A Personal Attack
Kamdyn’s father, Chris, reviewed the homework sheet to see what the teacher wrote. The feedback was not even remotely constructive, and it seemed to be nothing more than a personal attack on his child.
A Personal Attack
Level-Headed Child
Chris described Kamdyn as a very calm child. He wasn’t hyperactive, nor was he a troublemaker. He didn’t even do some things that others his age enjoyed. Kamdyn’s calm personality made the teacher’s actions very shocking.
Level Headed Child
A Puzzling Ordeal
Chris couldn’t understand why things happened the way they did, but he was determined to get to the bottom of the travesty. When the motive came to light, everyone was incredibly shocked about it.
A Puzzling Ordeal
Nothing Out of the Ordinary
Kamdyn attended Valley View Elementary school, which was as normal as you could expect any public school to be. Additionally, while Kamdyn worked his hardest, he was not an overachiever.
Nothing Out Of The Ordinary
Mounting Complaints
As far as Kamdtn’s parents were concerned, he was a well-mannered child who applied himself to the best of his abilities. They never imagined he could be much trouble, but there were several complaints about him.
Mounting Complaints
Interested Pupil
As far as Chris was concerned, Kamdyn was a good student. Kamdyn even did his homework as soon as he could, unlike other kids that try to avoid doing homework at all. His homework approach changed after he got to second grade.
Empty Classroom
Making a Change
Chris saw his son’s behavior change, and something needed to be done about it. However, he needed to understand the root cause of Kamdyn’s problem before he could try to help the right way.
Making A Change
What Was the Struggle?
Chris couldn’t tell what was going on, but he knew that something was off. Kamdyn was far from unintelligent, but it seemed like he just couldn’t cope the way he used to.
What Was The Struggle?
The Infamous Alyssa Bohenek
Kamdyn’s teacher, Alyssa Rupp Bohenek, is the one who wrote the harsh critique. Her note indicated that the child answered 13 questions in three minutes, which she described as pathetic and sad.
The Infamous Alyssa Bohenek
Picking on Kamdyn
Bohenek was known as a tough teacher to please, and Kamdyn was not in her good books. According to Kamdyn, she always micromanaged and attacked him. She also routinely wrote harsh warnings to reprimand him.
Picking On Kamdyn
Handling Low Grades
Parents need to remember to check in with their children on grades. You never want your child to be the one performing poorly, so take the time to catch and remedy the problem early.
Handling Low Grades
Take a Calm Approach
You may think tough love is the way to make things better, but that’s not true. The best way to fix things is to spend time with the child and offer assistance.
Take A Calm Approach
Constructive Beats Destructive
Adults take destructive criticism hard enough, so what do you think it does to the impressionable minds of children? If you want to change the child’s performance for the better, try adopting a constructive format.
Constructive Beats Destructive
Long Term Damage
When you level any kind of criticism at a child, you can permanently alter confidence and self-esteem. This principle applies even more strongly when the source of the criticism is someone the child regards very highly.
Long Term Damage
Multi-Layered Job
Teachers are supposed to do more than teach academic lessons. The job also involves good mentorship and being a superb role model. Unfortunately, many teachers didn’t get that memo, and so they fail at it miserably.
Multi-Layered Job
Strong Leadership
A good teacher is also one who is a good leader. Such a quality allows them to motivate their students to be the best versions of themselves. Bohenek, unfortunately, was not embodying any of these principles.
Smiling Teacher Near The Board
Unnecessary Comment
Chris was understandably upset when he saw the comment that the teacher leveled at his son. It was very unnecessary, and it seemed to do nothing more than hurt Kamdyn. A constructive approach would’ve been better.
Unnecessary Comment
Suboptimal Circumstances
Like any good parent would, Chris wanted his son to do well at school. Unfortunately, the grim situation dimmed the light of hope for this outcome. If anything, Kamdyn was being pushed to a dark place.
Suboptimal Circumstances
A Series of Incidents
Sometimes, a child gets a negative comment, and a parent overlooks it. Chris would’ve done the same thing; however, he noticed a trend. It started at the beginning of the school year.
A Series Of Incidents
An Attack on Kamdyn
Chris stated that he would’ve addressed the matter with his son if the comments were fair. Since they were not, however, he decided to speak with the teacher in person about them.
