Posted on 03/07/2006 2:43:02 PM PST by Aussie Dasher
A high school social studies teacher who was put on leave after comparing President Bush's State of the Union address to speeches made by Adolf Hitler defended his lecture on Tuesday, saying he was trying to encourage students to think.
"My job as a teacher is to challenge students to think critically about issues that are affecting our world and our society," Jay Bennish said on NBC's "Today Show."
Bennish is on paid leave from Overland High School in suburban Aurora, Colo., while Cherry Creek School District investigates whether his Feb. 1 lecture violated a policy requiring that balancing viewpoints be presented in classes.
A student recorded at least part of the lecture in Bennish's world geography class and took it to a Denver radio station, which played parts of it on a talk show.
Bennish told "Today" the excerpts broadcast weren't representative of the full lecture.
"This is 20 minutes out of a 50-minute class. The rest of the class provides the balance," he said.
On the recording, Bennish told the students that some of Bush's speech "sounds a lot like the things that Adolf Hitler used to say. We're the only ones who are right, everyone else is backwards and our job is to conquer the world and make sure that they all live just like we want them to."
Later in the recording, Bennish said he was not claiming Bush and Hitler were the same, "but there are some eerie similarities to the tones that they use."
Bennish said no parents - including the family of the student who recorded the lecture - have complained to him. He said all the students' parents had seen his syllabus and that school officials had approved it.
"My job as a social studies teacher is to argue alternative perspectives and viewpoints so that students are aware of those point of views. They do not necessarily reflect my own views. They are simply thrown out there to encourage critical thought," he told "Today."
This is the new teacher product of the liberal organization. This is what our children are being taught all over the country. This is what the Libs want our students to believe....hate our Country, hate our Government, be friends with terrorists, and live in freedom by voting to let our Military fight in wars to give them the freedom of 'having their cake and eating to' and as long as we let them do this, then it will go on..
What we need to do, is take back our schools, take back our Government and take back our Country and support our Military by NOT voting in any Liberals (dems); and taking people like crazy cindy, algore, jimmy carter, bill clinton, hilliary clinton, polski, reid, kennedy, kerry and the like and put them up for treason AFTER we have gotten them OUT OF OFFICE...
Sure they do. The coward just won't admit it. He'll say that stuff in front of a bunch of sixteen year olds, though.
These people have no shame.
At one point when Sean Allen challenged him, the teachers response was, "That is what they tell you."
tar + feathers + rail = justice
"They do not necessarily reflect my own views. They are simply thrown out there to encourage critical thought," he told "Today.""
All those who believe this raise your hands. LOL I didn't think so.
I understand the dirtbag got his hippie hair cut off. No doubt for all his media visits.
I guess he's going to play the hilldabeast card and become the victim in all this.
What a puke!!!
You've got to be kidding me..
"Human Geography"? I guess as opposed to animal geography?
Michael I am not kidding you. Every week the current events questions are like that. I don't have copies of them right now but will submit a few more of them tomorrow. It is just outrageous. Of course as I told you, I make up my own questions it takes a few extra hours but at least the questions are more balanced.
They make money?
2 words: George Soros.
Oh, yeah... so Err America is sucking cash out of George Soros's pockets while providing him minimum, if any, impact for his dollar? Hooray Err America! Run Soros straight into bankruptcy!
LOL. Googling the course title will demonstrate that this geography isn't the same kind of geography that most people would assume it to be. The course title is apparently interchangeable with "cultural geography".
Lesson is:
All kids should bring recorders to school, and expose bad teachers.
Works for me!
Maybe video cams, too. But the article said no parents had complained. I don't know anything about that area of Colorado. Liberal?
Bennish's lawyer was on Hannity the other day saying that the kid only taped 20 minutes of one class and this was not the norm for his classes.
The kids mom was on and said yes it was, the school had received numerous complaints about the guy and refused to do anything about him.
All schools at all levels (K-12, college, grad schools) should be private. Government should have no involvement in education. This would eliminate a huge tax burden, local, county, state and federal - perhaps 50% or more of State and local taxes in some areas. A new education industry would be created, allowing parents and students the freedom to pick schools based on convenience, price, needs, and quality. Schools of low quality, with poor teachers and facilities, would lose business to better schools. Teachers who teach idiocy would not be protected.
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