It's a misinterpretation, yes. But even if interpreted correctly
in some imaginary hypothetical universe where all intentions
were correctly perceived, it still didn't belong there.
The teacher feeling bad or the teacher reprimanded - all of
these "degrees of punishment" are smokescreens on both sides of
the issue.
It was an inappropriate question in the classroom. Period.
In a college level course, certainly fine. But 7th grade
classroom, you just don't do that, whatever the intention.
The trouble it's causing on BOTH SIDES is evidence enough for
me. And yes, this all strikes me as a convenient setup. That
also makes it wrong in the classroom. Do I believe it was
planned to turn out this way? I have no idea. I just know I'm
seeing spin polarizing an issue after-the-fact. The root problem
is where neither side is looking.
