Kentucky Teacher Reassigned After Burning Flags During Civics Lesson

FoxNews ^

[glymers]

Dan Holden, a seventh-grade social studies teacher at Stuart Middle School, burned two flags Friday as part of a lesson on freedom of speech, said Jefferson County schools spokeswoman Lauren Roberts said.

[glymers]

How about burning the papers that entitles this teacher to work in a Government Funded School. Our Tax dollars at work at the expense of our Childrens Education. Or perhaps burning the F9/11 so called documentary.

[samadams2000]

He should be EXTRACTED from the system.

[CholeraJoe]

He's lucky to be alive. If he had burned a flag in front of my daughter when she was in 7th grade, she would have ripped his arm out of the socket and beaten him senseless. She's meaner now.

[MJemison]

Whadda idjit!

[wideawake]

It was not a political statement and was meant to illustrate a controversial issue.

How is it not a political statement?

[weegee]

Is this the same teacher who was teaching sixth grade in California when he burned an inch of an American flag in class after 9-11 and told his students "don't tell"?

[Always Right]

I am sure there will be some university that hires this left-wing nut. Desecrating the American Flag is more than enough credentials for the elitists at some institution of higher indoctrination to hire him.

[DuxFan4ever]

I'll bet this guy showed his classes Fahrenheit 9/11 as part of his curriculum too.
When will far leftists like this be required to go to sensitivity training? He clearly is insensitive to those who find this offensive.

[taxesareforever]

Typical of the education establishment. Reassign. Probably make him a principal.

[stinkerpot65]

Nothing more left wing than the brain-washing education departments at universities.

[Ghost of Philip Marlowe]

Reassigned. Not fired.

A teacher at a charter school was recently fired for teaching material a girl's parents had excused her from.

We need to break the monopoly of government- and union-run schools.

[camle]

you wanna teach freedom of speech? Try putting Rush Limbaugh on the radio. THAT'LL show people just what free speech is all abotu no boudt.

[glymers]

I bet they try and sugar coat this as a Critical thinking exercise, like my daughters school did with the veiwing of the F9/11 movie Documentary. (Sarc) They showed the movie but never did the critical thinking exercise. I call it what it is BRAINWASHING and Indoctrination. The Silent Killer.

[Ghost of Philip Marlowe]

Exactly. He didn't burn the Cuban, the Chinese or the gay/rainbow flag.

[RexBeach]

Dan probably hurts from Holden. :)

[vamoose]

If a student did the same thing in the class, the student would be suspended, perhaps even expelled. A lesson about free speech turned in to a lesson about poor judgment. Free speech is not immune from harsh consequences.

[glymers]

Makes me think of the Pink Floyd song.
We don't need your education.
We don't need your Thought Control.
No Dark Sarcasm in the Classroom.
Teacher's Leave them Kids ALONE.

[polymuser]

Those students now need the rest of the lesson -- that others are free to respond strongly to what you've said or done.

They also need a related lesson about being an employee, and 'at will' employment.

Last, that school board needs a whole bunch of VFW vets and flag-bearers at their next meeting.

[weegee]

Same Dan Holden, teacher?

http://www.pbs.org/teachersource/learning.now/2006/07/should_principals_be_allowed_t.html

I cringe whenever I hear about an erosion of students’ rights. I know that we have to have certain abilities in order to keep control of the school environment, but these abilities always seem a little dictatorial. Obviously, when a dictator has usurped all rights peace is relatively easy to maintain.

Students, however, should be gradually gaining freedoms and responsibilities on the road to become full-fledged citizens of the United States. Checking lockers make sense because it is public property. Checking bags may occasionally be a matter of public safety. Information on a cell phone falls under neither of these categories. The comparison to notebooks is an apt one. Both are places in which we store personal information and intellectual property, and we do so with a reasonable expectation of privacy.

With that said, I did one time confiscate and search a cell phone and found pornographic images. The seizure was originally made because a gaggle of students were surrounding the phone and making suggestive comments. By the time I had the phone I knew exactly what I was looking for and only looked for the offending video. Possession of pornography is a clear violation of school policy. Using a phone to gather circumstantial evidence is wrong.

By Dan Holden 2:30PM on 10 Jul 06

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http://www.pbs.org/teachersource/learning.now/2006/07/dopa_passes_the_house.html

CONGRESS MOVES TO BAN PLAYGROUNDS
Washington D.C.

Move by fears of corporeal predators congress voted unanimously to dismantle all playgrounds and public pools. Children’s museums, science centers, zoos, and cultural institutions catering to minors will have to close their doors. Congress John Smith (R-Missouri) said, “We have to keep petting zoos free of pedophiles, and if that means shutting them down, then so be it.”

The Senate version of the bill, which includes a provision to de-list all phone numbers of homes with minors in residence, is expected to pass later this week.

By Dan Holden 10:00AM on 31 Jul 06

After reading the act I breathed a heavy sigh of relief to know that these websites do not need to be blocked when used for educational purposes. I mean for a second I thought that it would be always blocked, but now that I know that all I have to do is contact the system administrator, who in turn will contact his supervisor, who will then take it to a vote at the next monthly board meeting, I figure everything is okay.

I gave up a long time ago when I was told that my students couldn’t access Black Planet because something bad might happen. At first I thought it was racist, now I know that it is just plain ignorant.

By Dan Holden 12:10PM on 31 Jul 06

[polymuser]

Maybe teach could burn a Quran to give a free speech and religion lesson.