An Attack On Kamdyn
Failure Isn’t Improbable
The reality is that sometimes students do poorly. However, teachers shouldn’t insult a student as a solution. The idea should be to help the child to grow academically and not using words like “pathetic.”
Failure Isn’t Improbable
Facebook In The Mix
Chris was intent on getting back at the teacher for Kamdyn’s misfortune. Therefore, he turned to social media and posted about the ordeal on Facebook. The public then got to weigh in.
Facebook In The Mix
Viral Status
The post went viral, and the whole country was seemingly interested in the awful incident. The post garnered a lot of support from people who were outraged at the injustice. People were commenting and sharing everywhere.
Viral Status
Heavy Condemnation
It seemed as if everyone who decided to leave a comment was outraged by the teacher’s behavior. There were many opinions, and Chris and Kamdyn felt vindicated from the overwhelming level of support from the commenters.
Heavy Condemnation
The Response Was Out of Line
Chris wasn’t an unreasonable man. He knew that students couldn’t always do well. The problem that he had was with the harsh and harmful response the teacher gave.
The Response Was Out Of Line
Learning Is Fundamental
It’s hard to quantify the value of learning, as it determines how people approach life. Children need a healthy learning space to gain all the information they need to get through their developmental stages.
Learning Is Fundamental
The Petition
Chris initially felt like he got the justice he needed from the overwhelming response to his post. However, one passionate person decided to get a petition started to have Alyssa Rupp Bohenek fired from her position.
The Petition
Serious Implications for Alyssa
While Chris never saw the petition coming, he was happy for the support. For Alyssa, the petition meant that she could lose her livelihood. She needed to act fast to stay afloat.
Serious Implications For Alyssa
A Second Petition
Over 10,000 people signed the initial petition in what seemed like no time at all. However, some teachers and others came to Bohenek’s defense. A second petition got set up for her to stay employed.
A Second Petition
Kamdyn’s Feelings
Kamdyn was the one initially affected by the ordeal, so it made sense to hear about how it affected him. He stated that Bohenek made him mad, upset, and sad. He also said her actions were mean.
Kamdyn’s Feelings
A Hurt Young Child
Kamdyn was seven years old, and many children his age would struggle to articulate the more painful feelings they feel. However, he could clearly indicate that he felt heartbroken. He was also angry each time he remembered it.
A Hurt Young Child
No Proper Apology
Chris sent his concern to the teacher over what she had done. Instead of replying with an apology, she replied with a message saying she was sorry he felt that way over the matter.
No Proper Apology
She Kept Her Job
Eventually, the school’s management got wind of the complaint, and it did not sit well. However, after meetings and deliberation, the team advised that Bohenek would be reprimanded, but she could keep her job.
She Kept Her Job
Updating the Masses
Chris decided to update the interested parties on his Facebook post since they stood behind him. He thanked everyone for the support and noted that the school was investigating the offensive teacher.
Updating The Masses
Minniti’s Comments
Rose Minniti, who was the school’s superintendent, was the one who confirmed the investigation would happen. She indicated that the investigation’s result would be in the interest of the child, and it would consider the employee’s need for protection.
Minniti’s Comments
The Internet Isn’t Done
The petition garnered over 20,000 signatures, and people worldwide still want the teacher fired. They’ve committed to vowing that Kamdyn receives true justice, so they have no intention of letting up on the matter.
The Internet Isn’t Done
Some People Blamed Chris
Not everyone agrees on things on social media. As expected, some thought Chris was to blame for Kamdyn’s misfortune. The comments stated that he needed to spend more time with his son and not on posts online.
Some People Blamed Chris
No Homework Help
Others stated that if Chris tried harder to help his son with the assignment, the teacher wouldn’t have had a reason to say such a mean thing. Still, most people agreed that the teacher was out of line.
No Homework Help
Hormones Present
Investigations revealed that Bohenek was pregnant. Many people used this news to justify her behavior, citing rampant hormones as the cause of her action. They believed that it was nothing more than a side effect of pregnancy.
Hormones Present
Changing for the Future
When everything ended, Bohenek still kept her job. However, it appears something changed, as she pledged to never behave like that again. Many people suspect she was given a verbal or written warning.
Changing For The Future
