Art Teacher Loses Job After Kids See Nude Sculpture

[resurepus]

NBC reports: An award-winning Texas art teacher who was reprimanded after one of her fifth-grade students saw a nude sculpture during a trip to a museum has lost her job.

The Fisher Elementary School art teacher came under fire last April when she took 89 fifth-graders on a field trip to the Dallas Museum of Art. Parents raised concerns over the field trip after their children reported seeing a nude sculpture at the art museum.

[Nicholas]

I think that is a bunch of crap! And this is what the poll was scored at --

Would you be upset if your child saw a nude sculpture at a museum of art while on a field trip?

Choice Votes Percentage of 41086 Votes

Yes 986 2%
No 40100 98%

I drive by the cities naked (butt nekked!!!) huge Statue of David that is next to a bridge downtown in Sioux Falls, South Dakota where I live. And there hasn't, since it's been up, (years and YEARS) had a complaint about it - it's DOWNTOWN!! lol

I think that it's a shame that lady got fired. But I know there are more people who wouldn't care about the statue because of the poll results. - Isn't there a consent form for field trips? lol - that should have saved the teacher from ANY trouble.

It's like getting your teacher fired for taking the class to a zoo fieldtrip and you being alergic to pet dander (horses ect) and you pet one and break out - and try suing the world.

I'm guessing it was some snotty mom/dad who said to the school - "I'm going to sue your a$$ for this" and then at the end the school probably said "lets have a settlement - we fire the teacher so the school doesn't get blamed" the snotty parents said "okay" ...
Parents need to not worry about a statue, and worry about the kids shooting up schools...

Sad story this post is, kinda pisses me off - you see worse on HBO and the Discovery Channel!!!! - But I'm done ranting for now!

[nevadabadgirl]

Parents need to not worry about a statue, and worry about the kids shooting up schools...

I second that....

As for the David statue, we have a couple of very large ones here in Las Vegas...one of the largest is in the Forum Shops at Caesars. When it was first revealed, it was covered with a fig leaf...after many complaints, they took the fig leaf off....well then they had complaints that the statue was not....errrrrrrrr.....anatomically fit to size, so they took it down again and added some extra.....errrrrrrrr.....plaster. In comparison, the smaller version that is right out on the Strip was revealed with no fig leaf....someone complained and now that one IS covered with a leaf.

I think that teacher needs to be rehired and apologized to. In America, the schools require that the parents sign permission slips to allow a student on these field trips...maybe the parents should have gone first to see what was on display.

America needs to get over their Victorian era views of nudity and sex. We live in a country where "sex sells", the media pushes the envelope on sexuality, and yet art is considered "sinful".

[Nicholas]

Awsome points you have there nevadabadgirl. I totally couldn't agree with "MORE" you on the sex sells also lol

edited - didn't notice till now that I left out MORE lol

[Heracles]

America needs to get over their Victorian era views of nudity and sex. We live in a country where "sex sells", the media pushes the envelope on sexuality, and yet art is considered "sinful".

Couldn't agree more! Why in 2006 we still ear about that kind of non sence? The United States are the world #1 producer of porn and yet a scupture of a naked body is still taboo!!! Why can you bare breast on almost any beach in Europe but get find half a million to show an old boob during the Superbowl? There's something wrong!...

[nevadabadgirl]

The hypocrisy is not more obvious anywhere than in Las Vegas. We are a city that for about a decade was supposed to be "family-friendly". Our advertising has now steered away from that and become more adult-oriented. This has caused an uproar locally, including the state censoring billboards....during our "family-friendly" years we ran very suggestive billboards (example) The casino was sued and had to take them down. (story)

I live in a city where Greek statues have to wear fig leaves, but yet the Riviera Crazy girls statue is considered "art". This statue was voted the "Best of Las Vegas" in 1998 and several other years. It is based on a billboard ad that ran here for years and years.

Sex sells everywhere in Las Vegas, maybe more so than other places. Our latest motto is "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas!" This is a multi-million dollar ad ran by our own Convention and Visitors Authority.

Since we have been bombarded with these kinds of ads for years (and I only put the mild ones up, forget the handouts with the outcall strippers sent right to your room, visit the bordellos that are legal about 40 miles away, the ads for "adult superstores", and various other notorious activities in and around Las Vegas), our view of the naked body is sexual rather than realizing it is a beautiful work of art within itself.

And what is so sad about all this is I can see this happening in our school district. Regardless of our "colorful" advertising, we are still a very backwards town in a lot of ways.

