Teacher under investigation for alleged liberalism

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This brings back some un-fond memories of high school. It wasn't easy growing up a conservative in Massachusetts.

Taken from the Boston Globe.

I love how the teacher "knows" that it is all fun and games. I guess it never would dawn on him that he may be "upsetting" people who don't agree with him. Would he ever make the same quiz and replace "Republicans" with "Homosexuals"? I'm guessing not.

 

I take it from your opening sentence that this happened often when you were growing up? Because it seems like a fairly outlandish, rare occurance to me. Not excusing it, mind you - this guy is an ass. But I can't imagine that public school teachers in Massechusettes are this fanatical about their political leanings, or that the fanatacism is as widespread as you seem to be suggesting.

But then again, after growing up in Utah and living in the south - where I know for a fact this type of thing goes on in rural public schools, but toward the opposite end of the political pendulum - I guess this shouldn't surprise me.

From the article:

If this were true, he would have also included questions like: "When liberal activist groups like E.L.F. - Earth Liberation Front - go around blowing up Hummers, they are (exacerbating, empregnating) the problem rather than solving it."

They should really fire this douchebag. If for no other reason than to send a message to teachers to keep their own political baggage out of their curriculum and stick to actual teaching of the source material. In this case, English.

 

Dubya quotes during an English class, especially outside the States, is one thing. What this teacher has done is different. It's not even making fun of politicians but pushing his negative propaganda down kids' throats. But yeah, if he claims it's taken out of context, let them give him the chance to show it.

 

Stuff like this shouldn't be used on a test.
It makes one wonder whether the grading curve is slanted a certain way.

 

"Growing up conservative" ? Yikes. What's that Churchill quote: "If you're young and conservative, you have no heart. If you're old and liberal, you have no brain."

What's that mean exactly, to be young and conservative? You protested when girls played with toy guns and boys played with dolls? You refushed to go see Star Wars because it promoted a quasi-Buddhist philosophy that was clearly anti-Christian?

And why is criticism of Bush automatically considered liberal? There are plenty of conservatives who can't stand him or his cronies. Republican doesn't always equal conservative, and just because someone calls themselves a conservative doesn't necessarily mean they are one. As Jesus said, we should judge a tree by its fruit, and Pres. Bush may call himself an apple tree but those ain't apples hanging from his branches.

 

My heart goes out to you Snook...must have been tough trying to grow up a conservative in Massachusetts. I grew up in good, old conservative New Hampshire and we used to refer to our neighbors to the south as the "Peoples Republic of Massachusetts".

I see lots of examples of educators fitting their opinions and theologies into their curricula. Although I'm sure that there are a few conservative teachers who try to instill those values into their students, the vast majority of teachers tend to be liberal. I remember the outnumbered conservative kids who used to rise to the liberal teachers bait of

Any conservative kid who makes it through public school in a liberal district deserves a pat on the back.

As destestable as this kind of "agenda pushing" is, I don't think it's grounds to be able to fire a person. I think in the future all of his "tests" should be reviewed by a neutral party before they can be handed out to students. Trouble is, with the bastion of liberalism that makes up the education community and teachers unions...who exactly can you find to review? Sorta like asking the wolf to watch the fox around the hen house.

 

I'm a liberal, and I have taught in the public schools, and I agree, politically, with the viewpoint of the teacher. But this is inappropriate teaching, the equivilent of a loaded question. The teacher should be reprimanded.

 

Yeah Fink, that response wasn't biased.

I grew up in the NYC 'burbs with some liberal teachers who, while not this bad, definitely had a "slant" in their teachings.

 

There are two things happening at once here:

1. A teacher should not have to leave his/her beliefs behind when he enters a classroom. I love how conservatives argue against preaching ideology - if it's liberal - while pushing "intelligent design" on students at the same time. What a crock!

2. To place such questions on a quiz is absurd. Everyone, including teachers and students, are allowed their freedom of speech, freedom of belief, freedom from political coercion, etc.

Most students, if they like and respect their teachers, often enquire after their opinions on issues. Teachers should be allowed to express their thoughts on political matters as long as they are not using coercion on their students to mirror their beliefs.

