A gym teacher in the USA promised his students a round of Fortnite: Battle Royale, if they improved their grades. This cost him his job.
The gym teacher Brett Belsky (29) from a school in Brooklyn, New York, noticed that his students talked a lot about Fortnite. At the same time, the kids’ grades were getting worse. So, he devised what seemed to be a good plan.
Here’s how the teacher wanted to motivate his students to learn: Belsky, a fan of Fortnite himself, wrote his Xbox gamer tag on the board and offered to play Fortnite with his students if they improved academically and their parents gave their consent.
And that’s what happened, with an 11-year-old and a 12-year-old student qualifying for the Fortnite reward program. So, Belsky played Fortnite with them for a total of 20 minutes in March 2018.
Fortnite reward costs teacher his job
These were the consequences of the reward action: Unfortunately, the action did not sit well with the father of the 11-year-old child. When the boy told his father about it, he immediately went to the principal to complain about the Fortnite initiative.
This, in turn, had serious consequences for the teacher. The U.S. Department of Education took notice of the case and sent the teacher to the “Rubber Room” for a few months. This is what the “Reassignment Centers” for teachers who have committed serious violations are called.
He stayed there until a decision from the Department was finally announced in the fall of 2018. Belsky was fired for “inappropriate internet behavior towards students.”
Teachers should only engage with students online when it involves pedagogically valuable content. Additionally, there had been further issues with his performance as a teacher.
Teacher claims no wrongdoing
Teacher does not accept the dismissal: Belsky admits that he should have discussed the Fortnite action better with his superiors. Nevertheless, he does not want to simply accept the dismissal and has hired a lawyer to reclaim his job in court.
He had been a teacher for eight years, and there had never been any complaints. He also defends his Fortnite action:
“This game is incredibly popular with children. I need to find a way to reach them, to persuade them to do their homework. I love what I do; I am a good teacher!”
So it remains to be seen whether Belsky’s dismissal will stand or whether he will get his job back.
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