The Asshat Parents Thread

[Howard Treesong]

How would you react if children in your child's school called your child fat? The parents described in the article below asked the teacher to monitor their kid's food intake, which eventually sparked a fight between the massively rich parents and the teacher, with the school apparently taking the side of the parents.

Article here:

http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/news...e/7923982.html

Complaint citing epic email from Father Asshat here:

http://inquirer.philly.com/rss/news/tollincomplaint.pdf

It is only a complaint, and therefore necessarily all true, but if the email quotations are accurate, the Pouls are unqualified asshats. Instead of their reaction, how about saying to your child: "There are tons of ways of getting other kids to stop <b>calling</b> you fat. There is one way and one way only to get other kids to stop <b>thinking</b> of you as fat, and that is to eat less and exercise more."

I also note that a quick google search for Michael Pouls yields a tout from the Pritikin Center, noting that he lost 75 pounds using the Pritikin diet.

I also note that the Pouls' home phone number is listed at Exhibit C to the complaint. Given that I found this on FARK, what's the o/u until that number is ringing off the hook with "You're an asshat" messages?

Cliff Notes: asshat parent complains that students are calling their second-grader "fat," then complains that teacher is too much of a disciplinarian. Kid ultimately is transferred to another second-grade class, but mom pulls a Matusow/Hellmuth and blows a gasket at teacher in a school hallway when kid waves at teacher and teacher doesn't say hello in return. Teacher fired after asshat mom threatens to yank multimillion-dollar donation.

[king_of_drafts]

Sounds like everyone in the family including the daughter is a manipulative asshat. Pretty pathetic that the school would side with the parents here, but not completely surprising.

Do schools like this consistently have better teachers than public schools? All of the most passionate instructors I've met seem to take pride in the fact that they teach at public schools.

[tarheeljks]

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Do schools like this consistently have better teachers than public schools?

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the private schools would say they do, but i don't think it's true.

[NozeCandy]

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Do schools like this consistently have better teachers than public schools?

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the private schools would say they do, but i don't think it's true.

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Private and wealthy public schools get way, way more applicants for their openings. I'm pretty sure they pull better teachers out of that pool.

[lapoker17]

am i wrong in thinking that private school teachers are not members of the all powerful teachers union?

[MrMon]

So, since the Pouls think they "won" by having the teacher fired, let's continue their "victory" by asking, exactly how fat was their daughter?

[MrMon]

Oh great, the guy is one step above a loan shark.

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Michael Pouls, the guy who is rumored to have shelled out $27 million for David Cutler’s Shore house in Longport, made his money with a business that provided credit cards to college students.

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[Jorge10]

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Do schools like this consistently have better teachers than public schools?

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the private schools would say they do, but i don't think it's true.

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Private and wealthy public schools get way, way more applicants for their openings. I'm pretty sure they pull better teachers out of that pool.

[/ QUOTE ]

We have a private school in the small town I grew up in. The people that go there are the sons and daughters of rich Mexican's because the town is a border town. The school doesnt ask for any papers or proof of residency as long as you pay their fees. In my experience they pay a lot less than public schools. Since they pay much less than public schools, less people apply. There is also a lot more corruption in that school because it is a private school. The teachers are not always asked for their credentials if they know the right people. I had a friend in high school who currently works at the school without any degree. His mother is the vice principle. I dont know if that is her official title, but she is basically number 2 in command at the school. He is not very sharp and has only taken a few math classes in a community college so he is far from qualified. I think this private school is really a reflection of how most private schools work. If they dont have to ask for papers, what would stop a private school from hiring the sons and daughters of their higher ups? All private schools are allowed to police themselves. I would think it would only be natural for there to be massive corruption if no one is watching them. I also read a study somewhere that said most private schools had teachers with poor credentials and basically hired all the teachers the public schools rejected because they couldnt offer the benefits public schools offer or the salaries, which meant they couldnt get enough applicants. Ill try to find that study. I know I read it a few years back.

[TheOneWizard]

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Do schools like this consistently have better teachers than public schools?

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the private schools would say they do, but i don't think it's true.

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Private and wealthy public schools get way, way more applicants for their openings. I'm pretty sure they pull better teachers out of that pool.

[/ QUOTE ]

I went to a private (catholic) high school with a pretty solid reputation.

Basically a majority of our teachers were people who retired from the public school system. A lot of the public schools offered incentives for teachers to retire early which they jumped at and then came over to my school to keep teaching. That way the school would say they pick the best teachers with the most experience. I'd say a majority of the teaching staff had over 20 years experience.

[bowens]

Howard,
What is your opinion on the case itself? Do you think that the teacher stands a chance in it? She'll need some other teachers to testify as eyewitnesses, I'd think. Interested to hear an actual lawyer give their opinion.