Heermann gives speech on censorship at Indianapolis Art Museum, Aug. 21st.

27-year veteran English teacher Connie Heermann, who was suspended for 18-months without pay or benefits for using the Freedom Writers Diary in her classroom, was asked to give a speech at the Indianapolis Art Museum, Thursday August 21st. Her speech followed the showing of the Freedom Writers Diary hollywood movie, shown in entirety. WRTV channel 6 covered the event. With a small crowd in attendance, Heermann answered questions and defended her actions.
"Not too many high school teachers today are allowed to teach," said Heermann.
See the WRTV coverage here:

http://www.theindychannel.com/video/17262500

Heermann asked to speak on censorship August 21st, at Indianapolis Museum of Art.

Twenty-seven year veteran English teacher Connie Heermann, who was suspended for a unprecedented 18 months for using the Freedom Writers Diary in her classroom, was asked to host a museum "conversation" on censorship Thursday, August 21st, at 6 p.m., at the Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA).

The IMA event will start with the screening of the hollywood movie, Freedom Writers, inspired by real life english teacher Erin Gruwell. Heermann, who has close ties to Gruwell, will give a speech on censorship and answer questions regarding her future plans as well as her relationship and participation with the Freedom Writer Teachers' movement.

Admission is free. Seating is limited to 170 persons.

For more information, visit the Indianapolis Museum of Art website:
http://www.imamuseum.org/calendar/calindex

Dr. Little preaches unity. Maple rife with sarcasm at Board meeting.

If the new Perry Township Superintendent Dr. Thomas Little preaches unity -- shouldn't the new Board President follow suite?

Well, you'd think so. But that's not the case. Of course, I'm referring to the last Perry Township School Board meeting on August 11th! Maple was a loose canon...

As Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum Dr. Debra Barnes was giving her presentation on the new "teachers" text books (she chose them, not the teachers), new Board President Steve Maple interrupted her and chided: "is the Freedom Writers Diary going to be included in that?" The audience groaned, loudly. Sensing he struck a nerve -- instead of apologizing for an obviously inappropriate remark -- he defensively held up a bunch of letters: "I still get stacks of letters from all over "(protesting teacher Connie Heermann's suspension)."The letters call the board anything from unfair...to Nazis, book burners, communists, etc. I just want to quit being on TV and just run this Board," added Maple.

Since the re-election of three new board members, all the board has preached unity, "let's forget the past."

Forgetting the past is hard to do with Maple's sarcastic comments that aren't funny!

You have a singular wit, Steve.

Poking fun at recent debacles is not unifying --

it's too early.

I attended the “new” Perry Township School Board meeting last August 11th and was, mostly, very pleased.

The new Board President, Steve Maple, ran the meeting efficiently. He has a kind disposition; he kept members and audience on-track, so the meeting lasted only one hour. The three newly-elected board members gave the room a warm glow. It’s obvious that there was much less tension in the air...

Both new and old board members were talking up "coming together," "unity," "moving ahead" and "this is all behind us." Nothing is wrong with that essentially, but someone really needs to talk to Maple about his troublesome spontaneous "wit," which can be very dis-unifying.

At the Board meeting as Dr. Debra Barnes Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum was recommending the next text book the district would adopt, Maple interrupted her and asked: “is the Freedom Writer’s Diary going to be part of that too?” Instantly you heard groans from others who were embarrassed that Maple would say something so, well, not funny. Of course, Maple was referring to the recent huge controversy surrounding Perry Meridian High School teacher Connie Heermann, who was suspended by the Board for an incredible 18-months for using the Freedom Writer’s Diary in her classroom…they say, without permission. I’m not real sure what Maple meant: whether he just wanted to tease Barnes, in public, about the not-so-recent past (inadvisable to say the least) — or whether he was making fun of the still on-going, rather bitter controversy with Heermann. All I know is that after he said that, he held up stacks of letters which were in protest of Heermann’s suspension. Maple added, "In these letters we have been called Nazis, communists, censors. I don't want to be on TV anymore, just run this Board. The board has been terribly misrepresented by the media.”

