Going off of what Eva said on the Mai Lai Video discussion and furthering what we talked about this morning. I agree with eva, especially when it comes to teaching. If someone is so passionate about teaching and is a good teacher then your color, sexual orientation or gender shouldn't matter. I know that I was the first to say I wouldn't want to work in a school with a principal like that but after class my roommate and I were talking and it would not be a logical decision to quit and find a new job, especially if you were a first year teacher. First year teachers are just being set out into reality of bills, grocery's, house payments, and much more. I think as a teacher I would stay and try to help the guy. I do not confrontation but if it was me that the principal was talking about I would want someone to tell me to warn me. I would also want to talk to my mentor and let someone know what was going on and get their advice. I do believe we are in a society where people are treated very unequal because of what they look like and who they like but I believe as teachers we need to rise above this and especially help our students learn how to treat everyone equally and help them become better than some of the people are today.

Beth Hicks

I think that no matter what the situation or sexual orientation of a teacher or principal it should not matter. We as teachers may or may not agree with their lifestyle but we should be open minded enough to show our students to be respectful and accepting of different lifestyles, race, and religion. It is important to teach students that they do not have to agree with different lifestyles but they still must respect others for their choices in their life. I personally do not think I would quit a job even if I was being discriminated against because I would want to stay and stand up for myself and what I believe in. It is always important to follow your heart and do what you think is right, no matter what the outcome!

I have a very dear friend who is in the same process as I am in becoming a teacher. He is a wonderful guy and realizes that there are people in this world who will judge him based on who he loves.I do not agree with this. I feel that if a principal pulled me in to assist in getting a teacher fired, I would have to have a conversation with the administration as well as my colleague. As a beginning teacher we will all have bills to pay ( I do now!!) but we also must understand the reasoning behind the principal's request. If he/she has a valid reason or not, I would still invite the teacher out for a cup of coffee and warn them what is happening. I would never want to be caught in the cross fires of what transpires, but as a person I would always try to take the higher moral road.

Homosexuals realize prejudice exists against them. We live in a society where I feel that everyone should be allowed to choose who they love. We will have students in our classrooms who will also be facing the issue of their own sexuality and I feel that this would round out the faculty if we kept him/her on our side.

If I was ever put in the situation described I think I would have to tell the principal that it is not my position to help him with what he is doing. I would then inform the teacher of what is going on. This may reflect badly on me to the principal, but I feel teachers should respect the community of practice and stand up for each other. If we can't get support from our principals, surely we can still count on our fellow teachers. If the principal then seeks me out to try and get me fired, I will just make sure I do the best teaching job I can and if he still finds a way then so be it, doors close for other ones to open. Yes it would be hard being a first year teacher and having to start over, but if God brings you to it he will bring you through it. I don't think I could live with myself if I had to betray the trust of a fellow teacher.

I agree with most everything that has been mentioned. I definitely would be the type of person that would feel obligated to speak to the teacher being targeted. I think it is important that this be done away from the school environment, like over a cup of coffee as mentioned above. The last thing either you or the teacher needs is to have someone over hear part of the conversation and cause rumors to fly. The situation would be touchy enough as is. I think it is important to document the situation as well. This way it can be used to support the teacher or help defend yourself if firing or harassment of any sort occurs. I would respectfully decline the principal's request to assist them and make it clear that I am there to teach and not be some sort of private investigator. I would point out that I need to spend all my time and efforts on my students. If the issue is not dropped or something happens to the teacher, I would try to transfer to a school with a more accepting, friendly environment at the end of the year. I would not feel comfortable trying to leave any sooner because I feel that I would be severely letting my students down. Plus, as many people have mentioned, most of us will not be able to afford to just walk away, as much as we might wish that we could. Also, I think it would be important to research a principal and neighborhood, along with trying to feel out their beliefs in the interview, to try to avoid being in such a closed minded environment in the first place if possible.

This was such a difficult subject to discuss. I am an extremely open minded person. I think that whatever lifestyle someone chooses is their business, and they should never been treated with disrespect because they are different in any way. I mean come, aren't we all different in some way or another? No one is perfect, so how can anyone expect us as teachers to fit into this norm?

On the other hand, as I said in class, I would not be the type of person to stand up to the principal. I would simply choose to ignore his request without provoking him. I know this sounds harsh, and I am not trying to be. I am just being honest. Having grown up in poverty much of my life, I have known what it feels like to go to bed hungry at night and to go to school hungry the next day. I have watched my mother fall to pieces because she was too sick to go to work and could not afford to feed me. I would not do anything as a first year teacher to jeopardize my job and risk the possiblity of my family going hungry.

That being said, I do not think it would be fair for my homosexual coworked to lose his job either. For that reason, I would do absolutely nothing to help the principal fire him. And even though I am not sure how I would do it, I am positive I would find a way to warn him about what the principal was planning.

