Teacher suspended for political preaching

[uplinktruck]

Jay Bennish is on suspension from his job as a geography teacher at Overland High School in Aurora, CO. His suspension came to pass as a result of his comments following President Bush's last State of the Union address

Comments

[matt_arnold]

I don't see his comments as justifying the 9/11 attacks. It seems to be an attempt to get students to understand the populations of other countries so that they aren't just seeing them as a characature of evil. It's a warped point of view, certainly. But the students don't have to believe it, and I'm not sure the teacher believes it.

After all, most of the American supporters of the war have a warped and characatured point of view about their civilian enemies, similar to the characatured view of Americans possessed by a civilian in the Middle East who supports Al-Quaeda. These two populations are really mirror images of each other. If the students realize why the civilian Al-Quaeda supporters consider you and I to be evil, they'll recognize that characature of hate when they see their own neighbors doing it towards the Middle East in return. And that will help to stop the cycle of hysteria.

Where does The Constitution guarantee any of us the right to everything we need?Are you saying we should want whatever the Constitution wants?

[uplinktruck]

Where does The Constitution guarantee any of us the right to everything we need?
Are you saying we should want whatever the Constitution wants? We can change the Constitution. It's not divine scripture, you know.

The United States Constitution is not a document to be tampered with lightly. The minute you open that door, all kinds of things can happen.

Look at prohibition. Consider the folks that would like to this as a Christian nation. What about the boys and girls that have their knickers in a wad over gay marriage?

I can only assume from your reply you're suggesting that the constitution be modified to require the government to provide for all citizen's needs. Okay, but then we become a socialist or communist nation. Neither of those systems has worked out well so far.

So how would you feel if Bennish was teaching your children and came down as just as hard on gay marriage comparing it to Satan's work?

[jsp_d]

Okay, but just to play devil's advocate, would you feel as strongly if he weren't 'attacking' something you agree with?

I'm of seriously mixed opinions about this, in large part due to the fact that i see what this teacher is doing as attempting to get students to honestly think, use some small portion of their brains. he might not be going about it the right way, but that doesn't necessarily mean his intentions are in the wrong place.

I might be wrong. I don't have the whole story. But I, personally, believe that somewhere along the line, students need to learn how to listen to and effectively debate in topics like these. That may be a lesson best learned at home, or it may not be.

[uplinktruck]

Okay, but just to play devil's advocate, would you feel as strongly if he weren't 'attacking' something you agree with?

Yes. The teachers in public schools where the students are a captive audience are to teach facts and keep personal opinions and political dogma any side of the fence to themselves.

From the news stories linked above and many others, you will find this is not an isolated incident. Bennish got busted in a highly public manner because of his on going tirades against the President and all his policies.

His job is (was?) to teach geography. It is not, nor will it ever be to turn out good little liberals or conservatives. That is for the student to decide for themselves.

This is a sore spot for me because of the non-sense I had to deal with in the Douglas County, CO school system. In fact, I think I'm going to blog that now.

[laken_steeljaw]

I have been under a rock for the past while, and I just heard about this yesterday. Go me, right?

Anyway, from what I've picked up- I don't agree with the teacher in this. Had he been fostering healthy debate among the students and getting them to research these issues and form their own opinions, then I think what he was doing is alright. But preaching to a 'captive audience' isn't a good thing. Plus, he was a geography teacher, not a political sciences or government teacher, so it seems almost out of his curriculum.

Now, all I know of it (even though I live in Aurora) is what I've picked up from the media and others, so my views may be skewed. If he did what I have been told he did, I don't agre with what went on. However, that may be the media's own take on it.

[phecda]

Been too busy over the weekend to catch up with this, however the viewpoint I take is that these children are getting the official government viewpoint every day and in saturation from TV, from their parents, from society at large. Here you have a teacher who is promulgating a disenting view (and despite the fact that the WTC destruction was a tragedy, he is dead on about Al Qaeda's views. And if you don't understand your enemy's rationale, or choose to ignore it, you will never learn how to defeat them, or possibly find common ground. (This last is a general statement

[uplinktruck]

Okay, so he's venting his opinions to his class. Lets change the scenario around. What if he was venting in support the war and President Bush as vehemently as he vented against it. And while he was at it, to toss out a few negative opinions against same sex marriage, gays in general, sex outside of marriage, Senator Clinton, etc.

Would you still feel it was okay for him to do so?

By the way, I will never accept the World Trade Center being classified as a "military target." That is a load of bullshit that could fertilize 40 acres. We may have to disagree on that one.