The New York Post is doing its best to fan the flames of a scandal in NYC. Apparently a young woman with a bad dye job, Melissa Petro, got lifetime tenure as a teacher and then within seconds revealed on a blog that she was a prostitute. Oh, I’m sorry, a sex worker professional. Which for some reason doesn’t give lifetime tenure.
I know what you’re thinking: Why the hell am I reading this boring-ass blog, when I could be reading her blog about being a whore?
I KNOW!
That very valid point aside, I’m having a hard time getting excited about this whore-turned teacher-now-reassigned-to-a desk-job woman.
I fall firmly on the side of sex workers shouldn’t be teaching our children, and yet, there are so many more damning stories to come out of the New York City public school system, that I hesitate to throw the first (or the twentieth) stone. About the whoring, not about the dye job.
I have no idea if she was a good teacher, if her students loved her, if she inspired them in the way that commercials tell us good teachers do. If she did, then her being at a desk is a real shame. And none of the articles that I’ve read about her address this.
No, prostitution isn’t a great career choice and despite all reassurances that many whores have a heart of gold, there is absolutely an ick factor connected to it. And we do what we can to segregate the ick from our children.
Living in 2010 America, I know that there is no way that Melissa Petro will be allowed back in the classroom. And my suspicion is that she knew that when she blogged about her sex worker past. Maybe this is a way for her to get some crazy blog traffic and a steppingstone to publication.
In some ways, that is more disturbing than having a sex worker in the classroom.
By the way, did I ever tell you how I was involved in human trafficking? Details coming soon!
One year ago ...
- Dear Susan - 2009
{ 22 comments… read them below or add one }
Twitter: msmegan
September 30, 2010 at 10:33 am
The ick factor is there, but when I read things like this I can’t help but wonder if her students would have ever known if it hadn’t become news. I imagine some of our teachers were absolute freaks back in the day.
On the other hand, she outed herself on a blog. She may not be smart enough to teach,
Twitter: kobiANDlaelsmom
September 30, 2010 at 10:51 am
I’m not sure of my feelings about this. Not sure at all.
So… what’s her URL?
Yeah, I’d have an issue with an actual PROSTITUTE teaching my children. Big time ‘ick’ factor.
Twitter: staceykolozs
September 30, 2010 at 11:11 am
There is this woman that I used to be good friends with. She was, um, very experienced with men. If she had gotten paid for her exploits, she’d have been considered a whore. As it were, she gave it up for free so she was just a slut; albeit a very active one. We ceased being friends for several years (unrelated to her sluttery). We recently ran into each other and I was shocked to discover she’s now teaching high school math and science. If those kids’ parents knew about this woman’s past (and for all I know, her present too), there would be an uprising in suburbia.
I suspect there are a lot of teachers who, if their private lives were revealed would provide plenty of ‘ick’ factor. This one was just dumb enough to out herself. I suspect you may not be far off about this being a publicity stunt for her.
Sluttery. Excellent.
I really believe in redemption. Who we were isn’t necessarily who we are. She went to school, got a degree, got her credential and kept a job for long enough to become tenured. You have to be fairly responsible to do that.
HOWEVER…I think she showed very bad judgment in blogging about it – that is, if she intended to keep her job. Sex work, even if its by choice is pretty risky and socially unacceptable. Oh yeah, and illegal? What did she think the fallout would be? (And there’s a fallout/sex worker joke in there somewhere, but I’m at work at the moment and that would be inappropriate.)
If she announced it for blog traffic, or with an eye toward a book contract, then “ick” fits. It may be difficult for an ex-hooker with a bad dye job to find redemption.
For soem reason pleople just don’t understand that privacy is an actual word and not everyone wants to know their business. If my co-workers knew what I did in my PRIVATE life, they’d FREAK!!! I sit at home baking cookies and knitting baby booties…shhh! Its a secret!
Guy de Maupassant wrote in the middle of XIX century that Paris has very many sex workers who would not attract even a policeman (Gendarme at that time).
The woman clearly looked for publicity and got it.
No lessons to be learned.
Twitter: ohmommy
September 30, 2010 at 12:14 pm
She’s brilliant! Her book will sell so much better after her 15 minutes in fame.
Twitter: SheSuggests
September 30, 2010 at 12:52 pm
Please discuss with Mama and report back.
Awaiting details of your sordid trafficking past with baited breath.
Twitter: Mamabirddiaries
September 30, 2010 at 1:07 pm
I immediately thought… this girl wants a book deal. There is no other reason for her to blog about this. She knew she would get fired.
What I’d like to know is whether she’s a good teacher or not…
Is there a reason you didn’t link us to her blog? I’d like more information so I can properly judge her – and see the dye job of course!
Twitter: fromtracie
September 30, 2010 at 1:54 pm
I’m sure you were right about the publicity. The book deal/magazine deal/television spot/playboy spread will probably make her a lot more money than teaching ever would have…..but really? That is just wrong. I only hope that after she makes all that money she will quit her tenured desk job so that her salary can be used to pay someone who actually wants to teach kids.
I agree with those that she outed herself for a book deal. Which I hope she gets because I don’t think she’ll be able to go back to teaching if this new venture doesn’t work out. However, I do believe there will always be a market for sex workers.
Twitter: alexcampbell11
September 30, 2010 at 4:06 pm
1. Just googled her because I totally want to read the blog
GOOGLED and now BACK
2.At first I was going to say “Hmmm…I dunno maybe give her a pass” but then after reading she used CL and remembering about the CL killer I can’t help but think that it is potentially dangerous if she had ever crossed one of these johns and they came looking for her….at her classroom….tsk, tsk, teacher.
Is she an English teacher? I’m curious how she would present The Scarlet Letter. Or Lolita? ooh, or The Catcher in the Rye. She might have a more interesting take on those books than a boring non-sex worker high school teacher like me.
Oh my. I think she knew she’d get in trouble and sentenced to that bad-teacher room where you sit there all day and still get paid. That way she can rest during the day and continue her “other job” at night. I think I saw something like this on Law and Order.
Twitter: houseofgirls3
October 1, 2010 at 2:35 am
I’d say it’s so funny … but US schools these days are killing me. There was a kid sent home in my daughter’s 2nd grade class today because he scratched another kid… And I had to go through a 2 week security clearance JUST to volunteer in the classroom – seriously, proof of a TB test and a background check to prove I wasn’t a pedophile.
Twitter: theflyingchlupa
October 1, 2010 at 6:15 pm
Ah, the New York Post. They are indeed a classy publication. I am most upset, however, that you did not include a picture of said dye-job. Dying of curiosity and now I have to freakin’ google it. That being said, I hope she works her way to the top of the world of desk job using the brains under the dye-job instead of resorting to other “jobs.”
I know that there is no way that Melissa Petro will be allowed back in the classroom.
Except she has tenure. You’re on the hook, New York taxpayers.
Twitter: aprilabtbalance
October 4, 2010 at 5:28 pm
Sounds to me like either (a) she’s guilty of whoring out her blog :), or (b) she’s clearly not smart enough to be a teacher I would want for my children if she doesn’t know not to put that she was in that line of work ON HER BLOG!! So I’m okay with it.