Teacher Sacked For Failing Student Who Didn’t Turn In Work

Appalled

After seeing the lack of effort in some students, Diane was appalled. She gave the students a zero grading. She got called in by the school’s administration. The administration told her the lowest grade she could record was 50%.

She stood up to the school administration. And soon after, she was canned. But that was just the beginning.

Bye Felicia

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Diane Tirado claims she was promptly relieved of her duties as an eighth-grade history teacher at West Gate K-8, after a dispute on grading policy.

The 52-year-old teacher had been teaching for 17 years. Teaching was a calling for her. She wanted to see her students succeed. However, that would soon prove hard to do.

New Beginnings

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Diane had been working at West Gate K-8 for about a month. By all appearances, everything seemed to be going well. The students liked her and vice versa.

As part of her duties, Diane assigned her students an assignment. She gave them two weeks to complete it. This simple assignment would be her downfall.

Due Date

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When the due date arrived, all students were required to hand in their work. And as it’s common in all schools, some students will not do their assignments.

Of course, a minority will have a legitimate reason. But the rest is usually a case of laziness. Diane vowed never to tolerate that.

Laziness Not Allowed

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Diane collected the assignments after giving the students two weeks to complete them. Several students failed to submit their work.

As a seasoned teacher, she knew that the majority of students who failed to submit their work were often just lazy and should face the consequences. And she was adamant. Boy, was she wrong about that!

Principles Of Life

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One could sympathize with Diane. If you had a potato farm and chose not to work it, you wouldn’t get anything from it. And another reality to contend with is.

Even if you worked it another farmer with similar land, same area, the same amount of rain and resources could outperform you. Is that even fair?

Unappreciated

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Though Diane didn’t outright mention this, it’s known that teachers are responsible for bringing up a generation of strong, independent, functional members of society.

However, the same teachers with a responsibility to equip the coming generation are often unappreciated and underpaid. That was probably going through Diane’s mind, and enough was enough.

Coddled

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She was a fair teacher and seemed very popular with her students. However, she didn’t believe in coddling students.

A grade in Mrs. Torida’s class is earned, said Diane. And she stood firmly by that policy. And this would soon be the source of all her troubles.

Grading

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After seeing the lack of effort in some students, Diane was appalled. She gave the students ‘zeros.’ She got called in by the school’s administration. And she was told the lowest grade she could record was 50%.

She stood up to the school administration. And soon after, she was fired. But she wasn’t going to leave quietly.

The Plan

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She grappled to understand what was happening. Anyone with common sense could agree that giving students 50% for work not turned in was not very smart. At least, that’s how Diane felt.

She couldn’t let this slide. And it seemed the school didn’t want Diane to say goodbye to her students. And she devised a plan.

Says Goodbye

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Before leaving, Diane left a note on the whiteboard telling her students that she had been fired for giving zeros for work not submitted. And students were in support of her.

Students took a picture of the note and started sharing it on social media. But not so fast. The administration had a different story to tell.

School’s Defense

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The school claimed that her grading failed to incorporate the ‘Individualized Education Program.’ A program for children with disabilities, including preschool-aged children.

The school cited that as the reason she was relieved of her duties on the statement they later released. This statement didn’t make sense to Diane. She continued fighting claiming she was innocent.

The Outcry

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When she went to social media with her frustrations, there was an outcry. Some people felt Diane was making excuses for failing to follow policy. It did not matter what the policy was. Diane had to follow the policy.

And it seemed like other teachers were complying. So what made Diane feel she should be exempted?

Support

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However, people not in support weren’t as many. Lots of parents, including some at the school, felt that Diane was justified in her actions.

They felt that the school should be preparing students for the real world. With all the support in the world, she now did not have a job. How was she going to survive?

Fame

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A couple of news channels interviewed Diane. Her story quickly gained traction. And it seemed like a lot of teachers shared Diane’s sentiment.

Diana is now an owner of, Every Thing Air, an HVAC company in South Florida. And she seems to be doing well for herself.