Finding Blame in Capistrano Teacher’s Exit

* Re “Pflueger to Take Early Retirement, Ending Fight With School District,” Aug. 7:

The way the case of former Capistrano Valley High School teacher Paul Pflueger was handled should send a chill through every school district in California.

Not only were huge sums of taxpayer money squandered by an egotistical board and superintendent to intimidate and destroy Pflueger, but then this fine educator was abandoned by a spineless California Teachers Assn.

The association seemed more intent on supporting a recent lawsuit designed to further dumb down entrance requirements for new teachers.

Now the question is how long will it take the little king of Capistrano Unified to find another dedicated teacher to harass, fire or cow into early retirement in order for him to save face with his robotic, self-serving brethren?

KENT S. MOORE

Corona del Mar

* I am a 17-year-old former student of Paul Pflueger, history teacher extraordinaire, recently fired from Capistrano Valley High School.

On the advice of my brother, I decided to take plain old U.S. history my junior year, thereby forfeiting the addition of yet another advanced placement class on my college application.

My brother, who will now be beginning his second year at Berkeley, had spent a few weeks in the AP U.S. history class, enough to convince him that it was dull, uninspiring and a cornucopia of meaningless homework assignments.

After making this discovery he switched into Pflueger’s class. I watched my brother flourish and grow there. That was enough to convince me that I would do the same.

In Pflueger’s class I found what had eluded me in all other history classes: the desire to learn.

My interest was sparked and despite my procrastinating nature, I worked hard for that class. I felt like I was letting myself and Pflueger down every time that I didn’t do my homework; as a result, I did it.

I can’t express the satisfaction and pride at being able to turn in an assignment well done.

I even started reading the newspaper so that I could introduce topics of national import into the classroom discussion.

I relished each time Pflueger would say, “Way to go, Ms. Evans” and shake my hand. I felt it was praise well earned.

In your Aug. 7 article, the school district lawyer, David Larsen, said, “The district feels like it has established the precedent that it needed to establish, and that’s what its expectations are” for teacher performance.

I think he is mistaken. The precedent that the district has established is that if a few teachers don’t like another teacher, they can get him fired.

RACHEL EVANS

Mission Viejo