Kellam High School teacher tied to escort services

I agree with the previous posters--up to a point. Did ANYone read what I just wrote? Look, no denying that schools have problems, and no denying that kids have 'issues' and difficulties with which to deal. But I will say it again: this teacher--by virtue of her own, indiscriminate actions--put her OWN career at risk. Yes, I'm sure the Pilot (aka 'Downtown Font of Knowledge)could have found better fodder to write about--so, maybe it WAS a slow news day. But, folks--this gal set her own self up for a fall. Nobody did it TO her; she did it to herself. She made poor decisions about a business interest, and now it is affecting her. Know what--?? It's called 'taking responsibility for your own actions.' It's called 'accountability'. Nobody denies this gal isn't smart; she surely is. But she made some poor choices and decisions, and they were not only merely poor decisions, they were ethically highly suspect, less than responsible, and definitely on the fringes of 'respectable'. Heck, at this point--leave the gal alone. She's going to have to start over.

Ding ding ding.... we have a winner! VVVVVVVV

Submitted by brock5757 on Thu, 04/10/2008 at 5:45 am.
Hey over-excitable parents, I have a tip for you. Everyday when your children are going to school, they are joining gangs, planning crimes or other delinquent activities, learning how to disrespect and objectify women and minorities, and other disgusting things.

You should probably focus on how to parent your children and keep them ouyt of the filth that occurs in schools every single day, rather than what one teacher does in her free time, far away from students.

If you would do your job as parents in your home, you wouldn't have anything to worry about when you send them to school anyhow.

Now ask yourself this, what if this were a man...

I agreee with the previous posters. This is just another example of the Virginian Pilot trying to set the moral compass for everyone else. Similar to the art contest and the disqualification of certian pieces. And to all those who are posting that "this is why our kids are bad" and related statements about the "depaivity of society" you need to look at yourselves. My kids are growing up just fine, and from the posts of her students, I am guessing they are too. It is too easy to want teachers to raise your kids. If kids are messed up, it is the parent's fault alone.
To the VP, stick to reporting NEWS and stop trying to impose morality on your readers!

Hey over-excitable parents, I have a tip for you. Everyday when your children are going to school, they are joining gangs, planning crimes or other delinquent activities, learning how to disrespect and objectify women and minorities, and other disgusting things.

You should probably focus on how to parent your children and keep them ouyt of the filth that occurs in schools every single day, rather than what one teacher does in her free time, far away from students.

If you would do your job as parents in your home, you wouldn't have anything to worry about when you send them to school anyhow.

Look, my friend, the issue isn't whether it was a slow news day, or whether some junior reporter had an ax to grind. The issue has to do with the discovery that a public school teacher did not fully disclose, nor did she fully divest herself of, a business which has highly questionable moral overtones, and at the very least is very questionable ethically. She's a champ of a gal--she worked hard, ran a business, put herself thru college. But she FAILED to recognize that she cannot--in all good conscience--stand before a group of youngsters with any degree of moral authority as an adult figure. She IS a role-model, whether she (or the kids) recognize that or not. By her indiscriminate actions, she undercut her own position. It's sad that she resigned, and perhaps they can find a position for her in adminstration. But in total, she did the right thing. Time for her to move on...

I am a certified Social Studies teacher who has been rejected 138 times from VBCPS. I have excellent references and no criminal record. I worked in agriculture and sold dictionaries during the summer to pay my way through college. I scored in the 99th percentile in my subject area on the NTE. I called human resources one time to ask what the problem was. They told me everything looked fine, maybe you just need to sell yourself to the principals a little better. Now I know what they mean.

I don't know how to begin! How do you low-life reporters sleep at night? This was a quality woman and Teacher. Her personal affairs are exactily that, "Personal". I think WAVY 10 should do an exclusive on all you sub-journalists, lets see what we find..Sounds like a invasion of privacy huh??? Michelle Droelle is what us non-bottom feeders call a professional. Please joanne, look up the definition..May God have mercy on you, I DON'T...

Dr. Tabor, you couldnt have said it any better. If we did extensive background checks on all of our teachers I am sure there would only be about 25% remaining. The only reason this is a popular story is because it appeals to the 18-65 yr old male demographic trying to see if they can get a peek at this teacher. Poor woman. Maybe some business owner out there can give her a good job so she can continue on the right track.

