Board votes to remove Zeeland choir teacher

Nice to know teachers feel it ok to step in and act as a parent and tell a child they love them and think it to be ok. Whatever. Call me crass but I wouldn't want my kids around that.

I agree stephanie.

Also, that girl should be ashamed of herself... how dare her. and how dare that teacher. he is a pedophile!

He isnt there to parent. NOTHING more!

That girl should know better to do something like that... she has boys her own age to text.. she has her OWN parents.. that is what PARENTS are for. Teachers teach.

parents do what they can to protect their children from people like him.
The parents are supposed to do the parenting... why are they called "parents"!? DUH!

I find it funny that girls these days think they are so "In love" Theyre NOT in love. they dont know what love is!

I hope that girl gets serious help. she needs it.

All you parents out there.. I urge you to watch out for your kids.. no matter what they say.

If you are.. then good!

Also, I urge you to get in their personal business.
I wouldnt want my daughter(s) talking to someone they shouldnt be talking to. What would you do if your daughter/son was doing something like that and you didnt know about it?
Protect your children please... stop this from happening... its all up to you!

Thanks!

I know there will be a lot of students dissappointed about the decision made by the school board. While we recognize that Mr. Oonk was not doubt a great teacher at one time, we also recognize that he unfortunately he made some choices that he shouldn't have. Maybe it was just this one student, but one student is to many. I want to thank the school board for their leadership and standing up for the protection of the students not only in high school presently but those who are still in middle school and elementary. It is very obvious that a teacher can effect many lives and it can be positive. Hopefully Mr. Oonk will choose to let the Zeeland Community move past this and begin a time of healing for both the students and himself.

Send him to prison and let BUBBA have a crack at him

I am deeply saddned by the recent events surrounding Mr. Oonk. All four of my children have been members of either Concert Choir or Madrigals, and they know him well. All four are extremely loyal to Mr. Oonk, and I believe that says great things about him, both as a teacher and a person.

At the same time, Mr. Oonk has had some issues in his personal life that may have bled over into his profession. Being both a personnel and union matter, most of us cannot know the extent to which the school board and Mr. Oonk have gone in an effort to retain him. We now know that he was working under a "last chance" contract, meaning that he could be let go for minimal additional cause, which likely did not need to rise to the level of criminal conduct. Therefore I am confident that the board has not been hasty in its decision to let Mr. Oonk go.

I support his right to excercise his due process protection as a tenured teacher, but, more importantly, I support any efforts he is making to deal with his personal problems, so that he might one day effectively return to the classroom - whether it is in Zeeland or somewhere else. He is not a bad person, and he deserves the same opportunity for redemption that we would all seek for ourselves.

Hopefully the students will do a "strike" and refuse to take choir

I would tell the board where they could shove their "last chance contract"...what kind of crap is that, to be "written up" for something and have a "last chance contract" hanging over your head for your entire employment future so that you could be fired for farting at the wrong moment? That is buuuuuuullshit

Some students were creeped out by him, but from what I've heard, the MAJORITY were not; I can tell you this, there are people that I've been uncomfortable around where my best friend wouldn't be and vise-versa...that is not uncommon

Hopefully Mr. Oonk will find bigger and better things in his future

One would think that I should be on the "let's bastardize Mr. Oonk" band wagon for something that happened 16 years ago, time and life's experiences has taught me... I was a stubborn jacka@# of a kid back in HS and got what was coming.
That being said, Oonk's sense of humor was, and still is dry as toast. I remember him being a quirky, dorky, goofy guy. But he ran a tight ship when it came to directing a choir. He set the bar high with what he expected from his students. Those standards are what won ZHS State and National Choral Competitions. And let’s be honest, students these days, just like back then, don’t take a liking to teachers that don't hesitate to call them out in front of their peers when they’re jacka#@ing around and should be paying attention in class.
Tim Oonk is an exceptional teacher and it saddens me to know that his professional life has been wrecked. Going forward, this man will more than likely never be able to teach what he has been so passionate about and what has defined the last 20+ years of his life. And while I know some people will say "well, he should have thought about that before blah blah blah...," each and every one of us has “screwed up” up in some way or another. We have just been fortunate that our “slip ups” or "errors in judgment" haven't been publicized for others to scrutinize. Zeeland prides itself on its Christian values... it would be refreshing to see some of Christ’s teachings be exemplified now. Who are we to judge this man? What we need to do is pray for him; pray for his family; pray for time to heal his ZPS co-workers, the students who lost a teacher and for the community as a whole.
There are two sides to every story and the truth lies somewhere in the middle…

Maybe you'll get lucky and they will bring in Michael Jackson to teach choir, huh? After all, he was never convicted of doing anything wrong to kids, either. This guy was wrong to act the way he did and the stupidity of the (*&^% unions protecting him at all is idiotic. He should never have a chance to teach anywhere again. He should be grateful he wasn't charged with a crime and forced to register as a sex offender. If this had happened between a mayor and his staff it would have ended in criminal charges ....

rval2 wrote:

Hopefully the students will do a "strike" and refuse to take choir
I would tell the board where they could shove their "last chance contract"...what kind of crap is that, to be "written up" for something and have a "last chance contract" hanging over your head for your entire employment future so that you could be fired for farting at the wrong moment? That is buuuuuuullshit
Some students were creeped out by him, but from what I've heard, the MAJORITY were not; I can tell you this, there are people that I've been uncomfortable around where my best friend wouldn't be and vise-versa...that is not uncommon
Hopefully Mr. Oonk will find bigger and better things in his future

