There are two flags though.
Ok students which is the commie flag and which one is the flag of freedom for China.
Did I just break Colorado law?
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.
Tell us how you can justify suspending a geography teacher for displaying flags in a classroom.
Why those poor students might actually learn and remember what other flags look like. Oh, the horror!
There are two flags though.
Ok students which is the commie flag and which one is the flag of freedom for China.
Did I just break Colorado law?
Your example is the case of an antiquated law that has fallen into desuetude. That is not the case here, apparently.
If you are embarrased by the "circle the wagons" law, call up your legislator and ask him/her to get it removed.
You don't have the right to unilaterally decide which laws are "stupid" and therefore don't apply to you personally, and neither does this teacher. If you don't like it, too bad. That's the price of living in a republic governed by laws.
You are making up your own facts. If the teacher had any curriculum related to teaching about flags, he could have hung them. The principal found no such curriculum.
Your beef is with the Colorado legislature. If you think teachers should have the right to hang foreign flags permanently in their classrooms, even though they are not teaching any related curriculum at the time, then call up your legislator.
You're like the guy given a ticket for going 55 mph in a 25 mph zone, who then blames the cop for what the speeder feels is a too-low posted speed limit.
I don't know. If you teach in Colorado I would expect you to know the law.
If the law doesn't differentiate between good China and bad China, I would say you just broke the law.
But given your support for illegals, Dane, I'd say that doesn't matter much to you.
By your standards, teachers can't show a picture of President Bush unless they're teaching a lesson about him.
Let's see...
I can't hang up the Golden Rule unless I'm teaching it over the next two weeks?
I can't put up a picture of Abraham Lincoln unless I teach about him in the next month?
I can't put up a poster of the Statue of Liberty unless I'm doing a lesson on it, period?
I know more about the subject I'm teach than the Principal, yes - I'm the one he/she hired to teach it. If they simply want someone to spout their liberal mind-control political drivel, then they can teach it themselves. Because yes, they DO know way more about that than the average teacher.
So the only, or best, way to learn about something is from books then? I feel sorry for you if you believe that. How boring!
You know, I like to read alot about Europe and World War II and have learned quite a bit. But spending seven years in Germany and actually seeing the places I've read about in person taught me much more.
You mentioned Rome. Well, I studied that in school too. But let me tell you that you really have no idea of the grandeur of Rome until you have actually seen the history that is literally everywhere in that city.
Let me ask you, would you say that simply reading enough about human anatomy is sufficient for someone to become a doctor; or do you think that they should take time to actually see human organs first hand (a least two or three times) before being allowed to perform that double bypass. How about a pilot. I remember hearing somewhere that they have to do more than just read some books to get licensed.
At my daughters old public school, they hung a bunch of flags from around the world for a multi-cultural fair. I don't even remember if the American flag was hung up. If it was hung up it was hung the same way as the other flags. The thing that bugged me was they kept the flags up after the multi-cultural fair.
Of course, this is just one of the things that irritated me about the schools, and this was one of the minor things. My daughters are at a private school this year.
So you are implying that the only laws you believe should be taken seriously are laws that prevent killing or seriously injuring someone.
Congratulations, you are now a libertarian.
That was part of my geography lessons as well..but I seem to remember it was about the US State flags and we didn't go international.
Then I ask, if he has been doing this for 9 years, as Hamlin says; why now the uproar?
Has to be much more to the story..quick run to the ACLU.. seems if this was just a purposeful test relating to prior disagreements up to this media attention point...The Dept of ED/govt pulling the reins/regulations on school classroom procedures vs teacher discretion and creativity on what and how classes are taught within the public schools...
Do you live in Indiana? If you do I hope you don't bathe during the winter, because it is against the law.
North Dakota. Better not serve beer and pretzels at the same time in a restaurant.
Don't make a funny face at a dog in Oklahoma, it's illegal.
Want to buy a beer in Pennsylvania? Better show the clerk a note from your wife, because it's required to buy alcohol there.
Don't let the police in Texas catch you drinking a beer while standing up. That's against the law.
And don't even try to bring any lollipops into Washington, because lollipops are banned there.
These are actual laws. I'm sure that you would not have any problems following them....
Let's go back to the speeding example.
Let's say you, the speeder, are RIGHT!
This is a country road, other similar portions of the road are posted 55 mph, there is no greater danger of "death or serious injury" from this stretch of road than from the other stretches that are posted 55 mph.
So you contact the County Commission, and you point out that it would make sense if this stretch of road was reposted from 25 to 55 mph.
The County Commission thanks you for your suggestion, but decides not to change the speed limit.
Do you believe that you personally are entitled to ignore the 25 mph posted speed limit?
Living in a republic governed by laws that derive from the collective consent of the governed has a lot of benefits. But it has a cost too - if you and those who think like you do are unable to change the laws you disagree with, you are still obligated to abide by them.
This is the United States of America. IF you don't like us, leave. :)
And, how odd, that only the Chinese and Mexican flags are involved.
Trading partners? Then where are Taiwan, Japan, Thailand, Canada...?
Major contributors of illegal immigrants? Then were were the flags of Ireland, Korea, Egypt, "Palestine"...?
Biggest suppliers of cheap junk? Then Mexico no longer qualifies.
Major perpetrators of government sponsored domestic civil rights abuses? Then where were the flags of Saudi Arabia, Myanmar, DPRK, Iran, The Bolivar Republic of Venezuela, Nepal, Somalia, Sudan...?
I just don't see what legitimate lesson they, and only they, pertained to ON THE FIRST & SECOND DAY OF CLASS.
yep...they sure do. I've been noticing replies just like this across FR lately and I think I've also noticed the unmistakable odor of colostomy stink right along with them.
I think this is what happens when old people are permitted to use computers...
Than God we have educational taliban like you to protect us from undesirable thinking.
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