Teacher In Trouble For Writing Erotica
70Most writers have other forms of income on the side because being a full time author seldom pays all the bills. There are a few lucky ones who get movie deals or on the best seller list like Stephanie Meyer or J. K. Rowling and make it big but most of us have to find other means of keeping the debtors from our door.
Judy Buranich has taught English and written books for more than a couple of decades. The problem is a couple of women decided to make her genre a public issue and try to get her removed from the school.
Some knew that Judy Buranich wrote erotica under the pseudonym of Judy Mays but most didn’t care because she kept her sexual fantasies out of the class room and is a great teacher. She never mentioned to her students that she was a published author, didn’t dress risqué or proposition any of the students. Until a couple of people decided to make it public most of her kids didn’t have a clue.
Judy is also a wife and mother of grown children. To look at her you would never suspect she writes naughty stories; she just looks like a middle age schoolteacher.
It sounds like these women have an axe to grind. They had to do some serious digging to find this information. One of the mothers says she doesn’t read these kinds of books and thinks they are terrible but I think she must be reading them on the sly to have found out that Mrs. Buranich writes them. How else would she know?
The interesting thing about all this is that it has made her even more famous. Before this big story and the attention on YouTube and facebook I hadn’t heard of her or read any of her work but I have since ordered some and so are other people. It seems that these mothers who were trying to get her fired have only managed to give her free publicity and help her sell more books.
Erotica has a huge number of fans. Just walk down any romance aisle in a bookstore and you will see the large selection lining the shelves. Even grocery stores carry a wide variety of what my husband calls nekkid men books.
Here’s a young man who is a former student of hers who made a YouTube video showing his appreciation for Mrs. Buranich and what a fine teacher he thinks she is.
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Hattie, I suspect there is more to this story then what the news has let out. Possibly a child got a bad grade and a parent wasn't happy about it. Hard to tell.
This doesn't surpise me. My wife had a crazy parent come after her and she didn't write erotic stories. Teachers get criticized and threatened by parents with agendas, administrators, and sometimes other teachers while being unable to eat lunch, go to the bathroom, all the while putting up with disrespectful, disorganized, and unprepared students. My novel “No Teacher Left Standing” is based on true stories over our combined 45 years experience.
Please put it about that I write Erotica and that I was a teacher (Good catchment area) and then expose me on YouTube and FaceBook and tell me where I can get a good literary agent and I will live happily ever afterwards (Rich, of course).
p.s. I don't write Erotica, but Eroticism is in the mind of the reader (Get it? "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder"???)
Please!!!
How sad, how truly sad.
I agree with the guy in the video it's not like authors play out their writing Just think of all the people locked up and tortured in basements if that were the case. Some people just don't have enough excitement in their own life so they have to create turmoil in others. I love the part in the video about the pay it forward day. Great hub and voting that way Thanks
Just shows you secrets can get out. It's a pity they are so many begrudgers out there. As you mentioned there's more to this than we are aware of.
Jeff, it's unfortunate that kids no longer have respect for teachers. Many in the education field have to put up with a lot.
Twilight, sometimes when people try to harm others it backfires and turns into a good things.
Yes it is, Kevin. Hopefully everything will turn out okay in the end.
Charlu, that is why it is called fiction. If it were real we'd have Stephen King locked away for life.
Sangre, thanks for reading.
I strongly believe that teachers are under attack ore than at any time in American history. Sadly I am afraid I can see the end of public education on the horizon.I love my career but at this point in time I would discourage most young people from entering it.
I agree, Kevin and fear the future. They aren't making it easy for teachers to do their job. Kids no longer respect authority and get away with too much.
Thanks for this informative hub Pamela N Red. The people who attack authors of erotica literature must have some very serious hangups. Like the devoutly religious people who protest against feminine hygene adds on TV.
People have their own opinions and agendas. Unfortunately many times they don't have the education or understanding to make a proper decision and they end up blaming others for doing things that they don't agree with. This is unfortunate, especially in a case where a proficient teacher is penalized.
Marshacanada, I hadn't heard of people protesting feminine hygiene ads. Some people don't have enough to do.
Glenn, I can understand some not agreeing with her second job or not wanting to read these novels but since she doesn't bring any of it to school it shouldn't be an issue. It is a shame that a good teacher is penalized.
The May issue of Glamour just featured a story about a small town, female, high-school teacher falsely accused of being a sexual predator. She was arrested and shunned. It took a jury 20-minutes to find her innocent. Yet, her life will forever be impacted by those who rushed to judge her. I don't understand the dynamics of many false accusations leveled on female teachers today, while the Catholic church is steeped in an admitted history of pedophiles that remain unpunished. Great topic for thought.
There is a Large market place for erotic romanticism or romantic eroticism , , ,that was/is a budding philosophy isn't it - wikipedia - Romanticism (or the Romantic Era) was an artistic, literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Europe, , , ,history proves it going back to the Song of Solomon, and further. I guess it becomes definition and societal standards, yet as stated just take a walk down through any bookstore.
