I support Connie

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

2008-08-24T07:41:00.012-04:00

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.

2008-08-18T22:04:00.010-04:00

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.

2008-08-14T10:23:00.012-04:00

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.

2008-08-13T14:38:00.026-04:00

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.

2008-08-02T08:25:00.005-04:00

(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

CNN - Gary Tuchman breaks story on Connie Heermann's 18-month suspension.

2008-07-31T02:02:00.002-04:00

This was the first big national media story to break on Connie Heermann's 18-month unpaid suspension from the classroom by the Perry Township School Board. Since the CNN Gary Tuchman story first aired on June 29, other media, including The Huffington Post (July 1), The L.A. Times (July 2) The Guardian (July 2, U.K.) and Newsweek (July 21) have covered Connie's harsh sentence.

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2008/06/29/tuchman.in.banned.book.cnn

Couldn't have said it better myself!

2008-07-30T01:27:00.008-04:00

Excellent comment from a parent on the Take Back Perry Schools website...

Joe Says: July 28th, 2008 at 2:21 pm

This is not about the book. This is about a dysfunctional school board and censorship. The school board clearly showed it did not have the students’ best interests in mind when it took months to approve a text for reading. The school board then took punitive action because they felt that their authority was threatened. They reacted like a bunch of ten-year-olds. The school board also demonstrated that they do not have the interests of the students in mind when they ban a book that has been highly praised and awarded. The school board should admit they have made a mistake, reinstate Ms. Heermann and agree to refrain from future censorship. If unwilling to do that, they should collectively resign.

Minority report on suspended teacher

2008-07-28T22:21:00.000-04:00

It's the wishes of a vocal minority that are driving an Indiana school board's suspension of Connie Heermann

By Richard Lea, The Guardian (U.K.) from "The Blog Books" - July 3

"Another week, another book banned from the classroom. Or not exactly banned - it remains available in school libraries - but the teacher who dared to teach it is suspended without pay for 18 months.
Now I haven't seen the book in question - or even Hilary Swank's heartwarming film version - but this time it's not scrotums, penguins or even Harry Potter, it's a bit of swearing.
The suspension of the teacher involved, Connie Heermann - apparently for "insubordination" - makes this one of the more serious cases. After all, of the 420 challenges to books reported to the American Library Association last year only (only!) 65 resulted in a book being pulled. But it's eerily familiar in one crucial aspect. According to union officials there was only one member of the school board who objected. It's the wishes of a vocal minority, and not the silent majority which are being respected once again. "
http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/books/2008/07/minority_report_on_suspended_t.html

The Guardian Newspaper (U.K.) - Suzanne Goldenberg refers to it as 'book banning.'

2008-07-28T21:52:00.000-04:00

The Guardian article spread like wildfire over Europe -- and the World -- as the U.S. is often seen as hypocritical and overprotective in its approach to education of teenagers. - Editor's Note

"An Indiana teacher (Connie Heermann) who used a much lauded bestseller, The Freedom Writers Diary, to try to inspire under-performing high-school students has been suspended from her job without pay for 18 months.

The effective book ban by the school authorities in Perry Township has outraged teachers and education reformers.

Teachers' union officials say that a single board member objected to swearing in the book. The school board member allegedly persuaded the other six officials to ban Heermann from teaching the book. It remains available in school libraries.

Heermann and the union say there was no explicit ban on the book when she handed it out to pupils on November 15. But later that day she received an email from the board advising her not to teach the book. "That was the pivotal moment of my life, when I saw how my students were taken with the book, how they loved it, and then I am told not to let them read it? I said no," she said.

After being threatened with dismissal, Heermann was eventually suspended. The union is deciding whether to take the case to court.

The school board denies book banning and accuses Heermann of insubordination. Barbara Thompson, the school board president, wrote in an email yesterday: "She knew she had defied her supervisors' direction in her work an and that her defiance was 'insubordination' and 'neglect of duty'." (excerpt)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2008/jul/03/schools.schoolsworldwide

Recent letter to editor: Pay attention to student needs. Not the school board!

2008-07-26T21:23:00.001-04:00

"In a recent issue of Newsweek, I noticed that the Perry Township School Board has received national attention in Anna Quindlen's column with its unbelievable action against teacher Connie Heermann. Heermann had attempted to motivate her class with the creative approach she learned in Erin Gruwell's Freedom Writers training session.
Instead of doing what was best for the kids, the school board once again applied bureaucratic pettiness to thwart a dedicated teacher despite proven results from the methods she had learned. I hope that at the next election voters in Perry Township will pay attention to the educational needs of the children rather than the wishes of an entrenched, bureaucratic school board and vote in a new group that will care about the kids rather than trying to protect their jobs."
--Raymond Shoemaker
Posted July 25, 2008, Letters to Editor, Indianapolis Star
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008807250371

Huffington Post - Movie Director and Screenwriter Richard Lagravenese speaks out against Thompson and Board.

2008-07-23T23:08:00.001-04:00

"What's amazes me in the CNN report is that, although Ms. Heermann lost her job for giving the book to her students, the book remains available to everyone in the school library. When CNN reporter Gary Tuchman remarks to School Board President Barbara Thompson how he couldn't believe that the students would be worse off for reading the book -- and questions, is it possible the book could actually make them better for reading it, Thompson responded: "What worries me is that Connie Heermann ... sent a poor message to our children. If you're told no, do it ... it if feels good, do it anyway". She gave no response to the question of the book's value to a student's education.What message is Ms. Thompson sending? Don't stand for what you believe to be right when faced with limited thinking, or worse, ignorance? Just say yes to censorship?...Heermann stood for what she believed in. Does Ms. Thompson believe this is a bad role model for teenagers? Was Ms. Thompson ever inside the classroom when Freedom Writers was being taught? Does the student's learning experience in the classroom mean anything to the school board of Perry Township ?" (excerpt)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/richard-lagravenese/emfreedomem-banned_b_110299.html

Newsweek - Anna Quindlen "Write & Wrong."

