Pubdate: Sat, 13 Dec 2014
Source: Albuquerque Journal (NM)
Copyright: 2014 Albuquerque Journal
Contact:  http://www.abqjournal.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/10
Author: Joline Gutierrez Krueger
Page: A1

WERE DEDICATION AND PASSION TEACHER'S DOWNFALL?

When you send your children off to school, you hope for a teacher who 
not only fills their minds but inspires them to make their lives extraordinary.

Our schools are full of such wonderful teachers. But some of these 
teachers are burning out or being beaten down with the demands of 
conformity and administrative hoop-jumping. Worst of all, they are leaving.

The latest loss is Katrina Guarascio, a creative writing teacher who 
for the past eight years was a beloved educator at V. Sue Cleveland 
High School in Rio Rancho until she resigned Dec. 3, leaving more 
than 170 students with a parade of substitute teachers who have come 
and gone not just since Guarascio's resignation but for three weeks 
in October when she was placed on administrative leave for reasons 
that have changed with the weather.

The trouble began, we were told, when one of her students wrote an 
essay in which a modern-day Jesus gave marijuana to the sick. Another 
student, who read the essay as part of the classroom's peer review, 
became offended and complained to her parents, who complained to 
school officials, who placed Guarascio on leave.

The next explanation, which was published in Wednesday's Journal, 
centered on Guarascio's use of peer review - an odd bone to pick 
because this method of having students read and critique one 
another's work prepares them for college-level writing classes, which 
use peer review.

The article also quoted Rio Rancho Public Schools officials as saying 
that Guarascio chose to resign "rather than follow the district's 
direction that classes be administered in a professional manner," 
though it didn't explain how Guarascio was being unprofessional.

After the article was published, district officials offered a third 
explanation: Dirty words did her in.

"We received reports of repeated uses of profanity and sexually 
explicit language in the classroom that were inappropriate in a 
public school setting," the statement read.

Guarascio said she is upfront with students and parents about her use 
of "edgy" writings, which means that, yes, there is some salty talk, 
though students are allowed to opt out if they are uncomfortable. 
That, she said, has rarely been an issue. She doesn't believe in 
censorship, nor does she allow her students to go fullout potty mouth.

"I tell students that although gratuitous profanity is unnecessary, 
if your character has to say a specific word at a specific time for 
the story to work, they may," she said. "At a high school, students 
use profanity all the time. There is not enough paper in the world to 
write up every student who uses profanity, and frankly, in the 
'choose your battles' frame of mind, profanity was never too high on 
my list. I was much more offended by comments of bigotry, 
intimidation or hate."

The bottom line, Guarascio and her supporters say, is that the school 
wanted her out.

"What it really amounts to is the way I was treated by the 
administration and the way my students were harassed and bullied into 
making defamatory statements," she said. "If I had years of write-ups 
and parent complaints, that would be one thing, but the way this 
exploded so quickly after such a seemingly small incident is just 
completely overwhelming."

It is no longer about a Jesus essay, she said, but "the unfair 
treatment of an employee who has done nothing less than dedicate her 
life to her students."

District officials have stopped commenting publicly about Guarascio. 
In their news release issued Wednesday, they said they "will not be 
able to respond further to questions regarding this matter."

Several students also said they were told by school officials to stop 
talking publicly about Guarascio.

"They have banned everybody from talking about it or we are told we 
will be sent to the principal's or counselor's office," said 
Cleveland senior Tiffany Long, who took Guarascio's class in both her 
sophomore and junior years. "But they can't do anything to silence us 
from voicing our opinions. It's my right to say what I know."

District spokeswoman Kim Vesely, however, said that "there has been 
no such directive either at the district or school level."

Students past and present, parents, fellow teachers and the general 
public have also not remained silent. Comments continue to flood 
social media with praise and support for Guarascio. Wednesday's 
Journal article has received 136 comments online, nearly all 
disparaging her treatment. Her story has gone national, from the New 
York Daily News to ABC News. A petition at change.org decrying her 
resignation has 832 signatures at last check. On Thursday, Cleveland 
parents and students met to discuss what to do next.

All of which Guarascio said she is humbled by. But for her, there is 
no turning back.

"I hated leaving my students, especially after I promised them I 
would remain with them till the end of the year and watch my seniors 
graduate," she said. "I wouldn't have done it if I honestly felt 
there was any other way."

In the end, it is the students who suffer most from losing a teacher 
who mattered.

"Ms. G was an amazing teacher," student Long said. "Her class was a 
safe place where we could express ourselves. She gave us a voice. She 
taught us the power of words."

The best teachers are educated, energetic and empathic, willing to 
see the difference in how each child learns, daring to think outside 
the bubble of a standardized test.

That kind of teaching cannot be taught; it comes from the heart, not 
a textbook. It's a passion, not a printout.

Let us hope another school district gives Guarascio the opportunity 
to use her passion to ignite the flame of inspiration and education 
in other students again. That would be extraordinary.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom