Teacher's true colors definitely not orange, blue
By Julianne Bentley
Denver Post Staff Writer
Joshua Vannoy, 17, says he was humiliated in class. (Courtesy of Vannoy family)
Embracing diversity and practicing tolerance had been mainstays of Joshua Vannoy's Pittsburgh-area high school ethnicity class - until the student wore his Denver Broncos jersey to school.
A die-hard Steelers fan and teacher at Beaver Falls High School made Vannoy, 17, take a midterm test on the floor because he was sporting a John Elway No. 7 jersey. The honors ethnic relations teacher had Vannoy sit in a circle of desks, then instructed his classmates to throw paper at him.
The treatment wasn't part of any classroom lesson, his teacher says. He had warned students before not to wear another team's jersey in his classroom.
"I was humiliated and shaking. I couldn't finish my test," said Vannoy, a Broncos fan even though he's a native of Pittsburgh Steelers country.
Teacher John Kelly thought he was "just messing around" with Vannoy, telling him he couldn't sit at any desk in his class Friday.
Vannoy said Kelly grabbed him by the neck of his jersey when he tried to sit in his chair and told him he would give him a zero on the exam if he didn't sit on the floor. Kelly told the 12 other students that part of their midterm was that they had to throw paper at "the stinking Denver fan" - or lose points, he added.
"Some threw the paper at me, some threw it at the ground," Vannoy said.
Kelly said he didn't threaten Vannoy's grade or grab his shirt. He said that he told students to do those things but that nobody took it seriously.
"When you are joking and everyone's laughing, it's obvious," Kelly said.
And it's not the first time Kelly has employed the tactic. "I did the same thing last week with one of my ninth-graders who wore Peyton Manning," Kelly said of the Indianapolis Colts quarterback.
Principal Thomas Karczewski said a concerned Vannoy later came to his office. Although Vannoy is probably "the only Denver fan in the entire school," Karczewski said he was sure Kelly had no intent to harm him and that it was a joke that went too far. He plans to talk to the teacher Monday, Karczewski said.
"If he felt uncomfortable, then that's a lesson; that's what (the class) is designed to do," Kelly said. "It was silly fun. I can't believe he was upset."
Vannoy's mother, Virginia, is worried her son will get a lower grade in the class. She wants him to be able to retake the exam.
http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_3426221
By Julianne Bentley
Denver Post Staff Writer
Joshua Vannoy, 17, says he was humiliated in class. (Courtesy of Vannoy family)
Embracing diversity and practicing tolerance had been mainstays of Joshua Vannoy's Pittsburgh-area high school ethnicity class - until the student wore his Denver Broncos jersey to school.
A die-hard Steelers fan and teacher at Beaver Falls High School made Vannoy, 17, take a midterm test on the floor because he was sporting a John Elway No. 7 jersey. The honors ethnic relations teacher had Vannoy sit in a circle of desks, then instructed his classmates to throw paper at him.
The treatment wasn't part of any classroom lesson, his teacher says. He had warned students before not to wear another team's jersey in his classroom.
"I was humiliated and shaking. I couldn't finish my test," said Vannoy, a Broncos fan even though he's a native of Pittsburgh Steelers country.
Teacher John Kelly thought he was "just messing around" with Vannoy, telling him he couldn't sit at any desk in his class Friday.
Vannoy said Kelly grabbed him by the neck of his jersey when he tried to sit in his chair and told him he would give him a zero on the exam if he didn't sit on the floor. Kelly told the 12 other students that part of their midterm was that they had to throw paper at "the stinking Denver fan" - or lose points, he added.
"Some threw the paper at me, some threw it at the ground," Vannoy said.
Kelly said he didn't threaten Vannoy's grade or grab his shirt. He said that he told students to do those things but that nobody took it seriously.
"When you are joking and everyone's laughing, it's obvious," Kelly said.
And it's not the first time Kelly has employed the tactic. "I did the same thing last week with one of my ninth-graders who wore Peyton Manning," Kelly said of the Indianapolis Colts quarterback.
Principal Thomas Karczewski said a concerned Vannoy later came to his office. Although Vannoy is probably "the only Denver fan in the entire school," Karczewski said he was sure Kelly had no intent to harm him and that it was a joke that went too far. He plans to talk to the teacher Monday, Karczewski said.
"If he felt uncomfortable, then that's a lesson; that's what (the class) is designed to do," Kelly said. "It was silly fun. I can't believe he was upset."
Vannoy's mother, Virginia, is worried her son will get a lower grade in the class. She wants him to be able to retake the exam.
http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_3426221
