A 128-page book written by a Guthrie Junior High teacher has left him suspended pending an investigation by the Guthrie school district. The investigation begin when a parent shared some of the inappropriate details of the book that some eighth grade students were reading.
The book in question is called “It’ll All Work Out: A Short Story Collection” and is written by Nicholas Lyon, who also teaches eighth grade literature at the junior high.
The book was quickly removed from the classroom on Thursday and following a meeting on Friday Lyon was suspended with pay pending the investigation.
In a statement released by the Guthrie Public Schools on Friday, the district said they received notice of the book on Thursday.
“Guthrie Public Schools received a report from a parent that a book containing material inappropriate for their child had been provided by a school teacher. The material was immediately removed from the classroom. The teacher has been suspended with pay pending an investigation into the matter. Since this is a matter involving personnel, the district will have no further comment at this time.”
The book listed on Amazon describes the short stories as love stories, horror stories, minimalistic stories, and stories written just for the sake of writing something. The site goes on and says Lyon is the author of the young adult fantasy series Tales of Toratoga.
One student in February 2011 left a review on Amazon by saying, “the author to this book is actually my Language Arts teacher! Really good book. It gets emotional in the stories. The stories suck you in the lines as you read. I’m currently reading this book in class and so far my favourite story is Ash Wednesday.”
However, a grandmother of an eighth grade student says, “she is appalled by the subject matter and says it is pure smut.” It isn’t exactly the kind of thing you’d see on Babestation, but perhaps it isn’t the most appropriate for a teacher to be writing these things.
Another review stated the topics range from love to murder while another review said rape, molestation and abuse are among the topics discussed in the short stories.
One out of four reviews were negative…and that one review was written less than 24 hours ago. I think I can guess who wrote it.
The kid prolly sees worse at home in the trailer.
The grandmother of the boy is lying like crazy! My kids is in the class and the book is not required, nor offered as a reading choice. Mr. Lyon is a wonderful teacher and being libeled by this person. I’d sue!
The sue theory won’t work because they don’t have to renew his contract and don’t have to have a reason for not doing so. The book was in the book fair and is not appropriate for 7th or 8th graders.
the grandmother is like those women who protest abortion,you wouldnt want to screw them any way.i have read the majority of this book,and if she is thinking this is smut,she has no clue as to what smut is.this women is probably one of those type who gripe about this book,but turn around and buys her 13yo grandson a copy of GTA.GET A LIFE LADY!
This isn’t right. This is really sad as well. Who cares what’s in a book? There’s a lot worse in the world and this just opens the reader to reality. Life isn’t all find and dandy, you know. If anything, this should be an exposure to the outside world without having to fully experience the trouble yourself and find out the hard way. Besides, kids talk about equally vulgar things in early morning conversations while waiting for school to start, when school starts, during school, and after school.
We also shouldn’t let lies dictate someone’s employment.
The media is just as bad as they are in the movies!
He said it was an option the read it, this year Mr. Lyon has taught our students more than ever. Not only is he doing that but we can have fun in his classroom, he mixes comedy with work I think more teachers should do this. Our 8thstudents graders are mature enough to read these short stories, I think people are over exaggerating about this.
i dont care what anyone says Nick is my favorite teacher and always will be he has taught me so much this year and would love if he could stay. He never forced us to read his books? Its always just be a option to!
This is all being over exagerated kids hear more at lunch then they do in this book. He didnt write this book just for 8th graders? He wrote it cause he has a passion of writing. This just makes me mad! since i have a passion for football should i get in trouble for hitting to hard or running to fast? NO LET HIM STAY!!
Well, she obviously hasn’t read the Bible. I learned about murder, prostitution, cults, evil corrupt government, adultery, torture and illegitimate children as a very young child, along with some amazing miracles, lessons about hope and prayer, and wisdom about living my life to the fullest! All of it came from my Bible, the best book ever! If this lady thinks this is bad, she better stay out of Sunday school! LOL!
