Wrong Pick For Worst Place
I can’t believe you. Have you no decency? I am a recent graduate of Charlotte Catholic High School. You have disgraced our school, families, and Catholic community. In your August 6 issue, “Best of Charlotte 2003,” you have a category on page 19 of “Worst Place For A Boys’ Club Meeting.” Being a boy, I looked to see where it was. You named my former high school because of allegations against a teacher. Let me tell you a little about this teacher. Mr. Doherty was my religion teacher, football trainer, mentor and friend. He was a friend to everyone. His students and fellow teachers loved him because he taught us about life, not just the books.
If someone like you (the Creative Loafing staff) had someone like Mark Doherty to look up to, you would have learned that putting this kind of abomination in your paper will only make yourselves look disgusting. I’m an 18-year-old student enrolling as a freshman at UNCC, and I’m old enough to have the decency to keep from disgracing someone’s name even more than it has to be. Do you not think that Mr. Doherty’s life has been ruined enough? What about his family and friends? I speak for all of us that know him when I say that we are sick and tired of the jokes.
I have always enjoyed Creative Loafing in the past. This one went too far. I am disgusted in more ways than I could ever imagine. I think anyone that was involved in making this horrible decision to put this crap in your paper owes Mr. Doherty, his family and his friends an apology. Grow up.
— Chris Koster, Charlotte
In Defense Of DSS
Thanks to Tara Servatius for her column on the Strattons, and cheers to Creative Loafing for picking The Rhino Times as the Best Media Enablers (“Best of Charlotte 2003”) for their coverage and editorial posture on the same.
I am privy to much of the information in the file on account of my job (I’m not with DSS, but I still wish to remain anonymous). Anyone who is familiar with the details of the case knows that the system has consistently effected results that are in the best interests of the Stratton children, and can quickly and easily draw objective yet airtight conclusions about the Stratton’s parenting abilities. The unwarranted and uninformed criticism that has been heaped upon DSS so undeservedly in this case has the unfortunate effect of making DSS more hesitant to act in the best interests of abused and neglected children in the future if doing so means being subjected to another open-season media assault. The media has consistently ignored the question of what is best for the children involved, and instead lapped up Jack Stratton’s crackpot diatribes.
— Name withheld upon request
The Teaching War
I found myself nodding in agreement throughout “Why Teachers Quit” (by Shannon Griffin, August 13). My experience as a teacher was (note past tense) very similar.
I was hired to teach English at Central Cabarrus High School only a week before the 2002-2003 year began. Needless to say, I had no time to prepare anything. My only resources were the wonderful teachers in my department who, knowing the panic experienced by first-year teachers, literally piled lessons upon lessons on my desk to get me started. I managed to patch together a syllabus and a rudimentary discipline plan before I had 90 people as scared as I was walk into my classroom that first day.
My experience was one filled with stress, anxiety, disillusionment and dread. Despite promises from administration for unlimited, undeniable support, the principal and three APs showed indifference and, in some cases, contempt for my situation. I awoke every morning with a pit in my stomach because I knew that my waking hours would be focused on nothing but teaching. I could never leave my work at work. I could never regain the enthusiasm I had during my push to become a teacher despite the one class that kept me motivated to return day after day that year. I came to dread any possible contact from the administration as it digressed into only pointing out my shortcomings as a teacher.
Parent contact was an entirely separate (and equally detestable) operation. I came to realize that, for the most part, parents were unwilling to deal with (or acknowledge) the fact that their child might have some problems, academically or behaviorally.
I could probably continue, but I don’t want to seem like I’m tearing down the profession. I have the utmost respect and admiration for teachers, both new and veteran. However, I completely agree that too much time, effort and money is being thrown at the symptoms and not at the illness.
— Ben Smith, Charlotte
This article appears in Aug 20-26, 2003.
