Freshman says he made learning fun
By: Cynthia Williamson
Samantha Dailey said he made learning fun and took a vested interest in students.
And even though she isn’t in any of middle school science teacher Terry Stocker’s classes this year, the South Hunterdon High School freshman said he is still her favorite.
"Everyone loves Mr. Stocker," said Samantha, 15, of Stockton. "There’s no question about it."
Friday, Samantha turned over to the school Board of Education a petition with 178 signatures she collected in four days during homeroom period to show support for Mr. Stocker. The teacher had been suspended with pay since Dec. 15 for his role in binding a student with duct tape.
Monday, the board unanimously accepted Mr. Stocker’s resignation.
"I’m definitely sad," Samantha said, moments after board member Kathy Brown read aloud the brief letter of resignation from Mr. Stocker. "But he’s got a life, too, and that’s what people don’t understand."
Samantha told board members Monday, "Read each individual name carefully because you might be surprised by the people who signed it," which included the 15-year-old boy who was bound with duct tape as well as the two other students involved in the after-school incident, she said.
The board filed tenure charges against Mr. Stocker for his part in making a videotape with the student he duct-taped to a chair. The Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office investigated, but concluded there was no evidence of criminal wrongdoing before the school filed those charges. And the state Division of Youth and Family Services also is investigating the incident, but doesn’t have the authority to file charges against Mr. Stocker.
"I know, my daughter’s name is on here," board President Alexander Meehan responded. Mr. Meehan’s daughter was not involved in the incident.
Samantha said she hasn’t spoken to Mr. Stocker since his suspension and didn’t know if he was aware she had started a petition on his behalf.
"The idea just kind of popped into my head," she said.
She mulled it over with a friend, who encouraged her to "go for it." She typed it up and brought it to school the next day, Feb. 2.
"I always thought he did a phenomenal job teaching," she said. "I just didn’t want to see his talents go to waste."
Samantha said her only regret is she hadn’t started the petition sooner.
"I could have gotten tons more signatures," she said, adding no one refused to sign the petition, which included the signatures of a half dozen parents. "He definitely had a lot of support."
The petition read in part: "He always got his points across in some way. Most of the time, he taught using education and fun as one. He also used visual examples and diagrams to help students learn. He also was a favorite teacher of many, not necessarily in the seventh and eighth grade."
The petition stated Mr. Stocker "arrived early and stayed late," making himself available before and after school for students who wanted to make up work or get extra help.
"He was always willing to discuss a child’s grade or how they could improve it," the petition reads. "Mr. Stocker is not lucky to have us; we’re lucky to have him."
The petition also quoted figures from the state Department of Education’s Grade Eight Proficiency Assessment test, which showed 100 percent of South Hunterdon students passed the science portion of the examination last year.
"Who do you think helped us score this 100 percent Mr. Stocker," the petition states. "This is an outstanding achievement, and we have (him) to thank for that."
"There were some crazy things but once you really got the concept of it, it wasn’t," she said, remembering the time he put students in a large plastic bag and hooked it to a vacuum to demonstrate atmospheric pressure.
"Several teachers asked to borrow it and use it for their class," she said. "He made science fun."
Samantha said she isn’t familiar with details of the duct-taping incident. But it doesn’t much matter to her.
"I think he’s a good teacher, and I think he should continue teaching," she said. "I’ve heard a lot of different rumors but I don’t like to believe rumors."
Prior to Monday’s board meeting, Samantha said she felt Mr. Stocker had "suffered enough" and was optimistic the board would "keep him on."