student tattles on teacher for critizing bush Options

[Seeker]

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/na...=la-home-nation

DENVER — It was the day after President Bush's State of the Union address, and social studies teacher Jay Bennish was warning his world geography class not to be taken in.

"Sounds a lot like the things that Adolf Hitler used to say," Bennish told students at the suburban high school Feb. 2. " 'We're the only ones who are right, everyone else is backward and our job is to conquer the world.' "

The teacher quickly made clear that he wasn't equating Bush with Hitler, but the damage was done. A sophomore in the class had recorded the lecture on an MP3 player, and turned it over this week to a local conservative talk radio show.

Bennish, who has taught at Overland High School for five years, was placed on paid leave Wednesday by the Cherry Creek School District, sparking an uproar over issues of free speech and teacher conduct.

About 150 Overland students walked out of class Thursday to protest Bennish's absence, and the teacher's lawyer — who met with district officials Friday — has threatened a federal lawsuit.

Attorney David Lane contended on the Mike Rosen radio show, which originally played the tape, that his client's comments were not outlandish and were intended to get students to think about current events.

"Maybe it's not mainstream, middle-American opinion," Lane said Friday. "But the rest of the world agrees with him."

Lane added that if Bennish had spoken strongly in support of Bush, he would not be under investigation.

Tustin Amole, a spokeswoman for the school district, said officials were investigating whether Bennish had violated a policy that prohibited teachers from intimidating students who held political beliefs different from their own.

"Teachers do have a 1st Amendment right to express their opinion," Amole said, "but it must be in the context of the material being taught and it must provide a balanced point of view."

The Cherry Creek district, with 47,000 students, encompasses an arc of suburbs southeast of Denver; voter registration within its boundaries leans slightly Republican.

A partial transcript of the student's recording portrayed Bennish voicing a range of criticisms of U.S. policy and the war in Iraq. Bennish has not disputed the accuracy of the recording.

The teacher said in the recording that American troops had spent 30 years fighting the drug war in Colombia and using chemical weapons to eradicate coca fields. Bennish called the U.S. "probably the single most violent nation on planet Earth," saying it had committed more than 7,000 "terrorist sabotage acts" against Cuba.

During the class, Bennish questioned why the United States was allowed to wage war in the Middle East but Palestinians were condemned as terrorists for attacking Israel. A student interjected that the U.S. did not single out civilians, unlike Palestinian terrorists. The teacher asked students how Israel was created, telling them that Zionists used assassination and bombings to create their state.

According to the transcript, Bennish concluded by telling his students: "I'm not implying in any way you should agree with me …. What I'm trying to do is to get you to … think about these issues more in depth." He thanked them for asking questions.

Reed Dickson, director of a program at Columbia's Teachers College that places Peace Corps volunteers in urban classrooms, said he thought teachers should express their personal political opinions in class and feared that cases such as Bennish's could intimidate some from questioning the government.

But, Dickson added, teachers must exercise restraint so they don't impose their views on students. "Once the teacher takes on the role of indoctrinating, the educational process is not possible," he said.

Rodney Smolla, dean of the University of Richmond law school in Virginia and a 1st Amendment expert, said that courts allow school districts to regulate teachers' speech.

"Teachers have 1st Amendment rights to speak on matters of public interest in the general marketplace, but they don't have as great a level of rights when speaking inside the classroom on matters related to the curriculum," he said.

[Spectatrix]

I think the teacher has a pretty good case. They should be able to defend him fairly easily.

[taatimmi]

w/ the shortage of teachers, and the importance of what they do, the law tries very hard to keep the teacher certified and in the field, esp. if they haven't commited a 'crime' against any students

[sinner]

In 1984, Orwell says something about the youth being the most bigoted adherents of the Party's doctrine. He talks about frightened parents who won't dare speak out against the government even in their own homes for fear the children might hear and turn them in.

Since the beginning of the millenium, it seems like every couple of weeks I see some warning from that book in the national news. Just a thought.

[woody]

i like how they were showin on the news all the kids doing there walk-out

if high school times have continued throughout the years....

95% of those students don't give a fuck & just walked out to get out of class

[Seussninja]

but he DID commit a crime

and that crime is BEING A FUCKING TERRORIST COMMIE ASSHOLE HE SHOULD BURN

[zetec]

In 1984, Orwell says something about the youth being the most bigoted adherents of the Party's doctrine. He talks about frightened parents who won't dare speak out against the government even in their own homes for fear the children might hear and turn them in.

Since the beginning of the millenium, it seems like every couple of weeks I see some warning from that book in the national news. Just a thought.

love the avatar.








eggy weggz... i would like to... SMASH THEM

[pysex]

i don't know....this is iffy


besides....schools don't like it when teachers start getting off curriculum and start blabbing political crap like that...


yeah the U.S. is violent.....but so is the fucking world....why do you cry about some palestinian woman that stepped on a landmine (that was probably placed there by one of her own people) but not cry about a little girl that was murdered in your hometown...


i don't like what happens when U.S. is in foreign countries any more than you do....i just see it as being a necessary evil....

[FORSAKENR320]

i agree with him... U.S IS one of the most violent countries of all time, but only because we insist on playing big brother when everyone else can't play nice.

america's policy:: "we bomb so YOU don't have to"



i personally think that the problem isn't that we bomb too much...


WE DON'T BOMB ENOUGH


crater their world like the face of a sweaty kid going through puberty

[impala454]

I don't pay school taxes so the teacher can waste it forcing their political opinions on kids.

[JRockTTU]

I don't pay school taxes so the teacher can waste it forcing their political opinions on kids.

I'm glad you posted what I was thinking as I read the thread. It is a teacher's job to teach, not try to influence students into agreeing with their political views. You're a damn geography teacher, so show me where the USA is on a map and what the ranging elevation is, but don't tell me what you think about our government's decisions. I don't see how he can be easily defended if the school board says the policy is that if they give opinions like this they have to teach the other side as well. A clear violation of school policy right there.

[¿ÂÂ...]

"What are we protesting today...? Oh, well, sure! That is really really uncool! Let's cut class and make a statement!"

[impala454]

I'm glad you posted what I was thinking as I read the thread. It is a teacher's job to teach, not try to influence students into agreeing with their political views. You're a damn geography teacher, so show me where the USA is on a map and what the ranging elevation is, but don't tell me what you think about our government's decisions. I don't see how he can be easily defended if the school board says the policy is that if they give opinions like this they have to teach the other side as well. A clear violation of school policy right there.

haha i didnt' know it was a geography class... makes it even more pointless.

[pysex]

I'm glad you posted what I was thinking as I read the thread.  It is a teacher's job to teach, not try to influence students into agreeing with their political views.  You're a damn geography teacher, so show me where the USA is on a map and what the ranging elevation is, but don't tell me what you think about our government's decisions.  I don't see how he can be easily defended if the school board says the policy is that if they give opinions like this they have to teach the other side as well.  A clear violation of school policy right there.

oh shit geography teacher?



yeah he better be fired

[Spectatrix]

Social studies teacher in a geography class, to be precise.