# Ex-porn star, loses teaching gig in St. Louis, after student discovers her past



## LouDAgreat (Mar 8, 2011)

> A St. Louis high school student is getting an "A" from authorities after discovering a teacher's X-rated past.
> 
> Tera Myers, 38, was put on administrative leave at Parkway North High School this week after a student inquired about pornographic films Myers starred in during the 1990s.
> 
> ...





I believe there have been similar stories like this before. Personally, I don't see why this woman should be kept from teaching so long as she acts with the professionalism  we expect from teachers, regardless of her carer in porn. It seems she was fired only from her past in porn. That's not right to me.

She should be judged based on her competency as a teacher and her ability to teach effectively. 

Any dissenting thoughts?


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## Tsukiyomi (Mar 8, 2011)

I don't see how her being a porn star in the past effects her ability to teach a class anymore than any other past profession would.

Unless she is showing her movies in class or stripping down in front of her students is irrelevant.


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## Enclave (Mar 8, 2011)

Sue for wrongful dismissal.  Her past employment in this situation shouldn't impact her teaching capabilities.


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## Tsukiyomi (Mar 8, 2011)

Enclave said:


> Sue for wrongful dismissal.  Her past employment in this situation shouldn't impact her teaching capabilities.





> The science teacher decided to leave the school "out of respect for her  privacy and that of her family," Paul Tandy, spokesman for the school  district told the Daily News. "She was concerned about the impact it  would have in the building."



Can you sue for wrongful termination if you leave while on administrative leave?


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## Inuhanyou (Mar 8, 2011)

Well she's had enough sex, so she's not gonna try and seduce the kids like a majority of other women teachers  I think most of em are desperate cause they dont get enough of it


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## Enclave (Mar 8, 2011)

Tsukiyomi said:


> Can you sue for wrongful termination if you leave while on administrative leave?



In all likely hood she cannot for her leaving.  However, the previous school she worked at 5 years previously where she was let go she probably can, assuming the statute of limitations hasn't expired.


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## Cardboard Tube Knight (Mar 8, 2011)

I don't know about there, but you can probably be fired for this here, its pretty much an at will termination state and employment history can be reviewed and get you fired.


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## Miss Fortune (Mar 8, 2011)

How does this student know of the porn she starred in?


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## Momoka (Mar 8, 2011)

It's not about her teaching. It's about the image of the school and her image as a porn star in the past. Put those together and you got bad news with education.


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## Adagio (Mar 8, 2011)

Plus it would cause constant distraction in class and whatnot when all of the students find out.


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## Inuhanyou (Mar 8, 2011)

Well they aren't getting any in the classroom so she could shut them down easily


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## Adagio (Mar 8, 2011)

I don't think realistically she could have stayed. She could shut them up but eventually all of the bad attention would get to her. Not to mention that all of the angry religious moms would protest.. either way she was going to leave so she decided she would leave with dignity.


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## Enclave (Mar 8, 2011)

Adagio said:


> Plus it would cause constant distraction in class and whatnot when all of the students find out.



Then the kids will shut up once a couple of them get detention for causing a disturbance in class.

This old job of hers is such a non-issue.


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## Tsukiyomi (Mar 8, 2011)

Adagio said:


> Plus it would cause constant distraction in class and whatnot when all of the students find out.



I doubt it would be a constant distraction.  As I said unless she was stripping down in class or showing them porn the students would get bored of it eventually.


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## Jagon Fox (Mar 8, 2011)

as long as she is a good competent teacher, i don't see what the big deal would be. they aren't going to throw out someone who formerly worked in the military for fear they'd snap and kill all the students right? what makes her so different? being a porn star isn't illegal.


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## Psycho (Mar 8, 2011)

AMERICA! land of opportunity, where anyone can become anything independent of their past


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## Enclave (Mar 8, 2011)

Cardboard Tube Knight said:


> I don't know about there, but you can probably be fired for this here, its pretty much an at will termination state and employment history can be reviewed and get you fired.



Doesn't that conflict with every Americans right to the pursuit of happiness?

Additionally, even if you are subject to at will employment the employer still cannot let go of you for any reason they want.  For instance, if you're a subject of at will employment and your employer fires you because they just found out that you are gay then they will have illegally fired you.

At will employment isn't carte blanche to fire somebody for whatever reason the employer decides on.  There are limits to it and those limits are generally at the point where you're infringing on a persons rights.


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## Ceria (Mar 8, 2011)

i'm surprised and almost disappointed in this whistle blower, no blackmail?


