Posted on 03/02/2006 7:00:15 PM PST by Coleus
Kyle declined to discuss his opinion of Bush, the war in Iraq or the U.S. response to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. He said he isn't trying to show up the president. "President Bush is often tried in absentia all around the world," Kyle said. "All we hear in the papers is, war crimes this, war crimes that -- without even hearing a defense. It would be irresponsible for a teacher to pretend that isn't happening," Kyle said.Yep, that’s all we hear too and it’s certainly worth at least one week of students’ time in an advanced placement government class. Why, the topic is so important that not only are the students spending a minimum of one week on this essential subject, five other teachers are assisting with lesson. All with the blessing of High school Principal Anthony Sciaino. When you think about it, it's darn near irresponsible not to include the entire school.
"I think that the way he's [Kyle] doing it, in that it's more of a debate, makes it ideal and connects perfectly with the AP government curriculum," Sciaino said.That’s what we assumed – a curriculum of non-stop America bashing. After all what else is there left for kids to learn about their government? No doubt all of Kyle’s students will pass the AP exam with flying colors.
Kyle is no stranger to controversial topics. Starting on Tuesday, his sophomore class will put former President Andrew Jackson on trial for alleged abuses against Native Americans. Kyle insisted that he doesn't have a partisan agenda. While teaching at Montclair High School, he conducted an impeachment trial of President Clinton while he was in office. "There's nothing bad with exploring evidence on both sides," Kyle said.No, there’s nothing wrong with exploring evidence on both sides. How else do we expect to groom little Ramsey Clarks? Who really cares if the students actually learn the recommended AP curriculum?
I. Constitutional Underpinnings of United States Government (5-15%)Just thinking of how well our property taxes are being spent on education makes us want to rethink our objection to the ridiculously high amounts we pay. And imaging how hard these six teachers have to work to pull off this lesson, we can understand the need for higher pay and better benefits for teachers.
II. Political Beliefs and Behaviors (10-20%)
III. Political Parties, Interest Groups, and Mass Media (10-20%)
IV. Institutions of National Government: The Congress, the Presidency, the bureaucracy, and the Federal Courts (35-45%)
V. Public Policy (5-15%)
VI. Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (5-15%)
One thing that Kyle said he would like to keep private is the verdict. "That decision is going to be sealed," he said, explaining that students will be told the outcome but asked not to tell others.
The whole bases of this is BS. It is based on a highly selective reading of the law and factually dubious accusations. The level of factual effort in the accusations demonstrate an inability to secure indictment must less a trial. The whole intellectual foundation is corrupt and without merit rending the whole thing a sad sick farce.
Question authority. And that includes questioning teachers who seek to undermine the principles of this nation and indoctrinate young minds.
"...his senior advanced placement government class..."
It's cr*p like this that is forcing the College Board to require audits of AP courses. Plus, many colleges are no longer granting credit for AP high school courses. No wonder!
http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/article/0,3045,149-0-0-21891,00.html
http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/article/0,3045,151-165-0-46361,00.html
The number of errors in this matter are inumerable. Lets start with the most obvious. Court does not have jurisdiction. Accusations are without merit or factual bases. Prosecution evidence is all hearsay, rumor and innuendo. No possiblity of having gotten an incitement because of the completely made up nature of the Prosecutions "Evidence" . This renders the whole trial a sad, sick farce. Judge would have issued a directed verdict dismissing the whole sham as a waste of time. This is a PR exercise, NOT a "mock court". Based on a fraudulent foundation, it whole premise is corrupted. This is NOT education when you build your case on a fraudulent base. Spare us the mock self righteousness. This is a kangaroo court and nothing more. From a legal standpoint the whole thing is a sick joke. There is no education here on how the Legal system actually works.
Another-reason-to-homeschool Ping!
I took AP English in high school (1977-81) and did not get
automatic college credit; we had to take the AP Exam, which most of us failed.
Over the past year, I've written a couple of nastygrams to my high school. I'm not sure why; I guess I just can't let it go. I complained that the essay questions were not relevant to my life. One of the ones that has burned in my mind the most was, "What was the dramatic significance of the play within the play in A Midsummer Night's Dream?"
I saw a live production of A Midsummer Night's Dream last year and I wrote to my high school telling them that I didn't know what the answer was then, I don't know what it is now, and I have no idea how to derive an answer.
