Posted on 02/15/2007 2:26:03 PM PST by Little Bill
KP teacher defends criticism of Brown BY JIM HAND SUN CHRONICLE STAFF Thursday, February 15, 2007 1:14 AM EST
WRENTHAM - The social studies teacher who prompted state Sen. Scott Brown's appearance before King Philip students last week admits he went on a "rant" in class one day over the issue of gay marriage, but said he never resorted to profanity or encouraged students to make nasty online comments about legislators, including Brown.
Joe Ferreira, a teacher at King Philip Regional High School, has been at the center of a dispute involving Brown, R-Wrentham.
Brown went to Ferreira's classes last Thursday to rebut the teacher's view on gay marriage, but in the process read profanity-laced comments some students had written about him online.
Brown contends the students and Ferreira were engaging in hate speech and cyber-bullying. The senator also said Ferreira was misusing his position as a teacher to politically influence students.
In a telephone interview Wednesday, Ferreira emphasized he was speaking to The Sun Chronicle as a private citizen and not as a representative of King Philip schools.
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He said Brown's charges about him are untrue.
Ferreira said he did not know students were writing about him and Brown online, adding he was stunned to hear from Brown that the facebook.com Web page the students were writing on said "Ferreira is god."
The profanity the students used in their postings was inappropriate, Ferreira said, and he said he told them so when he found out.
Ferreira said he never used profanity in the classroom or in his writings about gay marriage. "Foul language is a poor way to express oneself. The English language is too rich to resort to foul language," he said.
He did admit to using insults in the heat of the moment in e-mails to local legislators, but said they were not profane.
Ferreira said the day after Brown and other legislators voted to put a ban on gay marriage on the 2008 ballot, he went on a "rant" to his students about putting discrimination in the state constitution.
He said he was just being passionate, and was not trying to influence his students. "The idea that I could influence them politically is as funny to them as it is to me," he said.
Brown, however, said parents contacted him about the teacher "pushing his personal agenda on their children," and misrepresenting his vote.
The senator said the student "idol worship" Ferreira, so he is influential to them.
Ferreira said the policy at the high school is to present controversial issues with balance. There was no opposing view at that time.
Brown later contacted the school superintendent to ask for time to address the students.
Ferreira said if Brown had restricted himself to speaking on the legislative process and gay marriage, as he said he would, the session would have been a valuable learning experience for the students.
Instead, he said, Brown's quoting profanity from the facebook Web site and singling out students who wrote about him overshadowed the intended subject matter.
"If he had stuck to explaining why he thinks gay marriage is wrong, it would have been a wonderful learning opportunity," Ferreira said. "Instead, you see what has happened."
What has happened is a week's worth of controversy about Brown reading the profanity, and then defending his actions.
Brown said he was standing up to cyber-bullies and holding students accountable for their words.
He said if he read the comments without the swear words, it would have amounted to censorship.
Brown said he has been flooded with calls and e-mails congratulating him for standing up to the students.
Brown has refused to apologize, but Ferreira said he regrets the whole incident because it has caused the students and the school so much trouble.
He said King Philip is an excellent high school where students accomplish wonderful things.
"Frankly, the kids don't need this and King Philip doesn't need this," he said.
JIM HAND covers politics for The Sun Chronicle. He can be reached at 508-236-0399 or at jhand@thesunchronicle.com.
I ran across this while checking up on me and guinnessboy's fued with the Wrentham board of Selectman.
Ping
tic, Good thing both you and guinessboy have your 20 years in and are retired from the Wrentham police force. They'd prolly call you both in and ask you for your badges and your guns, hey?
What this case should be doing is identifying what hate speech really is. Are only gays allowed to benefit as victims of it or is Senator Brown, when subject to swearing and cursing -- ahhh, hate speech, allowed to call those individuals out on their inappropriate behaviors?
If not why not? Does the "hate speech" door only swings one way?
Hate speach, only goes one way often with out proof.
Students cry foul after senator's speech
BY STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS
Friday, February 9, 2007 12:22 PM EST
State Sen. Scott Brown, R-Wrentham (File photo)
WRENTHAM - State Sen. Scott Brown is being criticized by students of King Philip High School after he read them some Internet posting about him that were laced with foul language.
Brown, R-Wrentham, said he was merely pointing out to an assembly how foul the posting about him were.
He said some of the criticisms of him posted by King Philip students contained the "f-word."
Other comments on the web site facebook.com were directed at his daughter, he said.
But, now the students are saying it was inappropriate for Brown to repeat the foul language at a school assembly and to single out students by name who had posted criticisms of him.
At issue was a debate over gay marriage and a teacher at the school who supports it. Brown is opposed to gay marriage.
"He was doing it loudly and pretty angrily," student Rachel William said of the comments read by Brown. "Some of the teachers tried to stop him, and said things like 'You shouldn't be naming students.' "
Student Stephen Small said, "Some teachers immediately were outraged to hear the language that was used ... some people still feel it was inappropriate to read them word for word."
Brown defended himself.
"What I was doing was reading from what they had written about me and about my family," Brown said. "I actually called them on it. I said 'Now there's hate speech, and then there's respectful proper speech."
If Scott Brown was a Democrat instead of a Republican, does anybody really think that the mainstream media would of treated the situation exactly the same way? The mainstream media double-standard against the Republican Party on everything drives all of us conservatives crazy! If the mainstream media was truly "all neutral, all of the time" on everything, then these situations wouldn't be so bad.
"The senator also said Ferreira was misusing his position as a teacher to politically influence students."
Teachers trying to influence students with politics? That would be a first!
Brown is one of the [few] good guys on Beacon Hill.
Also, wasn't KP where two graduates were accepted to West Point last year, and the principal was trying to prevent them from receiving awards at the schoarship ceremony, because it wasn't faaaaaair to the other kids?
Disturbin, you are correct, this is the same KP.
Today's Sun Chronicle has a majority of letters in support to Brown with regards to KP vs. Brown. It's amazing when the articles come out with a perspective of "Brown is wrong", but when the letters from the actual real life folks/readers, more see it that the school/kids & teacher should apologize & take accountability.
After all, it was KP that drew first blood, now they want to play victim and demand apology, example below:
KP ignoramus: "you are a jerk"
recipient: "you called me a jerk"
KP ignoramus: "you owe me an apology now"
recipient: "huh?, how does that work?"
There is absolutely no logic in this state, and it's going to get worse under Gov. Tony Robbins, or whatever his name is.......Deval Dukakis I think............or Dukakis Patrick, or Dr. Phil, I dunno
Thirsty, I was going to reply a funny to that, but I don't need them to add impersonation of an officer to the mounting list of supposed allegations they can use against me or anyone..............
Here is a recent archive thread from the Sun Chronicle, the third story down finally tells the other side of the story:
"Brown won't apologize"
http://www.thesunchronicle.com/shared-content/search/?search=1&o=0&l=15&q=brown
no kidding, keep the comments to a minimum. that's fine...just enjoy your retirement...ha ha!
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