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## soulnova (Mar 8, 2011)

Miss Fortune said:


> How does this student know of the porn she starred in?



Seems like it was high school. Not that surprising really.


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## Shock Therapy (Mar 8, 2011)

Her past is really irrelevant, though I guess the students would talk about her behind their backs and such.


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## Darth inVaders (Mar 8, 2011)

It is totally wrong and unjust for her to be punished for her past like this, but the angry conservative parents wouldn't have it any other way - also every new class that finds out she has a past in porn would be all over it, meaning it would be brought up every year. It's unfair how the internet will make sure her past stays alive to haunt her too.

The worst thing about this - she should be an inspirational story of someone who pulled herself out of the impovershed ditches to finance herself through college into a dream job


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## Karsh (Mar 8, 2011)

Well that's just sillyness, there's nothing illegal about being a porn star and it is irrelevant to how she performs as a teacher.
The students should be the ones at fault if they are unable to keep professional in the face of knowing about their professor's past.


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## Motochika (Mar 8, 2011)

I concur that your past shouldn't interfere with her current job. However know how much bastards kids can be they'd probably tease her and her kids. I think it'd make it hard for her student's to take her seriously. Everybody would only see the gal getting banged and not see past that for the most part.


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## Cthulhu-versailles (Mar 8, 2011)

It is a shame society, emphasis on the parents and schools, judge past legal employment so harshly on the basis of image alone. Still, given the importance of image touted by society, I can  understand the schools thought process. From the schools purview, the teachers resignation is the best option because it diminishes attention and scandal. This doesn't even factor in the geenric disruption in the classroom that could be caused by students.  It is societies fault she had to pack her shit up! Everyone is too concerned with image, and people like to pretend they forgive past indiscretion when they don't. 

if porn and the sex industry weren't looked down open with such disapproval, more individuals wouldn't be dismissed on personal grounds. In fact, I believe this sort of story applies for any previous employment or actives that are somewhat sensational or shocking. Someone who was an ex-boxer might have been forced out in the same fashion. :amazed


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## Sanity Check (Mar 8, 2011)

If the school allowed her to teach knowing her past they could face legal repucussions(lawsuits) and criticism.  

If you're 'teh boss' & want to keep your job and career intact there's no choice but to fire the former pornstar to avoid blemishes to your name / record.

_Tell me about your day_...
*FIRED THE FORMER PORNSTAR.
LIKE A BOSS*.  :ho


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## Talon. (Mar 8, 2011)

Miss Fortune said:


> How does this student know of the porn she starred in?



LOL, thats what I wanna know.


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## Enclave (Mar 8, 2011)

1mmortal 1tachi said:


> If the school allowed her to teach knowing her past they could face legal repucussions(lawsuits) and criticism.



There is nothing illegal about hiring an ex-porn star for a job, the school wouldn't have been open to any legal repucussions at all.


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## Evil Ghost Ninja (Mar 8, 2011)

I guess you have no lifeafter doing porn. :|


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## Pilaf (Mar 8, 2011)

It's perfectly alright to hire teachers whose hobbies include going into the woods on weekends and killing animals with guns unprovoked, or hypocrite football coaches who date 15 year old girls, but not a woman who used to have sex with men on a camera for a living. 

I'd easily say the third one among those is the least offensive.


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## Sanity Check (Mar 8, 2011)

Enclave said:


> There is nothing illegal about hiring an ex-porn star for a job, the school wouldn't have been open to any legal repucussions at all.



There could most definitely be legal repurcussions.  

All it would take is one parent filing a lawsuit regarding your "controversial if not negligent hiring & screening practices" and your ass is grass(like a boss).  :ho


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## Enclave (Mar 8, 2011)

1mmortal 1tachi said:


> There could most definitely be legal repurcussions.
> 
> All it would take is one parent filing a lawsuit regarding your "controversial if not negligent hiring & screening practices" and your ass is grass(like a boss).  :ho



The parent could file all the lawsuits they want, it'd be all frivilous suits though and would be thrown out of court.


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## Wolfarus (Mar 8, 2011)

While i agree that there is no legal / ethical reason for her to be fired or even quit, i can also see how her remaining might interferre w/ the position.

Now that her students know she's a former porn star, they are likely to not take her seriously anymore, or start actively harrassing her about it. And not just the kids in her class, it will spread thruout the whole school. It would be very difficult for her to do her job as a teacher in that situation(s), and is prob. the more prudent choice.


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## Sanity Check (Mar 8, 2011)

Enclave said:


> The parent could file all the lawsuits they want, it'd be all frivilous suits though and would be thrown out of court.




