Students protest teachers’ brief suspension (re: 9-11)

[Blitz]

AURORA – An 8th grade teacher in the Cherry Creek School District was back in class Monday, after briefly being placed on leave for showing his class a CNN video of the Sept. 11 attacks.


Jason Ritter, who teaches social studies, showed the video of the burning World Trade Center as part of a lesson he presented Wednesday ahead of the anniversary of the terrorist attack. However he didn’t get permission from parents or administrators first. The next day he was put on paid administrative leave.

“I was just told I was being put on administrative leave, until they could sort out both sides of the story,” Ritter said. He was also told to submit a statement detailing why he showed the video in class.

more:

http://www.9news.com/storyfull.aspx?storyid=18716

[RamboLiberal]

1. Idiots - I swear schools are now run by idiots

And I wonder if any parents objected.

This was the video that showed the jumpers I believe.

I applauded CNN that they still show this. I prefer my history unsanitized and see no problem with anyone over the age of 11-12 seeing this.

[tkmorris]

2. Mmmm perhaps.

Personally I agree with you but lots of parents don't. Whenever there is any doubt I believe the wishes of the parents should be honored.

[RamboLiberal]

4. That's exactly why we're going to turn out a generation

of idiots unable to think for themselves or who have no sense of history.

If you don't want your darlings seeing what really happened - then home school!

Do you want to have classes where evolution isn't taught? Or where we can't discuss the influences of all religions in history, good and bad? We seem to be heading in that direction.

[Blitz]

5. What if parents object to teaching biology

or don't want videos/pictures of Pearl Harbor shown ... or the Holocaust? What if parents object to classes teaching ABOUT different religions?

Parents cede a degree of control when they send a child to school and teachers (should) have leeway to make judgment calls without having to worry about their jobs if somebody objects after the fact.

[tkmorris]

6. Hold it. Ease up

What if the person making the call for the parents in their stead decided NOT to teach evolution? To teach creationism instead? What if they decided to teach kids about sexual predators by showing them graphic videos of abduction victims? What if they showed that video to first-fraders?

Sorry folks, it isn't that black and white. Please remember, I AGREE that showing that video to those students wasn't out of line. I can simply understand the opposing viewpoint.

[Blitz]

7. OK, point taken

However, I said leeway, not complete freedom. There are things that are out of line and teachers have to use good judgment. In this instance, the teacher used what I believe is good judgment in showing the video (my opinion would be different if, for example, he was teaching 2nd grade instead of 8th) and the school used incredibly lousy judgment in suspending him. I'm just happy that parents and students had the good sense and character to stand up for him.

Besides, suspending someone after the fact when the behavior involved is not of an on-going variety (it's not as if he planned to show the video every day), is clearly a punitive measure and that makes the school's action particularly egregious.

[RamboLiberal]

8. Teachers have guidelines that have to be taught

And IMHO what is lacking in many school administrations and school boards is common sense. They want everything to be spelled out in black and white.

What you cited would be covered by the curriculum guidelines and common sense.

In a history class of 8th graders showing the 9-11 video I think should be within the curriculum guidelines of that course.

Glad I'm not a teacher cause I've never been the kind of person who thought I should check every detail with administrators.

[inthecorneroverhere]

15. history class

I think it's acceptable at the 8th grade level or above. I don't really think it's a good idea at 7th grade or below. However, if I were the teacher, I would quiz the students as to whether they have seen it already. I would get a feel for how the kids felt before presenting. I would also considering sending a note home to the parents discussing how 911 would be commemorated in class, and allowing any child to be excused from the video, if requested. If most of the class has already seen the images, then I think it's superfluous to show it again in class. And, the students will *definitely* remember whether or not they have seen this!

Ninth grade history was when most war movies were presented for me. The teacher was a WWII veteran who had been injured in France, and so the source of the information was very credible. Seventh and eighth grade history were mainly based on books, lectures, or if there were videos, they were of stuff going pretty far back like the Revolutionary or Civil War.

I don't really support the idea that parents should cede *too* much control to the schools. However, footage of wars isn't the problem in my mind. The problem is excessive corporate influence in the schools. It comes from:

1. Overt corporate influence in the schools i.e. Channel One and junk food marketing and advertising. Parents and educators need to keep control, and very strictly limit corporate influence in schools.

