KVR teacher slammed in Western

[CTF]

So today's Western has five letters from former students and an article supporting the teacher. And is there an apology from the paper for this sloppy piece of journalism? Of course not. Whatever happened to the old journalistic principle of two independent sources?

This all may seem minor in the grander scheme of liberal nominations and waterfront upgrades, but one family's life was made very unpleasant through the paper's actions. This teacher has kids in the school system himself. How do you think they felt and were treated? People who choose the limelight (politicians, 'celebrities' etc.) are to a certain extent 'fair game'. But this guy is embroiled in a nasty dispute with someone who is obviously out to get him, for whatever reasons (but we can all very well imagine how a teacher could get into such a situation more easily than most). It is being dealt with by the employer through the proper channels and is being settled. This is not appropriate journalism. This is bullying, and with all that has been said about bullying lately, responsible journalists and newspaper editors should show some self-restraint.

Welcome to how the media works these days. Anything negative that can make someone look bad or cast a dark cloud is front page news. The positive is always buried on page A3 or deeper.

I look forward to when James Miller runs his rare “all positive” good news issues of the Penticton Herald. Those issues are some of the rare days I can be free from the daily negativity and nasty drivel from sad individuals like Tom Isherwood.

[Jamesie]

Haven't seen anything in the Herald yet. They ran the story too, albeit less prominent than the Western.

[ubcstudent063]

To the OP. You state that this story was created by a student who was obviously out to get him. I would like you to provide your source please that would make this so obvious. You keep saying there is a lack of context to the situation, so how are you able to come to the conclusion someone is out to get him?

I do agree that it is not fair to spread this through the news when it is currently being dealt with by the proper channels; this is something that will stick with him (and his family) for life. I would suggest that if the teacher did make these comments then he should learn some “self-restraint” and think before he speaks. If these accusations are true, I think he shot his own credibility, and that cannot be blamed on the newspapers and media who published the story.

I wouldn’t say these comments are “not so nice” either. If he did in fact say them, they are inappropriate and could be considered sexual harassment, even if they were said jokingly. Whoever said that there needs to be more teachers like someone who would make these kinds of remarks needs to give their head a shake.

[Jamesie]

Number of messages of support of the teacher from former students and colleagues in response to the original article on the Western's website is quite astonishing: http://www.pentictonwesternnews.com/news/174474111.html

Some more inside information points to this being a hatchet job by one disgruntled student and her family readily supported by internal politics at Pen-Hi and the School Board. Sad, sad, sad.

[OnTheRoadAgain]

Kinda makes a picture of the guy right there, these could all be false statements?

Depends... if they were made by the same student, or group of students from the same class: sure. Not if they were independent statements from independent witnesses that did not know each other. And again, all context is absent...

Apparently there have been no issues since he moved to KVR and this is all a few years ago. They guy was willing to sign some kind of agreement. That is what these types of tribunals are for. No need to put it on the front page over four columns in the local free paper. This guy has not pimped his step-daughter. He has not driven a vulnerable teen to suicide. He has by the looks of it met a few teenagers on their own level. Probably was admired for it by others too. All in all still looks like a case of personal vendetta combined with PC gone wild and I question whether the local papers should lend themselves to that.

I don't think I implied that it was all true, My statement was that it 'paints a picture of the guy'.

[Jamesie]

McGrady said in an interview Thursday that he felt pressured by the TRB and his union-appointed lawyer to take the deal and avoid the hearing.

“I said, ‘Well, I don’t like the idea of that, but if it means it protects my family and it’s kept out of the media, I’ll sign it. And I said it under the condition that all those other allegations are thrown out, which are outrageous.”

The next day, the TRB posted on its website the original allegations, said McGrady, adding the claims were brought forward by a single female student who had an axe to grind.

