You’ve probably heard about Cristy Deweese by now. She’s the Dallas Townview High school Spanish teacher at the center of a controversy over her Playboy pictorial from February 2011. Modeling under the name Cristy Nicole, Deweese was 18 when she went before Playboy’s cameras. She’s now 21 now and has her teacher certification and is by all accounts a very good Spanish instructor at the magnet campus.
Yet at least one parent has griped that Deweese’s past has caused a distraction in the classroom. The parent said that students are using their phones to look at her Playboy photos and videos.
My question is, how do you punish somebody now for the deeds of their past? If there are indeed scores of parents upset that Deweese is teaching their children, how many of these parents have participated in activities that others might condemn? Ever smoke a joint? Ever get into a fight? Ever vandalize a neighbor’s house? Ever go to jail? We all have a past, right?
Now, granted, most people’s pasts aren’t in print or online for all to see for eternity, yet, each person still lived those experiences. And it’s true we are accountable for what we do. And that might be the case for Ms. Deweese.
I personally don’t see how a person who broke no laws and otherwise appears to have lived a good life can be punished for what can be considered questionable behavior. But, it has to be taken into account that Deweese is working with teenage boys who – like many adult males – cannot resist the urge to check out nudie pictures from time to time. So they’re going to snicker and giggle and not be able to get the risque images out of their pubescent heads.
Still, parents have to be held accountable at some point. And they should be the ones – in my opinion – to control their kids online access, to police their phones for images and videos inappropriate for teens under age eighteen. Deweese did not force any of the children to view her photos. Kids will be kids and they did it on their own. And she is the one who could end up being punished.
The Texas Education Agency told the Dallas Morning News that there is no illegal activity involved. Certainly we’ve seen our share of teacher/student romances the last few years. There’s nothing of that nature going on here. Even so, the TEA tells the newspaper the issue is potentially murky because state ethics standards hold that teachers should be of “good moral character and worth to instruct or supervise youth.”
Would the objecting parents be more willing to forgive and forget it Deweese came forward with a tearful apology and a claim that she had gone through a religious or moral conversion and condemn her Playboy past? Aren’t we a nation where everybody gets a second, third and fourth chance?
And think about this. At age 18 when she posed naked, she was the same age as some of the students whose parents claim are being hurt by the pictures. As much as the students are quote victims, Deweese could claim that she was exploited by the porn business. She could truthfully say that being a poor college student, she did it for the money. She might argue that it is she who is the victim and her nude images will forever follow her and that she has already been dealt enough shame and condemnation for simply doing what she had to do to get by.
I’m not saying any of that applies or maybe it does. Who really knows. Deweese isn’t talking and the Dallas ISD isn’t talking either, calling this a personnel matter. The only one talking is the, so-far, anonymous parent who lodged the first complaint.
Many parents of students at the school support the teacher. They say Deweese is an exceptional Spanish teacher. And really, in the end, isn’t that what counts?
That’s what I’m thinking.
Rick Hadley
24/7 News
