A kindergarten teacher in Memphis has been suspended without pay for comments she made on her Facebook page about children that were under her care.  Tameka Gatewood of Rainshaven Elementary surprised her supervisors by making what some consider to be some incredibly ignorant and insensitive comments about her kids.   The first comment was about two students who insulted each other.

“How bout I blasted both of them. The girl in my class hair is nappy almost every day and the boy wears dirty clothes, face nasty and can’t even read. They didn’t bother nobody else when I got through with them.”

These comments wouldn’t be acceptable for high school or even college students.  They are that much more repulsive when you consider that she was talking about kindergartners.

“If another parent tell me it’s my job to teach their children, it’s gonna be po po time,” Gatewood also said.

The teacher also made comments stating that kids should shoot each other if they get into fights or arguments.

“What do you think you’re supposed to do? Bang! Bang! Shoot ‘em up dammit! Just kidding!! For real tho – slap their ass back then Bang! Bang! Shoot ‘em up dammit,” she said.

As you can imagine, the School Board Commissioner had something to say about the matter.

“It’s a much bigger issue than Facebook. It’s a much bigger issue than a teacher saying a kid has nappy hair,” said MCS School Board Commissioner Kenneth Whalum.

This is not the first time that Gatewood has been reprimanded on the job.  In 2002, the principal at Sharpe Elementary School principal begged the district to remove Gatewood from her job.

“How many times does a person have to be insubordinate before action is taken?” The principal asked.

Six years later, the school actually promoted Gatewood from clerk to teacher in the school district.

“I know it’s a sign of much more serious problems that we seem to be loathe to address,” said Whalum.

Gatewood’s Facebook page has been removed.  Her case is a rallying cry for those who wonder how a horrible teacher can keep her job for a long period of time.  There are also those who wonder if social media should be off-limits for employers.

– Techyville