I think literary analysis has bred a culture of lying. I realize there are other causes as well. Students were forced to say something like, "The dramatic significance is X because of mumbo jumbo." (Saying that you didn't know the answer and had no way of finding out was not an acceptable response.) The students don't really know, but they have to invent something in order to please the instructor. It makes academic fraud all the easier to commit the next time. When they become researchers, they have no qualms about faking their results.
My daughter is taking AP English and is frustrated by the same issue; Stupid questions that have no answers that you can't get right and not knowing what will be asked on the exam. The reading list they provide is incredibly long and anything is fair game. It's simply not possible to do all that they require. I took some college English and didn't have that kind of trouble.
I think you hit a note there.
I noticed, in testing one of my sons, who is 10 now (and homeschooled - I use booklets with sample questions from national tests), that he excels - and I mean 100% - in math, grammar, spelling, and certain other areas that all have one thing in common - there can be no argument that the right answer is the right answer.
But, even though he has always read at an advanced level, he flunks the reading comprehension portion. That's because the answers are so subjective. Then he'll argue every point with me, though I still mark the answers wrong. I've been working hard with him this year to bring up his score, but he's like a Vulcan... he thinks too logically.
Real-life example: Short story about a family visiting a cactus garden in Arizona. Multiple-choice question: What would you do if you wanted to understand more about cactus gardens? Correct answer: Visit a cactus garden. His answer: Watch a TV show about cactus gardens.
See how subjective it is? I tried explaining that "understand" is more intimate that "learn," but he'd just roll his eyes. He's 10 - he can't travel to AZ. He'd watch a TV show.
I told him flat-out that it's all about knowing what answers the test makers expect from you. Even though he's not in school, he has to learn to do that because, at some point, he'll have to take an official test. It IS all about knowing how the instructor wants you to answer. So, of course, this guy's students are going to give him the answers he wants, and he'll reward them.
Tired,
I've been on your ping list for homeschoolers. My wife and I removed our children from a private Massachusetts institution last summer.
We're having great success. Too, as a small business owner, my kids now know how confiscatory taxation hurts me and others. They're starting to make the argument, aloud and in public, about how damaging government intervention is.
!!!!!
Tired,
He sounds as though he may be a gifted child, and is arguing simply because he can. If this is the case, it may be a phase.
Will he read if you hand him the books? Anything from Star Wars to Potter to the DK Eyewitness books?
It's a set up.
Too, as a small business owner, my kids now know how confiscatory taxation hurts me and others. They're starting to make the argument, aloud and in public, about how damaging government intervention is.
That's great! I think that's the best part about it - they're not going to be brainwashed into the feel-good stuff the gov't schools push. They see how taxation hurts. I had to explain to my kids last year that we had to tighten our budget further because our property taxes had been raised again, mostly a school tax. They're still young, but that really drove the point home. Boy, were they mad. ;-)
Will he read if you hand him the books? Anything from Star Wars to Potter to the DK Eyewitness books?
He loves to read. He'd rather read than do anything else. But I guess he hasn't had enough practice with those kinds of questions, so I bought a reading comprehension workbook for him this year. Funny thing is, subjects like science were always my weakest. I was a journalism major. If anything, he should be excelling in reading comp. and flunking in the other areas. I've been chalking it up to possibly a male-female learning difference. I think his score will come up this year - it has to.
This case and the similar one out west exemplify the need to keep the light of public scrutiny burning brightly on the subversive propagandists in our school system masquerading as "teachers".
All too often in the past this kind of behavior has gone on unnoticed and uncritized.
Now, thanks to the new medium of the internet, the vile scum who were tutored by the "flower generation" in college teaching courses are being exposed for what they are.
This jerk should be fired. He should be removed from his position, as should his clone in the midwest. "Freedom of speech" should no more apply in the classroom than in the case of Marge Schott and her football team.
People are free to speak their mind as private citizens, but when they make outrageous and outlandish propagandistic efforts like these two miscreants have, they demonstrated they are unfit to instruct in the classroom as they have lost all toouch with reality.
Great post.
When it comes to public teachers in America, sometimes I understand where Mao was coming from when he took all those elitist teachers and made them go work on farms. More and more, they think the school system belongs to them. No. They work for me and you, and we are their bosses. They should teach what we instruct them to teach.
Too many menopausal mavens from the 1960s and 1970s still trying to fulfill their Gloria Steinhem fantasies of female superiority, shaming or medicating the boy out of boys. Too many men who couldn't get another job to save their life, prattling on about some nonsense to kids who don't know any better.
Any teacher who holds a war crimes trial against the president should be fired on the spot. Who do these people think they are?
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