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| Courtesy of Gothamist |
First of all, WTF was he thinking?
Second of all, what made him think he WOULD NOT get caught?
Third of all, why are some commentators (in the article) actually condoning this foolishness? When I posted this article on my Facebook page, some of my friends insisted that he wouldn't have never got caught if this has happened when they were in school. I just SMH...
One of the biggest mistakes young teachers make is trying to befriend your students by giving into their whelms. I know...been there, done that! (Yet, not to this extreme). Now his young career is all but finished. While it is possible the students may get into trouble as well, the law will be more lenient to them and less on the teacher. Why? Whether we like it or not, part of our job is to be positive role models for our students.
Mr. Melchiorre,
Due to your lack of common sense and your disregard for the law, as well as your influential role as a teacher and public servant, you just made our fight for professionalism and respect much harder to overcome. Therefore, on behalf of every good, hard-working, and law-abiding teacher, I would like to present to you the Dunce Hat Award...
That was stated very well and exactly what I'm feeling. As an educator and an adult, Frank disgusts me and I'm furious. We work so hard to educate our young people about the dangers of using alcohol as teenagers. For him to actually CONTRIBUTE, ALLOW, and ENCOURAGE its use among teens and underage kids is unreal. I hope the charges are multiple counts, he is convicted, and thrown in jail for a very very long time. He may have been a nice person, easy to relate to for kids, and a "GOOD" teacher in terms of content delivery, but there is a line between a student and a teacher and as a teacher, you do NOT cross that line. He is in a position of authority and I believe should be held accountable at a higher standard. If he is indeed convicted, he should be given the maximum amount of time in jail. I don't think we've heard the end of this story. It's an ongoing investigation and I'm pretty sure more absurdity will be revealed. The other thing that you didn't mention and that no one has mentioned are all of the students who do NOT participate in underage drinking or drug use. They are also victims here. The other comments on other blogs make it seem that EVERYONE is doing it....everyone is NOT doing it. I don't want those students who AREN'T doing it to think, "oh...am I the only one?" No, You are NOT the only one. I NEVER drank in high school, not even once. It's the right choice to make and I applaud those of you who aren't. Be proud of the choices that you make. And for we teachers that strive each and every single day to help our students the RIGHT away, keep working hard. It's worth it. Thanks for posting this blog. I was looking for an appropriate forum to express my feelings anonymously.
ReplyDeleteTo Anonymous,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your feedback. While I cannot and will not speak for others, I focused strictly on the actions of Mr. Melchiorre, since he is the ADULT FIGURE WHO SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER. Although teenagers were involved in this case, kids -- at any age -- will do what they are allowed to do. Yet, you're right; those kids who do the right things tends to go unnoticed and unrecognized.
I will continue to monitor this investigation and update this blog entry with new information. More to follow...