Teacher with unusual poetry assignment resigns

POCOLA, Okla. (AP) -- Pocola school board officials have accepted the resignation of a Pocola High School teacher who had her<br>students write a poem about an imaginary school shooting.<br><br>School

Tuesday, January 11th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

POCOLA, Okla. (AP) -- Pocola school board officials have accepted the resignation of a Pocola High School teacher who had her
students write a poem about an imaginary school shooting.

School board officials announced Monday night after a lengthy executive session that they had accepted JoLea Johnson's
resignation. Ms. Johnson did not attend the meeting.

Sherry Restine, whose son was among those given the assignment, filed a complaint with the school board about the work. She said
some students wrote from the perspective of the gunman, while others wrote from the perspective of a witness or someone injured
by the gunman or from the perspective of the person who was killed.

The assignment was to satisfy the disaster unit of the students' poetry notebook.

"Forcing a child to think this way is malicious and uncalled for," Ms. Restine said.

More than 80 people attended the Monday night meeting.

Lynn Stranathan, a teacher for 16 years, defended Ms. Johnson to the group. She suggested that Ms. Johnson's intent was to try to convey a message of tolerance to the students.