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Joe Quigley - Indiscretions at NW Classen


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The following is an email from Joe Quigley
(Posted 8-14-02)

Here are two recent events that illustrate the hypocrisy and the dirty ol' man attitude that is acceptable here at NWClassen.

08/09/02
Prior to our welcome back meeting there were coffee and donuts available for teachers in the cafeteria. While waiting for the meeting to begin I was in there doing the crossword puzzle and other teachers were sitting around having conversations. One of the assistant principals entered, approached the coffee cart, and picking up a jar of flavored creamer, affected the exaggerated effeminate mannerisms of a cartoonish stereotype of a "gay" man complete with limp wrists and a lisp, and said toward a group of teachers sitting at one of the tables, " I am tsooo confused. I don't know if I want Irish cream or," and here while switching to another jar and placing his left hand against his facial cheek continued, "or French vanilla" complete with mincing body motions.It was obvious to any reasonable person what he was doing.
This is the same assistant principal who two years ago was in a meeting with the principal, my union rep and myself as a witness that my being open had a negative impact on the atmosphere of the school. His testimony consisted of relating that two hispanic students had asked him "Is 'that FAG teacher'(here he apologized for having to use the term FAG, but he was, after all, merely quoting) still working here?".
He did not explain how he addressed the use of the word, but I must remind people that both the school and the district have a policy against the use of derogatory words.

08/13/02
At the afternoon all faculty meeting the principal related how a student had presented a copy of those papers that state that a student is independent of parental control, and so all school records, grades and business are to be directed toward the student and not parents. He told how he had asked her what she did to support herself, and how after a series of vague references she finally said she was a stripper. Inspite of her obvious reluctance to come out and tell him what her employment was, the principal had no problem telling all of us, although he did not mention her name, that she was a stripper. This caused laughter and some comments along with a few of those nasal/gutteral haw, haw, haw noises from the faculty, with some speculation among teachers sitting near each other as to this student's identity. And, the principal continued, in a tone of voice similar to a movie advertisement, "so look for a stripper in a classroom near you", following this with laughter.

Today, with the swiftness that engenders jokes, there were a few being passed around the building.
Because this girl is independent and all records and school related materials are to
go to her, the system will make it possible to, if not pinpoint her exactly, at least narrow down the numbers to a few possibilities of which she is one.
a) the principal has made it mandatory that we have at least ONE parental contact within the first nine weeks. There are only so many female students who do not have parents or guardians to contact.
b) report cards bear the names of the parents or guardians. A limited number of female students will not have such names on their report cards.
c) sometimes in the course of informal conversation information concerning homefront arrangements comes out and this student while thinking she is merely mentioning the fact that she is independent, will be revealing more than she is aware she is, or at the least will be placing herself on the "suspect" list

Every female student in those positions will become "suspects", and this is a very inappropriate postion for the principal to have placed them in. (e.g. If there are two female students in a teacher's classes who are responsible for themselves with no parental involvement, in that teacher's mind one them must be the stripper, and since the teacher does not know which one, the teacher could conceivably look at each differently than the other female students in the room....This is SO wrong.)

This was totally inappropriate. If the student was reluctant to tell him, why the eagerness to tell this to the whole faculty in so public a manner?

Since it is human nature to wonder which one she is, and as it is apparently fodder for joking, does this not also create an atmosphere for potential sexual harassment no matter how "innocent" in form, possibly make her the object of a teacher comment as inappropriate as that modelled by the principal, make her the potential target of a well meaning religious person who may feel it necessary to save her soul, or at least place such female students in a postion into which other female students are not placed?

Needless to say, any new senior girl who enters a classroom will be suspect.
But these sorts of things are okay. After all, boys will be boys?
Just don't tell the students that people like Bayard Rustin are Gay, that the GLBT Students have some powerful role models or let them have affirming information available on campus rather than have them forced (unlike the straight kids who have heterosexually modelled activities on campus, books in the library or living breathing role models in their teachers) to find that information off campus with the danger they will get incorrect information from the wrong and detrimental sources.

We can't have a locker room mentality and atmosphere if we have to respect EVERYONE.
Joe Quigley

 

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