Mr.Lyon is an excellent teacher! First off, he did NOT make us read this book. People really need to stop making up crap and how he forced us cause he NEVER forced us so shut up and stop with all this crap!!!! He’s a really good teacher and for someone to do this doesn’t make me happy!!!! Mr. Lyon is the best! He would never do such a thing! He loves his students!!!!!!
Yes the good book (BIBLE) does have all the stuff in it. Out of all the Bibles I have read in my life I have not found one that goes into such graphic detail as is in “It will all work out”.. What is going to happen to the child that is already on the border and reads this book?? will it all work out for them. I have read this book “in disgust” I found no redemption to any of the victims in the book. Also why do we glorify the devil?? How is rape in any way a good outcome to any one??? I thought our teachers were to censer some of the information that goes in to our CHILDREN’S minds. Or at least let the parents know what the child is studying in the class?? Might as well allow open internet to our young men and women in school (NOT) IF I as a grand parent I gave this book to one of my grand kids then had then do a report on it and CPS found out, I would be in jail for the distribution of porn to a minor. Our society today has way to much information that our children can put in their minds. I for one respect the people that stand up and say this is to much and drawing a line as an concerned adult and parent… End rant.
you obviously dont understand what kids do and say during school? also if we dont learn now when will we?
Not a reason to take their minds to such darkness.
Mr.lyon is a super duper awesome teacher ! I dont have him but I have talked to him once and all of his students love him! He is very caring! If they really think that he book has rap and everthing they should go read some of the books in guthrie junior highs libary! The kids are in 8th grade they can read what they want to read and the probal all ready knew about rap and everything.school teachs u to follow ur dreams and no one can stop u well mr.lyons dreams were a book writer and a teacher and u stopped his dreams.. Guthrie supervisors has disappointed many students I how u bring him back he was a good teacher!he cared for everyone of his students even students he didnt know. I want to be a book writer are they going to stop my dreams too?
Charlotte, I went to GNL and read your post. You posted a graphic excerpt from the book that you disapprove of, for anyone to read? The very content in which you believe is so offensive and inappropriate, you post it publicly for everyone to see on a site that has child subscribers? Let me get this straight, you take a book to child protective services because you are horrified that 7th and 8th graders may be reading it and then you post the content of that book, without the authors permission, onto a public site to expose even younger children to this content. I’m very confused. Isn’t this in conflict with the very values you profess to have? Are you going to take child protective services copies of other things kids get their hands on and read and post those things as well? 7th and 8th graders read a lot of things that most would find offensive because it’s easily available and they are curious. Look at what they post on FaceBook. They are mature enough to know how to get it, where to get it and when to hide it. Maybe you should be talking to your grandson and finding out how he got a copy of the book before you publicly accuse the author of distribution. Of course your grandson probably did tell you they are reading it in class, because he doesn’t want to get into trouble for having something he knew would make you upset or disappointed. It is obvious from all of Mr. Lyons students who have posted on here that he did not make them read this book.
In the past several days, my heart and mind have been filled with a mix of many different emotions. I’ve seen the disrespectful comments made. I watched the news report on KOFR that was completely inaccurate. I watched as people found out that Nick Lyon was the author and supposed architect of influencing the demise of 8th graders in Guthrie, OK, as well as, destroying the “innocence” of the child who wrote the report. I am sorry from the very bottom of my heart that what he did was something that was deemed detrimental. Sometimes we make decisions with the purest of intentions, but they were not the most positive decisions we could have made. I know this person and I know his heart. I know the place where he was when he wrote the stories that are included in this book. Because things were said about this person and about his book that were untrue, negative outcomes are inevitable. I believe that those who complain about such things and go to news stations to broadcast their complaints, are doing so with negative intentions. If there was only a concern that what he did was wrong, it would have been handled without the media’s involvement. This post is not to chastise those who made the decision to call KFOR, or to lift Nick up as if he is a martyr, but to really make people realize that the choices they make can affect others in an extremely negative way. Please, be respectful of one another. Seek information before making assumptions. Seek to show each other love in everything. I love you little brother. Hang in there. It’ll all work out!
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