Only in Texas...

[Professor Smooth]

September 30, 2006
Museum Field Trip Deemed Too Revealing
By RALPH BLUMENTHAL

FRISCO, Tex., Sept. 28 — “Keep the ‘Art’ in ‘Smart’ and ‘Heart,’ ” Sydney McGee had posted on her Web site at Wilma Fisher Elementary School in this moneyed boomtown that is gobbling up the farm fields north of Dallas.

But Ms. McGee, 51, a popular art teacher with 28 years in the classroom, is out of a job after leading her fifth-grade classes last April through the Dallas Museum of Art. One of her students saw nude art in the museum, and after the child’s parent complained, the teacher was suspended.

Although the tour had been approved by the principal, and the 89 students were accompanied by 4 other teachers, at least 12 parents and a museum docent, Ms. McGee said, she was called to the principal the next day and “bashed.”

She later received a memorandum in which the principal, Nancy Lawson, wrote: “During a study trip that you planned for fifth graders, students were exposed to nude statues and other nude art representations.” It cited additional complaints, which Ms. McGee has challenged.

The school board suspended her with pay on Sept. 22.

In a newsletter e-mailed to parents this week, the principal and Rick Reedy, superintendent of the Frisco Independent School District, said that Ms. McGee had been denied transfer to another school in the district, that her annual contract would not be renewed and that a replacement had been interviewed.

The episode has dumbfounded and exasperated many in and out of this mushrooming exurb, where nearly two dozen new schools have been built in the last decade and computers outnumber students three to one.

A representative of the Texas State Teachers Association, which has sprung to Ms. McGee’s defense, calls it “the first ‘nudity-in-a-museum case’ we have seen.”

“Teachers get in trouble for a variety of reasons,” said the association’s general counsel, Kevin Lungwitz, “but I’ve never heard of a teacher getting in trouble for taking her kiddoes on an approved trip to an art museum.”

John R. Lane, director of the museum, said he had no information on why Ms. McGee had been disciplined.

“I think you can walk into the Dallas Museum of Art and see nothing that would cause concern,” Mr. Lane said.

Over the past decade, more than half a million students, including about a thousand from other Frisco schools, have toured the museum’s collection of 26,000 works spanning 5,000 years, he said, “without a single complaint.” One school recently did cancel a scheduled visit, he said. He did not have its name.

The uproar has swamped Frisco school switchboards and prompted some Dallas-area television stations to broadcast images of statues from the museum with areas of the anatomy blacked out.

Ms. Lawson and Mr. Reedy did not return calls. A spokeswoman for the school district referred questions to the school board’s lawyer, Randy Gibbs. Mr. Gibbs said, “there was a parent who complained, relating the complaint of a child,” but he said he did not know details.

In the May 18 memorandum to Ms. McGee, Ms. Lawson faulted her for not displaying enough student art and for “wearing flip-flops” to work; Ms. McGee said she was wearing Via Spiga brand sandals. In citing the students’ exposure to nude art, Ms. Lawson also said “time was not used wisely for learning during the trip,” adding that parents and teachers had complained and that Ms. McGee should have toured the route by herself first. But Ms. McGee said she did exactly that.

In the latest of several statements, the district contended that the trip had been poorly planned. But Mr. Gibbs, the district’s lawyer, acknowledged that Ms. Lawson had approved it.

“This is not about a field trip to a museum,” the principal and superintendent told parents in their e-mail message Wednesday, citing “performance concerns” and other criticisms of Ms. McGee’s work, which she disputes. “The timing of circumstances has allowed the teacher to wave that banner and it has played well in the media,” they wrote.

They took issue with Ms. McGee’s planning of the outing. “No teacher’s job status, however, would be jeopardized based on students’ incidental viewing of nude art,” they wrote.

Ms. McGee and her lawyer, Rogge Dunn, who are exploring legal action, say that her past job evaluations had been consistently superior until the museum trip and only turned negative afterward. They have copies of evaluations that bear out the assertion.

Retracing her route this week through the museum’s European and contemporary galleries, Ms. McGee passed the marble torso of a Greek youth from a funerary relief, circa 330 B.C.; its label reads, “his nude body has the radiant purity of an athlete in his prime.” She passed sculptor Auguste Rodin’s tormented “Shade;” Aristide Maillol’s “Flora,” with her clingy sheer garment; and Jean Arp’s “Star in a Dream.”

