TEACHER RESIGNS AFTER SHOWING "R" RATED MOVIE

Let's grow up people, it was a movie about Queen Elizabeth I - not "Boogie Nights." It was shown to a Senior Honors English class not a bunch of freshman. A class of men and women about to go to college next fall are certainly capable of watching and understanding a historical movie - nudity, sex and all. From the Associated Press:

SNELLVILLE (Georgia) -- A South Gwinnett High School teacher has resigned after he showed the R-rated movie "Elizabeth" to his students without following proper school procedures.

Ed Youngblood, who had taught at the school for 37 years, showed the 1998 Oscar-winning film about Britain's Queen Elizabeth I in his senior honors English class. It is rated "R" for violence, nudity and sexuality.

Youngblood resigned shortly after the school launched an investigation after several students' parents complained.

"Mr. Youngblood did not ask for a local review of the film prior to showing it, nor did he allow parents the option of opting their students out of the viewing," said Sloan
Roach, Gwinnett Public Schools spokeswoman.

But Youngblood said the school forced him to resign.

Teachers must submit instructional materials that are not approved to a school committee for review, according to the school system's policy. The committee also determines whether parental permission is needed before teachers present the materials.

Youngblood retired from South Gwinnett last year, but returned to teach three classes part-time.

Former and current students have coordinated an effort to get Youngblood reinstated.

"Such a wonderful teacher should not be forced to give up something that he is so passionate about," former student Matthew Campbell said. "Not to mention the number of students that would be deprived of his tutelage."

Come on, his students can correctly use the world "tutelage" in a sentence. Give him a raise for God's sake, the man is a good teacher.

Did he follow the proper guidelines for showing movies like this? No. Should he have? Yes. Was a resignation really necessary? No. This "faux" prudishness that is ingrained in the American sensibility is hypocritical and quite useless.

And afterall, it's not like he was teaching the "music" of Tupac as literature (forget "Man vs. Self," "Man vs. Nature," and "Man vs. Society" try "Man vs. Ho") - now that would have been a travesty.