2008-07-23T23:04:00.000-04:00

http://www.newsweek.com/id/145871
Anna's column (July 21, 2008) has created quite a stir among various blogs and other media. Anna first wrote about the Freedom Writers in Newsweek on January 22, 2007.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/70080?tid=relatedcl
"In the months since Heermann was placed on an 18-month suspension without pay by the school board in Perry Township, her case has been ballyhooed as errant censorship. But it's really a cautionary tale about what's too often the ruling principle in American public education: the timidity and inefficiency of powerful bureaucracies far removed from the daily lives of either teachers or kids...Heermann sent out permission slips to parents, virtually all of whom signed them. She informed the central office that she would be distributing the books on Nov. 15, and did. Almost immediately she was told to collect the books, and to keep a list of the names of those who did not comply. Most of the kids refused to hand over their copies. And before you could say "free exchange of ideas," Heermann was told that if she didn't resign, she would be fired...If the school board of Perry Township wanted to counter "The Freedom Writers Diary," it certainly did. The book teaches that open discussion about challenging subjects is always best, that engagement always trumps silence. The members of that board were outraged by alleged insubordination when they should have been outraged by the glacial pace of decision-making by their top administrators. Insubordination is what built this country, and a glacial pace in education means you lose kids..." (excerpt)

Take Back Perry Schools.com posts WISH TV report of trip to California.

2008-07-23T21:35:00.001-04:00

TBPS website posts Leslie Olsen's positive WISH-TV coverage of Connie's travels to California to work with Erin Gruwell on what the WISH-TV report calls, "a sequel to the Freedom Writer's Diary of sorts..." The TBPS organization, though controversial to some, has been a positive force in trying to counter this "run-away" school board's actions. Recently three new TBPS-endorsed school board members were elected to the board (they started on July 1).
http://www.takebackperryschools.com/2008/07/20/connie-heermann-adds-contribution-to-book-follow-up/

L.A. Times Patrick Goldstein comments on LaGravenese Huffington Post piece

2008-07-23T21:30:00.001-04:00

"Anyone who says that Hollywood filmmakers are dilettantes who talk the talk but don't walk the walk haven't met Richard LaGravenese. The Oscar-nominated screenwriter ("The Horse Whisperer" and "Bridges of Madison County") and director ("Living Out Loud") made a riveting film last year, "Freedom Writers," that starred Hilary Swank as a maverick high school teacher who gave inner-city kids a chance to tell their stories and show how the classroom could be a place that mattered in their lives. The story was inspired by Erin Gruwell's "The Freedom Writers Diary," which chronicled the real-life struggles of her Long Beach, California, schoolkids.
The days when movies were banned by local zealots are over. But a high school teacher in Indiana has been suspended without pay by her local school board for allowing her students to read "The Freedom Writers Diary," despite the fact that she had overwhelming parental approval to use the book as a teaching tool. The school board has disciplined the local teacher, Connie Heermann, because the book contains occasional swear words and because Heermann disobeyed a direct order against using the book in her class.
But what does this have to do with Richard LaGravenese and Hilary Swank, you ask? LaGravenese isn't just a gifted screenwriter. It turns out that he's an ardent polemicist too. When he heard about Heermann's dismissal, thanks to a CNN report, he sat down and wrote a spirited defense of academic freedom for the Huffington Post, which is a must read for anyone who cares about the sad state of education and academic freedom in today's society.LaGravenese is now trying to do more than just get the word out about this teacher's plight. With the help of Swank and "Freedom Writers" producers Stacey Sher and Michael Shamberg, LaGravenese has organized a campaign to hire a crack legal team to defend Heermann, raise money to pay her bills during her suspension and support efforts to ensure that the book can continue to be taught in school systems across the country. LaGravenese points out at the end of his piece that "Freedom Writers" has been taught in schools and youth centers all over the world, from Holland to Brazil to Indonesia. As he says: "How may times, over how many centuries, do Americans like Connie Heermann have to fight for freedom of expression and thought in their own country?"http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/the_big_picture/2008/07/taking-the-free.html

The Telegraph (U.K.) - Lucy Cockcroft

2008-07-23T21:28:00.001-04:00

Mrs. Heermann asked her head teacher if she could use it in lessons last autumn and, with the backing of nearly 150 parents, was granted permission.
But when the matter came before the Perry Meridian high school board for final approval it was rejected, allegedly because a single member objected to swearing in the book.
Mrs Heermann, a teacher with 27 years of experience, said: "If you read the whole book you will see how these inner-city students grow and change and become articulate, compassionate, educated young people who want to do something good in their lives despite the environment in which they were raised.
"I thought my students would very much relate to those kids."
Mrs Heermann and teachers' union officials said there was no explicit ban on the book when she handed it out to pupils on November 15. But later that day she received an email from the board which advised her not to teach it.
She said: "That was the pivotal moment of my life, when I saw how my students were taken with the book, how they loved it, and then I am told not to let them read it? I said no."
After being threatened with dismissal, Heermann was eventually suspended for 18 months without pay. The union is now deciding whether to take the case to court.
The school board denies banning the book, which is still available in the library, and has accused Mrs Heermann of insubordination.
Barbara Thompson, the school board president, wrote in an email: "She knew she had defied her supervisors' direction in her work and that her defiance was 'insubordination' and 'neglect of duty'."
In 2007 the book was turned into a film called "Freedom Writers", starring Oscar-winning actress Hilary Swank.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/2238293/Teacher-suspended-for-reading-book-that-became-Hilary-Swank-film-to-pupils.html