Assistant principal fired after reading children's book to class (Mississippi)

[teach1st]

Assistant principal fired after reading children’s book to class
WBRC, Alabama, 3/9/2022

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT/Gray News) – An assistant principal in Mississippi was fired last week after reading the children’s book “I Need a New Butt!” to a class of second-grade students.

“My boss had asked me to set up a Zoom with the second-grade classes and the principal at the school they’re going to be at next year, and she was going to read to them. And she didn’t show,” Assistant Principal Toby Price told WLBT.

To improvise, Price said his boss told him to read to the students instead.

“I grabbed one of my favorite books that I had nearby, I read it to them. It’s a funny, silly book,” Price explained.

https://www.wbrc.com/2022/03/09/assistant-principal-fired-after-reading-childrens-book-class/


Judge for yourselves: Lindsay Out Loud reads the the book "I Need a New Butt" aloud for children...

[Kittycatkat]

1. If the cover didn't have a young kid showing his butt crack it may have passed muster.

Don't want second graders to think it's all right for people to see their butt cracks.

[Hoyt]

2. Haven't read the book, although maybe I need a new butt. Anyway,

It has like 17,000 buyer reviews on Amazon. Mostly good. Book seems popular, and I hope teacher gets a hearing.

From the Back Cover

A young boy suddenly notices a big problem—his butt has a huge crack! So he sets off to find a new one. Will he choose an armor-plated butt? A rocket butt? A robot butt? Find out in this quirky tale of a tail, which features hilarious rhymes and delightful illustrations. Children and parents will love this book—no ifs, ands, or butts about it!
Dover (2014) republication of the edition originally published by Oratia Media Ltd., Auckland, New Zealand, 2012.
See every Dover book in print at

[Retrograde]

4. Sounds like the kind of book

that would appeal to second graders!

[Hoyt]

6. Exactly. I remember one mom wrote, "Her 2, 7, and 9 year-olds loved it."

[DBoon]

3. should have picked this book instead

[Hoyt]

8. Darn. I was born decades before the good books for kids.

[LuckyLib]

5. What a colossally idiotic book.

The assistant principal should be canned for lack of decorum and sense alone. There are so many great children’s books out there and a whole lot of poor and mediocre books as well. Children write better books than this!

[teach1st]

12. I'm going to respectfully disagree

The book is perfect for second-graders' interests and world view. It's what they laugh about when we adults aren't around. Either we deny what they are laughing about, effectively messaging to them that they should suppress their humor, or we acknowledge that their take on the world is worthy of consideration.

[teach1st]

7. For the record

I was the "quirky" teacher during my career. I was often in trouble for being offbeat, but for the most part parents loved me (students for sure). During my last five years before my pandemic-induced retirement, I taught second grade. Had I know about this book, I would have read it to my young charges in a heartbeat. It's just the thing to loosen up a class and help them understand that we can talk about and laugh at matters that some adults might frown upon.

We're being beat down by a small but noisy group of puritans.

[Hoyt]

9. My favorite -- and most inspirational-- teachers were on quirky side. Thank you.

I can see a class of second graders grinning, laughing, and learning.

[Freethinker65]

10. Nonsense rhyming book. Nothing wrong with it.

Unless the District wants a lawsuit, the assistant principal should be rehired.

[Patterson]

11. He should have been fired, not for breading the book, but...

…for being stupid enough to read it.

[teach1st]

13. Maybe

You can see my comments in support of reading the book in previous comments, but you have a point. As quirky as a teacher as I was, I would not have chosen that book for read-aloud over Zoom. Still, termination for reading the book is not warranted.

[Sneederbunk]

14. Would not want to die on that hill.