Woman seeks damages from primary school

Article : Woman seeks damages from primary school
Print this article
Email this article

Stay Updated
News gadget on your Google homepage
Subscribe to a news feed in Google Reader

So any subject that doesn't fits her Christian beliefs are simply disregarded and now allowed in class ?

does that include, lets say ... hmmm ... science studies ? how bout tolerance between jews, muslims and christians ?

or maybe just a simple fantasy book will do the trick ?

well UK, good luck will all that.

It would appear from the article that she was 'disciplined' for her comments to the child about witchcraft - which is fair enough because those comments were not appropriate for school - rather than for refusing to listen to the book.

Personally, as a teacher and a Christian I have to wonder - at what point should someone continue in a job position when they can't perform all aspects of it?

She gave her resignation - that is, she chose to leave... And once she did she didn't attempt to find a private christian school in which she could teach without her views being conflicted - she CHOSE to sue for money... What does she value here? (Faith Vs Money)

This women's job is to aide children to read. The child obviously chose to read the Potter book because she wanted to and felt comfortable with it... Something which the teacher should have encouraged. It was not her 'right' to refuse to 'listen' to the book.. it was her responsibility to aide that child.

If her beliefs are compromised by doing her job - she shouldn't be in it. The only one to blame for that is the woman herself. Not the school.

That said - I would view this situation differently if she had been disciplined because the school wanted the teacher to read a Potter book to children... Listening to a child read is very different to actively choosing and reading a book you personally don't like to a class of children....

Notwithstanding the teacher's inappropriate comments, I believe that she is in the right. Imagine for one second that you were a teacher and some kid wants to read the Bible to the class. If I am not mistaken, most of you believe it to be fiction too. Does that mean that everyone should have to listen to it? The teacher didn't even say the student could not read the book out load, only that she herself wasn't going to listen to it. It appears that many of you are so fed up with religious people forcing their beliefs at you that you are unaware of how poorly you are handling the ball yourselves.

What amazes me is that the woman just stood up for her beliefs and is being bashed for it. She did not like the idea of witches using magic to do many miraculous signs and actions. Heaven forbid she doesnt want this read to her. You bash her but if she was to reading the bible or some other book similar to that to the children you would be bashing her and saying she should burn. Amazing the double standard you Christian bashers have. You make yourselves ignorant( by definition uneducated of everything of the subject) and a bigot ( once again by definition A bigot is a prejudiced person who is intolerant of any opinions differing from their own).

All us devil-worshippers know that H.P. books actually contain secret Pagan rituals for resurrecting the Devil. When the last and final book is published, all christians who read it will instantly feel their brains burning behind their eyes, and will be turned to zombie-like hell-minions. Praise the devil, may we ensnare many christians in our evil plot to ressurect Satan.

The article says she was a teaching assistant, not the classroom teacher. The teacher seems to have approved using the book and the assistant was to listen to the child read. The assistant then undercut the teacher with the witchcraft remarks. It's hard enought to teach while dealing with children and their parents without having your assistant undermine you. The assistant should be canned since this seems to have been a more than one time occurance.

The book is fantasy!Just like religion.The bible is tolerated, so should be harry potter.

WOW.. what a nut case!

Honestly this is pathetic... if anything this dumb ass tried to force her beliefs on others with these actions which is reprehensible...

She not only should be fired but she should never again be placed in a position of authority to teach children.

Absolutely pathetic...

Her job was to teach the kids.. not to teach them HER personal beliefs.. Big difference between such afterall.

I think Bill was actually spot on.

Frankly, although I personally really love the novels, they aren't part of the student curriculum. There's no real requirement that the student be reading from a Harry Potter book or that she had to listen to it.

Yes, the religions that believe Harry Potter is witchcraft are very misguided, but it's not right to push it on them if they don't want it any more than for them to push religion on us.

Harry Potter book is not offensive. It is just a children's novel IMO

Jenny

Consider just how problematic it would be if "having to listen to christian rhetoric" could be interpreted as abusive, humiliating and damning. If the christian can argue a very mainstream aspect of popular culture -harry potter- as endangering to her faith she should not be rewarded - she should be kindly coaxed towards a treatment for schizofrenic paranoia.

What is a retard like that doing teaching children? Reading words from a book is not going to compromise anything. The teacher is just ignorant to think so.

If anyone should get sued its the teacher for ridiculing the student in front of her class mates. How very christian of her. I'm not a fan of Harry Potter, but I read a few books and seen all the movies and I don't see why people think its bad or anything. It encourages friendship not witchcraft, even though anyone in their right minds know that it doesn't really work.

i'm pretty tired of hearing these fundamentalist christians say that the H.P. books promote witchcraft. how utterly ridiculous. god doesn't 'curse' people who read books involving children with wands and broomsticks. the case should be thrown out purely on merit. not to mention, this wasn't the first time for this teacher to do something ridiculous at the school.

Quote" "I don't do witchcraft in any form" and said she would be "cursed" by hearing the novel." .... wait isn't a curse a form of witchcraft.

How on earth could someone so stupid be allowed to become a teacher of our children? With thinking like that she would presumably want to ban Shakespeare as well because of Hamlet!

A combo troll/godwin. I tip my hat to you Ben. rofl

Ben's comment would make perfect sense if the teacher was forcing the student to read a book that offended the student's religous dogma. But I think he misread the story: it was the teacher that disallowed the student to read from a book - not because it was offensive to the school district or to the class, but because the teacher considered it a danger to herself: the teacher believed she would be cursed if she heard the words read aloud from this book.

Now, when someone accepts the job of teaching, it is important that they must not be afraid to hear words being read from books. Regardless of religion! Let the moral of this story be: if you fear *any* words being read from books by *any* elementary school student to the point that you believe it could endanger your life (curses, etc.), then DO NOT become an elementary school teacher. It's pretty simple, actually.

@Ben

How can you seriously bring Hitler in a comment about a teacher refusing to listen to a reading of Harry Potter ? What's wrong with you ?

Beside the ridicule of such a "visceral" argument, your line of reasoning allows anybody to redefine his/her professional duties based on whatever interpretation of whatever religion he/she decides to belong to ? That's preposterous.

Good that she is gone, her religion has no place in the classroom. Since she cannot leave it at home then she needs a different occupation.

Let me get this straight, after she gives the spiritual entertainment industry a leadership role in her life, she no longer indulges make believe involving withches?

I'm happy to see fewer morons teaching kids.

Everyone else on the planet is expected to tolerate other religions, cultures, etc. despite what they actually believe in. Why should this pompous, terrible excuse for a teacher be any different?

People with such ridiculous beliefs should not be allowed near children. She should be sacked immediately, sent for psychiatric counselling and barred from teaching.

The women is an IDIOT!

When you take a position as a teacher, particularly if you are in a position of teaching literature, you must be willing and able to deal with fiction writing that tells all different kinds of stories. I don't believe that racism or the ownership of slaves is a part of my fundamental belief system, but if I was a literature teacher I would obviously teach "Huckleberry Finn".

Alot of people feel the same way. If she honestly felt that it would put her in a compromising, she should have been allowed to do something else during this time. Religion is a personal thing and cannot be dictated by others. Hitler tried to do this during WWII and many people (not just Jews) were imprisoned and tortured because they stood up for their faith.

Undoubtedly, J.K. Rowling's publishers would like to thank this silly female person for providing additional free publicity for the upcoming Harry Potter novel. The only acceptable solution is to ban religionists from all professions, where they might come into contact with ideas that might offend them. That way, they won't be offended, and we can get on with the education of our children.