Quantcast
Sarah Holloway

Sarah Holloway, Board Member
Founder and Principal of Hudson Heights Partners, LLC, Sarah is currently focusing her career on helping non-profit organizations leverage their intellectual property to generate new revenue streams. She has formerly worked as the Executive Director of MOUSE, a non-profit organization that integrates technology into New York City public schools, and as a computer consultant to various civic groups.

Art and Ethics

New York, December 15, 2006— Texas art teacher Sydney McGee made headlines recently when she lost her job for taking her class of 5th grade students to the Dallas Museum of Art, where some nude artwork is on display. After one child's parent complained, the teacher was fired, despite having spent 28 years in the classroom. During November and December, visitors to TeachersCount.org were given this information and asked: was firing this teacher the right decision?

A full 92% of the poll’s 328 respondents said, “No,” that firing the teacher was not, in fact, the right decision. Only 2% agreed with the decision to fire the teacher, and the remaining 6% were not sure. The poll requested that users comment, and many of them did. Below is a sampling of comments, arranged by response.

“No, firing the teacher was NOT the right decision”—92%
  • “Absolutely the wrong decision! This is an example of a reactionary, puritanical attitude that encourages young minds to narrow, instead of broaden. Nudity is part of being human!”
  • “Clearly, parents must have signed consent forms for the field trip. The teacher should not be held liable for this.”
  • “Why stop with firing the teacher? Why not just close down the whole museum for having a nude artwork on display?”
“Yes, firing the teacher was the right decision”—2%
  • “After 28 years, she ought to know better. Public schools exist to serve the customers - i.e., the taxpayers and parents - NOT to indulge the preferences of ‘progressive’ teachers.”
  • “I think that in this situation, the nude artwork is too mature for 5th grade students. It should be up to the parents to expose a child that young to such a display….”
“Not sure”—6%
  • “The media doesn't always present all the facts. Was there more to this story?”