Teacher of year snubs Bush aide over gaffe

Boston Globe ^ | 3/5/2004 | Associated Press

[Lance Romance]

The Massachusetts teacher of the year refused to attend an event in Washington honoring the nation's top educators because US Education Secretary Rodney Paige had called the nation's largest teachers' union a "terrorist organization."

Jeffrey R. Ryan, a history teacher at Reading Memorial High School who lost a friend in the Sept. 11 attacks, said he could not accept Paige's apology for the Feb. 23 remark about the 2.7-million-member National Education Association.

[Lance Romance]

Ryan, 49, said his refusal to attend the conference also was a protest of the 2002 No Child Left Behind Act, which he called a "stealth tactic by the Bush administration to undermine public schools.

Another activist teacher, just what the world needs.

Oh yeah, how are those MA MCAS scores coming along? Still a 30% failure rate? Apparently, that is what gets you "Educator of the Year" in MA.

[Redcoat LI]

He sure showed us.

That'll teach the Bush administration not to mess with pubic school teachers.

[Don Corleone]

Just worried that he couldn't find his way to DC. They don't teach GEOGRAPHY anymore...just condom usage..and we all know where that will lead you.

[Lunatic Fringe]

But Ryan said: "Nazi death camps aren't funny. Lynching people isn't funny. . . . and terrorism isn't funny. I just couldn't show up and shake that man's hand after he made those remarks."

I wonder how many times this guy refereed to bush as a Nazi...

[GraceCoolidge]

A teacher and someone who "lost a friend in the 9/11 attacks." I am sure he is lined up for Katie Couric tomorrow. Well, I am sure the ceremony really missed him.

[Shery]

The NEA is a terrorist organization. My husband and I did not join because of where the money goes (what they support...and WHO!!!). That means we are not covered in case a parent decides to bring a case against us, but so be it. I have the peace of mind to know that the Lord is on my side...and He will only allow something bad if it is in His perfect will, barring I do not do anything stupid on my own!

[ClearCase_guy]

A teacher and someone who "lost a friend in the 9/11 attacks."

He and Mohammad Atta went way back.

[vetvetdoug]

Unbiased history and Massachusetts? A paradox if there ever was one.

[uncbob]

My wife refused to join also

[rhombus]

A few of my mindless liberal friends were rattling on about this and drawing vague conclusions over it when I reminded them of Hillary's failed joke about Ghandi. Neither one had even heard about it. I had my moment and said, "You guys get your news from NPR don't you?" There was a nervous laugh and I wanted to follow up with a link to the article about Hillary. I searched FreeRepublic and found a posting but the original link was gone. Does anyone have a link for the Hillary/Ghandi commments. I could send the re-post on FreeRepublic but they would just dismiss it because of the messenger.

[Zeppo]

Teacher of year snubs Bush aide over gaffe

Isn't calling the Secretary of Education a "Bush aide" a bit demeaning? Isn't that being done with the intention of tarnishing President Bush? Would the Boston Globe refer to Donald Rumsfeld or Colin Powell as "Bush aides"? Or, am I being overly critical?

I guess that the headlines have recently called Paul O'Neil a "former Bush aide". But that would fit the pattern of trying to tarnish President Bush.

I haven't seen any headlines or articles referring to Richard Riley as a "Clinton aide". Instead, gofers such as Stephanopoulos and Blumenthal are the types who are called "aides".

Another note - had Rod Paige been a member of the Clinton administration, wouldn't the Demo/Commies be trotting out the race card to deflect criticism? Anybody else remember how criticism of Clinton Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders (not a cabinet member) for her remarks (about masturbation, for example) was chalked up to racism?

[Unicorn]

Looks like they made a mistake selecting this bozo.

Who picks them?

[Sloth]

I just couldn't show up and shake that man's hand

Jeffrey Ryan publicly refuses to shake a black man's hand. Clearly, he is a racist and I demand that he be removed!

[Enterprise]

http://209.157.64.200/focus/f-news/1052702/posts

[bondjamesbond]

He and Mohammad Atta went way back.

LOL!

You're a bad, baaaaad man!

[Lee'sGhost]

"Paige said the reference to terrorism was a "bad joke.""

It wasn't a joke, duffas. It's the truth.

[dead]

“There was once a high school student who was called upon by a group of men to give a speech on a matter he deemed to be of moral importance. When he delivered that speech in the form of a criticism of the American war in Vietnam, those same men publicly condemned him as a traitor, a Communist, a false prophet, a turncoat, a wolf in sheep's clothing, even an antichrist. They gathered round him and denounced him in front of his peers as the worst that America could spew forth. I can tell, as that young man now grown, that my intention in 1970 was not to undermine America, but in my own feeble way to make her better.” - Jeffrey R. Ryan (teacher/martyr)

[Lance Romance]

Here are the MCAS Results. I guess student competency isn't a prerequisite for getting these awards.

http://www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/2003/results/0204cdprogrpt.pdf

[rabidralph]

LOL. Looks like you need a spelling lesson.

[Redcoat LI]

I went to Catholic school.

I saw that I misspelled "public",was going to add an L,then I decided I liked it the way it was.