Creative Writing class teacher Katrina Guarascio of Cleveland High School in Rio Rancho, NM?gave an assignment for her students to take a fairy tale or legend and to write it in modern times. One student decided to take the story of Jesus feeding the poor, by handing out bread and fish, to Jesus helping the sick by handing out marijuana to the sick. Sounds pretty creative so far.
But it seems during a peer review exercise, one student reportedly got highly offended and reported the story to her parents. It was at this point that the teacher was put on administrative leave during an investigation by the district.
Up to this point, it would seem that a teacher being investigated for a student writing about Jesus helping the poor, by handing out marijuana, would be the creative writing.
In a report by KOAT 7 Albuquerque, Guarascio reportedly felt ?targeted, harassed, and forced to resign.? While the news station did show footage of Guarascio speaking about her class and students’ rights to express themselves in a safe environment, she also claims that KOAT did not include a very important detail.
On Guarascio’s Facebook page, she herself writes:
?KOAT also didn’t mention that this was a case that had been going on since October and that the student who complained actually boasted to her classmates about how she was “going to get her teacher fired.” But overall, at least I don’t look like a jackass…do I ??
While the administration had originally declined comment, the district released a statement Wednesday that seems to address the issue stating:
?We received reports of repeated uses of profanity and sexually explicit language in the classroom that were inappropriate in a public school setting. The teacher was offered the opportunity to change her instructional practices and she chose instead to resign, as is her right.?
Whether you choose to believe the district’s statement is one thing, but we can’t forget the reason this even became an important story?Jesus.
First it’s frowned upon to criticize Mohammed. Now you can’t create a piece of creative writing about Jesus for fear of upsetting a classmate that will report it to their parents. What’s next, an uprising of the Mormons if an article regarding Joseph Smith’s criminal past is written? Let’s not get Tom Cruise started either with Scientology, feelings may be hurt.
With all of this in mind, it seems we are at the ?he said she said? phase of this story. Either way, a teacher no longer has a job that she says she loved.
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