Joe Ballmann- Teacher and Kid Toucher
Another local teacher was busted trying to get his man-boy love on. Sick bastard was supposed to be teaching English, but from everything I’ve read, he was doing everything except for teaching. He had foosball tournaments in his classroom.
Ballmann let kids play a playstation in his classroom. He built obstacle courses out of filing cabinets. As far as reading went, it was comic books and Simpsons cartoons. And of course, there was the project where students made funny videos and watched Saturday Night Live skits.
He also got nominated for teacher of the year- somehow. Maybe it was for giving great massages to his boy students, ’cause it certainly wasn’t for teaching. Yet one more reason to homeschool, folks.
From Gazette.net here:
An English teacher at a Rockville middle school who had chloroform and torn pictures of children in his home has been arrested for sexually abusing a student on numerous occasions.
Joseph Robert Ballmann, 47, of the 11100 block of Cedarwood Drive, is being held on $150,000 bond on charges of sexual abuse of a minor, third-degree sexual offense and sexual solicitation of a minor.
A now 15-year-old boy told police that Ballmann engaged in inappropriate sexual conduct with him beginning when the boy was a seventh-grader at Robert Frost Middle School and continuing into the next school year. (That’s 12 years old, folks!)
The incidents occurred at Ballmann’s home between spring 2004 and May 2005.
Ballmann has been employed by Montgomery County Public Schools for about 18 years. He was placed on administrative leave from Robert Frost on Wednesday.
A search of Ballmann’s home turned up a pipe that appeared to be a bomb, explosives, handcuffs, chloroform, mace, pepper spray, torn pictures of children in the garbage and a handgun.
From NBC4 here:
The victim told police that he would visit Ballman’s house because the two had developed a close relationship. The teen said that on several occasions Ballmann showed him pornographic video, on five occasions he was given massages and on two occasions he was naked and Ballmann touched him inappropriately.
When I was a kid, my english teachers made me conjugate verbs and taught me sentence structure. And what is the deal with the chloroform and the torn up pictures of kids?
ok, i go to frost and i have (well, had) mr. ballmann as a teacher.
yes, this is 100000% scarry and retarted and messed up, but you do need to get your facts right before you make false expectations on him.
his class is the funnest class i have ever had. His walls were covered with posters, and he did have play station and a foosball table and obstacle courses. but he doesnt use them while teaching!! These fun things were done doing interact (a 20 minute period like recess) and lunch. And the saturday night live… it was a club. The school was 100% aware of it, and students who wanted to hang out, eat pizza, and watch TV after school 2 days a week whos parents knew of the club were welcome to. Dont make false acusations.
Dear Student,
Yes, you have proved my point entirely. Kid Toucher Ballmann did not teach English. You spell horribly, have no concept of punctuation, grammar or sentence structure. Good luck in the future. I hope you find someone to teach you English so you don’t wind up digging ditches or… teaching an English class.
Dear Pat,
I achully am a good writer, and Mr. Ballmann taught me so much about english. He likes to let his students have fun, and thats what he does OUTSIDE OF CLASS. Not during class. He is an amazing teacher. Frost is one of the top middle schools in the State, and being in such a good school system, he was one of the best teachers (thats fact, not opinion). So dont break him down so much. Just because he is not such a good person outside of school and made some bad choices doesn’t mean that he is a bad teacher. He likes to have fun. Get your facts strait before you say how bad of a teacher he is. And come to our school to see how many people are going to the counceler (there are NO LESS than 10 minute waits to see any of our 8 councelers, and there have been since Thursday when we found out. Everyone at our school including all staff and the principle are astonished. You are so rude to be saying all these false things. Mr. Ballmann was an amazing teacher who made some bad choiced outside of school.
Dear Student,
Do you know how to spell? You spell like a 3rd grader.
Why are you defending him? What does it matter what kind of teacher he was? You worried about how this little kid-fondling incident will look on his resume? He is never going to teach again. Anywhere.
He was a lousy teacher. He was more interested in getting friendly with children than he was teaching them anything. The toys, the games, and the “clubs” were not about education. It was about building a close trust with students so he could pick his victims. So he could molest them without arousing suspicion.
When you are older, you may realize this fact and be horrified about it like most people are. Be thankful you weren’t a victim.
yes, i am exremely freaked out by this and have seen the counceler 4 times isince thursday and cant sleep at night. but your saying that he was a baaad teacher, which is not true, so yes, i am defending him. kay?? i am smart and mature and i realize that there is a small chance that he does this just to get close with students, but knowing him for 4 years (since my brother had him) i can tell you that the main reason he does this is to let students have fun. if you would have ever met him, you would know this
Pat, I also agree with the other student of Mr. Ballmann. Sure, he/she spelled counselor wrong, but who cares? I, like him/her, will also defend Mr. Ballmann because he was a great teacher at Frost. He holds the spelling bee every year, and gives us doughnuts during exam breaks in addition to the other stuff that was already mentioned. I am a straight-A student, and I think that Mr. Ballmann should be given a second chance and allowed back at Frost. There was never any evidence of misconduct at school; I can say that, since I was a big fan of Mr. Ballmann and spent a lot of time in his room. He had a great attitude towards all of us and would often share with us what he did over the week, spring break, etc, and there was nothing unusual there. Mr. Ballmann is a great teacher and I don’t see why you’re advocating pressing charges on him.
