Would you disguise yourself for your job or call it quits?
Mike Krolikowski did. "Mr. K," as his students once called him, served 32 dedicated years as a teacher at St. Francis Preparatory High School in Queens, N.Y. He was fired for being transsexual.
In the past five or so years, Krolikowski spiced up his professional ensemble with long hair, hoop earrings and a French manicure, in efforts to freely express himself.
During the Fall semester of 2011, a judgmental parent complained to school officials about his "inappropriate" look in a Catholic school setting. The administration then told the teacher if he did not "tone down" his look, they would ban him from appearing at school events. He chose to tone it down, but it apparently wasn't enough because they still terminated his contract.
As an alumna of this institution, I am appalled that something this absurd would even happen. In my experience at Prep, I found the administration to be very accepting of all their students. Was I wrong? Do I carry a false, naïve image of the school I consider to be a second home? Seeing my school constantly appear in the headlines year after year only says one thing to me. The administration is at fault. The teachers stand up for what is right. It just sucks that the kids get stuck in the middle of all the drama. Unfortunately, future generation Prep students may miss out on some awesome teachers like Mr. K, but us alumni should not be ashamed to say we went there. We were there in smarter times, and we are who we are now because of the great teachers like Mr. K.
Mr. K taught my senior theology class titled Human Sexuality and Love. He never once mentioned his personal preferences or acted inappropriately. He accepted and loved all of his students. He was the first teacher that was so stright up with us about sex. Of course he promoted abstinence, but he could not ignore the fact that he knew teenagers were going to have sex regardless. So, he did what any smart and caring teacher would do. He taught us how we, all genders and sexual orientations united, can practice safe sex as well as the difference between healthy and unhealthy relationships. This material will stay with us for the rest of our lives. Students even went to him for advice about their personal situations. Everyone (generally) trusted he'd be completely honest without passing judgment.
So, when the beloved teacher says he was fired solely because of his choice to dress feminine, all of his students past and present will faithfully stand by him. The beauty that blossomed from this incident is that the students came together to make a difference. We as a whole knew it would be highly unlikely to get the Prep administration to hire him again, but if we really tried to work together, we could do something to show we care. Students old and new signed a petition to get the administration to at least apologize to Mr. K for their maltreatment. It's been over a month since the article was posted, but there has been no news of any apologies.
Mr. K, if you ever see this, I hope you know that you matter, that your students recognize and appreciate all you did for us and that we wish you good luck on your future endeavors. You deserve more than what Prep has to offer you now. You deserve respect and acceptance for the amazing person that you are. God Bless.
Here's a tribute from another alumnus that feels the same.
No comments:
Post a Comment