As an English teacher, Kathleen Griffin McGee knows The Crucible, the Arthur Miller tale based on the Salem witchcraft trials of 1692.

This year, the play's theme of witch-hunt hysteria has struck a chord for McGee as classroom discussions have become the focus of controversy in the Webutuck schools in Dutchess County.

McGee teaches sixth-grade English. She and Janet Reagon, a 12th-grade social studies teacher who is the president of the Webutuck Teachers Association, became the subject of letters to the editor penned by the local school board president and his wife, attempting to rally the community against the educators.

"It frightened me that if one of us did not have tenure, or were without a union to back us up, we could have had our reputations and possibly careers permanently ruined," said McGee, who has taught at Webutuck for 10 years.

Instead, the two teachers emerged as victors - and learned a lesson of their own that New York State United Teachers President Tom Hobart said is worth sharing.

"The upgraded standards in New York put pressure on teachers to be creative in making lessons relevant, and these teachers succeeded admirably," Hobart said. "That process can only happen in a healthy atmosphere of academic freedom."

Practicing high standards

It all started early last fall. Reagon began planning a project for the senior Participation in Government class to research presidential campaign issues and prepare presentations for McGee's sixth-grade students.

"The seniors were to share the respective platforms and past records of candidates Al Gore and George W. Bush," McGee said. "My sixth-graders were to take notes so they could write friendly letters directed at voting-age students, urging them to be educated voters."

The lesson plans addressed the English Language Arts standards at commencement and middle school levels. For seniors, it required research and editing skills and helped them develop presentation skills. Sixth-graders could practice listening and note-taking skills, required for the state grade 8 ELA test.

Reagon, a 20-year veteran, recalled her excitement about the new approach's impact on her class.

"This was a heterogenous group of students, some of whom had not seemed particularly interested when we began the project," Reagon said. But as it progressed and they had to figure out how to present their issues, she was impressed with the level of debate and constructive criticism.

Seniors split into teams to cover 10 issues. One was abortion, which the teachers discussed ahead of time with the 12th-graders because of its controversial nature.

"The criteria was clear," Reagon said. "The information must be accurate and presented in a fair, non-biased way. It would cover viewpoints of the candidates regarding the issue only."

The lessons were a success, the teachers believed.

"I was so proud of my students who took the assignment so seriously," Reagon said. McGee recalled that her students "enjoyed the class so much that they asked for the seniors' autographs afterwards."

The next day, the sixth-graders wrote letters to the seniors explaining the importance of voting.

"It was creative and informative," McGee said.

Then she was confronted by a principal who said a parent had complained about the way abortion was presented.

Reagon was told the parent did not want to speak with the teachers. They found out who made the complaint when Jo-Ann Herald, wife of school board President Joe Herald, wrote a letter to the local weekly newspaper accusing the teachers of allowing sixth-graders to learn of abortion.

Although the letter had several factual errors, Reagon said she recognized the mother's right to express her opinion. Further, since she did not hear any other complaints, and she received supportive comments from other parents and administrators, she thought the matter was over.

"I was unhappy about the false accusations, but I also didn't want to draw more attention to them," said Reagon. "I thought it would do more harm than good to react."

But in the next issue, the accusations were on the weekly's front page. That prompted Superintendent Justine Winters to arrange a meeting among the Heralds and the teachers.

"We thought a frank discussion took place," Reagon said.

To their dismay, an angrier letter to the editor, this time signed by the school board president, appeared the next week. Not only did the letter accuse the teachers of promoting abortion and "sex out of wedlock," but also asked, "Who is really in charge of what is taught in the classroom?"

Students affected

The teachers were beginning to see effects of the controversy on their students.

"My students, who had worked very hard and believed in the positive response from the sixth-graders, were made to feel that they did something wrong," Reagon said.

The seniors wrote a letter to the editor, defending their teachers and their lesson.

Colleagues also spoke out in support. "It was so well planned out," said sixth-grade social studies teacher Margaret Brizzie, who had watched the presentation. "It was a wonderful opportunity for our sixth-graders to learn from a group of seniors. It fit in so well with the social studies standards."

"Teachers tell me it's not a good idea to try anything new or relevant at Webutuck," Reagon wrote in a December letter to the school board to express academic-freedom concerns and demand a retraction of the errors published in the letters. The teachers received a written apology from the Heralds.

When contacted by New York Teacher, Herald said he regretted causing any hard feelings.

"Abortion is a controversial topic that even adults can't agree on," Herald said when asked why he penned the letter. "Knowing that, I think parents should have had input into what is appropriate for their children. I should have been able to pull my child out of the discussion."

"I like the innovativeness of the lesson and the format, and I don't think this is an example of censorship at all," Herald said. "My issue was, and still is, prior notification."

Next year, Reagon plans to inform parents of the topics the students will cover.

"I will definitely do this project again," she said. "The academic pluses far outweigh the minuses."

For both Reagon and McGee, the trials are over. And the English teacher in McGee appreciates the history lesson.

"Now I know it takes a community of supporters to defend yourself," McGee said, thanking the many "administrators, co-workers, parents and students who cared about us, the truth, and creative, standards-based educational initiatives."

- Betsy Sandberg