Left-Wing Teacher gets suspended, Some Students protest...

[insein]

Lots of links for left-wing teachers on drudge today. Here's a few.


Here's the Audio.
http://www.850koa.com/cc-common/podcast/single_podcast.html?podcast=news_worthy.xml


http://www.9news.com/acm_news.aspx?...MPLATEID=0c76dce6-ac1f-02d8-0047-c589c01ca7bf

High school teacher's comments investigated by district

Marissa Pasquet

AURORA - A 16-year-old boy at Overland High School doesn't want to hear what he calls his teacher's left-wing political rants.

Sean Allen frequently recorded his teachers to back up his notes. Allen recorded Jay Bennish, his 10th grade World Geography teacher, making comments about President Bush's State of the Union Address.

Allen's father claims the comments made in the recording are biased and inappropriate for a geography class.

"I'm not saying Bush and Hitler are exactly the same, obviously they're not. OK? But there are some eerie similarities to the tones that they use," says Bennish in his critique of U.S. economic and foreign policy.

Towards the end of the class, Bennish goes on to say, "I'm not in anyway implying that you should agree with me, I don't even know if I'm necessarily taking a position. But what I'm trying to get you to do is to think about these issues more in depth and not to just take things from the surface."

The Cherry Creek School District is conducting a thorough investigation of the complaint from the Overland High School parent and student concerning comments.

The school district says at first glance it does appear the teacher acted inappropriately at the very least.

A spokesperson for the Cherry Creek School District said they have placed Bennish on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation. This is not a disciplinary action; the school district wants to remove him while they sort through the rest of the investigation.

The Cherry Creek School District expects to finish the investigation by the end of the week.

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_3560566

Teacher caught in Bush "rant"
The Overland High educator is on administrative leave. Cherry Creek's superintendent said a balanced viewpoint will be given to students.
By Karen Rouse
Denver Post Staff Writer

Students at Overland High School protest on Thursday Mar. 2, 2006, during a walkout. The student were supporting a teacher, Jay Bennish, placed on leave for his comments about President Bush. (Post / RJ Sangosti)

An Overland High School teacher who criticized President Bush, capitalism and U.S. foreign policy during his geography class was placed on administrative leave Wednesday afternoon after a student who recorded the session went public with the tape.

In the 20-minute recording, made on an MP3 player, teacher Jay Bennish described capitalism as a system "at odds with human rights." He also said there were "eerie similarities" between what Bush said during his Jan. 28 State of the Union address and "things that Adolf Hitler used to say."

The United States was "probably the single most violent nation on planet Earth," Bennish also said on the tape.

Bennish, who has been part of Overland's social studies faculty since 2000, did not return calls seeking comment Wednesday. Cherry Creek School District officials are investigating the incident, but no disciplinary action has been taken, district spokeswoman Tustin Amole said.

Bennish was placed on leave "to take some of the pressure off of him" during the investigation, which could wrap up in a week, Amole said.

Superintendent Monte Moses, who received a copy of the recording on Monday from 850 KOA-AM radio show host Mike Rosen, said it appears "a breach of district policy" occurred.

"Our policy calls for both sides to be present in the interest of intellectual discourse," Moses said. Bennish's presentation appeared to be unbalanced, he said.

The district is looking into whether the incident was an isolated one and will ensure that a balanced viewpoint of the president's State of the Union address is provided to students, Moses said.

Moses also said the district will be fair to Bennish. "People in life make mistakes occasionally," he said. "We address them. We learn from them."

The 20-minute recording of only a portion of the class was made by 16-year-old sophomore Sean Allen the day after the president's speech. The recording has raised questions about what level of academic freedom is acceptable for high school teachers. It also has generated discussions about Bennish on dozens of websites.

Sean, who appeared on Rosen's show Wednesday morning, said in an interview he had been disturbed by the "political rants" he heard in Bennish's class. He added that he wanted to tape the session for his father, who later shared it with the media.

Sean, who described himself as a political independent, said the comments seemed inappropriate for a geography class.

"If he wants to give an opinion in class, I'm perfectly OK with that," he said. "But he has to give both sides of the story."

James McGrath Morris, an author who has written about academic freedom issues, said Bennish's comments are acceptable for an adult audience, but they are hard to defend in a high school classroom.

In a number of legal cases, courts have ruled that "up until the age of majority, children are easily influenced ... in a way that they don't have the faculties to sort out rights from wrongs," Morris said.

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/education/article/0,1299,DRMN_957_4508688,00.html

Students protest teacher's suspension
Ahmad Terry © News

Overland High School students protest today, some in support and others against, a teacher who was at the center of a controversy over statements he made comparing President Bush to Adolf Hitler.

March 2, 2006
Hundreds of students walked out of Overland High School this morning in protest after a controversy involving a geography teacher and his statements about President Bush.
Many of the students supported the teacher, Jay Bennish, who was placed on paid leave pending an investigation into his comments by the Cherry Creek School District.

