How bad does your past have to be to disqualify you from teaching, and why?
Sean Loftis, aka Collin O'Neal, has lost his job as a substitute teacher because of his past as a porn actor. Was the dismissal valid?
John posted the other day about Jerry Buell, who lost his teaching job for writing a particularly nasty post about gay marriage on Facebook. It was current behavior representing a hideous disdain for a minority of Americans whom Jerry is in direct contact in the classroom every day, so I can see how his behavior influenced his work.
Then there's the ex- porn star. If my child told me his teacher had been an ex-porn star, I'd most definitely want to know the details. For instance, how long has it been since his days in film. But if the person was not currently planning any more projects, I doubt I'd have an issue. I could definitely see how a porn career could be disruptive in the classroom, but this could be a very slippery slope as to what constitutes porn, freedom of expression and other considerations.
Sean Loftis, a Florida substitute teacher who starred in gay porn films, under the psudeoname Collin O'Neal, has lost his teaching job after his X-Rated antics came to light.I'd explain to my child that people do all kinds of things for various reasons, but the important thing is that his teacher, male/female or gay/straight, had decided to move forward with their life and contribute in better ways to society by teaching. In other words, a teachable moment about the power of reinventing oneself. That said, in the age of sexting and easily accessed internet pornography, I don't know how I'd rule on this one if I was setting the policy as a school administrator.
Loftis, who in also found fame as a CNN iReporter, was suspended from his Florida teaching post, after claims that he had violated a regulation that required faculty members to act in a manner "that will reflect credit upon themselves".
NOTE FROM JOHN: I don't see how the school could keep him. I'd be curious if a past as a straight porn star, say a female porn star, would have caused an equal commotion. I suspect it might have.
