Bernadette Camacho, Former Teacher, Fired For Allegedly Bad-Mouthing, Bribing Students

Teacher Tells Students They Have Their 'Brains In Their Ass'

After allegedly telling students they had their "brains in their ass," and attempting to bribe them to keep quiet, Bernadette Camacho, a 39-year-old teacher, has been fired from Hillcrest High School in Queens, New York, the New York Post reports.

According to the Post, Camacho faced investigation hearings for the alleged outburst, but not before attempting to pressure a female student to give her a positive portrayal during those hearings -- by bribing the student, in danger of flunking, with a passing grade.

The New York Daily News reports that Camacho called the student five times, begging her to agree to the exchange. When it was clear the student wasn't going to help, investigators told the Daily News that the ex-teacher responded, "Thank you for making my life worse."

The article goes on to say Camacho denied the charges, calling it a "misunderstanding," and citing the difficulty of teaching students whose first language is Spanish.

This isn't the first time Camacho has come under fire for her teaching techniques, CBS New york reports. In the past, she has been charged with corporal punishment and verbal abuse. She paid a $6,500 fine in 2010, began taking anger-management classes and attended therapy every month for a year.

Camacho continues to deny the charges, the station reports, and said that while she would "lose her cool" in class every so often, it was never anything "to be fired for."

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