Some Maine Teachers Traumatizing Students of Deployed Soldiers

WABI- TV Bangor Maine | February 21, 2003 | 6 PM News

[bogeybob]

WABI TV reported Friday that the Maine National Guard Family Assistance Center has received about 30 complaints from children of deployed soldiers concerning Principals, Teachers and Guidance Counselors reportedly demeaning the role of their deployed parent. Some children involved are 7 to 9 years of age.

Here is a letter written to a friend of mine from the Maine Army National Guard:

"Thank you for your interest on this most troubling matter. Our Family Assistance Centers have reported cases from Aroostook County to Southern Maine. We are reluctant to give out specific schools and the individuals involved in the interest of giving the education community a chance to address the problem itself. Also, parents wanted the opportunity to pursue the issue through their local school boards first.

In all, we have over thirty complaints that name schools and individual principals, teachers and guidance counselors. If one considers that these complaints come from just the parents who attended our briefings and only from children who told their parents, we are concerned that the problem may be more widespread than we know.

We are recording the complaints, and I will personally visit these educators to express our concern as a professional organization and ask for their cooperation.

Ultimately, our main concern and first responsibility is the safety of our children during these uncertain times. Maine has a core of dedicated and professional educators, but we will challenge any individual who places our children at risk due to their own political ideologies."

[KineticKitty]

Hopefully it won't effect morale to much. The "military at home Mom"(or dad) generally tends to be strong enough to "take care of business". And while the other servicemember parent is gone they will not worry to much knowing that the other half will 'take care of business' in their absence.

In General we are some pretty tough 'cookies' while the soldiers are gone. Especially when it comes to getting screwed, which most career military families tend to have some experience in this department unfortunately.

I would love to be able to freep this school district or entire area, but I am to far away. Luckily I am currently in an area that knows how to properly support "their" troops.

I hope that justice will be served for these families that have family members gone in defense for this country and these very same idiots teachers.

[KineticKitty]

Opps I meant, idiot teachers not idiots

[gnawbone]

California teachers unions were recently able to get homeschooling only legal if the teacher(parent) has a teaching certificate. This is how they plan to keep their captives on the plantation!

I really don't understand why people put up with California. I don't think I could live there for 5 minutes.

[NonValueAdded]

Great job, everyone. Today, everyone is a "momma bear" when it comes to the children of our servicefolk. I look forward to hearing about how the national shows pick up on this. If it doesn't happen today, let's keep the heat on so it will happen tomorrow. God Bless.

[TEXOKIE]

I'm seeing that bump and raising you another! Let's get a good pot going on this table!!

[TEXOKIE]

"Today, everyone is a "momma bear" when it comes to the children of our servicefolk. I look forward to hearing about how the national shows pick up on this. If it doesn't happen today, let's keep the heat on so it will happen tomorrow."

Darn straight, NVA! I saw this and got immediately steamed, as did Mr Texokie. This kind of diabolical nonsense HAS to stop.

[SuziQ]

Not that these Dems will do anything about it, but it might cause them to squirm a little.

Both U.S. Senators from the State of Maine, Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, are Republicans. I'm sure both would be interested in knowing of this, especially since it is connected to a National military matter.

[tutstar]

At first I thought you were asking a joke and I was trying to think what the punch line would be.

Only Marine Officers are addressed as 'Sir', the enlisted are referred to by rank;Corporal, Sargeant, etc.

[We Happy Few]

In 1990, the Supreme Court decided Perpich v. Department of Defense. Governor Dukakis was trying to limit the federal government's deployment of the Massachusetts National Guard (because of opposition to U.S. foreign policy). The Court found that Dukakis unconstitutionally interfered with the federal government's provision of national defense.

If a governor may not interfere with his state's national guard as an act of protest against U.S. foreign policy, it is obvious that public school teachers may not either. It undermines the national defense if, as an act of political protest against the impending war, Maine teachers demoralize American service personnel serving in the Gulf by harassing their children for the very reason that their parents are serving their country.

[alwaysconservative]

I thought Churchill was the hawk, and Neville Chamberlain was the appeasement dove? Is my recollection of history warped?

[VMI70]

Amen--bears repeating

[alwaysconservative]

Please ignore my previous post about Chamberlain and Churchill and please accept my apologies for being an idiot; my post was ill-informed. Wrong war, wrong Chamberlain. Some days, I should read ALL the posts before clicking at the keyboard. (Sigh.)

[ozone1]

Bump to keep it going.

The useful idiots have gone to far on this one.

[Uncle Jaque]

I am aware that both Maine Senators are, at least nominally, associated with the Republican Party, and I have contacted them both via E-mail and may follow up with a phone call to their Portland Offices.

