A Student Shares His Thoughts

Even before our NAPTA web site was launched, several other activists spent their time, energy and money, trying to expose this abusive treatment of teachers. A student sent the following to a web host after seeing Darlene Goodman's saga on the site.

To the one who makes the page

I love this page!!!! I was a LL High School Graduate (yes, I was an honor student; I can count past ten.) This has been going on since I graduated in 1993. Ahh! my fondest memories of being kicked out of class for trying to help a young girl with a learning disability. Or being told by a math teacher that I should just give up and drop out of school because I didn't understand what the hell he was saying. The problems with most NM schools are apparently the same.

Matter of fact I had two great teachers at Los Lunas High (not a bad percentage in four years of lower education). John McRae, and Mr. Peters were the only two that had any sort of positive effect on me. I never had the privilege of Ms Goodman, but have heard nothing but good things of her. Strange how I became a somewhat respectable business owner. This page gives me some sense of righteousness that I was correct in my feelings of getting as far away from that nasty little place as soon as possible. Thanks for the info. I'll keep it spreading.

A Critically Thinking Student
(You know the type that gets in trouble in high school because they are smarter than the teachers who robotically attempt to comply with the abusers who run our schools.)
Truth or Consequences, NM

Truth is not part of Los Lunas District
Consequences are inflicted upon teachers

Our Critically Thinking Student was contacted for permission to include her/his email. He/she responded: "sure post it. I really don't feel like I got what my Parents and millions of other Taxpayers paid was very well worth it. I was on the verge of some teenage suicide/dropout episode and my Photography teacher (John McRae) was one of a slight few who gave me something worth putting up with the rest of the bullshit."

Throughout this site we have expressed our concern about what this relationship violence is doing to our schools. Depression, suicide, drugs, and violence all thrive in darkness and our schools certainly are dark. Teachers serve as anchors to adolescents trying to make sense of the world as they grow. Not only does a dysfunctional school filled with malice and corruption encourage these negative behaviors, but it assures they will increase over the years. Our kids are dying to have good teachers, literally..

The book Breaking the Silence does an excellent job of describing teachers forced to sell out. At adolescence, this becomes a serious matter as children crave sincerity but rebound into chaos with pretense. As the Blases pointed out, it is not safe to "dig" into issues with a student. So those who need that extra support, often fall off the deep end and become disconnected at that age. WHile the Stepford teachers unhinge these sensitive, gifted students, the authentic teachers connect and bring them back into life. Los Lunas lost more than a teacher when they disposed of Goodman for being a person of integrity. They surely lost many children to drugs and to life, who could have been saved by her. Based on their actions, I doubt they lost a night of sleep over it. If disposing of teachers is a game, watching students destroy themselves might just be the new administrative sport. It fits with their sinister agendas.

NAPTA welcomes former or current students who have the same frustrations we do. We know that many of these alleged adults have violated your trust, but you can help stop this from happening by lending your voice to this cause that belongs to all of us.

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Goodman