Public schools are filled with all kinds of ideology: conservative, liberal, religious, corporate, national identity beliefs - the list goes on. In fact, that is their function - it's a kind of indoctrination into society-at-large. Students will be thrust into a cross-current of beliefs, much like in the "real world," and it's up to them to ultimately figure out what makes sense and what does not. Teachers with integrity should reinforce an "ideology" based freedom of thought, debate, political and religious affiliation, etc.

Much like any liberal student who can simply survive in a Texas public school.

[ November 26, 2005, 04:42: Message edited by: Chandos the Red ]

 

So far as Dubya bashing goes, if he gets fired, it's going to be for getting caught and for all the media hustle rather than for what he really did with those tests. I don't like that kind of scapegoating. If he's a reasonable guy (and perhaps he was bored on that day), he isn't going to do that again. If he does, well... he will have had his warning and firing him will produce much less compunction.

But I really didn't like the part where he suggested Republicans mere clinically retarded and such was the requirement to vote for Bush. Making jokes about politicians when you feel particularly bitter is one thing, insulting about 40% of the population is something different.

 

"I wish Bush would be (coherent, eschewed) for once during a speech, but there are theories that his everyday diction charms the below-average mind, hence insuring him Republican votes," said one question on a quiz written by English and social studies teacher Bret Chenkin

He's an english and social studies teacher. I remember in high school that I had and english/social studies teacher and he often just mixed the two classes on tests. This would be alot easier for him to pass off if he was also teaching government.

 

Way to make an unbiased argument. Why do you feel the need to take a jab at conservatives, without any basis? What conservatives push "intelligent design" and what the heck is it anyway?

 

I had a teacher like that. Quite a lot, in fact. We should be careful with what the media chooses to tell us (nothing new so far). If he says that his students "know where he stands" then it is fine as long as he respects oppossed opinions (like mine did). But to take an exam like that is not the smartest idea. Besides he could get better results by straight debating. And can we not underrate young people for just a second? It's not hard at all to understand what ideas this teacher supports. And now that I recall other threads in this forums I'd like to say that his teachings won't do much if he gets proper education at home ( for all of you "conservative" dudes out there).
This case has to be examined more closely to make a final decision. I think it's better to be clear on this issue than to give subliminal biased opinions by focusing on certain instrascendent topics than in more important ones.

 

Even if what you say were true, you could construe intelligent design as an unsunbstantiated theory at most, while what the teacher put in those sentences is a clear insult and has nothing to do with any theorising at all (not like I disagree with his opinion on Bush). Bad comparison.

 

Klorox, have you not been paying attention to the news lately? Or the Alley for that matter? This has been a very big deal lately.

Intelligent design is essentially "creationism" with a different name, and conservative school boards in different parts of the country have been trying to officially inject it into the science curriculum while denouncing evolution as merely "an untested theory" (though many have been doing it "unofficially" for years). Do a google search on "intelligent design+school board" and you'll get sufficient explanation.

Chandos does make a good point. There have been plenty of instances where conservative teachers have attempted to push christian/conservative ideology onto their students in a public school setting, and conservatives have been relatively silent about that. Whether you agree with the inappropriate injection or not, it is still inappropriate. Turnabout is fair play.

I personally agreed with the viewpoints of the teacher, but think he's an ass and should be fired (or at least stiffly reprimanded). What he did was inappropriate and out of line. I won't support what he did just because I happen to agree - it's still wrong.

While this doesn't make a perfect comparison, the basic facts of the matter remain: a teacher is pushing ideology where it doesn't belong. Political ideology by a liberal in an english class, and religious ideology by a conservative in a science class. The parallel is there.

 

I suppose there is a tenuous parallel between liberal agenda teachers and ID teachers (which, btw, I don't think belongs in a science curriculum), but there's also a matter of scope. I would wager to guess, and I'll try to find some stats to back this up, but for every "conservative agenda whacko teacher" there are at least 10 "liberal agenda whacko teachers".

I don't like the conservative nuts who try to indoctrinate their ideas on the students, any more than the liberal nuts who try to do the same thing...but the conservatives seem to be a drop in the bucket compared to the liberals.

