Substitute Teacher Fired for Showing Rick Warren Video in Class

Carrie Dedrick | Updated: May 18, 2016

Substitute Teacher Fired for Showing Rick Warren Video in Class

A Tennessee substitute teacher was reportedly fired for showing a Rick Warren video in class. One News Now reports Mary Simms had been filling in for a 10th grade English class at Collierville High School for nearly one month when she was asked not to return to the school.

Simms had shown a TED Talk in class featuring Christian pastor Rick Warren entitled “A life of purpose.” In the talk, Warren explains what he did after his book “The Purpose Driven Life” climbed the bestseller list and he suddenly gained fame and fortune. 

The teacher related the video to a character in a book the students were reading at the time. 

The following morning, Simms received a text message from the school administration tell her she could not return to Collierville High. 

Simms told One News Now, "I in no way was prepared for this to happen to me. I believe in excellence in every sense of the word. I'm a passionate educator."

Collierville Schools Chief of Staff Russell Dyer said, "A substitute, and former public school teacher, allegedly showed a video in the classroom that was religious in nature and which deviated from the lesson plan created by the teacher of record and violated the policies of the Collierville Schools.” 

Publication date: May 18, 2016



Substitute Teacher Fired for Showing Rick Warren Video in Class