Posted on 08/02/2005 1:41:35 PM PDT by Coleus
A teacher at Mountain View Middle School in Mendham Borough left his classroom in June as a man, and plans to return to school next month as a woman.
Some parents and teachers have accepted teacher Kerri McCaffrey's decision to embrace his feminine identity and undergo gender reassignment surgery. A few others have concerns about whether middle school-age children should have to deal with such issues.
McCaffrey said she can't imagine why she wouldn't come back to school.
"I just want to be Kerri McCaffrey, a great teacher like I've always been," said the 41-year-old language arts teacher. "I'm a good influence on children, and I've dedicated my life to them."
After struggling with her identity since the age of the 7, marrying and becoming a parent of two, and teaching for 12 years, McCaffrey underwent gender reassignment surgery in February and returned to school wearing a jacket and tie to avoid disruption, she said.
"If I came out with this in February, I wouldn't have been able to teach because it would have caused such a commotion," McCaffrey said. "I could not be selfish and hurt the kids in the middle of the year."
The summer, she decided, would be a good transition period for students and parents to hear about the surgery, get answers and accept it. But McCaffrey, who grew up in Madison as Herb McCaffrey and lives near Mendham Borough, said she has tried to stay low key these past few months.
"I didn't think it was fair to run into people in town who knew me as Herb, as a Little League coach, just weeks after I did this," she said.
Superintendent Janie Edmunds said she could not comment specifically about McCaffrey because personnel issues and medical issues are involved.
(Excerpt) Read more at nj.com ...
All n all, you're just another brick in the wall"
You still have a "Y" chromosome? Then you're still a guy, regardless of the physical (or mental) plumbing. You just have a lot of aspects of your life that you are too cowardly to deal with.
He ( will always be a he ) should be in the least sent to another school and be under contractual obligation to never divulge his surgery.
I for one do not want him using the same facilities my kids are using when the teacher bathroom is closed or whatever.
"gender reassignment"
Is that what they are calling it these days?
As if middle-schoolers don't already have enough issues and hormonal problems without having to try to understand this.
I can't imagine having this kind of ammo as a teen-age male. We used to only have the nasty old Helen Thomas looking school counsellor who tended to sit spread-legged in the cafeteria.
Interesting the way the writer keeps referring to Mcaffrey (sp?)as "her" instead of "it". The least the school district could've done was assign this buttboy to another school. But they leave him in place in the name of diversity and as an example to students that it's OK to get the plumbing fixed.
Anyone that f-ed up in the head has no business being around children at any time for any reason.
This person has far too many personal issues to be a good influence on children.
If these middle-school kids are like the ones I went to school with back when it was called junior high, that teacher is probably going to suffer.
During the three years I was there, two teachers had nervous breakdowns and had to quit their jobs. The home ec room had a little windowed room that looked out into the hallway where the teacher displayed our "creations", and she would continually get locked inside.
Look out, Miz McCaffrey.
Oh wait, it's real?
This is a reflection of our culture that accepts everything as equal and normal. How did this person ever get into a profession that requires contact with kids? What a messed up person.
No child should have do deal with the mental problems of it's teachers, for it is just too much to ask.
My lord, this is positivly where I draw the line. This kind of crap just can not be normalized.
This presents a difficult position for the kids and is yet another reason to homeschool.
Well there goes my lunch.
If you really want to know who's going to be messed up, it's his two children. My mother was a teacher, and she had to deal with kids who saw "dad" become "auntie". It SEVERELY screws up the child's head!
This 'teacher' is so wrong. Wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong. Wrong.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.