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Teacher Suspended For Hanging Foreign Flags In Classroom [Colorado]
ABC 7 ^ | August 23, 2006

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.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; News/Current Events; US: Colorado
KEYWORDS: aclu; education; erichamlin; hamlin; teacher
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To: cripplecreek

Then get a map ...


21 posted on 08/23/2006 3:59:41 PM PDT by BlueNgold (Feed the Tree .....)
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To: ncountylee

I would need to see a picture of how the flags were hung. If they were hung higher than ours or in a manner that could be considered not just respectful to those other countries, but representing loyalty to them that supercedes loyalty to the US, than I say they did the right thing. However, it's still possible that the principal was just being an ass.


22 posted on 08/23/2006 4:00:34 PM PDT by old and tired (Run Swannie, run!)
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To: observer5

you guys sound like the guys that Micael Moore shows in his movies...
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

you watched a Michael Moore movie?


23 posted on 08/23/2006 4:00:36 PM PDT by photodawg
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To: SoldierDad
The git that burned the flag was from Kentucky.

This is a different case.

24 posted on 08/23/2006 4:01:02 PM PDT by mware (Americans in armchairs doing the job of the media.)
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To: dandelion
but foreign flags are routinely used in Geography classrooms. ALWAYS HAVE BEEN since I can remember

Same here. In my 3rd grade classroom (about 1972) there were two of the large floor stand mounted American flags in the front of the classroom. Hanging over the chalkboard were a couple of dozen small flags of different nations.

These days it's good to know what flags are being carried by America haters in our streets.
25 posted on 08/23/2006 4:01:07 PM PDT by cripplecreek (If stupidity got us into this mess, then why can't it get us out?)
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To: dandelion

> It's patently ridiculous that THIS is what they decide to enforce - it's a geography classroom, for cryin' out loud. As long as the American Flag is in the position of honor, I don't see any harm in hanging a row of foreign flags in a Geography classroom..

I have to agree. You can be against illegal immigration but still pro-information. It's good for kids to know what the flags are for countries that are constantly in the news.


26 posted on 08/23/2006 4:01:45 PM PDT by VictoryGal (Never give up, never surrender!)
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To: ncountylee

Something seems to be unclear in the story. Did the teacher ONLY have flags of China and Mexico, or were other more friendly nations (Italy, England, etc) included? If it was ONLY China/Mexico, and this teacher has already approached the ACLU, then I'm thinking this was a liberal setup by the teacher from the get-go. There should be nothing wrong with displaying the flags of nations in a geography class, but it appears this teacher may have had other motives in mind.


27 posted on 08/23/2006 4:02:54 PM PDT by Azzurri
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To: dandelion
I don't get it, either. One of my favorite classes in high school was geography, and the classroom had a number of flags displayed. Ever since hs, in fact, I have been a collector of foreign flags. The first one I ever got was a Soviet hammer and sickle, which I got in Moscow in 1986. Owning a Soviet flag didn't turn me commie, and sitting in a classroom full of foreign flags--with our flag in its proper place, always--didn't harm me, either.

What a stupid thing to fight over! Shame on that teacher, trying to do his job.

28 posted on 08/23/2006 4:03:15 PM PDT by grellis (I don't know, let me ask my I Ching)
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To: ncountylee

Had one get suspended here for burning flags in the classroom.


29 posted on 08/23/2006 4:03:28 PM PDT by TASMANIANRED (The Internet is the samizdat of liberty..)
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To: dandelion
I don't see any harm in hanging a row of foreign flags in a Geography classroom...
You must have missed this part ...
"...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"
30 posted on 08/23/2006 4:03:58 PM PDT by oh8eleven (RVN '67-'68)
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To: ncountylee

Something isn't quite right here. I wonder what's the "rest of the story?"


31 posted on 08/23/2006 4:05:43 PM PDT by ViLaLuz (Stop the ACLU - Support the Public Expression of Religion Act 2005 - Call your congressmen.)
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To: cripplecreek
He is a geography teacher. I guess I would need to hear the other side of the story to be sure but it seems odd that they would remove a geography teacher for having foriegn flags in the classroom.