And Pat, no, he/she does not spell like a third grader. He spells more like a fifth grader.
1st student, I’m sorry you are having problems sleeping. This whole think must be freaky, and I can only imagine how deeply betrayed his students, both former and current feel.
2nd student- how can you possibly think this asshole should be allowed anywhere any child ever again? No evidence of misconduct at school? Where do you think he picked and groomed his victims?
And did he share how he kept handcuffs and chloroform at home? That’s not for collecting butterflies, you know. Betrayal of trust is the worst thing a teacher can do, so that makes him the worst teacher. And I still question his effectiveness as an educator.
1ST OF ALL!! ………. it was during C.C. when we are doing those skits, watching movies… and such because we are suppose to. IT is like hummanities… he inspired me to write. HE might did something wrong but that does not make him a bad teacher. That class was hard…ish We had to do A LOT of writing. Hwen i messed up with my grammar he told me to talk to my english teacher!! does that make him a bad teacher?!?!?!?!? We have a literary magazine club each year… except this one… but he is giving all his effort. People at school were crying some are having a hard time dealing with this… why doint read the message sent home to parents… a lot of the teachers was his friend! And I heard the file stacking was a simulation………. but i understand how you feel but that does not make him a BAD TEACHER ! :(((((((((((((((((
I wish he didnt do it… but he admitted and that stuff and porn that scares me…. why couldnt be another teacher… and Mrs. Marks was also a good staff at our school… a chaprone(spelled wrong) at out door aid…….. sooo sad 2 things in 1 YEAR!!
I know everyone feels betrayed by Ballmann. Even other teachers and his friends. Students that really liked him hurt really bad too, and this is probably the worst thing about this man Ballmann- that despite how well he may have been liked, he was rotten on the inside and he betrayed that trust that others had in him. He will likely spend a long time in jail. He will never teach again. If he was such a good teacher he would have not allowed this to happen. Im sorry if its painful to hear but its true.
First of all I had mr.ballmann and no one even played his playstation it was used for watching movies we made for the class. He only let people play foosball at interact which is like recess or like before the bell rang. Or if we had free time at the end of class. He was seriously like the best teacher i ever had and i had him for contemporary communications (cc) which is a really fun clas we wrote and read and listened to poetry, we made comics, and we read about 2 shakespeare plays we also made a movie at the end of the year. It had been the best course I have ever taken in all of my education. He was my favorite teacher so I’m not defending him on sexually abusing the kid, but I am defending him that he was a great teacher. The only reason he got teacher of the yr was because he was a great teacher.One of my friends always thought he was weird because he would stand in the hallway and stare at people. (probably picking his next victim) All of those things he had in his room such as the foosball table were probably lures because i’ve never seen a teacher with a foosball table in their classroom. I went to the guidance office when I heard about this I was in a complete state of shock because I left school early when they distributed the letters. It was even worse that it was a boy he molested if it was a girl i would still be pissed off and in shock but molesting a girl makes it about 10 times worse! I was shocked from thurs to probably sat I just couldn’t believe it. I was a mess because he was the person you least expect… but this taught me a lesson in life don’t trust anyone. Please don’t say he was a bad teacher he was a good teacher but he is a bad person who made a decision to be a sick nasty pervert.
i meant molesting a boy makes it ten times worse
Pat,
First let me say that I do believe what Mr. Ballmann did was immoral and disgusting, but let me ask you this: How in the world would YOU know whether or not Mr. Ballmann was a good teacher? How can you even speculate that when you’ve never even met him?? “He was a lousy teacher”
You don’t have to meet someone to know what kind of person or professional they were. The “you don’t know me” defense does not work, and it won’t go unchallenged on my blog.
http://www.belch.com/blog/2006/03/14/brilliant-lawyer-employs-you-dont-know-me-defense/
Ballmann used distractions and unconventional methods in his classroom not for educational purposes, but so he could entice and seduce little boys. He has ruined lots of lives with these “teaching” skills you seem to admire so greatly. Kids are going to spend years in therapy to undo to “lessons” this pervert so generously taught.
Its a shame that his legacy will be that he taught kids not to trust teachers.
Hello Mr. pat,
I also had Mr. Ballmann as a teacher at Robert Frost. He was a decent teacher. In all honesty, he taught me a bunch of shit that I really didn’t need. Can you please tell me why it is you are arguing with this child?
…. tats lyk judging a book by its cover….
Ok, first of all, Mr. Ballmann was the best teacher I have ever had. It was unfortunate that he made these decisions, but it did not affect his teaching. Everything you have said has been exaggerated, and out of context. He made every project fun, and tried to make every assignment as enjoyable as possible, while still keeping it educational. For the foozball and playstation, that was only for the 20 minute free time. The saturday night live skits were to help us with a project we did on at least 200 page books. You didn’t know or have Mr. Ballmann so you shouldn’t judge his teaching. It is sad that such a great teacher made such bad choices. He obviously was sick, but still a phenominal teacher.
