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More "fairness and balance" in our classrooms
http://www.breitbart.com/news/2005/11/25/D8E3L3UO0.html ^

Posted on 11/25/2005 8:17:30 PM PST by Tzimisce

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.

(Excerpt) Read more at breitbart.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Government; News/Current Events; Philosophy
KEYWORDS: academicbias; bretchenkin
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I give you your tax dollars at waste.

Got love the open mindedness of our friends on the left.

1 posted on 11/25/2005 8:17:30 PM PST by Tzimisce
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To: Tzimisce
I'll put in both sides," he said. "Especially if it's going to cause a lot of grief."

Why not just leave both sides out?

2 posted on 11/25/2005 8:20:13 PM PST by neodad (My ex-wife is stuck on stupid.)
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To: Tzimisce

Kids need to report and even record their teachers, if possible.

If we reform academia, then there may be hope for this country.


3 posted on 11/25/2005 8:21:12 PM PST by SteveMcKing ("No empire collapses because of technical reasons. They collapse because they are unnatural.")
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To: Tzimisce
As long as the math teachers could do the following, I'd be OK with it:

Under Governor Clinton, Arkansas gave 10,000 units of AIDS-infected blood to Canada. If one Canadian contracts AIDS for every 4 units of blood, and it costs $40,000 ($ Can.) per patient per year for an average of 7 years of treatment, and for every 3 of these AIDS patients one additional person is infected with AIDS, and you can buy one US dollar for every two Canadian dollars, how much money will this shipment of blood have cost each of the 20 million Canadian taxpayers, distributed equally?

4 posted on 11/25/2005 8:23:38 PM PST by thoughtomator (What'ya mean you formatted the cat!?)
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To: Tzimisce

My below-average Republic mind thinks this teacher's method of teaching is incoherent.


5 posted on 11/25/2005 8:25:52 PM PST by GOPPachyderm
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To: GOPPachyderm

Furthermore, I think this teaching style should be eschewed.


6 posted on 11/25/2005 8:26:26 PM PST by GOPPachyderm
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To: Tzimisce
The school is in Bennington, a community of about 16,500 in the southwest corner of the state.

Bennington? As in Bennington, Vermontgrad?

Good luck.

7 posted on 11/25/2005 8:28:33 PM PST by VeniVidiVici (What? Me worry?)
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To: Tzimisce
hence insuring him Republican votes

Ahem... Brett, honey, this small Republican mind has a problem with your grammar. The word is ensuring.

8 posted on 11/25/2005 9:21:59 PM PST by Mygirlsmom (You can either despair that the rose bush has thorns or rejoice that the thorn bush has roses.)
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To: Tzimisce
"The kids know it's hyperbolic, so-to-speak," he said. "They know it's tongue in cheek."...yeah, the nastiness and vitriol toward conservatives is always just light-hearted fun when any of these sleaze are called on it, but try to use the "just fun" excuse after telling a light-hearted story about, say, Blacks or gays and see what happens to you......
9 posted on 11/25/2005 9:40:35 PM PST by Intolerant in NJ
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To: Tzimisce


"...said he isn't shy about sharing his liberal views with students as a way of prompting debate...."

Ah yes, debating a high school student. Nothing like an adult debating the youth of this country. Quite a intellectual challenge......for the teacher.

Frankly, I can only imagine the humiliation any student with an opposing view would suffer should they have the courage to question the "teachers" position.


10 posted on 11/25/2005 9:48:15 PM PST by This Just In ("Those are my principles, if you don't like them, I've got others" - Groucho Marx)
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To: Tzimisce
When a group of people like the left can't convince people legitimately of the veracity of their positions through cogent argument, they always resort to the following techniques:

1. Shouting down any attempt to voice a contrary opinion, as are done frequently to conservative speakers on college campuses (not to mention the throwing of pies, oreos, etc., at the speakers).

2. Theft and destruction of printed material, newspapers, posters, etc., that disagree with their opinions.

3. Speech codes that grant them full freedom of speech, but that deny the same to opposing viewpoints.

4. Indoctrination of powerless captive audiences, such as schoolchildren or pliant college students, who don't have the ability or desire to fight back.

5. Name-calling when someone disagrees with them or defends someone they hate.

There are probably more, but you get the idea.

11 posted on 11/25/2005 10:18:45 PM PST by Emile
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To: Tzimisce

"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."