Someone in the newsroom with the Pilot apparently had too much time on their hands, so they had to go after this teacher. One has to wonder how 'pure' those who investigated her in the first place are?

Who will be the next victim of the VP witchhunt group?

Rarely am I ever ashamed of the work the reporters for the VP do, but this is one of the times I am.

Can't have people who start out with hard luck and work hard to better their lives without a government program.

Someone has to keep watch and stomp them back down. Good thing the Pilot has plenty of staff to protect us from people making a better life for themselves and their families.

Sometimes, I let my guard down and start believing you liberal journalists have your hearts in the right place, but I can always rely on the Pilot to remind me just how heartless and hateful you people can be.

Oh and the reporters of this article are truly sorry!

I think this is just flat out ridiculous. The people that are posting, saying she needs to be fired and stuff need to stop being so involved in everyone else's business and go back to the bible beating world they live in. It's no ones business what she or anyone else does when they are off the clock. How would you like for everyone to comment on your life and what you've done?

I don't see any big deal here as long as she keeps her teaching separate from her escort business. I didn't see any mention of an arrest record, which if she was doing something illegal she would have had. If she brings the escort business to school or the school to the escort business it would be a problem. Otherwise it's nobody's business what she does on her own time. The Do-Gooders and Bible Thumpers better look in the mirror real close before they start throwing stones.

No one is trying to be a "goody-two-shoes" here, and we ALL live in 'glass houses', so we SHOULD be real careful about throwing stones. However: (1)ethically questionable or not, she (and her business)purportedly broke no laws.(2)She divested herself of the business.(i.e., sold her interest to her neighbor, altho she agreed to still fund the phone lines)(3)She worked her own way thru college, and attempted to go beyond (and rise above)her previous background. Very commendable so far. But here's the other side: As a teacher (and whether she agrees or not) she IS a role model for the kids (particularly the girls)under her tutelage. In addition, as a teacher she is vested with a certain degree of moral authority. Given her admitted background, her position as a role model and as a figure of moral authority becomes questionable, and parents have a right to be concerned. Of course, it can easily be argued that we ALL have skeletons in our closets; who are we, then, to throw stones? It becomes a question of which behavior we choose to stigmatize.

Ms Droelle sold her business when she started teaching. So you want to judge her from her past? I'd rather have her teaching my children than you. What would we find in your past? Probably a whole lot more than in hers.

I hope the authors of this story are proud of themselves. Here we have a young woman that didn't ask for any handouts, ran a legitimate business while putting herself through college and finally made it to her goal and dream job. YEAH!!! Wait a go Joanne Kimberlin and Lauren Roth that's really fine reporting you've demonstrated in this article. You've managed to destroy a young womans dream and future. I can't help but wonder how many students would have been helped by Ms Droelle. She may have encouraged several girls to work harder on their grades so they wouldn't have to go through what she's been through to pay for her education. She worked to pay her way by starting a legal business and paying her own way. How did Kimberlin and Roth pay their way through college? The way they have slandered Ms Droelle, I'd say they didn't pay their way themselves, theirs was most likely handed to them. I hope she sues the Pilot for slander and I'm on the jury.

What most of these posts forget are the hundreds of applicants who worked their way up doing more honorable, community-minded work who were passed over for Mrs. Droelle. If by some chance a private school picked them up they are making a lot less than the $38k many of your readers consider so much chicken feed.

Parents....first of all, don't look to teachers to be your child's role model. That is YOUR job. I'm sure teachers are tired of picking up the pieces of neglectful parents. Secondly, you'd be surprised what activities teachers are engaged in...things you yourself may be doing. Of course all of this is done on their time. Oh the stories...swinging, drugs, drinking alcohol..yes, teachers drink. This woman owned this company "before" she became a teacher. This is just a witch hunt. All her students should post comments. Parents of her students..If you are happy with her influence on your child, then speak up. Oh yeah, and the SOL's....wait to see how her students do. Its not like she teaches class hanging upside down on a stripper pole. Although, that would keep all the student's attention. Wouldn't have to worry about any one falling asleep in class. LOL...Get real people. I hope the Pilot is happy..they just took the spoon out of her baby's mouth. Hope you're satisfied. Any of you who condem her ...you're pathetic.