You know, if a child molesting freak was the best teacher you ever had, you should stop going to public school. Tell your Mom and Dad that you want to go to a private school. They teach real subjects there.
And again, I am perfectly qualified to judge Mr. Ballman, and you don’t have to be taught, nor fondled by this scumbag to know if he was a good educator or not. He was a lousy teacher and a massive disappointment to his students and the schoolboard. He will never teach again. He will likely never be allowed another child without supervision either.
dear pat,
Think of your favorite teacher. Now imagine that you find out one day several years later that while he was your teacher he was also molesting a boy. Does that change how good a teacher he was??? It might change your opinion of him as a person and scar some memories but it does not change what you learned in his class. You really should learn to think before you write. He earned teacher of the year because he was a fantastic teacher in the classroom. If someone accomplishes something great in one area of their life and in another area participates in criminal activity it does delete all of the good that he or she has accomplished. The students responding to you do not intend to justify Ballman’s actions. We recognize that he is a child molester. However, you must get your facts straight before you accuse him of being a horrible teacher. He taught english for 15 years and did an excellent job. The fact that he was molesting someone on the side for a portion of that time does not change what went on in the classroom for all of those years.
Student,
You dare accuse me about not thinking before I write? I think it should go triple for you. Sorry if your precious memories of having a kid touching teacher are now ruined by his criminal deeds. But he touched the penises of his students!
Take a minute to wrap your feeble mind around that.
If a cop was the best cop in the world, but he sometimes murdered his suspects, guess what stupid? It makes him a bad cop.
If a doctor writes a wonderful new procedure on transplanting organs but does so by butchering his patients, it makes him a bad doctor.
If a fireman is given citations for wonderful rescues, but it was him that set the fires, guess what stupid? It makes him a lousy fireman.
If a president fights a war on terror, but gives away the country to illegal immigrants, it makes him a lousy president.
And finally, if a teacher gets a kid to learn to read but slips his pinkie into his butthole, it makes him a lousy teacher.
Ballman was a school bus driver before he took a job as a substitute teacher with the school. Bartenders make more money than a substitute teacher, so don’t try to glorify Ballman’s illustrious career in education or think that he was some saint sent from the schoolboard.
And I promise you that the people who voted for him to win teacher of the year are ashamed of their decision.
Dear Pat,
I had Joseph Ballmann for english last year and I strongly dissaprove of you making fun of him. Yes he did do these things, and he was one of the best teachers that I have ever had. No I am not defending him, he really is a sick pervert but that does not give you the right to judge someone who you do not even know. Yes, I enjoyed his classes and at this point Robert Frost is utterly astonished at what happened. Unless you know Mr. Ballmann personally, I am strongly sickened to what extent you are critisizing him, on and kid? I agree with you.
And Pat? Shut up.
Maria, what are you, 14 years old? You may think that you know the ways of the world at your young age, but you dont.
And why don’t you think I have the right to judge a sickening kid toucher like Ballmann? You don’t have to know someone in order to know what kind of person they are. They teach you in public schools that it is a sin or something to pass judgement- that everyone is equal. That there is no difference between right and wrong, depending on how you look at things.
Let me teach you this lesson, because it will be much more valuable than anything you learned in this twisted loser’s classroom. God gave you a brain so that you can make a distinction between what is right, what is wrong, what is dangerous and what is safe. If you go around refusing to judge anyone because you don’t know them, you will end up dead or victimized by someone. And you will have only yourself to blame for ignoring your instincts.
You are sickened by my criticism? You are an idiot if you think criticism is sickening. What Ballmann did was sickening. He has ruined the lives of children by his crimes. He has destroyed the faith parents and students have in public schools, teachers and the school administration.
If criticism sickens you kiddo, be prepared for a sickening life. Everything you do will be subjected to criticism- maybe not in the plush sheltered world of public schools, but when you get out of school, it will certainly be true.
So I am criticizing a loser teacher that will be spending lots of time in jail and will never be allowed to be around children again. So what? Get over it. Go talk to your Mom and Dad about how you feel about this teacher.
It scares me to read these comments from the next leaders of our generation. Pat is right – you kids need to open your eyes. This teacher is a predator. This is why he inticed kids to “hang out in his classroom”. If he molested children ( which the police have strong evidence that he has – read your parent’s newspapers) then he is a bad person period. Most child predators molest an average of 133 kids . Only 2 came forward so far – how many are next?
Looks like everyone’s teacher of the year was touching a twelve year old kid during what was supposed to be tutoring sessions! To all his former students who still think he’s the greatest thing since grape jelly: I told you so.
From MyFoxDC here: http://tinyurl.com/2p7wwg
I hope they do revoke his bond and keep him locked up.
Video here, including a clueless Mom who whines about students who might make false accusations- This mom thinks he was a great teacher. She should let Ballmann babysit her kids.
http://tinyurl.com/39oshy