So much for keeping it out of the media. But at least the guy got his story in the paper now too. See here for full story in the Western: http://www.pentictonwesternnews.com/news/177993021.html

Also a letter in the Herald today the letter-writer basically apologizing to McGrady over an earlier letter she had written denouncing him.

And this comment (among others) on the herald's website:

I was recently told that during the time of this students allegations there was a petition created at PenHi in support of Mr. Mcgrady. Interestingly enough, why were not all students heard? From what I have heard there was quite a lengthy list of supporters that were in the class at the time. I am glad the truth has finally come out.

I stand by my comments that it was sad and uncalled for that this teacher was initially publicly slammed (those articles will also be on the Internet forever for all to see, without necessarily linking back to corrections and apologies), while for example the guy who pimped his stepdaughter is not named. Also the paper should have done its due diligence before publishing and gone to at least two independent sources.

[Crone]

It was with alarm that I first heard of this case. I do believe that in Canada your innocence is intact UNTIL proven guilty. However, the current methods of the news publishing accusations while an investigation is in process is absolutely dismaying (thanks Christy) as that means ANYONE will be easily branded guilty in the eyes of the public who have no basis to understand the context of conversations. Some of the alleged comments were so absolutely ridiculous that one has to wonder how the 'truth' was twisted...noone talks like that!! Anyone who works with kids knows that there are always those (and the parents_) who will twist words (what kid that age thinks 'morning sickness' means pregnant??-when I was in school the teachers said that meaning - you are always late/ and or tired in the a.m.)Seriously!! I know kids who absolutley adore this teacher because he is fun and truly cares about them. I do hope the general public remembers that ANYONE can say ANYTHING about YOU and if it were splashed in the media that even if it was wrong or wrongly interpreted people would be judging you. So much for democracy..

[Jamesie]

I know kids who absolutley adore this teacher because he is fun and truly cares about them.

Unfortunately he will probably be much less fun now, since he won't be able to be himself and will weigh every single word he says! What a waste.

[tmjones]

My son currently has Mr. Mcgrady as his grade 7 teacher and really enjoys him and his teaching style. My son has never talked about a school teacher as much as Mr. Mcgrady and tells me how much he likes him. They currently have a sub teacher until this Friday. My son is so looking forward to Mr. Mcgrady returning on Monday.

[Treblehook]

I perused this thread from start to finish and am pretty sure that there was not one single bit of evidence upon which any thinking and objectively minded person could rely on to make a decision or pass any judgement against this teacher. Nothing at all. Second and third hand information and worse. Suggestion and inuendo. As such it reduces this whole thread to gossip at best and unjustified character assination at worst. What ever happened to due process?

[Jamesie]

I perused this thread from start to finish and am pretty sure that there was not one single bit of evidence upon which any thinking and objectively minded person could rely on to make a decision or pass any judgement against this teacher. Nothing at all. Second and third hand information and worse. Suggestion and inuendo. As such it reduces this whole thread to gossip at best and unjustified character assination at worst. What ever happened to due process?

Actually I started the thread to make exactly that point in response to articles in the Western News and Penticton Herald. Right from the started it just felt totally wrong. And guess what, it has turned out pretty much that a highly regarded teacher, with lots of support from students, parents and colleagues has basically been bullied by a single teen and her family, for whatever reason (and we can all think up plenty of reasons why a teen may be disgruntled with a high school teacher). To get her way she goes and accuses the guy of being homophobic -clever move, that will get them going- (which by all account could not be further from the truth) and all alarm bells go off, the guy is crucified publicly (despite a promise of this remaining out of the media), his personnel file is permanently marred, chances of promotion, or moving to another district gone, and anyone who searches his name on the Internet will find this slanderous information. That is what I call bullying!

So basically it's not the thread that is gossip and innuendo, but the articles in our two local papers. And James Miller really got the wrong end of the stick in an editorial a couple of weeks ago. Has set the record straight or apologized? Nope. At least the Western has given the teacher the chance to give his version of the story (unfortunately after the damage was done).