Shame on you, Caribou

To the editor:
    Caribou schools have convened once again, and on the surface, life in the hallowed halls of the high school perhaps appears status quo in spite of the recent release of a tenured English teacher. While the Board of Education might rest assured that students are receiving adequate instruction, the foundation for learning has been drastically shaken.  With the discharge of Kirsten Albair, the Board of Education, at the encouragement of the administration has set a precedent that will send a strong signal to all current teachers as well as any they attempt to attract to this northern Maine community.
    News of this case has spread far and wide, and Caribou High now has a tarnished reputation. It is safe to say that even seasoned teachers will avoid introducing sensitive issues in the classroom. Educators desiring job security will walk with trepidation at the thought that any student, at any time, can lodge a complaint however farfetched, and the responsibility will be on teachers to clear their names. Further, the hearing of Mrs. Albair has brought into high relief the fact that administrators at Caribou High are ill-equipped to deal with today’s educational challenges. Lacking strong liberal arts backgrounds and administrative experience, the principal and superintendent failed to understand or follow established, defined protocol; procedures for investigating this case fell by the wayside, and new rules were made up along the way. Clearly the verdict was in before the hearing began; in the name of ethics, the administration proceeded to jettison a moral code.
    The dismissal of Kirsten Albair was ironic in that while she attempted to teach tolerance during a civil rights unit, her recounting of jokes as examples of ethnic discrimination was misconstrued by a handful of students to mean the opposite; those who missed the point felt that she demonstrated prejudice, begging the question of why Mrs. Albair was presenting the unit in the first place. The administration could not have been too concerned about Mrs. Albair’s classroom behavior, as they allowed her to teach for the remainder of the school year and permitted her to tutor a student throughout the summer. As I observed testimony against Mrs. Albair, I noted further skewed ethics and inconsistencies in policy: while school administrators sought to cleanse the school of any prejudicial behavior, a double standard was set whereby Hooters T-shirts were considered appropriate dress, countering the advised policy of Nicole Manganelli of the Center for the Prevention of Hate Violence.
    Clearly the punishment did not nearly fit the crime. In other schools across our country, this complaint against Mrs. Albair would have been dismissed. For districts whose students face real discrimination, hate and violence this case would be low on the echelon of concerns. Most communities would refuse to throw away precious tax dollars to continually investigate an argument as feeble and as flawed as the one on which the Caribou administration has chosen to focus. No doubt this inquiry will drain Caribou’s coffers and polarize the community – an egregious oversight with far-reaching, negative impacts.
    Through this Board of Ed decision, students have been given a misguided sense of empowerment: they can make trouble for any teacher who is tough, strict, demanding or challenging and will be rewarded with support from the administration. In the long run, however, these students get shortchanged greatly. Teachers will avoid curriculum necessary for today’s world, and students will once again rely on parents for enlightenment on the nuances of diversity – a difficult task in this homogenous enclave of northern Maine. Some students, sadly enough, will now be reliant on parents who might harbor and foster prejudices of all kinds, continuing the cycle. This mind-set might be suffice as long as students never stray too far from home, but those who seek bastions of higher learning will be poorly prepared. Students will continue to be shortchanged as this case continues: as they are distracted from their studies and dragged in for further testimony, the pressure and tension will mount. No doubt many will be sorry they ever got involved – those who showed clear signs of stress already got more than they bargained for, pointing up another administrative oversight.
    Education has always held the highest priority for my family. My mother was an educator who started the French department at Caribou High School many decades ago, and her strong standards and high ideals have been passed on to my two daughters, both valedictorians. We are all convinced that we should not fear creative, diverse ways of thinking. All of us — my mother, my daughters, and I — would have been privileged to study under a teacher so intelligent, inventive and dedicated as Kirsten Albair.
    So, shame on you, Caribou, for failing to see the big picture and for tying the hands of noble teachers who dedicate themselves to your children. Shame on you for diluting the quality of their education and for wasting hard-earned dollars. Shame on you for allowing yourselves to be blindsided by administrators who are less educated and less qualified than the teacher they chose to dismiss. Hopefully, you will have the foresight to ask for the reinstatement of Kirsten Albair and for the resignation of your administrators so that Caribou youth can attain a quality education that will enable them to engage in the global arena they are about to enter.
Tamara White Saba
Cherry Valley, N.Y.