None, Ms. McGee said, seemed offensive.

“This is very painful and getting more so,” she said, her eyes moistening. “I’m so into art. I look at it for its value, what each civilization has left behind.”

School officials have not named the child who complained or any particular artwork at issue, although Ms. McGee said her puzzlement was compounded when Ms. Lawson referred at times to “an abstract nude sculpture.”

Ms. McGee, a fifth-generation Texan who has a grown daughter, won a monthly teacher award in 2004 from a local newspaper. She said the loss of her $57,600-a-year job could jeopardize her mortgage and compound her health problems, including a heart ailment.

Some parents have come to Ms. McGee’s defense. Joan Grande said her 11-year-old daughter, Olivia, attended the museum tour.

“She enjoyed the day very much,” Ms. Grande said. “She did mention some nude art but she didn’t make a big deal of it and neither did I.” She said that if Ms. McGee’s job ratings were high before the incident, “something isn’t right” about the suspension.

Another parent, Maijken Kozcara, said Ms. McGee had taught her children effectively.

“I thought she was the greatest,” Ms. Kozcara said. But “knowing Texas, the way things work here” she said of the teacher’s suspension, “I wasn’t really amazed. I was like, ‘Yeah, right.’ ”

[Impactor returns 2.0]

oh dear.

how ******* stupid is this?

[Laser Rod Optimus Prime]

Yea. I've heard a lot about this since I live a few hours outside of the Dallas/Fort Worth area. I find the whole thing crazy to be sure, but like the lady said, "I wasn’t really amazed." Some things here are just plain NUts.

[Aaron Hong]

Maybe it's time people learned to cover their own asses for once. An early reconnoiter of the museum would have at least told the teacher which doors not to walk through, and even then you'd have to worry about being caught in the act.

EDIT: Yeah, read through the article and noticed she did reconnoiter, but the second point still stands. Can't trust anybody nowadays.

[Eline]

Why is looking at a classical statue so dangerous?

[Best First]

Maybe it's time people learned to cover their own asses for once. An early reconnoiter of the museum would have at least told the teacher which doors not to walk through, and even then you'd have to worry about being caught in the act.

EDIT: Yeah, read through the article and noticed she did reconnoiter, but the second point still stands. Can't trust anybody nowadays.

yeah, good plan - lets pander to reactionary idiots to make the world a better place.

what?

oh.

oh! the human body! its so horrible! so immoral! so... unnatural!

[Aaron Hong]

Maybe it's time people learned to cover their own asses for once. An early reconnoiter of the museum would have at least told the teacher which doors not to walk through, and even then you'd have to worry about being caught in the act.

EDIT: Yeah, read through the article and noticed she did reconnoiter, but the second point still stands. Can't trust anybody nowadays.

yeah, good plan - lets pander to reactionary idiots to make the world a better place.

That'll have to be the game plan until they find a way to remove said reactionary idiots from the equation, but cleanly.

Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large numbers.

EDIT: Funny coincidence - now watching the G1 cartoon, and Cliffjumper's playing the part of reactionary idiot by shooting a Seeker-shaped rock.

[Best First]

Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large numbers.

is there irony here?

i think there might be.

So, you think, that the way to address this situation, is to let the stupid people think they are right. wow, that'll work.

sleeper agent, huh?

[Obfleur]

Poor woman

[Brendocon]

... wouldn't the kid have needed a permission slip to go on a school trip?

... implying that the parents were aware of where the brat was being taken?

... and, as such, making it their fault if they didn't take issue with the exhibits within beforehand?

Or is it common practise for American parents to only check things out after the fact?

[Aaron Hong]

Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large numbers.

is there irony here?

i think there might be.

So, you think, that the way to address this situation, is to let the stupid people think they are right. wow, that'll work.

sleeper agent, huh?

Only till the time comes that they can be undone by said stupidity, naturally or otherwise. Wouldn't hurt to plant a few agents in there.

[Best First]

They won't be undone by their stupidity if other people are stupid enough to advocate pandering to it as a means of dealing with it though will they?

will they?

The answers no by the way, just in case you are struggling or have been momentarily mortified by some nudity or something.

[Aaron Hong]

will they?

The answers no by the way,

is there irony here? i think there might be.

The point of pandering to it is to let them think they've already won. Look, this is a war. Don't expect everything to be clearcut and aboveboard when you're dealing with an enemy.

