Miss McBeth got his job back!
For nine years, he was Mr. McBeth, a substitute
teacher who kept things moving along in the classroom and filled in ably when
the regular teacher was out sick. And then one September, he was Miss
McBeth.
For nine years, he was Mr. McBeth, a substitute teacher who kept things moving along in the classroom and filled in ably when the regular teacher was out sick.
And then one September, he was Miss McBeth.
The sex-change operation William McBeth underwent in 2005 roiled this rural, conservative area when she applied to be rehired as a substitute in Eagleswood Township. Parents packed a school board meeting last winter, some decrying what they termed an experiment, with their young children as guinea pigs; others supported her right to be who she is and work at what she does best.
But then a strange thing happened a few months later: When McBeth was up for a job at a different school in the area, no one protested. In fact, no one voiced an opinion at all when she was hired.
“There’s no doubt about it; they’ve calmed down,” said McBeth, a retired marketing executive and divorced father of three.
“There’s no reason I shouldn’t teach,” said McBeth. “Look at me as a person: Am I qualified to teach? Yes. Do I have experience? Yes. Do I have a good report card from the schools? Yes. I have nothing to hide, and I’m proud of who I am.”
She said she erred by not keeping her certification as a substitute teacher current while she was out of work during the surgery. That required her to reapply, and set the stage in February for a contentious school board meeting in Eagleswood, a community near Atlantic City. One parent, Mark Schnepp, took out a full-page ad in a local newspaper urging parents to oppose the hiring.
When McBeth was up for rehiring at the Pinelands Regional School system in September, no one said a word.
“I personally don’t think there’s anything wrong with it,” said Katie MacPhee, a student at Pinelands Regional High School. “I can see where some people might have concerns, but people just need to get over it.”
We discussed this at DU back in March. The original article is gone from CNN’s website. But, if you want to look back at your comments — they’re here.
Posted: Tue - November 28, 2006 at 07:34 AM