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

No geography curriculum starts the year discussing China and Mexico. That is just too coincidental. I would need more information. Were there any other flags displayed? Was their any commentary or other displays like maps or globes? Just what is the purpose of those two flags as opposed to many others that could be displayed? Are the majority of students Mexican and Chinese. Which China was he displaying?
32 posted on 08/23/2006 4:06:50 PM PDT by photodawg
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To: dandelion

Yes, I think we probably need to know more about this. Having foreign flags is no problem - when I grew up in NYC, we often had flags of the countries the kids had come from hung around the walls - but it depends on the situation. In New York, it was simply to identify the many places the students had come from (such as Hungary, various Latin American countries, and French and British colonies in this hemisphere).


33 posted on 08/23/2006 4:07:09 PM PDT by livius
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To: ncountylee
There must really be a "rest of the story" here. My daughter attends a school that I guess had better be nameless that has all kinds of foreign flags displayed, which, IMHO fits in nicely with their curriculum.

Since flags appropriate to the curriculum can be used here, one or more agendas must be working that are not disclosed in the story among the teacher, ACLU, administration and/or reporter.

34 posted on 08/23/2006 4:07:10 PM PDT by colorado tanker
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To: ncountylee



....well, if he was burning the foreign flags the ACLU wouldn't get involved....


35 posted on 08/23/2006 4:08:40 PM PDT by Tzimisce (How Would Mohammed Vote? Hillary for President! www.dndorks.com)
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To: ncountylee; patton

ok, theres lots of missing information here...

they said he had several flags hung, but later said he
refused to remove the flags of china and mexico.

sooooo did he have a collection and refuse to take down
those two in particular? did several flags mean he had
up just 3 ... u.s., mexico and china?

hard to really make a judgement without more detail.

with that said, for goodness sake, he is a geography
teacher! flags of nations around the world should
certainly be considered teaching aids.

now, the high school i graduated from, aka "the shopping
mall" (yes, it was that big!!!) had flags from every country
(i believe) hanging from the ceiling down the main corridor.
never were they taken down, never a problem with them
being there.


36 posted on 08/23/2006 4:08:51 PM PDT by leda (Life is always what you make it!)
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To: Dog Gone

No... Id say it proves he has some backbone.

I see no harm in a geography classroom displaying world flag. Its not as if he was asking the students to pay obeisance to those flags.

This is the sort of idiocy that has people thinking Australia is in eastern europe.

The law is indeed stupid, and should probly be changed.


37 posted on 08/23/2006 4:10:03 PM PDT by ketelone
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To: Dog Gone

lol...


38 posted on 08/23/2006 4:11:06 PM PDT by sit-rep (http://trulineint.com/latestposts.asp)
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To: mware

Yeah, I caught that, but a bit too late. The flag burner deserves to lose his job (for starting a fire in a classroom). Displaying the flags of other countries in a classroom where the geography of the world is taught and being suspended or fired for it is lunacy.


39 posted on 08/23/2006 4:14:04 PM PDT by SoldierDad (Proud Father of an American Soldier)
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To: grellis
I teach one section of Geography (7th grade) The first part of the year I focus on Physical Geography and the latter part of the year is set aside for Cultural Geography.

I have the kids complete a project on the individual state of our country. They draw flags of their states along with researching and reporting on historic aspects of their state. As a culminating activity I allow the kids to make a cookie in the shape of their state.. LOL you should see the kids asking for Texas, Alaska, and California.

After the cafeteria ladies bake the cookies for us, I allow the kids to decorate the state by adding chocolate chip cookies to represent mountains, blue icing to represent rivers and lakes , and coconut flakes to show snow.

The yummy way to learn geography.

40 posted on 08/23/2006 4:14:10 PM PDT by mware (Americans in armchairs doing the job of the media.)
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