There is more to this story and I have read it and listen to her interviews. She conversed with students on MySpace (a huge no no), which she says is set to private. But she has a MySpace for Smokin’ Em Charters as well which is not set to private which her students can access again in public places like the library. You have to remember, these are high school teenagers and they are getting smarter by each generation. If there is a way to find these type of sites online, whether if it’s on school campus, or in a public library, they will. There are many ways around the districts firewall by means of web poxies and they will use them if necessary.

She is a role model and she should have kept her personal life personal. She admitted to telling her students what she did on some nights, one in particular, going to Rebar. Obviously her students were going to find out what that was which turns out that it was a “Gay Bar”.

But that is not the issue. The issue is, she missed an excessive amount of days from work that was not excused, and on top of that she broke the code of ethics that every school board employee must follow. I know because I have to follow it too. I’m not saying that teachers should not have a personal life, I’m just saying that they need to ensure that it remains personal.

Now Jon, stated that we should fire those teachers that drink and smoke, etc. but here’s the difference, they are not doing it with their students, nor are they showing proof…Mrs. Shepherd did. She has all those provocative poses, and on top of that the MySpace pictures to add to it. As Liz stated, she should have tried harder to conseal her identity by ways of an allias name. That way there is a much more difficult way of proving that those picutres are her.

Again there is nothing wrong with her in a bikini…believe me . The point is, she is just using these pictures as a scape goat for her lack of attendence and poor teaching skills, even though she claims that her students are the top on the top of the list for excellent acheivement, but I want to see proof. That is why the school board is letting her go and now that she is promoting the pictures, that is just fueling the fire. She broke the code of ethics by allow her students to view both her MySpaces and also conversing with them. I have plenty of students that ask me if I have a myspace and I tell that, that is none of there buisness and to those students that happen to find me on myspace, I decline there friend requests becuase I know that is unethical.

The role of a teacher is not to be a friend, but a motivator, role model, counselor, and sometimes parent. Most of these young teachers fresh out of college forget that. They want to be the cool teacher that their high school students see out in public drinking with them and use profanity and so on but that is not the proper way to reach children. I know from experience that students will like you and respect you more if you are stern and fair to everyone. They will feel confident enough to come to you about anything because they see you as wise rather than just some idiot adult that wants to be your best friend.

I hope I have clear this up to everyone because I’ll have to be honest, I am sick and tired of ignorant people ignoring the facts and making assumptions like the school board is firing her becuase she is wearing a bikini or parents are mad becuase there are pictures of her in a bikini. No, she failed to provide her students with the poper education they needed due to excessive absences, and she posed in a very “Playboyisk” manner. I could care less if she is in a bikini. But the point is she failed as a teacher and now she is fueling the fire by breaking the code of ethics from promoting these pictures.

If you have more comments, please post them so I can prove you wrong, just as Liz has, and show everyone how simple minded and ignorant you really are. Read the facts before you make conclusions people and you will see that she deserved what she got and there is nothing more to it.

If you remove YOUR comment about her “Hawking herself”, then your entire argument is invalid.
Have you ever been on a charter boat, the mates perform various tasks; baiting hooks, dishing out food and beverage, and some education on various types of fish, fishing techniques, gear, etc.

Is your issue that she is wearing a bikini, would it be ok if she were wearing shorts and a t-shirt.

If there are still photos of her on a webpage promoting the charter service, the same type of picture could be on another webpage taken of her while at the beach with her family.

Taking a different view, what if it were a guy performing the same duties as a “mate**” onboard the charter. Would that change things?

**- during my 20 years in the US Navy, all the other folks I served with were my mates or shipmates.

• What is the teacher smoking? Is he/she getting high? Are they doing it in front of the students?
• Is the teacher drinking the beer with the students? And is he/she doing it in a sexually suggestive manner? Is he/she constantly in brawls and/or jail due to his/her excessive drinking?

Notice the “hawking herself” in my own argument. That implies that she is selling herself in an extremely sexualized manner. That is my contention. Now, the other part of my argument (which has been IGNORED by you and the previous commenter):
I believe that Tiffany should chose one type of employment or the other because both types are not compatible (in tandem, so to speak) in our society.

I have no problems with the management and/or employees of Smokin Em or any other similar type of business. There’s a market for it, then fine. I think, though, since it’s been argued that Tiffany needed that extra money, she should have to choose either one or the other.

If you feel the need to return, please bring a fresh argument.

Edited to Add:
Please see Appeal to Ridicule as a logical fallacy.