Idiot

Oh shut up, this man was one of the greatest teachers I've ever had. I feel as though the entirety of this story isn't accurate.

Oh shut up. He is actually a great man. Don't judge a person when you dont know them. like you never threatened anyone before. Frickin hypocrites.

Honestly I had this guy as a teacher and he was one of the best teachers I have ever had. I don't think I've ever learned more in any other class than his. Everybody makes mistakes and honestly this story is short and lacks detail. Nobody can judge from that especially those reading about it on the internet. The only people who know what happened are him and the people there and it will get sorted out as it should so please take your judgement and ignorant minds somewhere else ...He is a great teacher and will always be a great teacher and a great man no matter what mistakes he has made.

This teacher was incredible! Made me the chemistry major I am today! There's got to more to this story. I wonder if he was unwell, or felt threatened?

Favorite teacher at Carver. A very caring and genuine person. Do not let the insincere and cold judging nature of the Internet mar this man's reputation.

He lives shortly away from me and was a wonderful Key Club adviser and Science teacher at Carver Center. I'm hoping the situation isn't as bad as the media will likely portray it. I saw this on my Facebook news feed and was super surprised, as I wouldn't have ever expected such from seemingly an amazing man.

Way to defend the trees Joe! Seriously, I will reiterate the above comments, Aaron Joseph is one of the best teachers that I've ever had and I applaud him for actually taking a stand against something he found unjust. Although, apparently brandishing a hand-gun didn't get his point across in the most productive way, if more people defended trees and nature with guns, maybe people would see that they are worth fighting for.

Lmfao @ the notion that this man was an excellent teacher. He had a ridiculously immature sense of humor and lied about his discoveries as a "scientist" because he was insecure in his career, and additionally, had no ability to control his class, which is why Carver relocated him to Franklin.

I never actually had Aaron Joseph as a teacher, but he was still a mentor and dear friend to me through high school and beyond. The media can portray him however they want, but he's (clearly, see above) been such a positive influence on so many lives-- he's still the same amazing man to me. Our thoughts are with you, Mr. Joseph!

I've never had Mr. Joseph as a teacher, but I have worked multiple times with him for catering school events and I respect him deeply (and appreciate his ability to cook), and a large amount of my friends see him as a fantastic teacher, if people were removing trees from his property he has every right to defend it, if it wasn't on his property then it's a simple misunderstanding, this all seems extremely excessive.

That's really sad, seeing as he has a family and such. He was a great teacher though! One of my favorites, hope he's alright...

You know, this wouldn't even be a news story in the south/in the country. You defend your property however you want. Why weren't the workers required to give him notice they would be taking down trees on his property line? If I came home and saw a bunch of guys destroying my yard, I'd be pissed too.

I'm glad somebody's sticking up for the trees! Mr. Joseph is a great man, and I respect him now as much as ever. I'm holding him in the light, and hoping the legal ramifications aren't too heavy. Aladdin Collar, CCAT '07.

hope all goes well at the trial. you are the man mr joseph. Best teacher I ever had.

I had Mr. Joseph for Anatomy as well as Chemistry. He was by far one of the best teachers I had ever had not only in high school, but in my entire grade school career. It is truly disgusting that anyone would bad mouth him ESPECIALLY when they didn't have him. In my eyes, he's still an amazing person. GO JOSEPH!

Aaron Joseph exemplifies what a high school science teacher should be. Introduced me to my first pathogen-- with passion for microbiology and for the politics of science that come inextricably tied to the cool stuff. I am a graduate student in the field, and my studies began with his inspiring teaching.

You'd be lucky to have your children taught by such an educator, especially in a country with a tragic dearth of quality, effective teachers. My thoughts are with Mr. Joseph and his family.

