MD schools employee fired for correcting student's spelling

[Chris0nllyn]

Frederick County Public Schools has fired Katie Nash, an employee who stirred up attention for how she ran the district’s Twitter feed last week, she said.

On Jan. 5, a student tweeted to the Twitter account, @FCPSMaryland, asking schools to close “tammarow.”

Nash wrote in response from the school Twitter feed: “But then how would you learn how to spell ‘tomorrow?’ ”

After the “tamarrow/tomorrow” thread, Nash and the student exchanged other tweets. The student later wrote that he didn’t mind Nash’s original reply and didn’t take it personally.

http://www.fredericknewspost.com/ne...cle_8f990db8-714a-5d3a-a979-2c5200b1c601.html

 

[glhs837]

Christ, if you cant get over an honest to god paid professional grammar nazi acting like one, you should move on. This is some BS. Heck, she even put a smiley on there. JKLOL, ya know?

 

[DEEKAYPEE8569]

This is about a teacher/educator responding to a public school Twitter feed, so some would naturally think that the teacher would correct spelling just because he/she can. After all, we can't have illiterate tweeters. Right?

There are just some places that Twitter should NOT be used; like political office. That however, is a different topic for a different tred.

 

[Dakota]

wah wah wah - what a cry baby society we have become.

 

[vraiblonde]

I'm curious why exactly they fired her. The tweet is cited, but it doesn't say that was the cause. Is she not supposed to be interacting with students? Was her joking considered harassment? I dislike news stories that raise more questions than they answer.

 

[DEEKAYPEE8569]

wah wah wah - what a cry baby society we have become.

This isn't so much about becoming a cry baby society. It's more about the school administrators' overreaction to a teacher doing what teachers do. If she was joking and it wasn't apparent to others who read the feed, then that's kinda on her.
Call her a 'grammar/spelling Nazi' if you want; but she prob'ly thought it was a teachable moment.

Yeah, 'prob'ly' ain't a word IRL; just here.

 

[RoseRed]

I'm curious why exactly they fired her. The tweet is cited, but it doesn't say that was the cause. Is she not supposed to be interacting with students? Was her joking considered harassment? I dislike news stories that raise more questions than they answer.

Public shaming. UFB.

 

[Chris0nllyn]

Keep in mind she's not a teacher.

Nash started working as the web experience coordinator in November. Among her responsibilities was to run the district’s social media accounts. Her salary was $44,066.

She was a new employee, possibly still under probation and subject to termination. I agree that they didn't explicitly say that was her reasoning but considering her job was to man the social media account (seriously, that's a job?) and if the school didn't like it or it caused too much backlash or hype they could have fired her.

 

[glhs837]

This isn't so much about becoming a cry baby society. It's more about the school administrators' overreaction to a teacher doing what teachers do. If she was joking and it wasn't apparent to others who read the feed, then that's kinda on her.
Call her a 'grammar/spelling Nazi' if you want; but she prob'ly thought it was a teachable moment.

Yeah, 'prob'ly' ain't a word IRL; just here.

And I agree with her, that's exactly the best way to do that, with a joking tone and a smile. My words were not meant to be disparaging. Teachers are supposed to be hard on spelling and language.

 

[Chris0nllyn]

And I agree with her, that's exactly the best way to do that, with a joking tone and a smile. My words were not meant to be disparaging. Teachers are supposed to be hard on spelling and language.

Exactly. What better way to help a child understand than through a medium they frequently use. Especially considering the fact the kid himself wasn't upset about it.

 

[Lurk]

She was fired because she wasn't hired to be a teacher. I'm sure the teachers' union had a lot to do with her departure.

 

[vraiblonde]

Exactly. What better way to help a child understand than through a medium they frequently use. Especially considering the fact the kid himself wasn't upset about it.

I'm curious who *was* upset about it. In my mind, that tweet cannot possibly be the reason she was fired. If it is, the Frederick County school system has enormous problems, which doesn't surprise me. Judging by the teachers I know personally who are acting like complete fascist douchebags about the election, our whole education system in this country is hosed up. No kidding, teachers posting on FB about how to shut down independent thought - when the hell did that become a thing?

 

[b23hqb]

Keep in mind she's not a teacher.



She was a new employee, possibly still under probation and subject to termination. I agree that they didn't explicitly say that was her reasoning but considering her job was to man the social media account (seriously, that's a job?) and if the school didn't like it or it caused too much backlash or hype they could have fired her.

That really po'd the teachers union - that this employee could spell, and probably better than most of the teachers they represent.

 

[Chris0nllyn]

I'm curious who *was* upset about it. In my mind, that tweet cannot possibly be the reason she was fired. If it is, the Frederick County school system has enormous problems, which doesn't surprise me. Judging by the teachers I know personally who are acting like complete fascist douchebags about the election, our whole education system in this country is hosed up. No kidding, teachers posting on FB about how to shut down independent thought - when the hell did that become a thing?

I believe the Board of Ed fired her, as I believe she worked for them, technically.

I imagine it took a simple phone call from a well-connected teacher or pissed off parent to make this happen. The fact that she was also in her (assumed) probationary period made it easy to let her go.

Unfortunately, it seems we've delved into a time where the people who are pissed off get the upper hand, regardless of them being a very small minority.