Ruling: Teacher Free to Curse Up a Storm in Class -- Just So Long As It's Sex-Ed Class!

This from the Big Apple (first link below), where an 89-year-old federal judge has ruled that the city department of education wrongfully suspended teacher Faith Kramer (pictured at left) -- an apparent Ellen Sussman wannabe -- "for discussing vulgar words for sex acts and parts of the anatomy with students in her sex education class." The suspension had followed the teacher getting busted by parents who had read some of the vulgarities in their kids' class notes.

Post-ruling reactions? As noted by the Post, the teacher kept her response to the ruling G-rated -- "I was really happy with the judge's decision; I feel vindicated" -- although I'd like to hear the swearing she might have done if the ruling had gone against her. Chimed her lawyer: "The words [she] used are a frequent part of our language and the language of schoolchildren."

I'm trying to imagine how one of this lady's classes might have gone. Perhaps something like this (based on pure conjecture, obviously): "Alright class, here's today's lesson: Sex is a term synonymous with many words and phrases in our language, and so let's go through the entire laundry list because it's very important for you to hear this and I want you to write down everything I say." Then she breaks into her best impersonation of George Carlin's "7 Dirty Words" routine (second link below), and the expletives really starting flyin'. At the end of the routine, with the class bell sounding, Ms. Kramer sends the kids on their merry way with a few gratuitous parting cuss words -- just for good measure. But the foul language doesn't stop at the bell. Not in Ms. Kramer's class, leastways. As one student is slow in gathering up his class notes after the bell, Ms. Kramer gives him a "you heard me, get the F*** out of here" blast. She's even heard spewing some profanities under her breath as she makes her way towards the restroom after class. Just another day in the life of the Notorious Cursin' Kramer!

But seriously: This ruling definitely does not seem like the right one to me. I'm quite open to the use of curse words in appropriate settings (and use them plenty myself), but that doesn't mean that foul language has any place in a high school classroom. And it's certainly possible (since I know it occurs in schools across the country every day) to teach a sex-education class without needing to use the vulgar versions of such words and phrases as sex, oral sex, penis, etc. Now, I don't know that Ms. Kramer's immediate suspension was necessarily warranted, but a warning and/or reprimand certainly would have been.

Final thought: The lawyer's quote above was choice. Basically he's saying that since all the kids know and use curse words outside of class, teachers should be able to spout them in class. Huh? Talk about a disconnect in logic. How about since many high-school-age kids have sex outside of class, let's permit teachers to bring their significant others to class and have sex in front of the students? Purely non-sensical, as is most everything in this very strange story. BTW, the Post reports that Ms. Kramer has now been reinstated to teach her class, so let the swearing start anew!

http://www.newyorkpost.com/p/news/local/staten_island/foul_talk_is_fair_eXMOhYWp7Me4ky8ebIkl1K http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_Nrp7cj_tM