http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080708/ap_on_...teacher_bible_2

 

 

Demonstrations on the town square show how divided people are over the school board's decision to fire a science teacher accused of preaching his Christian beliefs in the classroom and burning crosses on students' arms.

 

 

Some residents consider him a courageous fighter for religious freedom. Others say he has brazenly violated the church-state divide.

He was doing what to their arms? Like branding them?

From what I understand, basically yes.

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did he have this hot poker handy?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080708/ap_on_...teacher_bible_2

How could anyone in their right mind support that kind of thing?

 

Just like this??

 

Just like this??

 

You might get more discussion from folks if you explained how that was related to this story. Was that branded on someone by a teacher or something?

 

How could anyone in their right mind support that kind of thing?

 

 

Thats what is shocking. I can see a religious fanatic doing something like this, but for the town to back him. I just don't get it.

Thats what is shocking. I can see a religious fanatic doing something like this, but for the town to back him. I just don't get it.

 

Because most of those people are the same religion. He should move on to a religious school where he can educate and preach if he wants to. Doing this in a public school is asking for a problem.

 

 

Because most of those people are the same religion. He should move on to a religious school where he can educate and preach if he wants to. Doing this in a public school is asking for a problem.

Not to mention that, regardless of the preaching... tattooing his students?!?!?! I wouldn't think anyone would tolerate that in any setting.

 

Not to mention that, regardless of the preaching... tattooing his students?!?!?! I wouldn't think anyone would tolerate that in any setting.

He wasn't tattooing them, just disfiguring them. Way easier to accept.

Obviously he should be in jail if he is branding kids at school. Why isn't he in jail? He should obviously be fired if it's true and locked up.

 

the other side of the story....

 

I saw him on tv with his lawyer, and they showed the burn (which was obviously not a brand, looked like a chemical burn from an experiment gone awry). He says the story is basically false, but this is the kind of story that the media will just destroy someone, then if the facts come out he is innocent, they will bury the 'innoncent story' on p.53 with a 2 sentence blurb. But if students are getting injured in his class because he is careless, that is also ground for being fired.

Edited July 9, 200817 yr by mr_genius

Apparently, he's been a problem child for the school district registering a significant enough number of complaints over 11 years according to the article so maybe he should be removed from the classroom.

I guess he won teacher of the year too, which was brought up in the interview, but not the article. I think one of the main issues here is that he keeps a bible on his desk.

I guess he won teacher of the year too, which was brought up in the interview, but not the article. I think one of the main issues here is that he keeps a bible on his desk.

 

If you check out the report made by the HR firm (here), it appears that the 2 things mentioned most in the media, the Bible on the desk and the cross burned into the arm, are two of the LEAST relevant things that occured.

 

The burned cross appears to be a lot of media hype ("Teacher burns cross into student's arm!"). While putting crosses onto students' arms is inappropriate and causing minor electrical burns is just farkng dumb, the students did volunteer and there was no indication that the teacher intended to cause any harm. The red marks disappeared in a short period of time for most students. One student involved had some kind of bad reaction to the process and his mark lasted for weeks rather than days. That kid's parents made a complaint.

 

The teacher's supporters keep talking about the Bible on the desk in an attempt to make it seem like it was the only reason he got into such hot water and that he is being persecuted (omg secularists!) for his beliefs. In reality, his personal Bible was by far the most benign element of his religious beliefs he brought into the classroom.

 

Some of the other highlights:

• 10 commandments and other religious posters displayed in the room
• Bibles in the classroom for student use, not his personal use
• Inappropriate leadership in student prayer group contrary to school policy
• Taught Creationism/ID in the classroom
• Repeated insubordination after being told to not teach Creationism/ID
• Distributed (and recollected) handouts to students from "All About God Ministries"
• Assigned extra credit for students seeing a movie about Intelligent Design
• Was a poor science teacher overall (teachers in subsequent grades complained his students didn't understand even the basic concept of science)
• Had a discussion with students about Easter/Good Friday/the Resurrection
• Had a discussion with students about the evils of homosexuality

Edited July 10, 200817 yr by CrimsonWeltall

If you check out the report made by the HR firm (here), it appears that the 2 things mentioned most in the media, the Bible on the desk and the cross burned into the arm, are two of the LEAST relevant things that occured.

 

The burned cross appears to be a lot of media hype ("Teacher burns cross into student's arm!"). While putting crosses onto students' arms is inappropriate and causing minor electrical burns is just farkng dumb, the students did volunteer and there was no indication that the teacher intended to cause any harm. The red marks disappeared in a short period of time for most students. One student involved had some kind of bad reaction to the process and his mark lasted for weeks rather than days. That kid's parents made a complaint.

 

The teacher's supporters keep talking about the Bible on the desk in an attempt to make it seem like it was the only reason he got into such hot water and that he is being persecuted (omg secularists!) for his beliefs. In reality, his personal Bible was by far the most benign element of his religious beliefs he brought into the classroom.

 

Some of the other highlights:

• 10 commandments and other religious posters displayed in the room
• Bibles in the classroom for student use, not his personal use
• Inappropriate leadership in student prayer group contrary to school policy
• Taught Creationism/ID in the classroom
• Repeated insubordination after being told to not teach Creationism/ID
• Distributed (and recollected) handouts to students from "All About God Ministries"
• Assigned extra credit for students seeing a movie about Intelligent Design
• Was a poor science teacher overall (teachers in subsequent grades complained his students didn't understand even the basic concept of science)
• Had a discussion with students about Easter/Good Friday/the Resurrection
• Had a discussion with students about the evils of homosexuality

 

yea he shouldn't teach creationism as it's not proven science. i don't think religion should be in public class rooms. the public school system is bad enough without tossing this stuff in the classroom IMO. US students are already horrible enough at math and science.