Well, if Maple wants no more controversy (i.e., TV time) better leave his “singular wit” at home. With the board spinning the unity angle -- comments like Maple's won't work. It also makes you wonder just how fair Maple (or the rest of the board) was to Ms. Heermann in her gruelling two-day Hearing last March.

I don’t need to tell you how many open wounds we still have in this township. And all of us are cognizant that these wounds were caused — in part — by the three remaining, now-innocent-looking board members (Maple included). So if the new Board wants to talk unity, they better not dredge up the past and be sarcastic about it at Heermann's and her 150 orphaned students’ expense!

There is nothing funny about this board’s not-to-recent past. Instead of talking about unity and poking jokes at recent controversy — the Board needs to do something tangible: like start healing today what some of this Board broke yesterday.

Heermann continues education while new board president complains about the media.

(Opinion by Proteacher)

WISH TV report very revealing
WISH TV reporter Leslie Olsen (above) interviews suspended teacher Connie Heermann at the airport on her way to attend a five-day Freedom Writers Teachers book-planning and student-learning workshop, held in Newport Beach, California. The report states that Ms. Heermann is "working on a sequel of sorts," The Freedom Writers Teachers Diary book -- and "is making international headlines (i.e. because people are outraged at sentence).

Maple plays victim, ignores emails of protest
Pay special attention to what new Perry Township Board President Steve Maple says at the end of this TV report (click on link below). Although it can be assumed that some of what Maple said was edited, Maple asserts that the Board has been unfairly cast by the media. Maple also rather whimsically acknowledges that he receives emails on Connie's plight from around the country (and the world) -- yet says no more about it.

Emails a red flag
One would logically think that emails of strong protest from around the country would be cause for concern for a any Board President, especially a new one. Yet to many in Perry Township this is not surprising. If droves of local citizens who protested Superintendent William's dismissal (and also Ms. Heermann's harsh sentence) can be so easily ignored ...well what's a few hundred emails of protest from around the country -- or the world for that matter?

Who's really insubordinate here?
And that brings up another thought: if the school board has deliberately and continuously disobeyed the obvious, highly-publicized wishes of its electorate, then is it insubordinate? Of course. So, would you say the Board "has set a bad example?" Sure it has. Then, has the Board done exactly what former Board President Barbara Thompson has accused Ms. Heermann of on CNN: "that if it feels good, do it?" Well, what do you think?

Heermann is devoted to duty, not negligent
It occurs to me that Maple lost a great opportunity to do several good things in the WISH TV interview. In addition to the obligatory reassertion of why the Board suspended Ms. Heermann, he could have -- at the very least -- had the decency to publicly acknowledge, or even praise this teacher, for her obvious continuing devotion to duty -- even as she is enduring the Board's extreme 18-month unpaid suspension. But instead Maple took the obtuse, incredulous, disingenuous, "Board as victim" approach and rattled on about how badly he was served by media reports.

What's the Board concerned about?
Answer: The Board
By what Maple left out here one might deduce that the Board is primarily concerned about bad media coverage -- and not, unfortunately, the other blatantly obvious needs of the district.

Really? Is the Board the victim here?
No one in their right mind could say the Board was a victim. Who are the victims besides Ms. Heermann? Ultimately the students who do not get from benefit from this dedicated teacher's 27-years of experience, highlighted most recently with her in-depth exposure to successful Freedom Writers teaching techniques. This fact has completely eluded the Board, or as some say and suspect: maybe they just don't care.

It's not over yet
Could it be this issue with suspended teacher Connie Heermann is larger than the Board recognizes?

I must close with a great quote from one of hundreds of blogs -- some in different languages -- protesting Ms. Heermann's draconian suspension: "I thought it was all over (the controversy of Ms. Heermann) with the banging of Barbara Thompson's gavel."

No sir, it's not over. Not by a long shot.

See revealing report by WISH TV, Leslie Olsen. Click below...
http://www.wishtv.com/global/video/popup/pop_player.asp?ClipID1=2708996&h1=Suspended%20teacher%20making%20international%20headlines&vt1=v&at1=News&d1=150233&LaunchPageAdTag