No one's willing to take the chance said lawsuit will be frivolous.

Courts have awarded settlements for people for the most unlikely reasons imaginable...

Hence, time to fire the pornstar (like a boss).  :ho


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## SwordKing (Mar 8, 2011)

Pilaf said:


> It's perfectly alright to hire teachers whose hobbies include going into the woods on weekends and killing animals with guns unprovoked, or hypocrite football coaches who date 15 year old girls, but not a woman who used to have sex with men on a camera for a living.
> 
> I'd easily say the third one among those is the least offensive.



Personally, I'd be more worried about the senile incompetant teacher who should have been removed years ago but won't be because her union won't allow it.


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## ShiggyDiggyDoo (Mar 8, 2011)

It's shit like this which shows why America should be more relaxed like some foreign countries when it comes to sex and porn. Why the fucking hell does a majority of my fellow Americans get hugely butthurt(on the level of getting fucked in the ass by a horse, butthurt) whenever sex or porn is brought up?


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## Jagon Fox (Mar 8, 2011)

rawrawraw said:


> Her past is really irrelevant, though I guess the students would talk about her behind their backs and such.



students talk shit behind plenty of teachers backs.


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## Detonator_Fan (Mar 8, 2011)

What in the hell? 
This is stupid

Also

_A St. Louis high school student is getting an "A" from authorities after discovering a teacher's X-rated past._

Great authorities, uh? This is terrible.
This is beyond idiotic


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## KFC (Mar 8, 2011)

Tsukiyomi said:


> I don't see how her being a porn star in the past effects her ability to teach a class anymore than any other past profession would.
> 
> Unless she is showing her movies in class or stripping down in front of her students is irrelevant.



It's really probably just the weird thought from adults that maybe if they remove anything about porn from their kid's lives they'll never discover sex or whatever it is they worry about.

I don't see how they would think it would work...


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## Enclave (Mar 9, 2011)

1mmortal 1tachi said:


> No one's willing to take the chance said lawsuit will be frivolous.
> 
> Courts have awarded settlements for people for the most unlikely reasons imaginable...
> 
> Hence, time to fire the pornstar (like a boss).  :ho



Any competant judge would throw the case out and force the person to who filed it to cover the schools court fees and possibly also fine the person for wasting the courts time.


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## ExoSkel (Mar 9, 2011)

Her videos plx...


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## Shanoa (Mar 9, 2011)

Evil Ghost Ninja said:


> I guess you have no lifeafter doing porn. :|



That's sad
Her past action affected her future, i don't think it's fair though.
Unless she done something bad in school i don't see a good reason for her to leave.
Though she must be ashamed of such past since she been found out.


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## CrazyAries (Mar 9, 2011)

Have any of the adults that know the boy asked him how he knows about  Myers' history?  When Tera Myers worked at a  Kentucky high school, one student actually had the porn tapes in which  she appeared and passed it around.

Besides the image issue where the  parents and school are concerned, another thing to consider is how the  students would treat a teacher who made pornographic films.


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## zuul (Mar 9, 2011)

She should keep her job.

She doesn't have to pay that much for a past activity that is perfectly legal.

The fact her students know about her former prfession may make it miore difficult for her to be respected enough by her students, but it's her problem. If she can manage to teach in spite of it, the let her be.


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## Vicious-chan (Mar 9, 2011)

Tsukiyomi said:


> I don't see how her being a porn star in the past effects her ability to teach a class anymore than any other past profession would.
> 
> Unless she is showing her movies in class or stripping down in front of her students is irrelevant.



See, you're thinking logically, most people in power these days don't cause they're old stupid Baby Boomers who are narrow minded hypocritical douchebags.



Enclave said:


> Sue for wrongful dismissal.  Her past employment in this situation shouldn't impact her teaching capabilities.



If she hadn't left of her own will and was fired, she coulda. Oh well.


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## Tsukiyomi (Mar 9, 2011)

To all the people saying "well the students won't take her seriously" from what I've seen in the coverage on this it actually seems like many of the students are coming to her defense.

She's a good teacher, that's all that matters.

As for "teasing her about it" or "only seeing her as that girl getting banged" how long exactly do you think that would go on?  How many times can the students pass around the same pictures or videos before they get extremely bored with it?

Plus if they did tease her they would be punished each time they did and it get old real fast.


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## peachandbetty (Mar 9, 2011)

One of the women in my company was an ex stripper. She's 25 and on a roll in her career as an Account Manager. We all know of her "student job" but we just laugh it off. 