"Freedom of speech — Let him teach," students chanted after they streamed out of the school, located at 12400 E. Jewell Ave., and crossed a pedestrian bridge to a park.

Bennish's talk about Bush's State of the Union speech was recorded by a student, Sean Allen, who took it to KOA talk show host Mike Rosen. In the recording, Bennish made a number of comments about Bush, including one in which he said he could be compared to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.

But a large number of students who walked out of the Aurora school this morning supported Allen with chants of their own.

"Teach, don't preach," they chanted.

The demonstration was peaceful, and the vast majority of students returned to class without incident. A small group of Bennish supporters stayed in the park, chanting and waving, before eventually heading back to school.

School district officials have said that Bennish's comments were inappropriate and did not include opposing points of view.

 

[fuzzykitten99]

good for the kid. it takes guts to do something like that.

i can see talking politics in a political science class or something related to current events. Geography? Last time I was in a geography class, we learned about a certain place on earth, the climate, cultures, etc.

 

[insein]

Damn im listening to the audio now. It's 20 minutes long and i dont hear a single thing about geography.

He's very manipulative in what hes saying. None of the students are talking. About 10 minutes in the kid starts talking. This guy is very manipulative.

The student says that we dont have the intention of killing innocents and the teacher says "Do you know that?"

 

[insein]

Now he's saying that Cuba's struggles with communism is because we have been waging terrorist attacks against Cuba to destroy their medical supplies and crops and kill civilians.

This guy is out there.

 

[insein]

Now he's saying the WTC was a military target. He's saying they are not innocent in the eyes of Al Queda.

 

[insein]

Then he goes on to say that the American flag looks like a Nazi flag to Native Americans.

 

[insein]

He makes a very persuasive lefty argument that an uninformed 16 year old really has no means to give recourse to it. You can only really take him at his word unless you have all the facts about Cuba, NAtive Americans, Israel and the middle east at your finger tips. Otherwise his arguments sound like facts.

 

[Hobbit]

Then he goes on to say that the American flag looks like a Nazi flag to Native Americans.

I'm 1/8 Cherokee, and the other 7/8 is all Southern. That means that my people were trampled by the U.S. military...twice. However, instead of looking at what America was or has been, I look at what America has become, and nothing fills me with greater pride. Then I think of all of those who just can't see that, and nothing fills me with greater dissappointment.

 

[Nienna]

Next, they'll ban mini recorders in class.

 

[archangel]

I'm 1/8 Cherokee, and the other 7/8 is all Southern. That means that my people were trampled by the U.S. military...twice. However, instead of looking at what America was or has been, I look at what America has become, and nothing fills me with greater pride. Then I think of all of those who just can't see that, and nothing fills me with greater dissappointment.

Cherokee people-Cherokee tribe! Who did that song? I know... but just checking to see if ya did! Myself is a decendent of what should a guy do without being ridiculed..oh yeah...some Arapaho or is that Apache...I forgot somewhere along the line..no matter carry on!

addendum: Now I remember it was Commanche..kinda sorta a mixed breed!

 

[insein]

Next, they'll ban mini recorders in class.

They already do. This was in the kids pocket. Teachers sue students that record their lectures without permission most of the time. ITs in almost every syllabus ive ever received from a college teacher. I guess HS teachers werent expecting that.

 

[KarlMarx]

Cherokee people-Cherokee tribe! Who did that song?

Paul Revere and the Raiders....

 

[archangel]

Paul Revere and the Raiders....

I wanted hobbit to say that! LOL

 

[Avatar4321]

Apparently this guy teaches an accelarated Geography class. The kid who did this was transfered out and the regular class is ahead of the accelarated class.

 

[Annie]

Paul Revere and the Raiders....

I thought it was Cher. :shocked:

 

[KarlMarx]

I thought it was Cher. :shocked:

No, she sang "Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves"

 

[MissileMan]

No, she sang "Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves"

She also sang "Half-breed"

 

[fuzzykitten99]

She also sang "Half-breed"

that fits...she is half-human, half-...something...horse's ass maybe? Then again, a horse's ass sings better...

 

[Annie]

http://secure.eonstreams.com/khow_am/3.01 BRAD.mp3

 

[Working Man]

Damn im listening to the audio now. It's 20 minutes long and i dont hear a single thing about geography.

The guy who covered for Rush had it on the other day. Now all of the conservatie talk shows are playing it..

In simple terms, fire the asshole.. He has a right, just as you, and I to get his point out,,, but what he does in front of the class, given the students age should be controlled. THe flip side of this bbs should be where he vents.

Why can the guy?? It seemed that he has an agenda. And, and is taking the opportunity with his position of command to feed the biased dialogue to the students. It is kind of like he is violating the "trust" we as parents grant him/her with our children.. He crossed the line..Almost like a person who uses their adult position to compromise the childs values and then indulges in a indecent act with the child. He had an advantage over the students and he used it to his favor.