Protest over teacher's erotic vampire website

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

I posted this in another thread - just curious what people think about it. The comments after the quoted story are not mine - but those of a friend on another web forum.

Protest over teacher's erotic vampire website

A female teacher at a church high school is being investigated over complaints that she operates erotic vampire websites.

English and drama teacher Samantha Goldstone has agreed to stay away from St Christopher's Church of England High School in Accrington, Lancashire, after parents alerted her bosses. Investigations centre on the part-time gothic fiction writer's personal websites and others that promote her book and poems.

One section of the 41-year-old's book, called Gabriele Caccini and written under the pen name Paigan Stone, refers to a female student drugging a vampire male student before they have sex. Her personal MySpace website, which has been shut down, included provocative images and videos.

The site also contained references to her gothic writing which she boasts contains "adult content with vampire eroticism, violence and blood lust".

St Christopher's headmaster Alasdair Coates said: "These concerns have to be investigated appropriately and while we do this the member of staff has agreed to stay away from school. This is not an indication of guilt."

Mrs Goldstone, who lives in Manchester, has been at the school for three years.

Lesley Ham, a spokesman for teaching union NASUWT, said: "I welcome this investigation as it is no doubt causing worry to parents and their children.

"In writing lurid material as a teacher you would struggle to maintain professionalism and standing amongst the impressionable young people you are charged with teaching."

The "erotic vampire website" was her MySpace site used to promote her writing.

There's more info, including some posts from her pupils here, and an extract from the offending novel here. Pretty mainstream stuff, I'd say, somewhat in the style of Ann Rice who, as we know, stuffs the shelves of every Waterstones in the country.

The unfortunate pupils will now be stuck with a supply teacher before the exams.

As a person who works with vulnerable adults and enjoys fantasy and horror fiction / films and would love to write the same if I had the self discipline, I find all this particularly disturbing, not least the comments attributed to an NASUWT rep:

"In writing lurid material as a teacher you would struggle to maintain professionalism and standing amongst the impressionable young people you are charged with teaching."

As a public service worker, do I really have to make my thoughts conform to the prejudices of petty-minded Daily Mail reader?

The right to a private life is enshrined in European law, and free expression is a fundamental principle of democratic society. Ms Goldstone has done nothing illegal, and her pupils are privileged to have a keen and talented writer for an English teacher. I worry yet again that we are about to be engulfed by a tidal wave of intolerance and that free speech is a threatened concept.

[Heracles 417]

That logic could also apply to a child molester because their private life has nothing to do with the school.

Common sense would dictate that when someone is employed by a religious school, a certain degree of ethics is expected...

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

That logic could also apply to a child molester because their private life has nothing to do with the school.

Common sense would dictate that when someone is employed by a religious school, a certain degree of ethics is expected...

What does an outside of class writing interest have to do with ethics?

A writing interest is not a crime BTW.

Edited February 18, 2007 by erekose

[JayJay 4]

In my opinion that's quite unfair I mean come on, writing horror novels is hardly burining crosses on the School's front lawn...

My Dad has worked for the church all his adult life, along with recording contracts as he is an organist and organs live in churches. I've had a lot of contact with various christian institutions and have known choirboys, vicars and bishops who enjoy Steven King novels or horror movies - even *shock horror* ones where teens and adults are killed in nasty ways! Does this make them religiously immoral? After all, they're the ones preaching at Sunday service...to people like you and me. I think not.

And come to think of it, someone has to write teenage slasher flicks. They might have a large hand in a local catholic school close to them -maybe their kid's in one and they're on the PTA. But their day job is writing scripts for slasher flicks. Should they be kicked off too?

I mean honestly, the Bible can get pretty violent in places...or am I wrong...is it pleasant to get crucified and have a big spear shoved through your abdomen? Then what about the doomsday book? Anyone who's ever read that giant piece of *bleep* has to admit that some of the visions in that beast are worse than scenes from "Se7en"!

I dunno - I think the whole thing is a bit silly...people need to loosen up and realise that the world around them exists and that their kiddies are probably way ahead of them on that one.

[Heracles 417]

That logic could also apply to a child molester because their private life has nothing to do with the school.

Common sense would dictate that when someone is employed by a religious school, a certain degree of ethics is expected...

What does an outside of class writing interest have to do with ethics?

A writing interest is not a crime BTW.