When we were presented with this situation, I had no idea what I would do or say. This situation was extremely difficult to discuss. I believe that if someone is a passionate teacher and is good at what they love doing, then the sexual orientation, race, or gender should never be an issue. If I was put in the situation presented in class, I would like to say that I would react by speaking up for this teacher or going to a higher authority, but as a first year teacher I am not sure that would be the case. I would still be trying to establish my teaching practices and be consumed with my own classroom. I would probably tell the principal I would help, but then just be so busy with my own classroom that I wouldn't have time to notice anything worth mentioning. I would also probably sit down with the teacher and tell them what was going on so that he or she was aware that they were being watched. As a first year teacher, you have bills to pay and quitting your job or putting your job at risk may not be an option. I think if anything I would speak with my fellow colleague and let them know what was going on.

That was such a difficult scenario that we had in class. At first, I felt that that principal shouldn't be a principal in the first place but there are people like that and we might be presented with a similar situation so we have to be ready for when something like that happens. Instead of sexual orientation, it could also be based on race, ethnicity, religious beliefs, etc. When I discussed it with the person sitting next to me, we agreed that going to the superintendent would be the best thing to do. I also thought that after the principal asks you to help them get that teacher fired, I would say (had I had been a new/first year teacher), "Let me get back to you on that." And then talk to the superintendent and the teacher being targeted. I definitely agree with supporting that teacher. Wouldn't that teacher be able to sue the principal for trying to get them fired based on their sexual orientation? Anyways, after that situation blows over, I don't know if I would be comfortable working in that school. Unless the school got a better principal or something I would probably leave.

If a principal approached me and asked for me to help in firing another colleague because he/she was a homosexual, I would have to decline. I don't think anyone should be discriminated against and I definitely wouldn't help someone discriminate against another person. I would feel obligated to tell the homosexual teacher and if the teacher wasn't fired then I would stay at the school. However, if the teacher was fired during the school year I would leave. I have faith that I would find another job - even if it's not in the teaching profession to help pay the bills; I would work it out. For me, sitting back and watching this happen to a fellow teacher would compromise my beliefs and a job isn't worth it.

This situation would be very tough. But as my partner and i discussed, we would go a person higher in authority and tell them. If they disagreed with me i would tell the teacher, that could possibly be fired what happened, and leave at the end of the year. Even though i loved the job, i would not be able to work under a person that would push those beliefs onto others. I understand everyone has different ideas, but they should never be forced on others in such a crude manner.

If I were ever put in this situation, I would definitely take this issue to a higher authority. I would not back the principal, even if that meant losing my job. Your gender, race or sexual orientation should not matter if you are a good teacher and you care about your students and their education. As some people said, you can't lose your job because you have bills to pay and rent for an apt/house. However, is it really worth it to work under a principal who has no morals and who is so close-minded? I personally would not work for this principal. I would fight to have him/her fired so that I did not have to leave my students, but if that didn't happen then I would have to move schools.

Just as many people were saying this would be a difficult situation to be put in the middle of. I would like to think that no principal would ever feel this way about any employee, but I am sure that it does happen. Under no circumstances should a principle ever judge anyone just because they do not believe in the way a peson lives their life outside of the classroom. Everyone should be treated equally no matter what their race, gender, religious beliefs, or sexual orientation might be. If I were put in this situation I would not want to lose my job, but I would definitely not aide the principle in firing the homosexual teacher. I would also not want to work for anyone that has these beliefs and I would try to find a job in a much better environment. I would like to think that I would take it to a higher authority, but you never know what you will do until you are put in the situation.

The homosexual predicament definitely made me sit back and contemplate what I would do if I was put in that situation. I feel as though there are so many different circumstances and exceptions that I find it nearly impossible for me to make my decision and say exactly what I would do if I were put in a situation like we discussed. As of right now I would try to figure out a way to sway the principles decision by asking him what makes him come to believe that the teacher is a homosexual. My next thought would be to ask him why he thought he should fire the teacher especially if he/she were doing a great job because race, religion, orientation should not be a factor in the way a teacher teaching children. I would chime in to thought and make him think about if we as teachers/role models want our students to be the best they can, discriminating against someone for their sexual orientation wouldn’t be the best way to go.

I also thought about my own job and how I wouldn’t want to work for someone who discriminated against people for their sexual orientation, race, religion, etc. and I would probably leave the school the next year. With this being said I don’t feel like leaving a situation would be the best option because in a matter like this, I believe it should be handled and wouldn’t want to leave it for another person to clean up especially if I felt as though I could make a difference. Finally, another option would be going to talk to the teacher that is being discriminated against. I feel as though this would be a great alternative because they are given a heads up about what is going on and are aware of the situation. To conclude I don’t exactly know what pathway I would chose, but I feel like I have a good stance and idea of what I would do if I were to be put in a situation like this in the future.

I agree with what Christin said as far as I really had to sit back and think about this topic after we discussed it. I believe that I really would tell the principal that I was not willing to get into this situation. I also think that I would consider talking to the person whom the principal was trying to get; however, I think this depends on the situation. I really do not believe in quitting and I want to be a good influence in the school, so I would really consider the circumstances.

