PHOENIX (AP) - An Arizona school principal who penned a sarcastic letter that chided

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Linda7NJ

Linda7NJ

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PHOENIX (AP) - An Arizona school principal who penned a sarcastic letter that chided parents for children who were either "too lazy or too stupid" to complete their assignments in class was suspended after the missive was mistakenly sent home.

"The math we do is really easy," said the letter from Litchfield Elementary School principal Ron Sterr. "If your child is either too lazy or too stupid to finish it in class, I'm sending it home so that you can work with them and judge for yourself whether it is laziness or idiocy that inhibits your child's progress."


more at link:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/02/02/ap/strange/main6167451.shtml

I love him, I think he should get "Principle of the Year"!!!

What the heck is wrong with a little honesty these days anyway? Have people become so PC that the TRUTH offends them?
 
Linda7NJ said:
PHOENIX (AP) - An Arizona school principal who penned a sarcastic letter that chided parents for children who were either "too lazy or too stupid" to complete their assignments in class was suspended after the missive was mistakenly sent home.

"The math we do is really easy," said the letter from Litchfield Elementary School principal Ron Sterr. "If your child is either too lazy or too stupid to finish it in class, I'm sending it home so that you can work with them and judge for yourself whether it is laziness or idiocy that inhibits your child's progress."


more at link:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/02/02/ap/strange/main6167451.shtml

I love him, I think he should get "Principle of the Year"!!!

What the heck is wrong with a little honesty these days anyway? Have people become so PC that the TRUTH offends them?
Click to expand...


Did you read the whole article? He made sarcastic remarks about children who have an allergy to peanuts. He sarcastically wrote about children who were upset when their pets died. Are the little "idiots" in his school making themselves react to peanuts? Is it idiocy to grieve the death of a pet?

There are many reasons children may not finish an assignment in class. Perhaps the school has failed to teach the math lessons properly. Perhaps a child has a learning disability which hasn't yet been diagnosed. Perhaps little Johnny needs glasses and can't see the board clearly.

For this man, in his position as leader of the school, to assume that the only two reasons a math lesson might not be completed boil down to laziness or idiocy IS IDIOCY.

I see no reason to vote him "principal of the year" and I truly hope his thinking about the kids under his leadership is thoroughly examined.
 
Some people just shouldn't be in the field of Education. Maybe the children have learning disabilites. Sometimes I really wish that it would be possible to teach people empathy.
 
We all get these types of chain emails forwarded to ourselves - if you lack the ability to discern the difference between official correspondence to parents and a 'joke' letter meant to boost employee moral, then I agree- you shouldn't be in the classroom.

However, I do have a little more faith in the education system than that, and believe the teacher knew full well what would happen by sending the letter home. Shame on the principal, shame on the teacher.
 
FULL LETTER

http://www.azcentral.com/kpnx/pdf/litchfield-letter.pdf

I think the letter was HYSTERICAL! I also understand exactly why he would write such a letter.

IMO It's all about the children's parents making excuses and expecting special allowances make for their little darling. That would be the same little angel they don't want to help do homework and whine and complain every time school is closed or let's out for the summer and their forced to deal with their darlings.......... The vast majority don't want to spend time with their own kids... they would rather plop them in front of the TV or video game system and they use public school like a babysitting service. imo
 
Maybe this man should have spent his time in a better way than writing ugly criticisms of children and tax paying parents who pay his salary. Maybe he should go into another line of work and see if writing ugly hate filled remarks makes him get more sales or promotions. Obviously he has the people he works for dehumanized in his mind and thinks they are lazy idiots. It's really too bad that children have to be treated as if they are nothing, yet schools are usually above the law and can blame parents, lie, avoid testing for disabilities, etc. Wonder if he was being a disorganized idiot or lazy when he wrote that and let it get sent out. He was probably writing it while on the job, and that's not honest either. He should have been working.
And about all these "horrible" parents, most would dearly love to get their kids out of the public school system but can't afford high priced private schools. We have to, are forced to send our kids or we will go to jail and be heavily fined. The true horrible uncaring parents don't even bother to contact the school or care if the kid does his homework or not.
 
Parts of the letter are hilarious. Making fun of parents that make every excuse for their child...funny. There are choices that people can make in there life. If people choose to do stupid things, there is often humor to be found.

Making fun of disabilities is inappropriate.
 
