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Parents Upset With Comment About Joseph Smith

Do you think these parents had the right to be upset Would you react in the same way if you were in that same situation? (as a parent and as a teacher)

Parents Upset With Teacher's Comment About Joseph Smith

PLEASANT VIEW, Utah (AP) -- A Pleasant View fourth grade teacher offered a formal apology yesterday after a parent complained about her lesson in Mormon history.

Some students believed their teacher, Karla DuVall, said some early Mormons -- including Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints founder Joseph Smith -- were criminals.

Principal Brad Larsen says the students may have misunderstood what she said.

During a lecture on Mormon pioneers before they crossed the plains to Utah, Duvall noted how Smith and other early L-D-S leaders had been jailed.

Larsen says one student asked if they were criminals, and DuVall said that is what people thought.

Larsen says what she said was fact, and parents shouldn't have been alarmed...

https://tv.ksl.com/index.php?sid=205638&nid=5

Smith Joseph Comment Upset Parents

I think this is a horrible comment about Joseph Smith because he founded a very good and true church.

Parents Upset With Comment About Joseph Smith Studies Doctrine Mormon

A teacher at my middle school taught much worse and maliciously false things about the Prophet and the Church to my brother's class. My parents had several conferences with him, and he never actually retracted his statements. This is much more common than we probably believe.

Smith Joseph Comment Upset Parents

Yes, I would have been upset had this happened in my child's class. I would also have been upset about the newspaper's final statement in the article, which does not provide explanation and backs up the teacher's claim of criminal behavior:

Smith Joseph Comment Upset Parents

If the teacher taught Joseph and others were criminals, I would be concerned...but it just sounds like she said they were jailed....which is true. Then someone asked if they were criminals and her response was that is what people thought. This is also true. The same could be said of our Savior. He was jailed, or would have been jailed but he was put to death immediately and people thought he was a criminal.

Parents Upset With Comment About Joseph Smith

I was unable to read the article, perhaps the link has expired. However, I think it isn't a matter of what was actually said so much as what was suggested. If the teacher intentionally left the children with the impression that he was a criminal then I have a problem with that...especially in Utah. That teacher must have known the impression she was leaving when she was asked if that meant Joseph was a criminal. The answer could just as easily have been "well at the time those arresting him believed that, but not everyone who is arrested is necessarily a criminal." Living in Utah, I would expect the teacher to be senstitive to such things. In Massachusetts, the teacher may not realize there are any Mormons in her class. I think it is likely the teacher is a bit passive agressive.

Edited: funbikerchick on 9th Aug, 2005 - 10:17pm

Parents Upset Comment Joseph Smith

Tena, here is another link:

https://kutv.com/topstories/local_story_137110459.html

I personally do not see ANYTHING wrong to what the teacher replied, I would have replied the same thing. I do not see why the parents forced her to apologize. It's ridiculous. This is what she said:

That's exactly the truth!. That is what people thought. Where is the offense?.

Parents Upset Comment Joseph Smith Mormon Doctrine Studies

Thanks for the link LDS. I read the article. I still think it depends upon how it was said.

If the teacher was aware of the impression being left, then I would consider that the offense. If the teacher really didn't realize it then I see no offense and I think the teacher did right by clearing it up and apologizing. However, perhaps it would have been best for the teacher to be more diplomatic when answering. Why not say "that is what people thought at the time, but many disagree," for example? This teacher had to know many of the students in that class were LDS. I think that should have been taken into consideration when answering.

I think the teacher showed good faith by apologizing for the misunderstanding. I just think that it could have been avoided.

I do question why the newspaper considered this worthy of printing. Either there is more to the story or they are trying to stir up trouble. It doesn't seem to me like it is such a big issue that it needed to be turned into a news story.

Edited: funbikerchick on 10th Aug, 2005 - 11:23pm