<img src="http://the.picture.site/picname">
So, for example, to post the following picture, I used: <img src="http://hem.passagen.se/demonskin/q/g/images/sharapova-masha2.jpg">
to post
Posted on 08/23/2006 3:44:34 PM PDT by ncountylee
A Jefferson County geography teacher was suspended on the second day of school for hanging several flags from other countries in his classroom at Carmody Middle School.
Eric Hamlin said the flags were part of a world geography lesson plan and refused to remove them. Hamlin was escorted out of class and Wednesday morning by the school's principal after he refused to remove the flags of China and Mexico.
The school district placed him on administrative leave, citing a Colorado law that makes it illegal to display foreign flags permanently in schools.
"Under state law foreign flags can only be in the classroom because it's tied to the curriculum. And the principal looked at the curriculum, talked to the teacher, and found that there was really no curriculum coming up in the next few weeks that supported those flags being in the classroom," said Jeffco Public Schools spokeswoman Lynn Setzer.
But Hamlin said although his curriculum may not speak specifically about those flags, they are used as reference tools for world geography.
"It's much along the lines of a science teacher who puts up a map of the solar sysem. They may not spend every day and every lesson talking about Mars, but they want the students to see that and to see the patterns of the planets and the order, and the students will observe that, and absorb that learning visually," Hamlin said.
Hamlin said that the school district is not only depriving him of a teaching tool but also taking away from his students' education.
"The major problem I see here is with the law that limits educators," Hamlin said.
"We have to uphold state law. We really have no discretion when it comes to upholding the law," Setzer said.
Hamlin said he understands that the district is following state law so he's met with the ACLU and he said, if necessary, he plans on fighting the constitutionality of the law.
Your hatefulness is only exceeded by your thoughtlessness.
"a Colorado law that makes it illegal to display foreign flags permanently in schools"
What a stupid and pointless law.
I'm glad to see that hack legislators have solved the rest of the state's issues that they saw fit to tackle this "problem".
Far easier to solve phantom problems than real ones.
Sad how many sheeple fall for it.
Once again - no one attacked you, and I did not even post to you. I was nice to you about it, and you still want to tear me apart on this board.
I did nothing to warrant your abuse; I merely stated my opinion, then you made a personal attack. When I posted to Surtur, you attacked me personally again. Notice the tagline below your comment bar: NO personal attacks.
No one has attacked you personally, and I hope you might be able to go back to posting about your opinion on the subject and stop harrassing others who didn't do anything to warrant your abuse. I'm not really having a good week, and I just wanted to talk about education for a while - you, post about something to take my mind off my daughter -
I didn't count on meeting a person like you here. I just wanted to say that foreign flags have been used for decades in Geography classrooms - what have you to say about that?
<img src="http://the.picture.site/picname">
So, for example, to post the following picture, I used: <img src="http://hem.passagen.se/demonskin/q/g/images/sharapova-masha2.jpg">
to post
Eeek! Try again!
If it isn't her, I need to have the AM kill the post.
Is it something else? One of those 'bandwidth stealing' things?
It's probably one of those "image killer apps"; try a different site and see. I don't see anything wrong with your html... but what do I know, I'm just a preschool teacher :)
I'm trying to think of who's our local expert on this thread...
We see it fine.
I'm sorry - I have a script killer that just wiped out the image. My fault entirely...
As long as our hearts are in the right place :)
My heart's in the right place... it's my mind that's somewhere else!
LOL --- been there. Am there frequently ;)
It's amazing to me that this started with flags being displayed in a classroom.
My arguements / insults: If I have this in a nutshell, I said no big deal, flags not required for the learning process. You disagreed. Fine. Then you spun that into me not believing in educating children because I don't think flags are required. How was that leap made? That is soooo Liberal type speak.
Look, if you think kids can't learn geography without seeing / touching a foreign flag...so be it. But that does not mean I have to agree with you nor buy into the spin you use as justification.
This is, after all, a disagreement about what you "think" is right or wrong for a Colorado classroom.
I don't bow down and blindly support anything.
I agree that there are many stupid / wrong laws in this country. Well guess what? It is still a law.
We elect the clowns that make these laws.
You don't like the law, get it changed. Simple as that.
Until that happens though, one is responsible for abiding by the laws on the books. That is why the teacher was canned. Simple.
Just because you think a certain law is wrong does not give you the right to ignore it. Simple. Just ask that teacher in Colorado.
I am betting that my "flagless" 12 yr old is just as competent, more so actually, in geography as another "flagged" 12 year old elsewhere in the this country. He gets a lot of additional guidance from Dad, but, sorry to say, he has been deprived of any flags, save one.
Again, I don't give a rats butt if you "think" it's not right that we don't display foreign country flags in a classroom. My kids don't go to a school run by the UN, at least not yet.
I can see that I have much to learn re how certain things work in this world. I'll keep working at it.
Part of the study of geography is the inclusion of different aspects of each country, one of them being the flag. If I had a room dedicated to the study of geography, you can bet your Stars and Stripes I'd have flags displayed from each of the countries we were studying...year round. However, they would be around the room, the American flag would hang front and center.
This is stupid! The principle needs an education.
I am always available to help :)
Undoubtedly.
I actually agree with everything you said except that the principal needs an education.
It is a state law that the principal was enforcing. I don't know why the legislature and governor enacted the law but they did.
The principal gave the teacher a chance to remove them until such time that they are allowed under that law and he wouldn't. I take it that the teacher has an agenda other than the education of his students.
I find it suspicious that the two flags the teacher had displayed and wouldn't remove were Mexico and China. They're both hot button issues in our country at present.
That's just my take on it.
I would say that someone got hyper with the rules. "Permanently" means forever. In a geography room, that's not decoration, it's part of the lessson. As in: "how many world flags have the color orange in them? A tree on them? Stripes? Stars? What's the story behind each flag?" I still think there must be more to the story. And I STILL think the principle overeacted.
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