Posted on 01/28/2006 5:57:55 AM PST by freepatriot32
BEAVER FALLS, Pa. - A 17-year-old high school student said he was humiliated when a teacher made him sit on the floor during a midterm exam in his ethnicity class _ for wearing a Denver Broncos jersey.
The teacher, John Kelly, forced Joshua Vannoy to sit on the floor and take the test Friday _ two days before the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Broncos 34-17 in the AFC championship game. Kelly also made other students throw crumpled up paper at Vannoy, whom he called a "stinking Denver fan," Vannoy told The Associated Press on Monday.
Kelly said Vannoy, a junior at Beaver Area Senior High School, just didn't get the joke.
"If he felt uncomfortable, then that's a lesson; that's what (the class) is designed to do," Kelly told The Denver Post. "It was silly fun. I can't believe he was upset."
Vannoy was wearing a No. 7 Broncos jersey on Friday, because he is a fan of John Elway, the Broncos' retired Hall of Fame quarterback.
Vannoy said he was so unnerved he left at least 20 questions blank on the 60-question test, and just wants out of Kelly's class because he's afraid the teacher won't treat him fairly now that the story reached the media.
"I'm going to have to deal with him for two more nine weeks (school quarters) and he's going to want revenge somehow," Vannoy said Monday. "I took the test. I'm shaking. I'm furious. I didn't know what to do."
Kelly, who wore a Ben Roethlisberger jersey Friday, and his principal, Thomas Karczewski, didn't immediately return messages left on their school voice mail Monday.
Big Beaver Falls Area School District Superintendent Donna Nugent said she was aware of the situation, but said confidentiality rules prevent her from commenting specifically.
"We'll take whatever action we need to in order for the student to feel comfortable," Nugent said.
And Jews think the Holocaust was bad.
what a freaking WUSS!!!
You know what else ticks me off about this ? Is that Sports, was made the topic in that class by that teacher, when they were suppose to be into academics...granted...it was Social Studies Class..but really..what kind of message is that for a "social studies" class...to ostracize a member of the class , and humilate him for having a different view. TSK!
Awwww!, was your wittle feeewings hurt?
"Ethnicity class" ????
I don't EVEN want to guess what the curriculum is. . .
How can this happen in America? In Beaver Falls? Just outside Pittsburgh/ sarcasm
I would have told the kid jokingly to "get off the floor" after he sat there for 5 minutes...if I'd even thought of the joke in the first place. We aren't getting enough of the story here. The other kids might have more to say on how obvious it was that it was a joke. Good teachers would generally make sure the victim of the joke is a good sport about it. So, for instance, he would ask the kid how the weather was down there to see if the kid saw the humor. This teacher seems to take the attitude of a basic training sargeant...which, by the way, is what this wussy kid needs to get in front of so he can get a spine.
In Germany, you cannot go into a bar in Dusseldorf and order a Koelsh from Cologne nor can you go into a bar in Cologne and order a Diebel. The tradition is that the whole bar goes silent and stares at you...and then somebody asks you what you really want to drink. You are supposed to then give the correct answer. The implication is that you will get thrown out on your ear if you insist on the competing city's main beer brand.
This is a very healthy attitude...precisely because it is mostly meant to be lighthearted fun and it is confined to boycotting only a neighbor city's beer (and not other products and services).
I never had the chance to take an ethnicity class in high school. I been cheated!
Seems the boy's learned vicimization quite well.
It sounds to me like you got a strong case for a lawsuit for reparations ;-)
This was a serious error on the part of the teacher.
Kelly should be fired or reassigned.
IMO.
Last night I was at a comedy act in Duesseldorf when the funny comedian announced that he had a confession to make. He said "I'm from Cologne." Suddenly the entire audience erupted in loud boos, 800 people in unison.
He set himself up for that.
His act was a big hit with the crowd, by the way.
In the USA, anyone who wears a competing city's football jersey, especially at a propitious time, has to expect a major healthy reaction. Healthy means no violence. But...after that, for instance, the local restaurant can invoke their "no shirt, no service rule" and refuse service...as long as it is clear that the protagonist knows it is meant humorously and he won't go hungry (proximity of other restaurants, etc). Otherwise, it wouldn't be funny anymore.
And it wouldn't be classy for home city fans to be that way when a large number of "enemy fans" happen to be in your city for a game. The "punishment" for being an "enemy fan" would have to be a lot less in that case, it it were to remain funny.
Don't let your mouth write checks that your ass(ets) can't cover.
"I will only feel comfortable if John Kelly is fired"
Actually it counts for honors It's not worth anything in itself, but it can make a difference about getting into college.
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