" Anonomous
10:54 am on Wednesday, August 1, 2012
He teaches science at Franklin High School. Would you want this guy teaching your kids"
I think you need a better teacher...it's anonymous *

okay...so maybe pulling out a handgun wasn't the greatest idea BUT
Mr. Joesph is a great man, he always greeted me with smile and a friendly "Hello!" in the hallways. He inspired me and my friends throughout the years. He's such a funny, gentle guy and shouldn't be given all this grief over a silly misunderstanding.

People are so quick to come to his defense because he's a good teacher. Doesn't mean anything he's a good teacher who made a bad choice. Just like so many other people in this world including myself and some of the other people who are commenting. So quick to say don't judge a book by its cover because it's someone you know and respect. That rule doesn't just apply to people you know personally it also applies to people you don't know as well. Before you tell someone else not to judge a book by its cover make sure you sweep in front of your own door. How many people have you judged today. Ex. Mother walking down st. W/kids 1st thing society thinks is welfare. So not true but there goes society judging that book by its cover. The court system will deal w/him whether he's liable or not. I wonder what people would've said if he had taken one of the lives of those men that were just doing their job.

Mr. Joseph was and always will be the best, most amazing teacher I ever had the privilege to learn from. He is the nicest, smartest, most caring man I have ever met. Just because he had a momentary lapse in judgement does not mean he is a terrible person or teacher. We all have those moments every now and then. He does not deserve the scrutiny and disrespect that some people are showing.

just because you had someone as a teacher doesn't mean that you know them as a man or what they are capable of. pointing a gun at anyone that isn't threatening your life is inexcusable and unstable. defending his actions against men that were just doing their jobs is moronic and blind. get some perspective people.

My favorite teacher ever. Great man. This sucks. :-(

This man is seriously an amazing educator. Carver Center churned out so many successful students and Mr. Joseph was one of the main teachers you can thank for that.

Like someone said above, you'd be lucky to have your children be taught by this man.

There has to be more to this story than is written here. I just can't believe it.

Mr. Joseph, we're all keeping you in our thoughts. You were my teacher for two years at Carver, and although my interests were always in the arts and rarely in math and science, you introduced me and countless other students to the phenomena and excitement of chemistry, anatomy, biology, and everything else you were able to squeeze into your lessons. What's happened here is horrible, but none of us here can attest to knowing the exact circumstances. I really hope this doesn't hinder your career as a brilliant scientist and teacher. But if it does, I hope you can move on and enjoy a new livelihood.

I go to Franklin High School and Mr. Joseph was my chemistry teacher this past year. Personally, i see him as being a good and a bad teacher. He's good because he can definitely teach you the material and teach it well. He's a bad teacher because he has no control of the class. Kids were constantly talking while he was and they were even cheating on tests. There is also the fact that doing your homework for his class didn't matter. You mainly got the grade by doing well on the tests. How i see it for this situation is that him being a good or bad teacher doesn't matter. It's his actions that matter. Yes, saving trees is very important, and he did the right thing to try to save them; however, his method of doing so wasn't at all good. The fact is that he threatened to kill the workers with a gun, so him getting arrested is exactly what he deserves.

I have picketed for this man once before, and I will again. FREE JOSEPH

Yeah he was my science teacher at carver in towson very cool guy

I had Mr. Joseph as a teacher and he was one of my favorites, though I was a terrible student. He truly cares about his students, and was always there to offer advice and talk.

Not to say that I approve of his actions. If the men refused to listen to him he should have called the police to ask them to stop until they had determined whether or not it was actually on his land.

Does not even sound like half the story. I wonder what the statistics of this type of event occurring around construction workers is. I have worked on construction sites and many had hand guns under the front seat of their trucks. Sounds like a man protecting himself/his family on his property to me.

