Teacher gives impromptu suicide demonstration.

[Shockeye]

Teacher cuts herself to get students' attention
May 6, 2005, 12:27 PM

Sylvester- At Holley Elementary School Wednesday, third grade students told their parents their teacher, Georgiann Harrell, yelled to get their attention.

When that didn't quiet the class, students say the teacher shattered a glass candle holder. But that didn't work either. Angela Avery's third grade daughter told her what happened next.

"She picked up a piece of the glass and she cut her wrist with it," Avery said. "Then she proceeded to tell them that if they cut both their wrist and the veins in their ankles that they would bleed to death."

Thursday morning Harrell apologized to the class.

"So the first thing she did when she came in was she apologized to the class and told them that it was her fault and she was sorry for what she had done," Avery said.

But parents had already complained. Now the school system is investigating. Dr. Gary Russell, the superintendent wouldn't talk to us on camera citing the privacy of personnel issues, but he did tell us that the teacher is out of the classroom on paid leave and the students have received counseling.

Sylvester Police Chief Tony Strenth has taken two parental complaints about the teacher cutting herself and another issue he won't discuss yet. But no charges have been filed. Strenth has asked the GBI assist with the investigation because they can do recorded interviews with the students.

Like most parents, Avery didn't have any reason to be concerned about the teacher until this week.

"Her grades never dropped, her grades never changed, and so we didn't have any concern about what was going on at school."

But now Avery's learned that Ms. Harrell has had discussions about sex with her child.

"She has taught my child numerous things we don't feel is right for her age to know," Avery said.

"It makes you angry, it makes you upset that she's teaching your child these things."

Now parents are waiting for answers.

[Strazos]

Who is giving these whackjobs their degrees?

[WayAbvPar]

Psycho.

[schild]

They're going to demonize this woman for using shock tactics.

Yet another example of parents that are completely clueless. Not too mention a teacher that's a wee bit...out there.

[TheWalrus]

  Shock tactics would be kicking the underside of a desk when a kids sleepin on it...this is something else, though the only phrase I can come up with that describes it is "glabahawhaaa?". 

 When teachers as a whole start displaying some aptitude for their work, care about the students and high school counselors everywhere are fired, then I'll vote for a pay raise.

[Samwise]

Perhaps if the pay was a bit higher, the job would attract more functional human beings?  Any good teacher could be making a lot more money at a much easier job, which means that a very strong altruistic streak is a requirement for an intelligent person to go into teaching as a career.  And even then, many people end up burning out because they give their all to a profession that treats them like shit.

Putting all the blame for that on the teachers themselves is just asinine.

[Ironwood]

Perhaps if the pay was a bit higher, the job would attract more functional human beings?  Any good teacher could be making a lot more money at a much easier job, which means that a very strong altruistic streak is a requirement for an intelligent person to go into teaching as a career.  And even then, many people end up burning out because they give their all to a profession that treats them like shit.

Putting all the blame for that on the teachers themselves is just asinine.

Well said.  It's exactly the same over here.  And those who are functional members of society don't WANT to teach at the moment BECAUSE THE KIDS AREN'T.  Parents really, really, really ought to take more of the fucking responsibility.  Our schools make Cuckoo's Nest look positively healthy.  No wonder Ratchett teachers get in.

My Mother ?  Teacher all her life.  She's wanting nothing more than out now.

[Pococurante]

My Mother ?  Teacher all her life.  She's wanting nothing more than out now.

Well said on your points.  Same with my mother.  Parents have done a good job over the years undermining the schools directly, special interest groups from all marks of the political spectrum do the rest.  The same kind of crappy people who unload on waiters and clerks are the same people who treat teachers like unskilled immigrant labor and personal punching bags.  Where this belief came from that "a calling" doesn't deserve commeasurate pay as other masters-level graduate positions with a vulnerable demographic I'll never understand.

Where the money gets sucked away is at the administration level, and major construction projects turned into some politician's Tammany Hall favor.  Teachers regularly are forced to buy the materials consumed in class on a day to day basis, they work ten hour days, and are expected to pull weekends for meetings.  I was shocked when I learned my mother's salary at retirement - and she was an award-winning teacher at a renowned college-prep school.

Absurdity.

[CmdrSlack]

My dad just retired a couple of years ago after 30+ years as a HS teacher. 

He's doing well cash-wise because his teacher's union managed to get a kickass pension one year when they went on strike.  And quite honestly, teachers don't LIKE to go on strike (since you know, they'd rather be teaching).  But, sometimes, when school districts and whatnot are being morons, they have to..in order to get paid better/better insurance/better pensions. 

