Rumor: Teacher forced kids to write on sandpaper until their fingers bled

2/1/13

A Florida teacher is said to have utilized a rather morbid technique in correcting student spelling mistakes

UNCONFIRMED: That a Florida teacher forced students to write with their fingers on sandpaper

Burns Middle School teacher Anna Garrett is serious about spelling. According to St. Petersburg CBS affiliate WTSP, the Burns, Fla. teacher forced sixth graders who misspelled words on a recent test to write the words correctly using their fingers on sandpaper, eventually resulting in bloody fingers.

‘It will help your brain remember the spelling better’

According to students and parents who complained to the school administrators, Garrett gave students a corrected assignment that noted words that were misspelled and included a sheet of sandpaper along with written instructions for them to trace the words with their fingers: “because you are using multiple senses in this activity it will help your brain remember the spelling better.”

Bloody fingers

Student Josh Sommer, 11, told CBS that students complained that the sandpaper was painful, but Garrett told them to stay quiet and focus on their work. Sommer said he complied with the instructions because he “didn't want to get yelled at by my teacher.”

"We had to trace letters like 'I' and 'J'," Sommer told the station. "By the end of the time, my whole table was bleeding."

Teacher on leave

Since the incident, the school has reportedly placed Garrett on leave pending an investigation. She’s not allowed to return to the classroom until after the probe is complete and her future with the school is determined. Garrett has been reportedly teaching for the school district for almost 30 years. Regardless, the school’s spokesperson maintains that the teacher’s intent wasn’t to harm the kids, but simply to employ a different approach to learning spelling, an approach he admits “was not a good one.”

Burns Middle School

According to a Huffington Post report, last September a district elementary school teacher at Burns Middle School was warned after parents complained that she brought a Ouija Board for a guest reading presentation. The report states that district officials responded, saying the board was only a motivational tool and that it was not used by students.

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