An article was written in the Chicago Tribune on January 1st, 2012, addressing the death of a young school teacher by the name of Mary Eve Thorson. She stood in front of a moving semi-truck and ended her life on Thanksgiving Day, 2011. She left a 6 page suicide letter in her parked SUV, which spoke to the bullying of her colleagues, its adverse impact on the children, and the poor condition of the school.
Mary’s father and mother, John and Shari Thorson, stated that Mary had been approached by the superintendent of District 169, to alter the poor grades of her students for the sake of continued funding within the institution. When she refused, a number of incidents took place which ultimately led to her decision to die. Mary stated within the letter that she wanted to be the first to sign the petition and hoped her death would not be in vain.
The outcry from teachers throughout the state of Illinois in response to the article was massive. I was one of those teachers. The issue of teacher abuse by administrators/educators has reached epidemic proportions and must end. When teachers start to die it has gone way too far. One teacher's death (as in the case of Rigoberto Ruelas) is a travesty. A second teacher's death represents a shameful display of apathy. This documentary will focus on the tragic chain of events which led to Mary’s death and touched the lives of bullied teachers across the country. DYING TO TEACH: The Killing of Mary Eve Thorson, was requested by the Save Our Schools organization for its convention in Washington, D.C. in August of 2012.