Have her read her teaching contract. Being an escort may be legal in the state of Virginia but it won't pass muster in allowing her to teach.

For those who don't understand that, they had a smash hit "Hot For Teacher" about a hot teacher who is a stripper. You cann google it to see the video. With that bit of trvia past us, it shows her lack of intelligence to resolve minor issues. I have found this to be the case with many who teach out children. So where did the phone bills go to, a P.O.Box for general access and who ever receives it just pays it off? I believe that techers, principal, adminstrators, cooks, custodians, cops, fire, city employees, mayors, ect. should be held to a higher standard. Maybe she can go on with her part-time job, but not teching my young and impressional students. How can she now teach a class and not have issues, much less a lack of respect from students, her peers and administrators checking her out all day long?

So, a young lady takes a job that most would not take. A job that takes the smarts to operate her own successful business, which she later is able to sell. She works hard through college and obtains her degree and certification. She then takes a job with very little pay and respect.

This article should have been about her ability to push hard and become a public servant. I challange the arthors of this article to fully disclose all of the details of their past (maybe past financial problems, bad relationships, criminal problems, or even those embarrasing photos from a college party). I bet that would make for good reading.

Apologize to her, leave her alone, and use better judgement in future articles.

The 5:30 tv news reports she quit this afternoon.

Someone hired a person with or without this statement in thier curiculum vitea. Someone, checked this person's references before hiring.

Could that person clarify this story a little bit? Perhaps there was an omisson - reason for dismisal.

Perhaps there wasn't a thorough check of the references - maybe a reason for a reprimand.

Perhaps there was a serious person looking to make a new life, turn over that page and begin again - maybe grace and foregiveness really exists.

I hope that the Faculty, Staff and Students of Kellam High School will stand by Ms. Droelle. She did what she had to do to pay her way through college, and as anybody with a degree can atest to, higher education is in no way cheap. At least Ms. Droelle left the escort business. To the overbearing-whoops-I mean "concerned parents" let bygones be bygones. As long as Ms. Droelle isn't teaching tricks of her former trade, everything should be fine.
An alumni of Kellam High School, Class of 2007

I'm still not clear why this is a story? Or what she has done wrong?

Thank God my kids aren't in her class!! Many of these comments show just how morally bankrupt our community is! Anyone with half a brain knows that these "escort services" are just prostitution services. Now that's a great lesson for her students . . . maybe she can teach them how to do a lap dance?? Like I said, thank God my kids aren't in her class and get a grip people!

Blah, So what if she did that to put herself better off money wise and use it for schoolin...sounds like she is pretty smart to me and surely not the first person to do that. What I do not see is a criminal record, drug usage...etc. Ofcoarse the "bible thumper" has comments...would be interestimg to see whats hidden in some of these peoples past that are "throwing rocks". She stated she sold it and as long as she is a professional teacher why should people even be prying into this, much less wasting newspaper space for it.

She worked hard to improve herself and earned her living and ran a LEGAL and LEGITIMATE business to do so.

The Pilot would protect a rapist name and any other criminal's name, but they publish a womans name and write an article as though she has done something wrong. NO laws have been broken by her, she has violated NO rules of NPS and has caused NO problem, yet VA Pilot deems it necessary to run her name through the mud. Droelle has paid her own way through college and has not presented a burden on the rest of us. I can't help but wonder how Joanne Kimberlin and Lauren Roth (the authors of this article) paid for their college education. Did mommy and daddy pay their way? Did the get a give away program off our tax dollars? Did they take out student loans? If they took out student loans are they paying them back? Or maybe they are some of the dead beats that the rest of us are paying for. Let's put their life under a microscope and see just how far they are throwing stones while living in a glass house. Oh! JulieP, you said "ut they are expected like politicians to be held to moral standards or they lose their positions they have worked to gain". I bet you voted for Bill Clinton? How's Monica doing? Doesn't that make you 2faced? Droelle can teach my kid anytime, she's worked hard to imp