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Fifth Column
UPDATE: Great Moments in Public Education, Part II
2003-02-28
Fox News picks up this story, first reported by local TV, the Winds of Change weblog, Best of the Web and Rantburg on Tuesday. Fox has reactions from several sources:
Supporters of the U.S. military expressed outrage at the stories of harassment, first reported by a local Maine television station. "Any teacher who harasses a child for the job their parents do to protect all of us and our freedom should be fired, and as far as I'm concerned, deported," said Marc Curtis, Webmaster for www.military-brats.com. "They are supposed to be teaching, not brainwashing," he added.
Unfortunately, there are many in our public schools who would disagree with that statement.
Or can't tell the difference between the two...
"It's just beyond contempt — what kind of person treats a vulnerable seven-year-old this way?" asked Joe Katzman, site administrator for www.windsofchange.net, where many readers have voiced their concerns over the issue. "Why is this kind of abuse tolerated?" The complaints have been filed at Guard Family Assistance Centers in the cities of Augusta, Bangor, Calais, Caribou and Portland, and prompted the state's top educator to fire off a letter to superintendents and principals...
I'm sure the very threat of such a letter has the perpetrators quaking in their Hush Puppies.
"Ensuring the emotional and physical safety of all of Maine's students is first and foremost on all of our minds," said the letter, which urged schools to provide balanced information about the conflict and heed the physical needs of military children and families... The Maine Education Association — the state arm of the National Education Association . . .
the same organization that came up with lesson plans suggesting no one was to blame for September 11 and "urging educators to 'discuss historical instances of American intolerance,' so that the American public avoids 'repeating terrible mistakes.'"
. . . — said "99.9 percent" of the state's 17,000 teachers properly reacted to that information, but conceded others may not have. "I'd say a miniscule minority seems to have hit some kind of public nerve and is bouncing across Web pages and chat rooms in the United States," said MEA spokesman Keith Harvie.
"Curse that Vast Right Wing Conspiracy!"
I think on O'Reilly last night they mentioned 30 cases in Maine alone. Maine's not the largest of 50 states...
"It's a bit astounding to think that some comments which, I should note, have only been alleged and haven't been proved or demonstrated,
"Lies! All lies!"
are causing such a ruckus."
I think it's the very idea that the teachers we're required to entrust our children to could even think of making remarks like those ones alleged...
It's up to the local school superintendents and school boards to investigate and punish a teacher commensurate with the seriousness of offense and work record, Harvie said. "There may be a great divide of feelings, even among our members — but they'll debate that outside of school. They're not going to do that around children."
It's up to the local school superintendents and school boards to fire the bastards on the spot.
But others, like Ohio public school teacher Kyle Farmer, said he wouldn't be surprised if the unions didn't do much to ferret out the problem teachers. "We have an infrastructure set up now to protect people who are horrible teachers ... I can't believe any teacher is so poorly trained that they would think that that conduct is acceptable."
Unfortunately, he's right.
I don't think I can recall an instance I've ever heard of, of a union demanding a member be dumped for gross incompetence...
A number of older students have also taken up the issue. "Teaching tends to be a profession comprised of people of a liberal mind-set," said Rick Kenney, a senior at Gardiner Area High School in Maine who has enlisted in the Army. "Take those teachers, stick them in this area, and the results are disappointingly predictable."
True.
But whatever one's political views, said others, picking on children as young as seven is the wrong way to vent anti-war frustration. "It seems there are always a few mean-spirited people out there who seize upon military children to vent their wrath at the war in question," said Mary Wertsch, author of Military Brats: Legacies of Childhood Inside the Fortress. "Our people in uniform, and certainly their little children, deserve all our compassion."
Posted by:Mike

#4  As a former teacher, I can tell you that the pay is not the reason there are few teachers to choose from (and getting fewer by the day). The pay isn't really that bad most places. It's the whole structure of the system, the culture of the schools, that drives away people who have skills but not a missionary zeal.

You'll always have some good teachers doing heroic duty, but the others who would be good teachers decide they'd rather work somewhere else without all the grief. That leaves those who aren't competent to do anything else or who are willing to "just get by" in order to have the days off and the short hours. (I know, the hours aren't short if you do your job right, but teachers in this category aren't doing their jobs right.)
Posted by: Kathy   2003-02-28 20:07:12  

#3  Paid very little compared to what; the hourly wage computes out VERY nicely. Since they insist on joining unions for protection, they're hired help with more time off than any other job !!

Those who treat the little ones that way are abusing children. Why can't we bring back the 'tar and feather' routine?!
Posted by: MommaBear   2003-02-28 19:14:00  

#2  Except for tenured professors at major universities, teachers in the USA are paid VERY little. There aren't many people willing to work for such low wages so most schools will hire anyone with the necessary credentials. And as beggers, the schools can't enforce real discipline over teachers they can't afford to lose.
Posted by: Scooter McGruder   2003-02-28 12:30:33  

#1  That's low, but probably only the tip of the iceberg. Haven't you some kind of law preventing teachers to use their position to enforce their political views in the USA ? *Real* disciplinary measures are needed, here.
Posted by: Anonymous   2003-02-28 11:01:46  

00:00