Conroe ISD teacher gets ‘creative’ with his grades and possibly into some hot water

THE WOODLANDS, TX – While many teachers are counting the days until the end of the school year – mere days away for Conroe Independent School District – one teacher may be finding himself wishing he could go back a week or so and make a change or two.

Students at York Junior High School posted photos on TikTok and other social media outlets that revealed one teacher’s lesson plan. What prompted the students’ concern was that the lesson plan included step-by-step instructions on purchasing two of the teacher’s books on Amazon and giving each a five-star rating and a “good review.” Students who did so, according to the plan, would receive a “bonus offer” of 100 on their grade.

A TikTok video posted by concerned self-described filmmaker with the username “tizzyent” expressed outrage at the tactic, where he went into detail about the assignment; students had the option to read a book (not one of the teacher’s) and write a report on it and get graded in the traditional way, or they could go on line and give the teacher's two books (not the original one assigned) top marks, in return for which they would receive a perfect grade as is. A subsequent search of the listings for the teacher’s books on Amazon showed numerous 5-star “rave” reviews.

The poster of the video expressed hope that York administration knew nothing about the assignment or what possible motives the teacher might have in giving it out. York Junior High School principal Melanie Bujnoch sent the following letter to parents:

York JH Family,

As you may already be aware, there are posts on TikTok and other social media platforms regarding an assignment given by a teacher at our school. This matter is being investigated and will be addressed in accordance with the Conroe ISD Employee Handbook. I sincerely appreciate everyone in our school community who contacted me about this situation so that it could be addressed appropriately.

Please know that your children are the most important people in our school. We remain committed to making decisions that are in their best interest and will continue to work hard to ensure that they have a wonderful junior high experience. We are all looking forward to enjoying our last week of school together. Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any other concerns, and thank you for all that you do to help make York great!

Sincerely,

Melanie Bujnoch, Principal
York Junior High