[Metal Vendetta]

To quote Dan from the utterly brilliant Nathan Barley:

"THE IDIOTS ARE WINNING!"

[Shanti418]

I'm not as offended as the rest of you, I suppose. NOT just b/c I live in Texas, and I can see how this kind of crap can happen.

Just that parents like to play contradictory roles. They want to send their kids off to school and then forget about it, but at the same time, when stuff like this happens, all of a sudden retroactively they want to be consulted like a guru.

Nonetheless, yes, if they weren't going in there to see naked guys, and yet they saw naked guys, I can see parents getting upset. Not because they're naked, per se, but becasue they're not sure that their children saw it in the "proper context" or some stuff like that, I'm sure they'd say.

Still, in the course of what's going on these days, this is hardly at the forefront of what's wrong with America.

[Impactor returns 2.0]

I think the context in which these 'naked guys' are shown is more important - Art needs to be considered, and Art, in the past was for the educated, it told a story. When ppl didnt understand Art it was considered a lack of education... oh.

[Best First]

will they?

The answers no by the way,

is there irony here? i think there might be.

yes, i think that probably underscores the issue.

The point of pandering to it is to let them think they've already won. Look, this is a war. Don't expect everything to be clearcut and aboveboard when you're dealing with an enemy.

right.

nurse?

Still, in the course of what's going on these days, this is hardly at the forefront of what's wrong with America.

i'd say its a bit of a microcosm fo what's wrong actually.

[Eline]

Nonetheless, yes, if they weren't going in there to see naked guys, and yet they saw naked guys, I can see parents getting upset. Not because they're naked, per se, but becasue they're not sure that their children saw it in the "proper context" or some stuff like that, I'm sure they'd say.

I don't really see how you can go to a museum and NOT see naked statues/paintings/etc.

Surely parents must know that?

[Impactor returns 2.0]

U would think so but then this is AMERICA!

It just utterly stupid and these parents should be sent to school. id love to see them.

Either

A. rednecks
B. Religious extream

[Shanti418]

Still, in the course of what's going on these days, this is hardly at the forefront of what's wrong with America.
i'd say its a bit of a microcosm fo what's wrong actually.

But what is it? Religious extemism, or just a case of some completly overzealous parents and a school district who has to bend over backwards to appear PC, especiallly in hyper convservative, hyper religious Texas?

I just don't think this story is the kind you can extrapolate to the nation. Granted, a big part of what's wrong with America these days DOES have to do with religion and its role in society, but these parents are the same types of parents who DON'T sign the waiver for sexual education, who want to teach their kids to be ashamed of their bodies. Crappy? Sure. But not representative, and not particularly destructive, either.

I don't really see how you can go to a museum and NOT see naked statues/paintings/etc.

Surely parents must know that?

It's quite possible here. I don't know if its a cultural thing, or perhaps we don't have access to the volume/type/level of art you have, but I've gone to plenty of museums without nudity represented.

Again, NOT saying that parents who send their kids to an art museum and then get made when they see sculptured twigs and berries aren't daft. I'm just saying that this type of stuff is just tapping into the American Puritannical Vein, it's something that comes up once in a while, and while it's silly, it's also harmless (except in the case of the teacher who lost her job). And perhaps the climate IS one that's radicalized to the point where a woman can lose her job over it, but if you look at the social climate in America, it's one where social conservatism comes in waves, and we happen to be in a peak right now.

[Eline]

I don't really see how you can go to a museum and NOT see naked statues/paintings/etc.

Surely parents must know that?

It's quite possible here. I don't know if its a cultural thing, or perhaps we don't have access to the volume/type/level of art you have, but I've gone to plenty of museums without nudity represented.

Again, NOT saying that parents who send their kids to an art museum and then get made when they see sculptured twigs and berries aren't daft. I'm just saying that this type of stuff is just tapping into the American Puritannical Vein, it's something that comes up once in a while, and while it's silly, it's also harmless (except in the case of the teacher who lost her job). And perhaps the climate IS one that's radicalized to the point where a woman can lose her job over it, but if you look at the social climate in America, it's one where social conservatism comes in waves, and we happen to be in a peak right now.

It must be a cultural thing then. Or maybe we have some crazy people here too.

