Senate hopeful Jim DeMint has said gays and unwed mothers should not be teachers. Michael Holahan/Staff

Teachers object to DeMint's comment

COLUMBIA - Some South Carolina teachers are condemning U.S. Senate candidate Jim DeMint's comments on barring some people from teaching in public schools, saying a teacher's effectiveness in the classroom is more important than his or her personal life.

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Mr. DeMint, a Republican, said this week that openly gay people and unwed, pregnant women living with boyfriends should be barred from teaching in public schools. On Wednesday, Mr. DeMint apologized for his comments on expectant mothers.

Mr. DeMint is running against Democrat Inez Tenenbaum, the state education superintendent, for the seat of retiring U.S. Sen. Ernest "Fritz" Hollings.

"I know he probably misspoke," said Susan Brewer, an English teacher at Camden High and the president of the Palmetto State Teachers Association. "At least, I hope so. It does worry me he said that, though."

"I don't know what Mr. DeMint thinks occurs in schools," said Sheila Gallagher, the president of the South Carolina Education Association. "What occurs is ... the building of a child, a young person, and making them feel like they are worth something and can succeed."

Edward Hill, a third-grade teacher in Richland, said he found Mr. DeMint's comments "upsetting."

"I do not judge my colleagues on what they do after 5 p.m.," Mr. Hill said. "If a person is effective, that's what I want for my son or daughter."

Some educators agreed with Mr. DeMint.

"Anybody in public life should be held to a higher standard," Conway High Principal Rick Maxey said. "You should model honesty and integrity."

--From the Friday, October 8, 2004 printed edition of the Augusta Chronicle