News of an Illinois teacher is going viral after what recently happened inside of his Chicago classroom. It seems a smug student decided that he wasn’t going to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance – and the boy’s mom was left horrified by what the instructor did in response. Even worse yet, it got him fired.
Vince Ziebarth was a full-time driving instructor at Eisenhower High School but not after what recently happened in his classroom. During Ziebarth’s Driver’s Education class, he encountered a boy by the name of Shemar Cooper. Unfortunately, Cooper, who seems to be nothing more than your average two-bit punk, decided to make a scene by not standing for the Pledge of Allegiance. This didn’t sit too well with Ziebarth, prompting him to give an ultimatum.
a choice to sit, but as long as you choose to sit, you will not sit in my (driver’s ed) vehicle,” the teacher explained. For him, the reason he felt that way was rather simple:
Ziebarth, whose grandfather served in World War II and uncle fought in Vietnam, said he explained to Cooper, “I stand to honor the sacrifice and bravery of those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. It doesn’t mean America is perfect, or that we agree with everything going on.” He didn’t realize there would be any controversy afterwards. “We had an understanding,” he told the Tribune. “He was making a choice, and I was making a choice. His name never appeared on my sign-up sheet again, so I thought it was over.” [Source: Law Newz]
Oddly enough, the incident went over smoother than was expected as the two apparently had an “understanding” about the matter. In fact, the duo would later joke with each other about the incident with Cooper asking when he could go for a ride, and Ziebarth saying, “You know the answer.”
Unfortunately, Cooper’s mother, Kelley Porter Turner, didn’t think it was a laughing matter. In fact, she went straight to the principal who, without warning, fired Mr. Ziebarth on the spot. Of course, the teacher, who was not tenured, was more than blown back by the extreme consequence. “I was given no options,” he said. “Had the principal told me I had to allow Shemar in my car, I would have.”
However, things may not exactly be over as parents and fellow students are actually coming to Ziebarth’s aide, which may not come as too much of a surprise, considering Cooper’s history at the school. Come to find out, Ziebarth wasn’t the first teacher to be punished for Cooper’s actions as another instructor was suspended after physically grabbing the boy’s arm to lift him out of a seat that he refused to stand from.
Currently, hundreds of people have signed a petition to get the well-liked teacher his job back as many are hoping to see him back in a classroom. Until that is the case, though, Ziebarth is looking for employment elsewhere – all because an entitled brat has no respect, and his mother enables such behavior.
This is a problem that we’re seeing all across America today, and the worst part is that it all stems from their parents. Although Cooper may have been the one to demonstrate such behavior, it’s really his parents who are to blame as they’ve coddled the boy and not only allowed for the mindset to fester but encouraged it by attempting to negate any consequences that authority figures dare to enforce on their disrespectful son.
At this point, it’s rather simple to me – if you don’t like this country, feel free to leave. You can always get involved to try to make improvements where you see fit but disrespecting our country is helping absolutely no one. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather have a man like Ziebarth on my side, willing to fight for integrity and honor than Cooper, who is too lazy to get out of a damn chair, and especially his mother, who thinks her child should be able to do whatever he wants.