He has wrongly assessed the public school to be the dictatorship he envisions for leftists if they can destroy freedom in America. He has run upon the rationale in the parental public (which pays his salary) which is demanding truth and fairness in the classroom. Thank God, the public school is not yet totally closed to free speech and freedom of thought.


12 posted on 11/26/2005 2:40:10 AM PST by jazzlite (esat)
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To: SteveMcKing

Any reform of academia had better begin with exposure of the largely "secret" sex/psychological surveys being given to children in the public school without parental permission. A sixth grader in our family came home from school on Wednesday, full of questions for his parents about a test he was required to take the last period of the day. This kid has a very good relationship with his folks and described to them the sexual questions he was asked along with questions about thoughts of suicide, etc. He was not even aware of the existence much of what he was asked to answer and was inquisitive of his parents about what it all meant. Needless to say, they are exremely upset and will address this to their school authorities next week. Evidently, a very small number of the parents got the information, somehow, that this "survey" would be given and requested that their children not take it. This event caused such concern that these parents have made enough phone calls to determine that the "survey" was a requirement which the government attached to some kind of "grant" for some new athletic equipment or something similar. I'm telling you folks, we have some sexually perverted people at high levels in government who get their kicks from kids. That is my opinion. ALL parents who care at all for their kids are upset when made aware of this stuff and parents everywhere should go on alert because once these monsters take full parental control over our children, they will be used as sexual commodities. Subjecting children to adult sexual and other issues their minds have not yet comprehended is a cruelty which steals childhood and brings on early hopelessness and depression. IT MUST BE STOPPED!


13 posted on 11/26/2005 2:54:57 AM PST by jazzlite (esat)
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To: Mygirlsmom
Grammatically, why is the usage of insuring in the given sentence wrong?
14 posted on 11/26/2005 4:12:44 AM PST by CarrotAndStick (The articles posted by me needn't necessarily reflect my opinion.)
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To: jazzlite

Beware of all classes, especially history and social studies.

Teachers will take entire periods off of the lecture schedule to discuss current events. Liberal philosophies get reasoned out, and conservative views are belittled. I endured this for my entire education, in a relatively small suburban town no less.


15 posted on 11/26/2005 5:53:38 AM PST by SteveMcKing ("No empire collapses because of technical reasons. They collapse because they are unnatural.")
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To: jazzlite

.....Thank God, the public school is not yet totally closed to free speech and freedom of thought. .....

You are wrong. The PUBLIC school is totally closed to free speech and freedom of thought for non-liberals and America haters. You must have meant PRIVATE schools or HOME schools.


16 posted on 11/26/2005 6:55:47 AM PST by DH
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To: CarrotAndStick
Insure vs. ensure
Insure is to financially protect property or life. Ensure is to make certain. Did you insure your jewelry on your homeowner’s policy? To ensure that everyone arrives on time, provide directions.

Unfortunately, the misuse of insure is so common that dictionaries now refer to the word as a synonym of ensure. In the same way, non-words like "irregardless" have crept into our vocabulary. A minor point, perhaps, but it's these little things that, to me, stand out like a sore thumb, especially for someone who should know better (an educator).

17 posted on 11/26/2005 7:20:19 AM PST by Mygirlsmom (You can either despair that the rose bush has thorns or rejoice that the thorn bush has roses.)
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To: Mygirlsmom
You're probably right, but the online version of the Oxford English Dictionary lists insure as an alteration of ensure:

http://www.askoxford.com/concise_oed/insure?view=uk

insure

• verb 1 arrange for compensation in the event of damage to or loss of (property, life, or a person), in exchange for regular payments to a company. 2 secure the payment of (a sum) in this way. 3 (insure against) protect (someone) against (a possible eventuality). 4 another term for ENSURE.

— DERIVATIVES insurable adjective insurer noun.

ORIGIN alteration of ENSURE.
18 posted on 11/26/2005 7:30:21 AM PST by CarrotAndStick (The articles posted by me needn't necessarily reflect my opinion.)
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To: CarrotAndStick

Yes, I acknowledged that. Dictionaries are "living documents", don't you know ;o)


19 posted on 11/26/2005 7:39:58 AM PST by Mygirlsmom (You can either despair that the rose bush has thorns or rejoice that the thorn bush has roses.)
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To: Mygirlsmom

Yes, and I did mention that you're probably right. I just wanted to highlight the origin of the usage of that word.


20 posted on 11/26/2005 7:44:24 AM PST by CarrotAndStick (The articles posted by me needn't necessarily reflect my opinion.)
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