"Disengaged, lazy whiners?"

This story about a suburban Philadelphia high school English teacher, who was suspended for a blog where she repeatedly berated her students, definitely has people in education and beyond talking.

It is easy to tune in to the particulars of this case: The teacher, who has her share of defenders, called her students “disengaged, lazy whiners.” She also complained about students’ behavior, saying that students talked openly about drugs, argued about grades, and talked back to authorities.

She also criticized her students for balking at assignments that pushed them to be creative or to think critically.

On the surface, this is a story about one teacher and her blog – an online page that she says she created exclusively for family and friends.

And surely, there are questions to be answered about this specific case.

One has to wonder whether this teacher, with all of her negativity and frustration, was an effective teacher. Was she capable of supporting and caring about these students that she seems to loathe? Did her negative attitudes and expectations create a negative, hostile classroom environment? How have students been affected by this story and the revealing of the blog?

But at the same time, there are bigger questions – systemic ones.

We are left asking ourselves: How did we get here – to this place where teachers are so incredibly frustrated that they are calling their students names online? How much harm is being done, day in and day out, by teachers who are not only frustrated but seem to actively dislike their students?

And how did we get to the place where students are speaking openly about drug use and other unhealthy behaviors in front of adults, including teachers?

The point the teacher makes about students finding it difficult to complete assignments that require creativity and critical thought also is compelling, since this generation of students has spent a large percentage of their class time dutifully filling in bubbles on standardized tests. What role have teachers, schools, administrators and school boards played in contributing to this decline in creativity? How do we respond?

Certainly, the case of this specific teacher and her blog is troubling. But the greater issues – the big, systemic ones that affect children not just in this one Pennsylvania school but nationwide – also cannot be ignored.

What do you think? What can we learn from this case?