Also, I think it's a lot easier to pinpoint a conservative agenda...they tend to be pretty transparent. Liberal agendas seem to be a little sneakier...history classes that focus on "Problems in American History" or the nobility of displaced Native American cultures...anything to divert study away from the central greatness of our nation. I recently spoke to a public high school graduate who could tell me all about Geronimo, the Suffragettes and Martin Luther King Jr....but didn't know Thomas Jefferson from Alexander Hamilton. We have literature classes with reading selections that are steeped in anti-establishmentism, protest or "personal freedoms".

It's like the old story of cooking a pot of frogs slowly, so they never feel the water getting too hot. These are curricula issues that are almost invisible unless you approach them from a conservative mindset, except for every now and then a teacher goes over the top (like this one) and draws the ire of conservatives, moderates and liberals.

Of course, it does give me some comfort to know that the next generation of gifted students and future leaders are being educated in their homes.

 

I feel the need to respond to Sir Fink's sly comments.

Growing up conservative in Massachusetts meant not accepting the dogma that was being taught in the schools as gospel. It meant not believing that everything a white european male accomplished was evil. It meant not believing that the civil rights movement and women's suffrage were the two greatest accomplishments ever achieved by mankind (they were worthy and noble causes, but not the top two). It meant not blindly accepting the Kennedys as royalty. It meant realizing that since government didn't do anything to earn money, that they were actually spending my money (what a wake up that first paycheck was). It meant the pain upon realizing that when a teacher wanted you to discuss something, they really meant for you to spit back what they believed.

As to your questions. Girls that played with toy guns were cool, No boy would play with a doll without being gay (exceptions were made for action figures). I saw Star Wars ten times because it was a kick ass movie for a ten year old. I tended to ignore the self-important philosphy "experts" that would waste time comparing the movie to Buddhaism, besides I'm Jewish.

 

Oh, I'm gonna have to very strongly disagree with you on that one. Homeschool kids scare me, for one thing. They don't get the social interation or problem solving that regular school - be it public or private - provides. I've yet to meet a home-schooled kid who wasn't nuttier than a sh*thouse rat. And you want to talk about inviting indoctrination! There's no school board in home schooling. No PTA, no checks, no balances, no standards of any kind. So if the parent decides the curriculum is going to be that God prefers white people, the earth is only 6000 years old, Communism is peachy or sex with sheep is good practice, who's there to stop them? What's more, how will the child know any different?

What we are discussing in this thread - a big stink being made my a schoolboard about one extremist teacher - would never, and could never happen in a home-school setting.

It's also been my experience that the people who insist on homeschooling their kids are, by and large, the biggest indoctrinators of all. I was once laughed at for discussing the Holocaust with a friend of mine by a man who told me the liberal school system had brainwashed me into believing the Holocaust had actually taken place. When I asked him where he went to school, he stated he was home schooled. My friend, who was not only Jewish but had family members who died at Auschwitz, was not amused.

If you wanna change the school system, rail against guys like Chenkin and insist he be fired to set an example. But please don't think homeschooling is the best answer we have. Lordy.

 

Funny, here I thought that growing up as an individual thinker in general meant the same thing.

Anyway about the case at hand. It's obviously wrong for teatchers to abuse their position to preach or distribute their political agenda. In my former school we had a teatcher who wanted to get in the city council and advertised himself quite openly for the students, one complained and he got a warning and stopped doing that. Warnings are pretty much enough in these cases. Sacking the teatcher would be way too harsh and should be the consequence only when dealing with any sort of abuse of school finances or abusing students.

 

So, how long till someone call Hacken Slash a conspirator nutball? I am accepting bets.
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Really? I know a very close girl to me who went to Texas for a interchange, and her school was like 90% black, and once, when she told off two very rude and agressive blacks who were hitting on her, they went to the principal to accuse her of racism.
For the record, it was a small town more up to the north - if I am not mistaken.
It is true she told me the people she hang up to were conservative WASPs, but then from her words I assumed it was a very liberal-friendly enviroment.
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As for homeschooling, the parents have all the moral and legitimate right to teach their children whatever they want to. A stupid nobody teach has not. There is an abyss of difference. Homeschooling all the way up!