Posted on 03/02/2006 3:38:43 AM PST by Glacier Honey
The Overland High educator is on administrative leave. Cherry Creek's superintendent said a balanced viewpoint will be given to students.
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.
I had good teachers when I was in school. Most of them were the same teachers who taught my parents. I don't remember any of those teachers attempting to feed us an agenda.
One of my best teachers was even a lesbian. The thing is, she was from a day when sexuality wasn't flaunted for students, so hers wasn't an issue and she was a great teacher.
Let the indoctrination end, good job to the student!
Colorado seems to have their share of problem educators. Hard to qualify either this teacher or Ward Churchill as an educator but that's exactly the issue.
And like a good Democrat, if there was no tape, he would have denied it happen. That's why Dems hate documentation
Some schools are rapidly becoming 're-education' camps.
I substitute teach, regularly. High school indoctrination is bad enough, but what I see in elementary classrooms is even more disturbing. The policies of the left are routinely touted and fostered, in a majority of classrooms.
I'll bet. In any case, comparing the president to Nazis is an intellectually honest argument? Not a loony, ad hominem attack? What the heck else are they teaching these kids when nobody's looking?
How about a few more from my local district? One case, my derriere.
A lot of simpletons are still on the fence.
WOW! Thanx for the link to the audio of this Nuttie Marxist Professor. You can just HEAR the anti-American HATE in his voice. Oh, and what is this teacher's DUmmie screen name?
This is the GREAT thing about MP3 players. They are very ubiquitous nowadays so it is getting easier and easier to EXPOSE these loonie left teachers/professors. I bet a HUGE chunk of such instructors are also members of DUmmieland.
bttt
:-)
Take a look at nearly ANY message board on the Internet, and you'll find it populated by folks influenced by Liberal idiots like this...
Good for the Kid to have the Stones to do something about it!!
Don't like Capitalism? MOVE TO CUBA...
But I doubt if you'll get that Big Salary for 185 days of work, with 5 Pers/5 Sick Days, full Medical, Full retirement, paid-401k, Job-for-Life though..
Dare I admit that, Luddite that I am, I don't have one of those gizmatrons yet?
Kudos to the young man for not sitting there and taking it :)
Had one like this in High School, too, although too young to vote in Reagan's first, (Did the second, though!), he got his comuppance over another like-item...
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