The same thing applies with athletes who have a code of conduct when it comes to extra curricular activities.. No one is forcing her to work at this school. She is free to pursue whatever she wants to write about and should do so but not as an employee of a religious high school..

I do not have any issues with what she is writing about or her activities. Obviously parents of a religious school will be inquisitive about the interests of any teacher who spends time with their kids..

Edited February 18, 2007 by Infidel

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

The same thing applies with athletes who have a code of conduct when it comes to extra curricular activities.. No one is forcing her to work at this school. She is free to pursue whatever she wants to write about and should do so but not as an employee of a religious high school..

I'm not sure I agree that an employer has the right to suspend someone for an extra-curricular outside interest (which we have already established is not a crime), that has no bearing whatsoever on the performance of her job. The argument that is being made, which is the direct reason she was suspended is the specific content of her work. Work that was written under a pen name I might add.

I do not have any issues with what she is writing about or her activities. Obviously parents of a religious school will be inquisitive about the interests of any teacher who spends time with their kids..

Then the school is going to find itself short on quality applicants for teaching posts - the inevitable result of which is that they will drop these arbitrary rules.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

I think if a teacher is not breaking any laws and makes a reasonable attempt to keep what they do outside the classroom private (or at least not known by the school or students) then they should be allowed to their right to privacy...period.

[DeadPoolX 9]

While I do think someone should have a right to their privacy and the right to do what they wish (so long as they aren't breaking any laws) in their own spare time, they must also recognize that what they do may impact their career. Whether or not that's fair is moot, that's how it is in today's world for anybody.

This teacher understood what she was getting into when she applied for and was hired to work for a religious school. Knowing this, she still decided to create an "erotic vampire website." I personally believe she has the right to do that; however, the school also has the right to terminate her contract.

[Mags 112]

Okay. If my son's teacher was an erotic fiction writer I wouldn't be bothered in the slightest. It is what she does in her SPARE time. I'm pretty damn sure that she wouldn't start incorporating vampire sex scenes into an English lesson.

I'd be more annoyed about a child of mine having to put up with a supply teacher for the last four months of his school year.

IMO some parents need to grow the hell up themselves.

[ChristinaM 0]

The fact that it's a CofE school is really more to do with the name than a particular religious fanaticism. If it were a Catholic school, the religious element would be significantly higher, but all a CofE designation really means is that they have an assembly every now and again. This is a British school - remember that British society is a much more secular one, where religion is typically thought of as something you do in private. According to the OFSTED report, their designation is as a technology centre. So let's leave the "OMG - poor innocent religious kids are being brainwashed!" out of this - it's not like that.

[CarolineM 0]

I don't know...when I entered education I was told to monitor my personal life as it reflected on my professional life. I mean...for example if I go out wearing hoochie clothes and I See a student, it reflects on me. Fair or not, when you work with young kids you have to think about those things. What if I worked at a strip club and a kids dad was there and saw me...

I mean they gave us tons of examples. I'm fine with it, of course, but I don't know. This is similar to the woman who got pregnant out of wedlock and got fired....

[wherezdabearz 1]

Wish we'd had vampire sex lessons in my school.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Wish we'd had vampire sex lessons in my school.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

I don't know...when I entered education I was told to monitor my personal life as it reflected on my professional life. I mean...for example if I go out wearing hoochie clothes and I See a student, it reflects on me. Fair or not, when you work with young kids you have to think about those things. What if I worked at a strip club and a kids dad was there and saw me...

I mean they gave us tons of examples. I'm fine with it, of course, but I don't know. This is similar to the woman who got pregnant out of wedlock and got fired....

Do you see the double standard there? The boy's father (primary role model) going to a strip joint and you are the stripper (teacher)? Hopefully the boy's father would have enough sense to not say a word to his child about it for both your sakes.

[Mags 112]

I don't know...when I entered education I was told to monitor my personal life as it reflected on my professional life. I mean...for example if I go out wearing hoochie clothes and I See a student, it reflects on me. Fair or not, when you work with young kids you have to think about those things. What if I worked at a strip club and a kids dad was there and saw me...

I mean they gave us tons of examples. I'm fine with it, of course, but I don't know. This is similar to the woman who got pregnant out of wedlock and got fired....

I agree that you have a standard to maintain when outside the home but what this woman was doing was within the confines of her own home and under a pseudonym.