Thus spake Mr. Jay Bennish, an Overland High School geography teacher, to his 10th grade class in 20-minute lesson captured on tape by one of his students and available here. Other gems included:
And of course there’s the obligatory:
Naturally, I expect the usual crowd here to cheer this teacher for his cogent analysis of Bush’s similarity to Hitler, and agree with him that capitalism is at odds with human rights.
Fortunately, the school district’s administrators were not drawn from the ranks of the SDMB. They have suspended Mr. Bennish, and pointed out that their district requires a balanced political viewpoint be presented in the school’s lessons.
I agree with their action, and I’d say that unless it develops that this was an elaborate lesson plan, designed to challenge student’s assumptions and create lively debate, Mr. Bennish should look for other work.
Should we also wander around various school districts finding and punishing teachers who extoll capitalism as a system that has no evil? Should we punish teachers who state that Islam is an aggrerssive religion that seeks world domination?
We certainly supported teachers who claimed that there was a world-wide Communist conspiracy to enslave all mankind. Should those teachers have been disciplined?
How much persuasive power does a single teacher in a single class have to warp the minds of high school kids? Is it appropriate to suppress every expression that is not “balanced” (or, at least, not “balanced” in the direction that favors our viewpoints)?
The guy sounds a bit extreme, but no more so than guys I’ve encountered whose “extremism” goes in the other direction that various political groups would champion.
I’m thinking it was the Six Day War or thereabouts. Palestinian refugees are photogenic, and there’s the whole, “We’re victims of western imperialism” thing going.
My guess would be it started with the Sabra/Shatila massacres, combined with the West Bank settlement program, combined with the policy of responding to attacks by bulldozing entire neighborhoods, capped off by putting the Wall not only up but where it is.
It isn’t just the Left either, it’s the center and much of the right, for that matter. Current US relations with the Arab world are primarily what keeps it from getting even worse. I don’t know how you’ll “get us back” without a serious attempt at finally negotiating the two-state solution that I think most of us expect.
Nice job, Godwinizing your own OP. If that is, in fact, all you’ve gotten from your years reading this board, you might as well just stick to the Pit.
Or to answer you seriously, if we have a teacher who is teaching about capitalism with such a lack of critical thinking as to lead him to say it never produces less than optimal results, then I would certainly question his teaching skills.
Disgusting, of course. The fact that a high school teacher gets suspended for challenging assumptions is pathetic, but not unexpected. We’re apparently a nation of pussies now.
This guy could be the keynote speaker at the next DNC and I don’t think anyone would even bat an eye!
Also, I think it would be a dream to be in this guy’s class. Imagine you sit down to take a geography final you never studied for. You simply write something along the lines of “Who cares what the capital of South Dakota is when we have a murdering dictator like George Bush in the White House!??! You’ve fired me up! I tried to study last night but my mind is filled with hatred and disgust for the dangerous lunatics running our country! Hell, there won’t even BE a South Dakota anymore if we let Bush remain in control for one more day!”
He’s a geography teacher, he needs to stick to teaching geography. Seriously, this sort of thing annoys me to no end. I had a Latin American politics professor in college who would spend 20-30 minutes ranting about how unions are under attack in this country and plugging various upcoming rallies during his lectures. I’m not taking that course to listen to your views on those subjects, I want you to teach the freaking course I signed up for.
In short, I wouldn’t have a problem with the suspension if it was because Mr. Bennish seems incapable of sticking to the topic he’s supposed to be teaching. However, I think the reason given (that they require a balanced viewpoint) is a load of crap. Does anyone really believe that if the professor had been spewing right-wing, Hannity-esque rhetoric that anyone would have had a problem with it?
Recently, the school board of the community where I was born voted to end the high school’s International Baccalaureate program. It appears that the public statements of the school board focused largely on the costs. However, the primary concerns expressed by residents who opposed the program were focused on the idea that it teaches “communism,” (which I learned from personal communication with a current community resident). The leader of the school board faction opposing the program did list such concerns among the reasons for killing the program:
Jesus H. Christ. The vulnerable high-schoolers will all start carrying Mao’s little red book because of a high school program!
When I think about the whole ID issue, the general dismissal of science and scientific findings by the right, and now these concerns about threats to capitalism in public education, I’m feeling that the right is mounting some sort of coordinated attack to take us back to the 50’s. Fears of communism? Come on! Hell, even if they turn full fledged commies, where are they going to go? Cuba?
Defenders of academic freedom ought to note that it applies to students as well. And in a class run by a teacher such as this, opposing viewpoints aren’t going to be treated with any kind of respect.
That was the reason for suspending him. Fully appropriate, IMHO.
First, he’s not a professor. He’s a high school teacher. He’s teaching 10th graders who are probably 15 years old and don’t have a choice whether or not to sign up for his class (from my high school experience, you generally are given a schedule).
And, yes, if the teacher had been spewing right-wing Hannity-esque rhetoric, I bet a lot of people would have a problem with it. You don’t think so?
True, I just got my terminology mixed up. I agree that he needs to stick to the topic at hand - geography. Doubly so since the students don’t get to pick the teacher.
On this board? Sure. Do I think a student would have tape recorded it and the teacher put on leave? No.
Of course not. That’s pretty much what it was. Anyone even superficially familiar with the history and ideology of Communism knows that Communists believed their ideology was destined to sweep the globe and worked towards that end. Why do so many people on the left try to deny this simple and obvious fact?
Not quite sure what you are objecting to with regards to teaching geography - both of the topics posted in the OP definitely have geographic relevance.
The first I can envision trying to inform students about capitalism in the context of of globalization. The second it helps to have a bit of historical perspective in understanding the current issues involved between Israel and the Palestinians.
I should point out that I am in no way endorsing/rejecting what the teacher said. Only pointed out that both topics have relevance when teaching students geography (whether it’s appropriate at the high school level is another debate entirely).