts. Let your children know that they have the right to say no if they feel scared of uncomfortable.”

- Stacie Rumenap, the executive director of the national nonprofit group Stop Child Predators, from an article entitled, "Child predators don’t always use Internet, group warns"

Paying Back

QUOTE OF THE DAY - From a Massachusetts legislator on the illegal Quincy, Mass teacher's strike.

A former school committee member who participated in a strike when he was a teacher in Quincy in the 1980s, State Rep. Ronald Mariano said support from teachers was critical in his early campaigns for the Legislature.

‘‘They’ve supported me for their reasons and I support them when I feel their issues are valid - there’s no quid pro quo,’’ he said. ‘‘Whatever I’ve owed them I paid them back a hundred times in votes and support."

TT - Charming. School children thoughout Massachusetts thank you for your selfless duty.

QUOTE of the DAY

A poster at a news story about the principal, teacher and an aide who were caught on tape having sex in the principal's office, all three subsequently resigning.

"People need to find jobs that better suit their moral aptitude."

Quote of the Day

When an elementary school principal was arrested for indecent exposure and admitted he had done so several times during the last 5-6 years, a Seattle Post-Intelligencer reporter asked,

Even if true, should an educator's stupid, reckless, even criminal behavior finish him or her in education if those acts had no connection at all to any school, kids or campus?

Must teachers and principals meet a higher behavioral bar than others because of their position of power and trust with children?

TT entry. Bless the stupid; they fill journalism schools.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Poster at a news story that a teacher arrested for having sex with a student had resigned.

"Since the teacher resigned, does that mean he can teach somewhere else and this horrible act will not show up on his background check?"

Memorable Quote

Memorable quote of the week.

Out of the mouth of an elementary school principal after a teacher in the school left two children in a car. For six hours. In 80 degree weather.

"I understand law enforcement officials, they have their reputations at stake, they don't know her. They have a job to do in terms of protecting children, but my hope is that all this would be cleared up and she would be able to return to work," she said.

"Bottom line - we want to support Kristy. And it's not one of those situations of 'protecting your own, no matter what they've done' types of things," she said. "I think if the public knew the pressure some mothers are under, and how often this really does happen, they'd be amazed."

TT - They have their reputations at stake? They have a job to do protecting children? Like no one else should be concerned. And yes, the policeman did his job: he broke the window to rescue the children who were ages 2 and 4-months-old. Isn't an elementary school principal supposed to be concerned with protecting children? Ya think?

And she's right. If the public just knew.