University Wire
06-19-2006
(Daily Texan) (U-WIRE) AUSTIN, Texas -- Posting semi-nude photos of herself on the Internet probably wasn't the best move for Austin High School art teacher Tamara Hooper. But she shouldn't lose her job for it.
Last week, the Austin school board voted to begin termination proceedings against Hooper, who posted photos of herself with her breasts exposed on a Web site that a student discovered. Hooper claims the photos are artistic in nature.
Based on the way AISD is handling the incident - and the imminent threat of dismissal - Hooper might as well have distributed copies of hard-core pornography, with herself as the star, to each of her students.
Educators should rightly hold themselves to a higher standard than other members of the community. This example should primarily reside in the classroom in teaching students how to treat one another, respectfully disagree with others and become a lifelong learner.
Teachers should be able to live both their personal and professional lives without fear. Although major indiscretions must be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, as long as teachers are following the law, they should be able to do as they please on weekends and evenings.
Outside of school, teachers should be able to date whom they choose, surf the Internet, purchase alcohol and enjoy a night on the town without worrying about whether they'll have a job on Monday.
It is unreasonable to expect educators - who are notoriously underpaid and undervalued - to live as saints, dedicated entirely to serving their communities. We fear how far these moral standards might extend in the future, if this incident becomes a precedent.
If AISD wants to start a tirade against "semi-nude" images, it should take its case to art galleries, primetime television, magazines readily available to its students (think Seventeen and Cosmo) and its own libraries (think National Geographic).
When a teacher offends the tastes of administrators and parents, suddenly people pay attention to the role of a teacher. We wonder where this sense of value is in the typical paycheck that teachers receive, or in the numerous extra duties that many either take on, such as supervising the cafeteria during lunch, sponsoring extracurricular clubs and organizing field trips for the benefit of students, often without thanks or compensation. Teaching is still an underpaid profession nationwide, especially in Texas. In 2005, Texas teachers on the average were paid lower than their counterparts in 32 states, and the average salary of a Texas teacher was ranked $6,000 below that of the national average, according to the National Education Association.
As more of the circumstances come to light, it appears that Gayle Andrews, a fellow art teacher who wasn't getting along with Hooper, allowed one of her students to access the site on a school district computer during class time in front of other students, according to the Austin American-Statesman.
In light of the discovery, Hooper would be wise to remove the photos from the Internet. Indeed, she took a risk in allowing them to be displayed, and it was only a matter of time before someone voiced their dissatisfaction.
Some may argue Hooper has lost credibility in the classroom. We don't envy the task of standing before 25 teenagers who know every detail of the scandal, but she is a professional and should be responsible for her actions. The hysteria that the AISD board and some community members are expressing also harms Hooper's ability to effectively teach.
Students don't check their First Amendment rights at the door. Teachers shouldn't have to do so, either.
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(C) 2006 Daily Texan via U-WIRE
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