This is how such situations should be handled. If we fired every person with some sort of sordid past, we'd have no employees.


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## Superstars (Mar 9, 2011)

That's just wrong, if she is trying to move on give her the chance to do it.


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## xboxlivegrl (Mar 9, 2011)

Porn is legal there is no reason she should get fired for having a legal job. This is total crap.

Just cause some people are morally against it doesn't mean she should get fired, and her being a former adult actress has nothing to do with how well she teaches science.


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## Jin-E (Mar 9, 2011)

I feel sorry for her, paying such a prize for something she did 15 years ago.


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## kazuri (Mar 9, 2011)

> Besides the image issue



You mean the image of a government run institution discriminating against someone who has done nothing illegal? Cause yea, that does make the entire country look bad....


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## Sanity Check (Mar 9, 2011)

Enclave said:


> Any competant judge would throw the case out and force the person to who filed it to cover the schools court fees and possibly also fine the person for wasting the courts time.




Enclave, any competent judge wouldn't fine people millions of dollars for downloading 6 songs off the internet.  :ho

Are all judges and courts competent?  Hell no.  Why pretend to the contrary?


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## Keile (Mar 9, 2011)

Tsukiyomi said:


> I don't see how her being a porn star in the past effects her ability to teach a class anymore than any other past profession would.
> 
> Unless she is showing her movies in class or stripping down in front of her students is irrelevant.



Well said. She should sue the school if her teaching environment was made inhospitable because of this announcement.


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## Tkae (Mar 9, 2011)

> "We're surprised, very surprised," *said Tandy.* "At the same time we feel for her and her family. We do believe she has tried to move on with her life... Unfortunately, even though it happened 15 years ago, [the video] is still there."



That name sounds like someone else has been a porn star :hur

But seriously, this is stupid. And as long as she's lost her porn star body, what difference does it make? She's not a distraction to the students. Just let her change her name and move on.


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## CrazyAries (Mar 10, 2011)

Tsukiyomi said:


> To all the people saying "well the students won't take her seriously" from what I've seen in the coverage on this it actually seems like many of the students are coming to her defense.
> 
> She's a good teacher, that's all that matters.
> 
> ...



You may be right about that.  Here is an excerpt from the episode of "Dr. Phil" on which Myers appeared in 2006.  She was going by the name Tericka Dye at the time:




> “Do you understand why people would have questions about this?” Dr.  Phil asks. “You’re a role model. You’re an influencer. You’re a teacher.  You’re in a position of authority.” He points out that although Tericka  only shot a few scenes, they have been put into many videos that are  still being sold. “If the students have these, and they’re seeing them,  and they’re passing them around, does that create a distraction in  class?”
> “I got news that it was starting to go around in December, and they  didn’t do anything until April, so I managed a classroom from December  to April with the video going around,” Tericka points out.


Myers said that she was able to maintain control of her class from the time that the videos were passed around and the time that she was fired from a Kentucky high school.  I need more information about the latest student that talked about Myers' past.  Did he take her seriously as a teacher or were the adults (parents, educators and administrators) the only ones who wanted Myers removed from her job?



kazuri said:


> You mean the image of a government run institution discriminating against someone who has done nothing illegal? Cause yea, that does make the entire country look bad....



My apologies, I was not clear.  This is another excerpt from the synopsis of the show on which Myers appeared on "Dr. Phil".



> Michael, a teacher who has been teaching at the high school where  Tericka worked for 14 years, says he doesn't believe Tericka should be  teaching. "I have some very deliberate feelings about all this. Tericka  can no longer be an effective teacher of students because she has  shattered the character issue that I think a teacher must possess," he  says, noting that although she made the choice many years ago, she now  must face the consequences.


By "image", I meant the perceptions against her character by various educators and parents.  I think that the passage I just quoted sums it up in a nutshell.  Unfortunately, she will be harshly judged by some parents adn educators despite her efforts to turn her life around.  I will go on the record and state that I disagree with that perception.  Such judgment does not take into account the fact that Myers appeared in pornographic films 15 years ago and had high reviews as a teacher.  She is and was dedicated in her role as educator.

Source:


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## tinhamodic (Mar 21, 2011)

I hope some other school will give her a chance. It's not exactly fair to be judged like that. It's not like she was an embezzler or was caught stealing.


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## Naklin (Mar 21, 2011)

I think what they did was right for the well being of the students and it's not like she has to stick to teaching. She should find some other job where her past can be overlooked and doesn't possess a threat to anyone.


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