2. Less overt, more subtle social influence that comes from Hollywood and fashion marketing. This kind of thing pushes provocative fashions and tries to pump the already hyped hormones of kids into overdrive with movies and shows that glamorize teenage sexuality. This is a subtle type of bad corporate influence. The difference is that these Hollywood corporations usually call themselves 'liberal.' Yes, I know most on this board are very 'socially liberal.' I'm not. I'm an economic liberal and a social moderate to conservative. I'm against prayer in the schools, but I also believe that parents have a right to know what is being presented to their children in school as well as what the 'norms' for social behavior are. For instance, using a simple dress code or having uniforms (with a bit of choice in what may be worn) often sets a norm that reduces peer pressure related to fashion trends.

The goal here is not to be a prude, but rather to set an atmosphere conducive to learning rather than an overheated 'peer group scene' where the kids get involved in teenage pregnancies, dropping out etc.

[Blitz]

3. Objected to the video or to the suspension?

I know that some parents objected to the suspension of this teacher. It's unclear who, if anybody, objected to the showing of the video.

And you're 100% correct. The people who suspended this man are idiots.

[bluestateguy]

9. One person probably complained

That's how it works in the public schools. One parent complains and whole policies have to be overhauled and transformed to appease one parent.

[Imajika]

16. Yup

"That's how it works in the public schools. One parent complains and whole policies have to be overhauled and transformed to appease one parent."

Exactly right. And the same people who would complain about this would be the first to approve of 1 parent complaining about...oh...lets say creation being taught in some Southern school system where 99% of the rest of the parents wouldn't have been bothered by it at all. Or, 1 parent complaining about "under God" being required to be recited by children when reading the pledge of allegience. All it takes is 1 parent to complain from either side, meanwhile the schools keep dumbing down their curiculum to avoid any whiff of controversy.

Politics is almost nothing but hypocrisy these days. I hate to be so cynical, but I really have come to believe that principle almost means nothing anymore to anyone - it is all about whose agenda can be advanced.

Imajika

[Blitz]

10. Here is a much more detailed article about the story

It's quite a bit worse (it seems to me) than the original story suggested:

ARAPAHOE COUNTY - The Falcon Creek Middle School teacher who left class Thursday after administrators rejected his teaching plans for Sept. 11 was placed on administrative leave Friday until the district believes he is "emotionally" prepared to return to the classroom, he said.
"They want to make a call (about) when I am fit to be in the classroom," said eighth-grade teacher Jason Ritter. "I'm emotionally in the right place, as I was (Thursday)."

A spokeswoman for the Cherry Creek School District confirmed the leave. Spokeswoman Tustin Amole declined to say whether Ritter's job was at stake, but said the matter raises "issues of insubordination."

...

more:

http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36~6439~1628985,00.html

[RamboLiberal]

13. I'm glad I don't go to school today

I can't blame this teacher for being upset. I watched that CNN video over the weekend. I'm glad CNN has the guts in this case to show the victims futilely waving from the windows and then jumping.

Too many of our news agencies are now censoring these images. We don't need to see it every day, but we do need to see it. I know it brought back to me a cold knot in my stomach much like I felt that day. And it once more fueled an anger at this administration who ignored the warnings and may have allowed their own "Pearl Harbor" to get their PNAC goals.

We need to see the awful reality of these events. The corpses and survivors of the Holacaust. The destructions, bodies and hideously injured of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The dead and broken bodies of soldiers of all nations and wars. The dead civilians.

At about 6th grade + IMHO is where students should be allowed to discuss all the ramifications of historical and current events and the politics behind them. The teacher should be neutral but direct the discussion.

No wonder so many students are turned off by history and current events teaching.

And no wonder we raise such univolved citizens and Young Republicans.

[LearnedHand]

11. Here in New Mexico,

a Rio Rancho (suburb of Albuquerque) High School teacher was suspended for *allowing* his poetry students to read anti-war poetry *that they wrote*. (This happened in February.) He was suspended without pay (I think) for a time; worse, the did not review his teaching contract (i.e., allowed him to be fired by virtue of his contract not being renewed).

[Blitz]

12. Do you have a link?

I'd be interested in seeing the story.

[haymaker]

14. What's your point?

Somebody bitched about freightneing the children. Who really cares? They decided to give him some time off till things cooled down. Again, who really gives a shit.

The point?