Posts Tagged ‘Brian Glover’

Yes, my county – Williamson County fired a teacher for a song he wrote and sang. Bryan Glover, a teacher and football coach wrote an anti-Obama song and then email the link to the song using his personal email while on his personal off school time. It doesn’t say that in the Real Clear Politics article but News Channel5 does reference this information.

Coach Says He Was Fired Because of Conservative Song

The song is called, “When You’re Holding A Hammer, Everything Looks Like A Nail.” It is a reference to Glover’s frustrations with the current administration and President Obama. Glover co-wrote the tune with a parent on the Grassland Middle School football team. He never thought sending it out to friends, family and player’s parents could put the hammer on the nail of his job with the school.

“Here we are a week before the season starts and they call and say I am no longer with the staff. It’s devastating for me,” said Glover.

It all stems from an email Glover sent through his personal Yahoo account.

“I sent it 99 percent of the people in my inbox– all the way from my mom to people I haven’t spoken to in years,” said Glover.

But the email, with a link to his new song, went out to a hand full of parents of kids on the Grassland Football Team.

Within hours, parents called the school to complain of the politically charged lyrics and Glover said the principal at Grassland Middle School told the head football coach to release Glover from his position with the team.

Isn’t it funny that a school will finally fire a teacher at the snap of it’s fingers and it’s for a song a parent thinks is offensive yet there isn’t one 4 letter word used in the song. This isn’t a teacher who is having an affair with an underage student, this isn’t a teacher on drugs or alcohol, this isn’t a poor performance firing but a firing for a political song. I wonder if this would’ve happened if it was an anti-Bush song? Just saying…..

UPDATE – OCT. 5, 2010: I received a message from an acquaintance telling me that Mr. Glover had been warned on the use of the email addresses more than once and he was fired for their use for his personal business. I contacted The Holding a Hammer website and received a response from his partner and co-writer of the song, Kyle Hill.

Here is the message:

Toni,
The message you received from your acquaintance is the explanation the school district is using to justify Bryan’s firing. It is false.

Bryan did not “access” a list of parent/student emails. He was given that list by the school administration. Why did they give him that list? So that he could contact those parents about sports training he was offering during the summer. In other words, the school gave him the email list for the express purpose of using it to conduct his personal business.

Bryan was never warned to not use the email list. In fact, we have an email from school personnel letting the parents know that Bryan would be contacting them to offer his personal training services.

I met with the principal of the school within 2 hours of Bryan’s firing, both because I was a cowriter of the song and I have a son who plays on the football team. The principal told me Bryan was fired because he sent out an email that was objectionable and politically incorrect. The next day she met with another parent and told them that Bryan had distributed material that was “derogatory to our President.”

I met with the general counsel for the Williamson County School District and told him this story. He said he would be investigating this issue, but as it turned out, he only used the information from my interview and interviews with other parents to formulate a response that would protect the school district.

Your acquaintance has no personal knowledge of this incident. I am left to wonder why they are willing to speak as if they do.

If you have any more questions, I would be happy to answer them.

Kyle Hill
www.HoldingaHammer.com

Listen to this really offensive song.

Here’s a link to Bryan Glover and Kyle Hill’s website for the song – Holding a Hammer. You can purchase the song plus there are t-shirts and mugs for sale to show your support for Bryan Glover.

When you’re holding a hammer, everything looks like a nail, Bryan Glover, Williamson County TN, Grassland Middle School, teacher firings