Tim Haney wrote:

I am deeply saddned by the recent events surrounding Mr. Oonk. All four of my children have been members of either Concert Choir or Madrigals, and they know him well. All four are extremely loyal to Mr. Oonk, and I believe that says great things about him, both as a teacher and a person.
At the same time, Mr. Oonk has had some issues in his personal life that may have bled over into his profession. Being both a personnel and union matter, most of us cannot know the extent to which the school board and Mr. Oonk have gone in an effort to retain him. We now know that he was working under a "last chance" contract, meaning that he could be let go for minimal additional cause, which likely did not need to rise to the level of criminal conduct. Therefore I am confident that the board has not been hasty in its decision to let Mr. Oonk go.
I support his right to excercise his due process protection as a tenured teacher, but, more importantly, I support any efforts he is making to deal with his personal problems, so that he might one day effectively return to the classroom - whether it is in Zeeland or somewhere else. He is not a bad person, and he deserves the same opportunity for redemption that we would all seek for ourselves.

Thank you for wording what many of us ( parents in Zeeland) feel. This is a sad situation for all involved, including Mr. Oonk. This is another example of what can happen when personal problems and issues blead over into the classroom.We can't deny that there has been some inappropriate things that have occured, May he truly get the help and support he needs and be able to use the gifts and talents he has been given somewhere down the road.

I hope he follows his rights! I also hope he gets a lot of money from the do gooders in Zeelans!

TommyO wrote:

Maybe you'll get lucky and they will bring in Michael Jackson to teach choir, huh? After all, he was never convicted of doing anything wrong to kids, either. This guy was wrong to act the way he did and the stupidity of the (*&^% unions protecting him at all is idiotic. He should never have a chance to teach anywhere again. He should be grateful he wasn't charged with a crime and forced to register as a sex offender. If this had happened between a mayor and his staff it would have ended in criminal charges ....
<quoted text>

Was Michael Jackson found guilty by the people who heard ALL of the evidence, or was he convicted by the media?

Tyrese07chix wrote:

I agree stephanie.
Also, that girl should be ashamed of herself... how dare her. and how dare that teacher. he is a pedophile!
He isnt there to parent. NOTHING more!
That girl should know better to do something like that... she has boys her own age to text.. she has her OWN parents.. that is what PARENTS are for. Teachers teach.
parents do what they can to protect their children from people like him.
The parents are supposed to do the parenting... why are they called "parents"!? DUH!
I find it funny that girls these days think they are so "In love" Theyre NOT in love. they dont know what love is!
I hope that girl gets serious help. she needs it.

Pedophile? What are your qualifications for making this determination?

Maybe one of the reasons he got this close to this girl is that the parents were not there for her but he was. Granted, especially in light of the present day climate in this regard, he was wrong to allow her to lean on him, but at least he was there for her. It's a sad commentary, but in our present day society, it's apparently wrong (especially if male) to act loving toward anyone other than your own children (and a man better even be careful there!).

Dave wrote:

Send him to prison and let BUBBA have a crack at him

Why? He commited no crime.

As I have seen posted on another thread involving this case, if this had been a female teacher, there would have been no hue and cry. In cases like this, the worst is assumed by many if the person is male and a female is given the benefit of the doubt. Add politics to that and you have a destroyed career and life for someone who got close to the line but did not, in fact, do any wrong. I have been very disappointed to see how many were so quick to condemn.

rval2 wrote:

<quoted text>
Was Michael Jackson found guilty by the people who heard ALL of the evidence, or was he convicted by the media?

Exactly! There are different sides to a story, and we usually don't have all the facts, not to say in the end, he shouldn't be fired--I'd just like to see it all before I crucify the guy.

Gentle Taz wrote:

<quoted text>
Why? He commited no crime.

Perhaps "Dave" IS BUBBA, and...well, you get the picture!

I said it before, in today's world, Smoke equals Fire and other people's perceptions of you, whatever the Real Truth, is now your Reality.

People now have to "prove themselves innocent" well before being proven guilty. Many times, even if they are found innocent, they are still guilty.

It does not help that our society, instead of demanding the WHOLE truth be told BEFORE we pass judgement on others, all too often only wants the most salacious, the lurid or the most sensational story.

It wil only end when, as a society, we step up and demand the whole Truth of the matter (as much as can be given) BEFORE your story prints. We will not cater to advertisers that place their ads with your organization until you return your news reporting to journalistic integrity.

Our society needs to quit feeding this beast.

I am cynical; a doubting Thomas, if you will.

I do not think that will ever happen.

I can't really say what would be best for Mr. Oonk. It's hard to get the real story when the media prints only the 'good-stuff'. Good news doesn't sell, so they paint the picture the best way they know how.....with ridicule and disdain. But I do agree that he stepped over the lines in forming anything other than a student/teacher relationship.

Gentle Taz wrote:

<quoted text>
Why? He commited no crime.

EXACTLY....apparently in ZEELAND only rumor is necessary. Have to gossip about someone else now...... Zeeland is the WORST...