No, teachers are not biased. Not at all! Oh I am glad that we homeschool. My kids get a better education and they don't have to put up with this mess.
Vt. Teacher Accused of Anti-Bush Quiz
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Nov 25, 4:59 PM (ET)
BENNINGTON, Vt. (AP) - A high school teacher is facing questions from administrators after giving a vocabulary quiz that included digs at President Bush and the extreme right.
Bret Chenkin, a social studies and English teacher at Mount Anthony Union High School, said he gave the quiz to his students several months ago. The quiz asked students to pick the proper words to complete sentences.
One example: "I wish Bush would be (coherent, eschewed) for once during a speech, but there are theories that his everyday diction charms the below-average mind, hence insuring him Republican votes.""Coherent" is the right answer.
Principal Sue Maguire said she hoped to speak to whomever complained about the quiz and any students who might be concerned. She said she also would talk with Chenkin. School Superintendent Wesley Knapp said he was taking the situation seriously.
"It's absolutely unacceptable," Knapp said. "They (teachers) don't have a license to hold forth on a particular standpoint."
Chenkin, 36, a teacher for seven years, said he isn't shy about sharing his liberal views with students as a way of prompting debate, but said the quizzes are being taken out of context.
"The kids know it's hyperbolic, so-to-speak," he said. "They know it's tongue in cheek." But he said he would change his teaching methods if some are concerned.
"I'll put in both sides," he said. "Especially if it's going to cause a lot of grief."
The school is in Bennington, a community of about 16,500 in the southwest corner of the state.
Well, hell, I wish he'd be coherent too. The world would be less likely to misunderestimate him.
The guy should not be in trouble at all.
How ridiculous!
I remember taking Micro Economics from a Dr. Stanton, while at UAB. He often gave his 'tree-hugging' political views during his lectures. He drove me crazy.
mobileblazer Wrote:I remember taking Micro Economics from a Dr. Stanton, while at UAB. He often gave his 'tree-hugging' political views during his lectures. He drove me crazy.
I would be ticked about Dr Stanton but that is college, not high school. I was in the UAB honors program and it does not get much more liberal that that. The difference is that in college, I expect this. I do not expect it in high school.
A teacher could have done math counting cigars during the Clinton days but then again, that would have gotten you fired. The point is that a high school teacher has no business politicizing the classroom. Many public schools have become a joke.
I hate posting on this board, but...
BTR is right. This guy is a jackass. He has an axe to grind, and he's passing it on to his students.
What teachers should do is teach kids how to think, not what to think. This guy is confusing indoctrination with instruction.
Instead of stimulating the thought process, he is saying, "See, you can make fun of the President of the United States, too!"
An example of a bad question (yes, I'm exaggerating to make my point):
1. President Bush is an idiot because________________.
A. I said so.
B. I said so.
C. I said so.
D. All of the above.
Perhaps a better scenario, one that makes the kids think, might be:
1. (Choose correct answer) Invading Irag ____________________(is/is not) in the United States' interests.
2. (Essay) In not less than 100 words, defend your answer to the previous question.
In the words of Kennesaw Mountain Landis, "Gentlemen, keep your opinions in your hotel room and just report."
i had Dr. Carmichael at UAB. when he found out i was not a right wing reagan loving republican he refused to call on me in class or answer any questions. i had to change my major because of him (he was the pre law advisor). the only reason he couldnt fail me was it was a intro to american govt class and he didnt give essay tests. I would bet good money if it had been subjective grading i would have failed instead of getting a B. durring one lecture he asked if anyone had any questions and when i raised my hand he looked dead at me and said "does anyone else have any questions?" What was my crime you may ask? I was given a uswa mondale ferraro t shirt and i wore it to his class. i loved the general attitude of most conservative uab students as well. i had one yuppie wannabe uab student walk up to me and in a very irate and loud manner that was damn close to being a scream tell me "you shouldnt be allowed to vote for him!"
i had a bumper sticker for a democratic candidate on my car and while parked at a uab parking lot my tail lights were bashed in and they stuffed campaign literature for the republican candidate in what was left of the tail lights.
in one class a conservative student came in bragging about tearing off some liberal bumper stickers from some libs car that was parked by the front of the building and i was the one who got bitched at by the prof when i dressed the guy down about private property, tolerance, and political freedom. he vandalizes someones car because he does not like a bunch of peace stickers on it and i get yelled at for telling him he is wrong for doing so.
