Two questionable narratives recited aloud to Brownell Academy
students by a sixth-grade social studies teacher have some parents
outraged, and the district promises an investigation will determine
appropriate action.
Gilroy – Two questionable narratives recited aloud to Brownell Academy students by a sixth-grade social studies teacher have some parents outraged, and the district promises an investigation will determine appropriate action.
Brownell teacher Joanne Lewis, in her fifth year at Brownell and at least her eighth in the profession, apparently read the blatantly sexual material to students in her sixth grade social studies class within the past few weeks. Both narratives, intended to be humorous, are tongue-in-cheek stories with obvious sexual references.
The first is a poem, called “My First Time,” a 28-line verse that describes in first person the experience of milking a cow. But only in the last line of the poem do the words “milking a cow” appear, leading the reader to assume the author is talking about the physical experience of having sex.
The second narrative, “What Not To Name Your Dog,” is a four-paragraph short story, also told in first person, about a woman who names her dog Sex. The story details the author’s visit with her dog to City Hall, a motel, in a dog show and to divorce court, all the while referring to the dog simply as Sex.
Brownell parent Elma Mendoza said her sixth-grade daughter told her about the offensive material about two weeks ago.
“What would make you think that reading these types of poems to 11-year-olds was appropriate?” Mendoza said. “It’s a parental rights violation. It’s ridiculous.”
Mendoza said she also has heard from other Brownell parents that this is not an isolated incident, as Lewis has read the same material to her classes in past years. Lewis has a reputation for trying to be “cool” with her students, Mendoza said, but this time took it too far. She said her daughter noticed several students writing down parts of the narratives as Lewis spoke.
But Felicia Stone, another Brownell parent, said although she disagrees with Lewis’ decision to read the material, she supports the teacher and knows Lewis is one of her daughter’s favorite teachers.
“She is an awesome teacher with these kids,” Stone said. “She gets them to learn subjects that are really hard for them, like history. (Reading the offensive material) was a poor choice. It was a mistake, definitely. For sixth graders, that is a very misunderstood topic. I know my child is not ready for that. But it would be a loss (for) the school if she were to be let go.”
Linda Piceno, GUSD’s assistant superintendent of human resources, said the material was not approved by the district nor the school. Piceno also said she could not verify the teacher in question was indeed Lewis, only that the responsible teacher was not in class yesterday and will not return today or Wednesday, while the district continues its investigation into the matter.
“The preliminary investigation is that the materials were absolutely inappropriate and will not be used again in any way, shape or form,” Piceno said. “The investigation is continuing.”
Piceno said the investigation will determine the details of the situation including exactly what was read to the class, when and why. The investigation also will determine appropriate disciplinary action, including whether the teacher’s suspension or dismissal is a possibility.
“We are looking into the legal parameters that we have to work with,” Piceno said. “We are looking at all appropriate actions that we can take and will take.”
Speaking on Lewis’ behalf, Gilroy Teachers Association president Michelle Nelson said the teacher read the material “in an attempt to bond with students” during some free time after students had finished an assignment. Lewis sincerely regrets what happened, Nelson said.
“She has apologized to staff and written a letter to parents and students that should be going out (Tuesday),” Nelson said. “She is very concerned that this will reflect negatively on Brownell staff. She knows there is so much good teaching going on at Brownell and is worried this will have a negative impact. It was never her intent to hurt anyone, and she’s very sorry this happened. She realizes now the material was inappropriate.”
Union representatives, district officials, Lewis and Brownell principal Suzanne Damm met yesterday and will continue to meet during the investigation, Nelson said.
“We are working together cooperatively,” she said.
Nelson said the union is not making an apology or excuses for Lewis’ actions but wants to “make sure due process is followed for everyone,” Nelson said.
Damm did not offer much information except to say parents should not be concerned for their children.
“We want to assure parents that Brownell is a safe place for their kids to be,” she said.
On Nov. 15, Mendoza visited Brownell to talk to Lewis and Damm about the situation. Mendoza got hard copies of the narratives from Lewis and made several duplications. She then assembled a small packet with one copy of each narrative and a bright pink half-sheet of paper with a brief explanation that the material had been read aloud at Brownell, along with Damm’s contact information.
On Friday, Mendoza circulated about 50 of the packets to a number of parents, not only at Brownell but also in her neighborhood and to her friends.
Some Brownell parents, including Stone, questioned Mendoza’s actions, claiming distributing the packets exposed the material to more people than necessary, including students who now are able to get their hands on hard copies of the narratives.
“As a parent, I’m not happy that (Lewis) read it, but I’m more unhappy with the parent who passed it out to expose that many more kids to it,” Stone said.
Mendoza said she distributed the material strictly to parents in order to make them aware of an overarching problem in school districts across the country: lack of accountability for what’s being said in the classroom.
“I want to bring attention to the overall situation for parents to know,” she said. “This is not just a problem at Brownell. This a problem everywhere, and it would still be a hush-hush situation unless somebody brings attention to it. I think enough is enough.”
Nelson echoed Stone’s assertion that distributing the narratives was inappropriate.
“There is a complaint procedure that is board policy, and I don’t think that was given a chance to work,” Nelson said. “It probably could have been handled better if this had been taken care of properly in the first place.”
Katie Niekerk is a staff writer. Reach her at 408-842-6400 or
kn******@gi************.com
.
