Parents of Girl in YouTube Video Defend Teacher (Right-Wing Slander Attempt)

[Hissyspit]

Source: Fayetteville Observer

Published on Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Parents of girl in YouTube video defend teacher

By Francis X. Gilpin
Staff writer

The Fayetteville teacher shown in a YouTube video questioning a fifth-grader’s support for John McCain has the backing of the girl’s parents, who say the comments were blown out of proportion. The teacher, Diatha D. Harris, has come under fire for talking politics in class. In the video, which was filmed by a Swedish documentary crew, Harris tells the girl her soldier father could be in the military “for another hundred years” under a McCain presidency.

The parents of the girl, Cathy Thompson, denied Monday that she was traumatized by the classroom discussion. They also hope school officials investigating Harris’s conduct decide to keep the teacher on the job. The segment of the documentary was filmed May 19 at Mary McArthur Elementary School and aired last week on Finnish television. A snippet of the broadcast was posted on YouTube, Harris said, to make it appear as if she imposed her pro-Barack Obama sentiments on the now 11-year-old girl.

- snip -

Moore said Harris has nothing to apologize for. “She made a truth known,” Moore said Monday. “Our daughter knows what her dad does and is in support of her dad.” Sgt. Thompson said he is angry, but not at Harris, whom he praised as a dedicated educator. “Whoever put that clip together, I am very upset with,” Thompson said on Fayetteville gospel radio station WIDU-AM. “I’m just sickened by the thought that somebody would take a minor child to exploit their views on a political situation, the way they have.” Moore said she wishes Harris could teach her daughter for the rest of her schooldays. The girl’s parents said they were touched last Christmas Eve when Harris skipped her own religious services so she could attend their church to watch their daughter perform in a Nativity play, at Cathy Thompson’s invitation.

- snip -

Moore criticized Superintendent Bill Harrison for rushing a videotaped statement onto YouTube, in which he expressed disapproval of what Harris had done. “He’s basically saying his investigation is already finished, and I don’t think that’s fair,” said Moore, who equated Harrison’s video with what she considers the misleadingly edited Finnish TV clip. Harris said she has furnished Harrison with a copy of a 1992 documentary by a Swedish film producer that included footage of her family. The film was the reason why the crew revisited Harris in Fayetteville before this year's election.

Read more: http://www.fayobserver.com/article?id=310020

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Here is where you can call to give support for the teacher:

Principal's name - Lola B Williams - school phone number is -[phone]

School Superintendent William C. Harrison [phone]

Looking for email info.

[Jim__]

1. I haven't seen the video ...

... but with the girl's parents supporting the teacher, and the father saying the video was edited; it sounds like the teacher is being railroaded.

[Hissyspit]

2. She is. And the superintendent is throwing her under the tracks.

[Hissyspit]

6. Here is the slanderous video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bvqmY1eM-s

[msongs]

3. sounds like a personnel matter being made public by the employer nt

[xochi]

4. This hypocritical superintendent is the one who should be under fire,

instead of the girl's teacher. What an a**hole! I hope he's held accountable for his outrageous attack, and I hope this story gets lots of publicity!

[Hissyspit]

5. Fayetteville Observer has been covering it pretty closely and the superintendent

is starting to come across as looking pretty bad.

[iamjoy]

7. All In The Spin

It sounds bad until you learn the facts.

[Hissyspit]

8. It's not just spin. It is a deliberate orchestrated slanderous attack.

[xochi]

11. Do you have facts that we don't?

Please share them with us if you do.

[Ian David]

9. Here's the video, but it's translated into Swedish...

www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRUGGy9RVrM

[xochi]

10. Just sent this story to Keith Olbermann

My nomination for "Worst Persons in the World!"

[Hissyspit]

12. .