Too sexy for her job?

There's a biology teacher in St. Lucie County who suddenly finds herself out of work. The school district says it released her because of frequent absences. She says her dismissal had less to do with her job performance than her after-school performance.

See, Tiffany Shepherd (left) also has a second job as a "bikini mate" aboard a fishing charter, the Palm Beach Post reports. The main job requirement is to look "hot" in a bikini, and Shepherd contends that her participation (and the suggestive online photos of her on the boat) got her fired.

District officials acknowledged to the Post that the photos could have undermined her effectiveness, though they insist they weren't the cause of Shepherd's termination.

It brings up a salient point, though, one that's getting a more thorough look these days as teacher conduct in and out of the classroom comes under increasing scrutiny.

People expect certain behavior from teachers because they are molding children's future. They don't expect them to misbehave with children (as we've seen all too frequently lately), and they also prefer that teachers don't misbehave without students around, too. And that definition of "misbehave" varies.

Over the years, the Gradebook reporters have seen some teachers leave town even to have a beer. Some teachers choose to live miles, even counties, away from their campuses to avoid running into students and parents in the grocery store.

The Internet opens a whole new world where "misbehavior" can take place for everyone to see. And young teachers like Shepherd often end up there, to varying responses. First-year Duval teacher Timothy Huber has resigned his job, for instance, after parents saw him mocking a student on a YouTube video, the Florida Times-Union reports.

The Washington Post recently ran a story on this topic. Makes you wonder where public life ends and private life begins, doesn't it?

Comments

[CCC-AIM]

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[Danielle]

Jeff,

I am continually insulted by the insinuation that teacher's must leave counties away from where they teach in order to lead normal lives. I live with in a few minutes of the school where I teach and if I have dinner at a local restaurant I have no qualms about ordering a beer. I am an adult who practices responsible drinking. I have no problem seeing students or their parents at the grocery store, Target, etc. I am a human being who exists in the real world, not just at school. Please stop insinuating that teachers who choose to live a normal life responsibly are remiss in their duties as a teacher.

[Raul]

How sad that parents, school administrators and public in general readily judge without recognition that teachers meager salaries force them to seek second jobs that sometimes do not align with the role they place so much sacrifice.

Teachers work at Wal-Mart, 24hrs convenience stores, etc. just to supplement their income to feed their own and pay for the gas that allow them to get to their primary job and do what they love to do, teach the kids what their parents/guardians cannot while freeing the day for those critics so that they can work in one job to provide for their families.

[Timmy!]

Hey Tiffany come to Hillsborough! There have been a few teachers fired for stuff that puts your bikini job in perspective.

Try Davidson, Middleton, Freedom and Greco first. There'll probably be other openings.

By the way I'd put on a speedo for $600.

[Ann E. Mouse]

Hey, teachers have come a long way. At least we're allowed to get pregnant and have families! Isn't this ridiculous? what a teacher does on her time is her own business. It has nothing to do with her job. Maybe if teachers were paid enough, she wouldn't have had to get a second job in the first place.

[Rowdy]

As a teacher, you're damned if you do, and you're damned if you don't. I am a former taecher, and wouldn't recommend the profession to anyone.

[htbw]

OK, this is just nuts. She was just trying to make money to feed her kids. God knows the teaching job wasn't enough after a divorce.
For more pics check out
http://tiffanyshepherd.blogspot.com/

For a rant on the topic visit
http://shitfourbrains.blogspot.com/