If they would have been looking at "arty porn" (how do you call that?) or arty bondage/sm or something like that, it would be a different story. But a healthy nude body is not so scary for kids.

[Legion]

Either

A. rednecks
B. Religious extream

You're forgetting option C - Extreme Rednecks!

[Metal Vendetta]

****'s sake, who are these people to whom a naked body is offensive?

Do they, like, shower with their eyes closed?

How the **** do they have children?

Honestly, I don't understand how retarded ****s like this even survive.

*goes back to watching 15-girl lesbian porn*

[Best First]

Still, in the course of what's going on these days, this is hardly at the forefront of what's wrong with America.
i'd say its a bit of a microcosm fo what's wrong actually.

But what is it?

ill informed mob mentality dictating public policy and being pandered too by people looking to capitalise on said mentality or maintain their positions in the face of it.

Saying teaching people to be ashamed of their bodies isn't particularly estructive is an interesting one. i can't say i agree.

[Metal Vendetta]

...and then some **** makes a statue of a naked Britney Spears giving birth, and all the ****ing pro-lifers come around and say how it's wonderful and all that and as it turns out she didn't even ****ing give birth in the first place, she had a ****ing Caesarian section!

Stupid ****ing ****s.

...

I have been drinking, by the way.

[The Last Autobot]

A 10 year old can watch a movie of extreme violence and blood. But If you go to the museum and see a "naked" statue then thats bad???

Sometimes I prefer my 3rd world country. Here it would be something like this:

Mom: Mr Officer I want to present a lawsuit against my child teacher.
Officer: What happened?
Mom: She took him/her to the museum and he/she saw naked statues!!!!
Officer: So?
Mom: Dont you understand? Its Immoral!!!
Officer: Did the statues came alive and [composite word including 'f*ck'] in front of her/him? Museums are harmless, now ****** we have important issues around

[Shanti418]

ill informed mob mentality dictating public policy and being pandered too by people looking to capitalise on said mentality or maintain their positions in the face of it.

How is this a mob mentality? This is ONE pair of parents that complained, and then, yes, an administration that COMPLETLY overreacted. Like I said, way too PC.

Friso is a city made up of 85% white people, where the mean income is 70k, quite a nice upper class white city in Texas terms. The kind of place where if I went, I'm sure I'd see waay too many large churches. That is the community this occured in. Are we really surprised that these prudes are bothered by seeing balls and cocks?

The article even says that people have been swamping switchboards complaining about the ruling!

And as you see by the fact that the statues were blacked out on TV, clearly there are larger amount of public taboo on nudity (even in art) here in US than you may realize.

Saying teaching people to be ashamed of their bodies isn't particularly destructive is an interesting one. i can't say i agree.

Listen, I'm one of the freaky BDSM people on here, you know I'm all for a full expression of sexuality, nudity included.

I work with a girl who, when I told her I did some drunk skinny dipping with friends, admonished me for being naked in mixed company. She said she didn't even like seeing herself naked when in the shower. And, yes, that IS destructive.

*looks to see if Yaya is looking" But there are some religions that people claim are MUCH more violent, not just mentally on the self, but physically, on wide swaths of people.

Point is, yes, I hate people that are ashamed of their bodies. But that's the fault of religion, Catholicism in particular. And even then, when you put it up against other things like creationism and pedophilia scandals in the clergy, it's a lower offense.


Listen, I'm not saying that what they did to the teacher isn't f***** up. I'm just saying, that it's a particular picadillo of my society, and in the scheme of things, I'm really more pissed about other things that we practice and espouse.
And all these Americans who hate nudity would be just as shocked as some European countries' regulation of violence in cinema, or drug policies, etc. as you are about our weirdness related to the human body.

[Best First]

sorry, didn't realise we were getting into some kind of competition.

[Shanti418]

No doubt.



And in my defense, I'm probably just a little sensitive about the subject.

Usually, Smooth throws out a "Hahaha, look at those STTUUPPIID Americans! What a bunch of f****** buggers, those evil, evil people, with their American fooootball, and their consumption. I'm sooo much better than them, the pitiful fools!", and I'll usually agree with him, at least in principle. But i'm not going to rubber stamp s***, and this issue, I think, is like making fun of the retarded kid in class.

[Optimus Prime Rib]

[quote="Metal Vendetta
*goes back to watching 15-girl lesbian porn*[/quote]
pass the popcorn..