you guys can act all high and mighty and bitch all you want to about liberal intolerance but it cuts both ways. when it comes down to it there is no difference in the way the far left and far right act. they are both self righteous intolerant and full of crap.
draak ijveraar Wrote:i had Dr. Carmichael at UAB. when he found out i was not a right wing reagan loving republican he refused to call on me in class or answer any questions. i had to change my major because of him (he was the pre law advisor). the only reason he couldnt fail me was it was a intro to american govt class and he didnt give essay tests. I would bet good money if it had been subjective grading i would have failed instead of getting a B. durring one lecture he asked if anyone had any questions and when i raised my hand he looked dead at me and said "does anyone else have any questions?" What was my crime you may ask? I was given a uswa mondale ferraro t shirt and i wore it to his class. i loved the general attitude of most conservative uab students as well. i had one yuppie wannabe uab student walk up to me and in a very irate and loud manner that was damn close to being a scream tell me "you shouldnt be allowed to vote for him!"
i had a bumper sticker for a democratic candidate on my car and while parked at a uab parking lot my tail lights were bashed in and they stuffed campaign literature for the republican candidate in what was left of the tail lights.
in one class a conservative student came in bragging about tearing off some liberal bumper stickers from some libs car that was parked by the front of the building and i was the one who got bitched at by the prof when i dressed the guy down about private property, tolerance, and political freedom. he vandalizes someones car because he does not like a bunch of peace stickers on it and i get yelled at for telling him he is wrong for doing so.
you guys can act all high and mighty and b**** all you want to about liberal intolerance but it cuts both ways. when it comes down to it there is no difference in the way the far left and far right act. they are both self righteous intolerant and full of crap.
It's the opposite now in UAB's poly sci department. All of the professors I've had are liberal, but I haven't seen too much of them forcing their views down students throats. But it still happens occasionally.
[quote="draak ijveraar"]i had Dr. Carmichael at UAB. when he found out i was not a right wing reagan loving republican he refused to call on me in class or answer any questions. ......./quote]
Maybe you should have been in the Honor's Program. That would have given you the other perspective.
BTR Wrote:[quote="draak ijveraar"]i had Dr. Carmichael at UAB. when he found out i was not a right wing reagan loving republican he refused to call on me in class or answer any questions. ......./quote]
Maybe you should have been in the Honor's Program. That would have given you the other perspective.
my point was it cuts both ways its just that you only notice it when you dont agree with them.
draak ijveraar Wrote:BTR Wrote:[quote="draak ijveraar"]i had Dr. Carmichael at UAB. when he found out i was not a right wing reagan loving republican he refused to call on me in class or answer any questions. ......./quote]
Maybe you should have been in the Honor's Program. That would have given you the other perspective.
my point was it cuts both ways its just that you only notice it when you dont agree with them.
I agree. That's the point I was trying to make in my original post. Instructors: Tell me what you expect me to know, and I'll draw my own conclusions, thanks.
i never really had a professor outrightly show their political ideologies until this past semester. ive had professors who i knew wanted to interject their philosophies, but didnt. being a chemistry major, these were few and far between b/c political thoughts normally dont come up when discussing atomic structure. also, meeting ada long was the single reason that i didnt apply for the honors program. i could tell right away that i wouldnt have enjoyed it.
dfarr Wrote:i never really had a professor outrightly show their political ideologies until this past semester. ive had professors who i knew wanted to interject their philosophies, but didnt. being a chemistry major, these were few and far between b/c political thoughts normally dont come up when discussing atomic structure. also, meeting ada long was the single reason that i didnt apply for the honors program. i could tell right away that i wouldnt have enjoyed it.
I liked Ada. I always found her (and everyone in the HP) very fair. Notice,I did not say fair and balanced but I did find her fair. Everything was obviously taught through liberal glasses but there were a few of us who were different. Call us the token conservatives :)
being a poly sci major their political bents come into play. after the intro courses all of the tests were essay and i figured out if i scewed my answers to their views i would boost my grade by at least 1.0. it did backfire once when i was very hungover and probably still sort of drunk durring a midterm and was not thinking clearly. i wrote the answers thinking of one profs views instead of the class i was in so i didnt get the grade boost. if i had done that in a class where the proff was diametrically opposed in viewpoint it would have lowered my grade.