Teacher under investigation for alleged liberalism

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I have been absent from my own thread (and I apologize). However, I must respectfully disagree with Chandos on this. Teachers command a great deal of respect from their students. They are taught from an early age to listen to the teacher and that the teacher is teaching facts to them. Most have no reason to ever question them.

A classic example is Columbus. When I was in elementary school he was hailed as a hero. Now he is reviled. I can't think of a single kid that I grew up with who ever gave a second thought to the ramifications to the indians of Columbus arriving.

When a teacher puts a specific focus/slant on something it wouldn't surprise me if 90% of the class takes it on faith.

As to people interfering with a teacher, that is hogwash. It is not up to the teacher to decide what to teach or how to do it. That is to be decided by the community, which includes parents, clergy, politicians, PTO, school board, and hopefully even the teachers.

I'm sure there are plenty of conservative teachers out their, however I have never met one. I think the statement that teachers tend to be liberal is a fair one. One only has to look at whom the major teacher unions have endorsed throughout history. I wouldn't be surprised if only 10% of the time they endorse the Republican party.

This particular teachers main problem is that he got caught and it hit the newspapers. Even then, it hasn't been a big deal. If I hadn't run accross the article on some blogs I would have missed it.

I am also a little disappointed that you posted some random links, that supposedly make conservatives look bad. I make no claim that conservatives are angels, but using an argument that someone is not wrong, because someone else did worse is inappropriate. I expect better. Just one man's opinion

 

I think we need to define age ranges here. While younger kids (single digit ages) tend to take everything in school on faith, after that they start questioning everything. If the teacher was spouting at impressionable youngsters I could understand your extreme outrage, but these were high-schoolers; I think they can separate the wheat from the chaff. What he did is still BS, but as I said before, he should just be reprimanded and put on the short list; if he ever tries it again, he's gone.

I don't know about you, but I've never heard of anyone burning an effigy on Columbus Day. If he hadn't discovered the "Americas", someone else would have; the rulers in power at the time are the ones responsible for what happened. Columbus was only an explorer whose work was taken advantage of. Would you blame the physicists who invented the science that led to atom bombs being dropped on Japan?

EDIT:
It seems I was wrong about Columbus's involvement in the atrocities, but my point stands. Columbus Day is still celebrated, and even the scientists who worked directly on the atom bomb are viewed as visionaries.

I'm going to have to disagree with you again, but this time I don't think you went far enough. The teacher's main problem is that he kept pushing until he finally crossed the line. He needs to settle down and teach, not preach.

I also wonder at the article titling of "alleged liberalism" reading not unlike "alleged embezzlement" or something similar. I'm sure it's just a Freudian slip, but it's still funny nonetheless.

[ November 29, 2005, 17:41: Message edited by: Felinoid ]

 

Someone else did - the Vikings.

The links were not "random," but were directed at those comments by other posts, which I highlighted, but I'm sure you were aware of that. Other than that, we just respectfully disagree...

 

I think this has far less to do with ideology and much more to do with the historically proven and well-documented Republican pencheant for cutting the ass out of education spending.

Ask any teacher in the country which they prefer: having the freedom to inject their political biases into the classroom, or not having to pay for their necessary classroom supplies out of their own pocket because the school district was forced to make "cuts."

I think most teachers get into teaching because they like kids and enjoy teaching, period. The vast majority aren't all trying to be ideological brainwashers, and the ones that are are abusing their station are doing a disservice to the children. Most good teachers support the party who makes their job - teaching - easier and doesn't consider their funding to be expendable. Historically, that party has been the Democrats, by leaps and bounds.

If you want to try to trace the source of the leftward leanings of educators in America, you may want to start by looking into why Republicans have such a hard-on for cutting their funding.

[ November 29, 2005, 07:34: Message edited by: Death Rabbit ]

 

When I was in elementary, he was hailed as a hero. When I was in junior high, he was reviled as a butcher. When I was in high school, he was neither worshiped nor hated.

It's not so bad, really.

 

@Chandos:
I was talking about for the countries in question; some other Spain-area European would have gotten the crazy idea about the world being round into their heads eventually.

@BTA:
Same thing happened to me; I argued with the teacher. At the time I was rather proud of my last name, but now I try to miss reunions whenever possible.

 

Speaking as a teacher, I'd like to make a few comments here.

First of all, any attempt to completely suck all political or social discussion out of a classroom results in no learning -- particularily if the classroom is a humanities one. I have conversations about the nature of politics, religion, social issues, and other things all the time. From what little I saw of the test, it did not require the students to write advocating belief in a particular system or ideology; it was some wildly funny sentences wherein the students had to select the word that fit grammatically into a sentence. It does not seem to me that the studentsd were being forced to repudiate their own beliefs or subscribe to the beliefs of the teacher.

There was a similar tempest in a teapot a few years ago with a rather funny math test. It involved questions like "Johnny cut his 3.2 kg of Cocaine with 2.7 kg of baking powder. Given a streat price of $20 / gram, what is his profit if the spent $500 on the cocaine and $2.50 on the soda?" It was obviously a joke, but a whole bunch of people really lost their cool over it.