The thing that bothers me the most is about the child with a nervous tick. I wonder if there actually is a child in that school with that problem. I would be both furious and heart-broken if he were mocking my child regardless of whether the letter was intended for public viewing or not.

As for the peanut thing: my son has a peanut allergy. His is not life-threatening, but I know a few children whose allergies can be deadly. I understand the "joke" he was trying to make here, but if my child could die from someone else's negligence, I wouldn't think it was so funny.

Having said that, I did see the intended humor in the letter. Another website I frequent (not crime-related) has a thread called "Dear...." and in it people put pretend letters they would send to various people, businesses, etc. that irritate them. If some of these "letters" got out, I'm sure it would be a fiasco. But...they were written as jokes and as a way to release frustrations.
 
There is sarcasm and then there is degrading... this letter was degrading and uncalled for. I don't care how "haha" the letter was meant to be, it is done at the expense of CHILDREN, not adults... that is wrong on so many levels.
 
if the kids there are stupid and lazy its appperently cause they follow they're principal's lead.
i dont care if he meant it as a joke, im not laughing.
 
Linda7NJ said:
FULL LETTER

http://www.azcentral.com/kpnx/pdf/litchfield-letter.pdf

I think the letter was HYSTERICAL! I also understand exactly why he would write such a letter.

IMO It's all about the children's parents making excuses and expecting special allowances make for their little darling. That would be the same little angel they don't want to help do homework and whine and complain every time school is closed or let's out for the summer and their forced to deal with their darlings.......... The vast majority don't want to spend time with their own kids... they would rather plop them in front of the TV or video game system and they use public school like a babysitting service. imo
Click to expand...

Well, as a mother of a child with a peanut allergy, I can tell you that I did ask and expect my child to receive "special treatment." Since he can react even when someone sitting next to him is eating peanut products, we DID expect his entire class to be peanut-free. Asking that your child be protected from a deadly allergen while at school is not asking for the unreasonable.

This man has demonstrated that he believes the parents of his school district are all uninvolved with their children. And even the kids who DO accomplish their work are deemed "mediocre" by him. Nope, I don't think he is a good administrator at all.
 
Im glad to see the real idiot is no longer at the school. I cant believe he denyed having anything to do with it ! That riight there speaks volumes....and he has 6 kids of his own ?
 
I raised a boy that I convinced for 6 years of his life that he was the smartest boy in the world. It took his first grade teacher two days to convince him he was stupid and ugly and he couldn't do anything. The rest of his school years, we battled this. He never finished work, or he wouldn't turn it in. It certainly wasn't because we, as parents didn't care. We worked hard at trying to get him to do his work. We grounded, punished, took things away, and yes there was a time or two we even spanked. I would go to the school and get his homework list. Then he just wouldn't turn it in. Nothing worked. He wasn't lazy. He certainly wasn't stupid. But one teacher convinced him otherwise. I have often wondered why she had so much more influence than we did. He is now in his second year of College. Goes full time, works two jobs and doing well. Definitely not lazy. My other three children have always been on the honor roll. Because of my experience and my children's Asthma and Allergies maybe that's why I don't see the humor.
 
I have worked in school systems for years and I have to say that you are the exception, not the rule when it comes to "unmotivated" students. I work with so many kids that are very smart but are lazy, unmotivated, and have parents who take little interest in their childrens education. I am a teacher who believes that every kid has potential, but without parental support and guidance, those kids have a much harder time of succeeding.

MCDRAW said:
I raised a boy that I convinced for 6 years of his life that he was the smartest boy in the world. It took his first grade teacher two days to convince him he was stupid and ugly and he couldn't do anything. The rest of his school years, we battled this. He never finished work, or he wouldn't turn it in. It certainly wasn't because we, as parents didn't care. We worked hard at trying to get him to do his work. We grounded, punished, took things away, and yes there was a time or two we even spanked. I would go to the school and get his homework list. Then he just wouldn't turn it in. Nothing worked. He wasn't lazy. He certainly wasn't stupid. But one teacher convinced him otherwise. I have often wondered why she had so much more influence than we did. He is now in his second year of College. Goes full time, works two jobs and doing well. Definitely not lazy. My other three children have always been on the honor roll. Because of my experience and my children's Asthma and Allergies maybe that's why I don't see the humor.
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