I just say this because I agree with everyone else with parents who teach...they bust their asses for little to no pay...and deserve much much more than they get.

[shiznitz]

The shock isn't that these people get hired. The shock is that they don't get fired, just suspended with pay.

[HaemishM]

I have two family members that were teachers, my mom and my sister. My mom even taught me two years in a row. She moved out of the classroom because she got an opportunity to do something she wanted to do, she became the curriculum and equipment manager for the entire school district's computer division. She busted her ass to get computer classes taught in the schools at the middle school level, when the high school class in the district wasn't even required. Her devotion to the idea that the kids would need computer skills is part of what made me a gamer, since I always had some kind of computer to play games on, even if it wasn't top of the line.

My cousin is in the same school district as some kind of psychologist or something... not a guidance counselor, but more someone who deals with the fuckups. She has horror stories not only about the stupid shit the kids have, but the stupid "My angel would never do that" types of parents too.

Not all of a kid's behaviour can be traced to an idiotic parent, but a good bit can.

As for this teacher, fucking psyhco bitch should have been shitcanned at the first report of this. But because it's partly a government position, all the legalese bullshit must be followed in order to keep from getting fucking sued. I guess they were happy she didn't just try to take out one of the loudass kids, barfight style.

[WayAbvPar]

My mom even taught me two years in a row.

She flunked her own son?  Hardcore! 

[HaemishM]

No, weird set of circumstances. :) She taught me 7th grade math, then we moved to another school district. She got 8th grade math as her class at that school, and BANG, there I was in her class again. Not only that, I had her for homeroom, lunch and fucking study hall. 3 hours a day.

UGH.

[Fargull]

No, weird set of circumstances. :) She taught me 7th grade math, then we moved to another school district. She got 8th grade math as her class at that school, and BANG, there I was in her class again. Not only that, I had her for homeroom, lunch and fucking study hall. 3 hours a day.

UGH.

Momma's Boy!

My mom taught for near 30 years.  About ten years ago, everything began changing.  She taught 1st and 2nd grade over the first 25 years and ended up getting moved to teach middle school her last five.  I can distinctly remember her getting angry and fustrated with the school system 10 years ago.. maybe a few more.  However, when she got moved to middle school, she at first absolutely hated it, but then can around and thought it was much better run than the elementary.  I don't know what changed 10ish years ago, but will see if I can find out.  My mother was never the type to go on holy crusades, but I thought she was giong to start one around that time.

[Samwise]

My mom left her law career to be a teacher because she was feeling underappreciated and unfulfilled as a lawyer, and wanted to have a job where she could make more of a positive difference in people's lives.  After about three years as a teacher, spending her own money to buy books for her students, going into debt, getting abused by the parents of the kids she was trying to help, and having to deal with stupid politicking between other teachers and school administrators, she realized that she was still underappreciated and unfulfilled, and being paid about a fifth as much on top of it.  So she went back to law and is happier for it.

There's a powerful and depressing lesson in there somewhere.

[Strazos]

Lesson being that being a teacher, even a good one, is still a much shittier job than it should be?

Being a college professor is probably about the best "teaching" gig a teacher can get; most of the abusive fucktards are weeded out of the system, leaving just the annoying ones.

[pants]

Being a college professor is probably about the best "teaching" gig a teacher can get; most of the abusive fucktards are weeded out of the system, leaving just the annoying ones.

Nah - best way is to become a professional trainer, teaching MCSEs or something like that.  At least your students actually want to be there.

[Strazos]

Nah - best way is to become a professional trainer, teaching MCSEs or something like that.  At least your students actually want to be there.

Isn't that the theory behind college, the one that doesn't work?

[Shockeye]

Georgia Teacher Arrested for Molestation

Wednesday, May 18, 2005

(05-18) 12:10 PDT Sylvester, Ga. (AP) --

A third-grade teacher who slit her wrists in front of her class earlier this month has been arrested on charges of molesting two students, police said.

Georgianne Harrell, 24, was arrested Tuesday and remained in jail Wednesday, police said.

The charges involve third-grade students at Holley Elementary School, Detective Ronnie Graddy said. He would not specify if they were Harrell's students.

Police began investigating Harrell after she cut her wrists in front of her students May 4.

"It's just an unfortunate situation. Hopefully we're going to get through it," said Superintendent Gary Russell, who said the Worth County School District has been providing counseling to students.

Harrell, who had been at the school for two years, resigned from teaching last week. She was described as popular with the children, and the district had no prior problems with her employment, Russell said.

[WayAbvPar]

Psycho.

Like I said before...