Osceola Middle School Teacher Resigns Amid Mistreatment Allegations

Shawn Siede, 42, has resigned from Osceola Middle School after students accused the teacher of physically and mentally mistreating them.

Osceola Middle School Teacher Resigns Amid Mistreatment Allegations

Shawn Siede, 42, has resigned from Osceola Middle School after students accused the teacher of physically and mentally mistreating them.

Shawn Siede, a history teacher at Osceola Middle School, has resigned following a series of mental and physical abuse allegations from students, according to a report from the Tampa Bay Times.  The Times said an investigation by the Pinellas County School District revealed ongoing mistreatment to students by Siede.  "He pinched and squeezed shoulders and would sometimes push children's heads onto their desks. He pushed them when they walked into class and tripped them in the halls. He would put an elbow in their backs or chase them until they fell. He would knock things off their desks, or the pencils out of their hands. He would call the children stupid, say they were jerks. He would say that they were going to fail out of school. He …

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Osceola Middle School Teacher Adjusts To Life As A Celebrity

After being named ‘America’s Most Hilarious Teacher’ by “The View”, Mike Rivera is trying to balance his career with his newfound fame.

You’ll have to forgive Mike Rivera if he looks a little bleary-eyed these days. After all, the Osceola Middle School teacher has been making frequent trips from Pinellas County to New York City to appear on the daytime talk show “The View” the past couple of weeks.  Rivera was just named ‘America’s most hilarious teacher’ by the program on Monday, and his ascension from local civics teacher to national television star has been a blur of airports, classrooms and celebrities.  “A month ago someone sent me a link to enter the contest. Nine days ago they told me I was one of five finalists, and yesterday I found out I was the winner,” he said from his Seminole classroom. “I’m flying to New York three times in six days. It’s been a whirlwind…

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Osceola Middle Teacher Named 'Most Hilarious' by 'The View'

Largo teacher Mike Rivera was named the winner Monday of a comedy competition on ABC's "The View."

The country's "most hilarious teacher" is from Largo. That's according to the ABC show "The View," which picked Osceola Middle School civics teacher Mike Rivera on Monday as the winner in its contest to find the funniest teacher. Rivera, who performs standup on weekends, got to do some of his act on last Friday's episode. As the contest winner, he'll get to take the stage again this Friday in co-host Joy Behar's comedy segment, "Joy's Comedy Corner" — which he said doesn't worry him. "I teach seventh-grade middle school, so pretty much nothing makes me nervous nowadays, OK?" he said on the show Friday. The View airs locally at 11 a.m. on WFTS Channel 28. Related Coverage Sign up for the Largo Patch email newsletter to get our top headlines…

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Largo Teacher to Appear on 'The View' Friday Morning

Mike Rivera, seventh-grade teacher at Osceola Middle School, is appearing on the ABC show as part of its contest to find the most hilarious teacher.

A Largo teacher is set to appear on ABC's "The View" on Friday morning, as part of its weeklong contest to find the most hilarious teacher, the Tampa Bay Times reports. Mike Rivera, a seventh-grade teacher at Osceola Middle School, flew to New York on Thursday to film a segment that airs today, the Times reports. "The View" can be seen locally at 11 a.m. on WFTS Channel 28. The winner will be announced Monday and appear on the show's "Joy's Comedy Corner" segment. Rivera, 51, is a former comedian who turned to teaching 13 years ago, according to the Times. He still performs regularly on the weekends at area clubs like McCurdy's Comedy Theatre in Sarasota, but he performs some of his best material in the classroom. "Sometimes you have to …

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Deaf Man Celebrates 25th Year Participating in Great American Teach-In

"The kids are so awesome to me. They talk to me in sign language, we laugh and have fun," said Tom Cooney, 77, who visited Largo's Osceola Middle School last week.

Tom Cooney has been visiting Largo's Osceola Middle School for 25 years now, and he couldn't be happier about it. The 77-year-old is pretty much considered a legend at the school. Throughout the quarter of a century that he's been there, he's made quite a connection with students and staff. It's safe to say they adore him. For the past 25 years, the Clearwater resident has participated in the Great American Teach-In. He does not arrive at the school in a uniform or bring any tools of a particular trade, because he's there to explain to kids what it's like to be deaf. Every year, he visits teacher Brenda Dannewitz's classes. "I admire his ability to be able to talk about his life and share anything," said Dannewitz. "The kids ask him lots …

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