Instead of arguing about Aaron Joseph's morality after reading only a few paragraphs, I want you to know a little more about this man. Mr. Joseph is an inspiring individual who has never failed to be there for his students, mentally, emotionally, or even physically (as he correctly diagnosed a friend of mine with blood poisoning, whilst the nurse just claimed it to be nothing). Whenever a student was in need of support, Mr. Joseph was always willing to take time aside to speak with them, and provide them with comfort. I first met him outside of my school, as I sat down with my friend on the steps leading to the front lobby. He walks out, smile on his face, carrying a carton of eggs; and so the first pun war began (for those who knew us, it is well known we would have random pun-offs whenever we ran into each other). He was in charge of the chess club (one of the few members I truly could never beat), the key club, and many other various clubs and activities. He was an honorary member of the culinary prime, as his culinary skills were out of this world. But first and foremost, he was the chemistry teacher. In highschool, I was given the choice to take either GT or Honors Chemistry. It was a simple decision to make; Mr. Joseph was teaching the honors chemistry class, so that is what I took. It was by far the best decision in my life. He was truly passionate about the class, and I ended up learning exponentially more than those in the GT class. Not just in

chemistry either; he was willing to teach you about any subject that you had interest in (so long as classwork was finished). It is because of him that I became interested in Chemistry in the first place. It wasn't the knowledge that made him the best teacher though; it was his unfailing positive attitude, and his innate desire to teach. When a student asked a difficult question, you could see Mr. Joseph's eyes light up as he contemplated the best way to answer. And if ever he was unsure of his response, he would research the issue and have a response by the next class. Out of the plethora of teachers I have had, none have ever compared to the passion Mr. Joesph has, nor the kindness in his heart. He has never once raised his voice at a student, prefering to speak with them individually about concerns, rather than call them out in class. I was honored to have him as a teacher, and I hope that many many people will continue to have such a wonderful person influence their eductaions and lives. He is a person who stands up for what he believes in and always encouraged looking at issues from all perspectives. It is a lesson that I have taken to heart, and I hope you will all do the same. Before you judge this man on a single action, learn who he is and what he believes in, not just what is written in a single article.

poor mr joseph, he is one of my favorite teachers, i cant belive this happened

Anyone who had him for ONE year at Franklin has NO CLUE the impact he had, has, and will always have on Carver, and any Carver student who knows him, whether or not they had him. Something here does not fit, and I find it hard to believe such a liberal teacher would pull a gun on anyone without serious reason.

This man is one of the most amazing human beings on earth. He is one of the best professors I ever had in my entire life and treats each student like an individual and caters to their individual needs in order to foster their own interests in their education. Aaron Joseph has a variety of interests in the visual & literary arts and fosters these passions I. His students as well. This story must be completely incendiary and simply trying to attract attention. I don't buy it for one single second.

Most of you sound like the Penn State Students that vigorously defended Jerry Sandusky and Joe Paterno before they found out the real facts. While you may have had positive interactions with him while he was "on the job", you have no real idea what he is like "off the clock".

Good teacher. Bad teacher. Doesn't matter. The fact is that he now has a Criminal Indictment against him for assaulting 3 people. Hate to break it to you, but he might not be such a nice person after all.

http://casesearch.courts.state.md.us/inquiry/inquiryDetail.jis?caseId=03K12004438&loc=55&detailLoc=K

Perhaps everyone should reserve judgement until the trial is over and we all get the real facts regarding what happened.

Comparing this to the Penn state issue isn't fair, those men were loved because they made a great team, Mr. Joseph changed lives. He didn't help students become great football players, he helped students become great people. He wasn't representing a college football team, he really didn't get much out of it, but maybe the love of helping people. (you know it wasn't the pay)

These students who are standing up for him aren't worried their team will lose if he's gone, these students are scared that future students (they don't know) won't get the chance to be taught by such an amazing individual.

How could you compare, just look at intentions.

Wow I cant believe this, I had Mr. Joseph as a teacher for chemistry and anatomy at Carver and he was great. He would make class an educational and enjoyable time. He would even take time out of his day to do things like manage chess club and help students who weren't doing so well in his class. He is a great man and was so passionate about teaching kids so I find it hard to believe that this is the full story.