The video was awesome. I wonder, did this teacher influence his creativity? Did she cause him to use correct English usage in the video? Did this incident inspire others? I wonder. I know one thing, if she taught a writing class in my community I would camp out to sign up. Education we need more of it!!!!
Amy some years ago there was a teacher at a high school who was very good at his job. One day a female student accused him of sexual harassment. Without proof the school district let him go,his teaching certificate was pulled in Olympia and he had to find work as a soft drink delivery person. 10 years later the student saw him a t a grocery store, told him he was her favorite teacher, wondered why he was working for the soft drink company. he told her she made that happen. She told him she had been mad at him for a bad grade and that's why she did what she did. She said she was sorry and asked him if there was anything she could do to help. He said tell the truth to the Board. She did and he got his certificate & job back, didn't regain his seniority, or past wages. So it goes I guess.
Too bad she got caught as she was writing under a pen name I'm sure. Now her income will skyrocket which is the upside for her. Interesting hub.
My offer still stands. Look up!
These guardians of "morality" with their holier than thou attitude are the worse hypocrites.The video says it all.What give them the right to set moral standards for others? H.G.Well said "Moral indignation is jealousy with a halo". It would appear that their actions is one of personal vendetta.
Amy, I agree, there are people truly doing wrong to our kids and should be punished. This woman is just teaching kids and trying to make a living.
tsmog, it is indeed a huge market, always was and always will be. Sex sells.
GK, that is awful but isn't unusual. I've heard of similar incidents and it is a tragedy that one person's anger can lose another person their career.
Pamela, that is the beauty of all this. Many who didn't even know about her books are now buying them due to the free publicity.
Thanks, Twilight.
SilentReed, some people don't have enough to do and find joy in causing others pain.
Excellent hub, Pamela, but this is the kind of thing that makes me steam. I am so weary of people imposing their moral values on everyone else. If her teaching isn't being compromised, I can't see that its anyone's business what she does in her private time. I wouldn't care if she's a pole dancer...if she isn't pole dancing in the school gym, it's none of their business. Besides kids between 15 and seventeen these days can write erotica books themselves.
voted up/useful and awesome
Fay, it is unfortunate that people try to make things difficult. I'm with you on this one. If she isn't trying to sell them to the kids or telling them about it then it shouldn't be an issue.
By the sound of this story, those select few who brought it to the attention of the community, must have had some sort of bone to pick with this teacher. We may never know what that was because they certainly aren't going to admit it now. But I'm not particularly surprised by this behavior. I wrote a whole article about America's fear of sex and nudity because modern society has demonized anything and everything sexual. It's silly because humans are naturally sexual creatures. We read erotica and watch pornography, but somewhere along the line it became inappropriate to admit it. This teacher did the responsible thing by keeping her personal life separate from her work life, yet it was these other people who dragged it out into the open. She shouldn't be punished for that, and there certainly isn't anything wrong with her for writing erotica fiction. I suppose it's a lucky result that she got more publicity because what those people did to her teaching career was despicable.
M.T.Dremer, hopefully she will rise above this after the dust settles.
Some people just aren't happy unless they're tearing someone else down.
It does seem that way, jponiato. It's unfortunate but seems to have worked in her favor after all.
So ridiculous! Let the woman write erotica...who cares? She has the right to engage in her sexuality...as long as she doesn't involve the kids. Wow...some people are just crazy.
Kitty, I know, some people don't have anything better to do than to cause trouble for others.
It kind of sounds like a mobbing/stalking a little bit. This is why writers need to use pen names and not compromise their identities. Don't tell anyone.
It doesn't matter what you write, there's somebody who will take "offense" and can cause you a lot of trouble.
Writers should stay off those writer forums, too - if you must post something make it strictly business, try not to be controversial, etc. To do otherwise is to invite problems from bad reviews to stalking and mobbing.
It would be interesting to know how these trouble-makers found out!
A vote up!
Serena, my guess it that they secretly read her work and did a little search online discovering she wrote them but I'm not sure.
Unfortunately we do have to keep a low profile as writers. I hardly tell anyone here at home where I write. In the Bible belt some would be appalled at some of my work.
Pamela. if some of the Bible Belters you mention read some of the stuff I have written, they would be selling tickets to see who would have the privilege of casting the first stone.
Ha ha and an iconoclastic ha ha!
Twilight, some of these folks are a bit too straight laced for me. Keep writing and I'll keep reading.
I promise you, Pamela, that when I publish my first grimy little collection of politically incorrect iconoclasm, that you will be the first to be notified... or maybe, second, after my lawyers.
But until that time, I will stick to the Straight and Narrow, and keep my public feet off the Primrose Path.
Twilight, keep me posted.
It makes me wonder if people think those who write graphic murder/horror or true crime novels are secretly plotting to be a cannibalistic serial killer? I get so tired of the erotica stereotype.
They like to pick on erotica writers for some reason. I think the sex part scares some.
HattieMattieMae Level 7 Commenter 12 months ago
Wow that is really bad! To bad people decide to do that crap! :)