Prayer Request — They Arrested my Son’s Teacher
UPDATE (Oct 25, 2011 over a year after this post): Your prayers were answered. The case was dismissed with prejudice. It seems the prosecution did not share with the defense exculpating evidence until the last moment.
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Yes, the police literally led her away in handcuffs.
Had she done anything wrong? I very much doubt it.From what I know of her, she is an exemplary teacher, skilled and patient.
Here is my wife’s words on the matter:
Something has happened that is so upsetting, I can hardly write about it without crying.
As a mom with several kids in special ed programs–and with many friends with similar issues, I’ve seen and heard about a lot of teachers. Some teachers are not so good with autistic kids. Some are alright. Only a few are really good.
Possibly the best teacher I’ve ever seen is Jennah Billeter, who was Ro’s kindergarten and first grade teacher. Miss B showed such love and concern for her students, such care and patience! Nothing phased her. I watched her have her hair pulled over and over again and never lose her cool. Instead, she gently led the child responsible to overcome that behavior. What she got those children to be able to do was downright amazing.
Last spring, Miss B did something that one of her teacher aid’s thought was cruel to her students. Instead of confronting her or talking to the school principal, this teacher aid reported Miss B to Child Protection Services. The result was: last week, Miss B was arrested!
Miss B now faces both misdemeanor and felony charges. I cannot imagine what a nightmare this must seem like to her. For any of you who pray, please pray that God will be with her during this trial and will support her, no matter what happens.
Thank you.
My comment: I did not see the incident, if there was one, which triggered the arrest.
Nonetheless, I have no reason to give the accuser the benefit of the doubt, and every reason to trust a beloved and patient teacher.
Since my editor, and one of my neighbors, and I, have been on the receiving end of false or malign or anonymous accusations of this type, my view of a value of using police strong-arm tactics to “protect” children from parents and teachers is not borne out by anything I’ve seen in my life.
He had his child taken away for several days, with no forewarning, based on nothing more than the unsupported word of a paranoiac neighbor that he was deliberately trying to starve his kid to death; my neighbor stands to lose her children just because she is a wiccan lesbian, and (as far as I know) for no better cause than that; I had four beefy cops appear at my door because I spanked my third born in public when I caught him shoplifting chocolate raisins.
The results have ranged between a permanent nightmare (in my neighbor’s case) to a temporary nightmare (in my editor’s) to merely an unwelcome and officious intrusion (in mine).
I have always tried to teach my children to obey and respect the law, but I cannot see how, if their neighbors, their father’s boss, their teachers, and their father suffer harassment and persecution rather than protection at the hands of the law, I can teach my kids to call the law sacred, and the officers of the law heroic.
About John C Wright
John C. Wright is a practicing philosopher, a retired attorney, newspaperman, and newspaper editor, and a published author of science fiction. Once a Houyhnhnm, he was expelled from the august ranks of purely rational beings when he fell in love; but retains an honorary title.