[bbaker]

wow...that is ridiculous! There are antique stores in the town that I live in that have statues of half naked women on the sidewalk next to a very busy street. It's not vulgar...it's art. Since when is the naked human body obscene? ugh

[Zii]

wo... I think that parents shouldn't be so worried about teachers show such 'art' things because kids have to make difference between 'nude art' and 'porno' or something like that. Also some parents don't think about the influence of media and it's stupid teachers not to talk about human body. It's neither shameful nor perverse...

[Al3x]

Wow, that's very silly and also quite retarded. I mean what is this person going to be like when they grow up, they'll not even want to repopulate the world without permission.

[apresico]

Thats horrible. Kids have more access to nudity on the internet, and they can easily get around simple security features. For someone whom is an award-winning teacher or for anyone who loses their job over a nude sculpture is absolutely absurd.

[_Redrum]

I don't agree with the teacher getting fired, but we can't argue that the complaint was unfounded. According to the teachings of Sociology, which I am now studying so you all get to hear my rant about it, lol, moral guidance is key in the proper development of the, otherwise selfish, beings we call kids. Of course the word "selfish" itself is relative to what the majority considers it to be, but most (if not all) human beings wouldn't argue against pleasing the majority in this case, because otherwise you have more people in the world feeling bad than good.

So even though it's an unavoidable fact that our society is moving towards anomie, this is not necessarily a good thing. Then again, some unforeseen sociological force could counter the bad effects in the future; since we are always developing as a whole, it's definitely not impossible.

[kvasaclimited]

On word - hypocrits. They not only showed how immature they are but also stupid and decadent. One should know better that art is more then just nude sculpted body (in this case).
Sad. Really sad..

[Nicholas]

I don't agree with the teacher getting fired, but we can't argue that the complaint was unfounded. According to the teachings of Sociology, which I am now studying so you all get to hear my rant about it, lol, moral guidance is key in the proper development of the, otherwise selfish, beings we call kids. Of course the word "selfish" itself is relative to what the majority considers it to be, but most (if not all) human beings wouldn't argue against pleasing the majority in this case, because otherwise you have more people in the world feeling bad than good.

So even though it's an unavoidable fact that our society is moving towards anomie, this is not necessarily a good thing. Then again, some unforeseen sociological force could counter the bad effects in the future; since we are always developing as a whole, it's definitely not impossible.

Actually - the majority of the poeple on the site think that it was stupid that she got fired and that they dont mind nude sculptures or whatever. Just thought I'd point that out. I know what your saying, but I think personally, that nowadays - if one person complains a bout some one and a couple others follow - BAM you have a law suite on your hands. It is really immature and I blame the parents not the kids who were like "haha that guy/girls naked look at his or her "private" parts hehe haha - blah blah blah" - The teacher shouldn't be the one to blame. - I agree with you - stuff like this makes it harder for things to move ahead in society as a whole.. I mean, now that that has happened, alot of schools will not bring their children to art museaums now - and that is to me the saddest part of it all.

[kvasaclimited]

moral guidance is key in the proper development of the, otherwise selfish, beings we call kids

I don't understand. Are you implying that teacher did something amoral by taking kids to art exibition where they saw nude sculpture?

[Nicholas]

Everyone has their opinion hehe

[_Redrum]

Are you implying that teacher did something amoral by taking kids to art exibition where they saw nude sculpture?

Not intentionally. There are two parts to this issue, the complaint and the consequence. The part of my post, which you quoted above, was just a suggestion that perhaps the complaint (or at least the concern of the parent) was necessary. I certainly don't disagree with everyone that the consequence was irrational, in case that's what you're thinking.

[feros]

There's a difference between nudity aimed at stimulation and nudity for art, science, learning, etc. A museum doesn't show hardcore porn. You can't see anything in a museum that you can't see on the National Geographic channel or even in a 5th grade class during sex ed.

[sandman6665]

Too bad that the school fired the teacher.. art is not porn and porn is not art..Whew!

[Super A's]

whooh, what's next???

Banning all kinds of clothing brands in school, cause they use halfnaked models to sell it? Oh, no. That ain't possible: that would result in naked students. Hmm, let me think this over.

[tpuentes]

aren't 5th graders between 10-12 years old?
No wonder why we have 13yo girls getting pregnant, the parent are keeping them in limbo when it comes to this topic. I don't mean they should know all about sex, but at least how the body looks like and where do babies come from. This society is becoming very ignorant, lazy and plain stupid. A kid shoots everybody in a school or mall and the family blames the society, the society blames the school... there's always someone to put the blame on. We have single teenage mothers, kids without a father, drugs everywhere, "behavioral disorders" our society is deteriorating. Parents need assume their role as a parent, be more responsible and do some butt whooping if necessary lol, sorry I'm old school.
That's my cent and a half