I was talking to a friend about this situation and I started thinking more about what the implications of each response to this dilemma would be. I think I would still discuss the Principal's motives with the homosexual teacher and let them know that I am on their side and that I in no way, shape or form, agree with what's going on. However, I started to wonder what would happen if I was asked to fight along with this person against the Principal and administrators in the school. I believe in doing what's right, and I would let the right people know what was said to me, however, for my job's sake, I don't think that I would do much more than that. I'm looking at this as a new teacher, and in the perfect world, you can stand up against injustice and come out on top, but this isn't a movie, and this world isn't just or perfect. It's not easy to just go from one job to another, and yes, teachers are needed everywhere, but it can either look good or bad that you left after a year because of disagreements between you and the way things at the school were run. It could look noble that you stood up for what you believed, or it can look arrogant because you left since things weren't the way you liked them. The more I think about it, the more I think that I would just tell the Principal that I don't feel comfortable getting being put in this situation and that I would prefer that someone else be put up for the task, and then I would look for another job elsewhere in the meantime. I don't think that's a cop-out, I just think that sometimes it's best not to get involved at all, and if this homosexual is a good teacher and is aware of what's going on, then they can do what they need to put themselves in a better situation.

I was thinking more about the situation, and I totally forgot the most important thing. The students; what kind of impression or lesson are my students going to learn by the outcome I go along with? If I get fired in this school system young minds are going to be manipulated to think that i did something wrong, and then everything I taught these children is now in question. If the teacher who is gay or the principal who may have had a great impact on these children is dismissed then what are the students going to think. so often I want to jump to conclusions, or I am so scared or awkward that I want out. I as a teacher, can not think like a child anymore. all of my actions even when doing nothing have great consequences. This situation would have to be done over a period of time, and it would need to be done with the students best interests at heart not mine, the gay teacher's, or the principals.

I agree with several of the postings that the one MAIN goal of being a teacher is to support and teach the students. If my principal were to confront me with a question about a teacher's sexuality I would say two things. One, that I would feel uncomfortable being involved in the situation, and I would resepctfully request that I be left out. Secondly, I would mention to him that I am strictly here for the students and my focus should be on them 100 %. I feel that if I got involved in gossip and other unnecessary drama, my teaching would be altered in a negative way. I personally do not know any teachers who are homosexual, however, I feel that as long as they respect the views and morals of others they should not be put in a negative spot light by other fellow teachers nor any other higher level staff.

Hope Johnson

This has probably been the most difficult conversation for me to sit through in class. I did not partake in the discussion mainly because I was overwhelmed by the variety of responses. I have no shame in admitting to you all, my colleagues, that I am absolutely terrified of what the future holds in store for me as a future teacher who is also a homosexual. It is an issue that I have discussed with many of my friends, and that I am yet to feel comfortable about. This is the reason that I am growing out my hair. I plan on giving no extra reasons for any prejudice to be held against me.

My first instinct when I heard about the principal/administrator/etc. being in a "God-loving community". While some of you may not agree (and I am not here to try and push my beliefs over any of you, you have my word...) that the two can coexist, I view myself as a Christian homosexual. I am so thankful for all of the happiness that I have been blessed with that I am willing to work to get through the difficult trials that I come across.

Anyway, backtracking from that Rabbit trail...I feel it is slightly odd that the homosexual teacher felt comfortable enough to take a position in such a discriminatory and closed-minded area. On the other hand (as I'm sure someone will reply thus) it may have been a situation where he had to take advantage of whatever job he was offered.

If I were in the homosexual teacher's shoes, I would want the approached teacher to inform me of what was going on. Hopefully, as I'm assuming that "Gary" has had his position for a decent amount of time, he would know which teachers are more "accepting" than others (as this is something I myself have been conditioned to do) and would feel free getting information/input from them as well.

On the other hand, If I were the teacher being questioned by the Principal, I would have nothing to do with trying to help get another teacher fired; It is neither right nor moral. Your job is to teach, not to plot against your fellow coworkers. When I become a teacher, I feel that it will be imperative to leave your personal life/problems as the door. Once you are away from your home, you are fulfilling a professional position and should behave in such a manner.

I apologize for the length of this post, guys. This is just a topic that hits close to home for me. It disgusts me that there are people who have successfully ascended the ladder to public positions of Principal and Superintendent , but who are discriminatory to their employees. It really gets me steaming...

I agree with Nicole I think that no matter what your sexual orientation, color of your skin or anything else like that should that matter as long as you are teaching the kids and doing your job the right way. I think that if a principal is acting that way or putting you in that sistuation that he/she needs to get a live because it should not matter. When we get out in the real world we may or may not agree how others their lifestyle are but we need to be open minded. We need to show respect to other people respect just like we would want them to show us. Everyone is differnt and that is what makes us divserve and we should be happy that we are like that and take joy in it unstead of picking out the bad in everyone.