Obviously, this teacher is less than bright, as such blatantly provocative material is likely to cause problems, but at the same time, I think that these people getting their knickers in a twist need to get a grip.

Bear in mind that I'm a conservative through and through, so this isn't coming from a Bush Basher myself.

 

So, if your wrong doing is ineffective, it is no longer wrong? That is what I can gather from your post.
If the teacher has not the gullible power - which I don't believe at all - to convince the children, he is allowed to indoctrinate them as much as they want; after all, they won't listen to him...
It seems to me you are just making up excuses for a poor behaviour.

So what? Media sucks. Everyday I hear this "Mass Media is the most democratic institution of society" BS, which, ironically, is pulled by the media people themselves Fact is, mass media is pure ideological agenda and mafia, wishing to hold a grip on society.
That said, the fact mass media sucks allows teachers to abuse their position to indoctrinate children?
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What kind of BS example is that? This twit had to be jailed, in the least! And if he put my children through it, he would be swallowing his teeth for a full week.
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The reason leftists are greatly over represented in the West is because they have read Gramsci.

 

All praises to Death Rabbit, and I agree with his statement completely. My wife is an elementary school teacher, and I can tell you that she spends hundreds of dollars every year out of her own pocket to pay for school supplies that should obviously be supplied by the school. While it is true that you can save the receipts and get a tax write-off for your expenditures, it still sucks that you have to pay up and then hope to recoup a percentage of what you spent.

It is also true that both my wife and I vote for liberals on the school board, because they are much more likely to provide better funding. Don't even get me started on the No Child Left Behind Act. The only purpose that law served was for teachers to only teach students exactly the type of problems that show up on the annual exams, and actually reduced the material that children were required to learn. The whole test is based on mathematics and english, so that means there's less time for history, literature, science, health, etc. etc. etc. Students do get mroe time for english and math, but there's a cost for that in other subject areas.

 

I don't see any emoticons, so I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask: Was that sarcasm or not?

Is that a book, an author, or a subject? Because I haven't even heard of it except from you. Also, are you talking 'West' as in Western Europe, or 'West' as in Western hemisphere?

 

I think questions like those in the test would have been okay if there had also been similar jabs at the other direction - some jokes about anti-Bush people, etc. As it was, though...doesn't sit well with me. But I wouldn't have the guy fired over it, unless he repeatedly pulled similar stunts despite being warned against it.

 

Here's one he can use on his next quiz. If Cindy Sheehan's son were alive today he would either be a) mortified at what his mother has done in his name or b) scratching at the roof of his coffin?

Sorry it is an old and bad joke, but I couldn't resist

 

@TGS:
Actually, that could use some shining up; how about this?

Now that's an English vocab question.

 

I am not refering myself to the anti-Bush teacher, but that twit doing those "jokes" about drugs should definetely be punished, heavily. I am not joking, at all.

For me West means western civilization. Western Europe plus North America, Australia and New Zealand.
He was an "Italian" thinker - actually, he was albanian, and some say jewish, but I think albanian is more accurate. He also was a co-founder of the Italian commie party.

 

@Svy:
I knew which one you were talking about, but I'm a bit puzzled why you think a joke about drugs requires such severe punishment. Would you have the same reaction to, say, marijuana or tobacco? It's only a joke, and certainly not saying that drugs are okay (maybe practiced, but not okay).

Okay, you've got my attention.
/me checks wikipedia
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Hmm. Well, it doesn't sound like anything you'd find in any library I've been to, but I can't speak for the rest of the country. He didn't live long enough to have a direct impact on WWII (though the indirect impact is undeniable), and he is most certainly not a household (or schoolhall) name around here. So what makes you think everyone's read Gramsci?

 

I think it is totally tasteless. We have a big drug problem already, for a moron like this "teacher" to make exams with questions like that.

I dont think he is everyone's read; certainly it is not the average Joe-six-pack who have ever heard of him, but the leftist "brains" behind most activism and propaganda.
Furthermore, I am sure he is much more influent amongst European thinkers than in the US, which is far less leftist, no doubt about it.
Just to give you an idea of how much impact he did have ... I dont think you have ever heard of the Liberation theology? I don't know if this ever got into the US or western Europe, but it was widespread in South America some decades ago - and it still has some impact. It is basically commies within the Catholic Church perverting the theology and purpose of the Church. Fortunately, late Karol Wojtyla expelled those wolfs in sheep skin from the Church. So, anyway, the two founders are basically Gustavo Gutiérrez and Leonardo Boff. Gramsci was always hailed by them as an important ideological influence...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberation_theology

 

Gramsci is taught in universities. Political Science, mostly. I never attended to such a course, so I cannot tell about the reception

Hmmh. What do you think about Opus Dei?

 

"Put my children through it"? Give me a break, Svy -- students are not damaged by every little thing that happens in a class. Give them some credit. IMHO, people whining about this stuff are idiots who are merely looking for pathetic excuses to kick up a fuss.

 

Fabius,

I don't know that much about Opus Dei, and I don't like to make a fool out of myself speaking out of my ass about things I don't know enough about. What I do know, however, is that it is long dead, so what is your point?

LKD,

So I guess I am a big idiot. I have never seen something more out of place than these drug "jokes".