The "Dems" I refer to are Members of the House of Represenstatives. Correct me if I'm behind the times, here, but I think that our District #1 Rep. is Tom Allen, and our State Senate Rep. is Beth Edmonds, D-23. House Rep., Dist. 44 (I think)- Woodbury(I)- don't have his contact info but could get it I suppose. Although He ran as an "Independant" and half of local Republicans voted for him over our Republican Candidate (a local Church delivered nearly it's entire Congregation of 700+ en bloc at the polls in his favor - so much for "Religion vs. Politics" - and we have little doubt that the School Cabal did it's part as well)he reportedly does the bidding of the Democrat Majority quite obediantly.

How interesting that we have a Federal Class Action litigation going on!
Might anyone please share it's title (Smith v. Bangor School Dept. etc.)and Juristiction in which it has been filed? Who is representing the Plaintiff?

I'm getting the impression that a lot of Mainers have pretty much despaired of legal redress against an orginization which has repeatedly demonstrated it's considerable political power and immunity from public accountability.

This level of anger combined with chronic frustration seems to be coming out in the form of expressions such as "Whup-a$$", "Wall-to-wall attitude adjustment", "Lynch 'em", and "take these traitors OUT" etc..
And you know, I'm getting the sense that not all of these sentiments are completely in jest.

The NEA / MEA had best knock this stuff OFF - NOW! Don't wait for an official injuction, Komrades; somebody could get hurt, here...

Real Serius!!!

Do you hear that?; It's the Sirens again! And they're coming this way!

OMG!!!
{8>{0~

It's the SPELLING POLICE, closely followed by a Squad of the GRAMMAR GESTAPO!!!

RUN AWAY!!!; RUN AWAAAAAAY!!!

[TigersEye]

Hopefully it won't effect morale to much. The "military at home Mom"(or dad) generally tends to be strong enough to "take care of business".

Yes, I have no doubt of that. I just wanted to highlight the point that such repugnant behaviour as this doesn't happen in a vacuum. It does make its way to the front lines.

[TEXOKIE]

Here's a volley bump to you!

[wasp69]

Bump for freshness.

[cyn]

Yeah, this looks like it has some 'Billy Jack' potential: "I will personally visit these educators to express our concern as a professional organization and ask for their cooperation.... we will challenge any individual who places our children at risk due to their own political ideologies." -- I'm hoping for some "enlightenment" to result from those visits. SHAME, and worse!, on those who torment these poor children.

[arm958]

I am a school principal in Mississippi. No teacher down here would do such a thing. No school district would keep on a teacher who did.

I think it's time to divy up the country. I live in Wyoming and when I was deployed for a year the teachers in my daughters' schools were extremely supportive.

[StayAt HomeMother]

Ya'll might interested in an article in today's Seattle Times titled "On Iraq, 2 teachers keep their feelings to themselves."

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/education/134640242_iraqtalk24m0.html

Here are some excerpts, greatly rearranged to illustrate the difference between the two teachers.

"Khodi Kaviani teaches social studies at Cedar Heights Junior High in Covington, a rural school with about 1,000 students. He was born in Iran and spent the first 16 years of his life there. The 42-year-old, who has a master's degree in international studies, thinks the United States doesn't have a good record when dealing with Iraq. Before he'd support military action against Iraq, Kaviani says, the Bush administration should clearly present what the purpose is, how much it would cost and what would come afterward. ... His classroom, they say, is the only one in the school where they can freely discuss their views and ask any question they want. ... There are times when Kaviani would like to interject his personal feelings. When students say things like, "Let's just go zap 'em," he'd like to tell them about the people who would be displaced and the pain they'd suffer. But students have to realize that on their own. ... Kaviani likes to tell his students about freedoms he never had growing up in Iran. There, he said, students who spoke against the shah were taking a risk for themselves and their family. Murals and statues of the shah were everywhere and people had to align their beliefs with his."

---

"Michael Sita teaches alternative education and journalism at Evergreen High School, a socially and economically diverse school of 1,100 students in White Center. ... An officer in the Naval Reserve, Sita, 37, served in the Gulf War. After Sept. 11, 2001, he was pulled from his classroom to supervise surveillance and patrol boats in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Believing Iraq poses a threat to the liberty and lives of Americans, Sita supports a strike on Iraq. ... Sita tells students that when he was in Kuwait he saw women with few rights being treated like slaves. He also draws from his military experience to explain what each side's weapons would be capable of accomplishing in a war. ... Sita, who believes high-school students should solve personal problems with nonviolent means and by talking things out, said he feels most conflicted when he's asked why talks between the two countries aren't working. It's hard for him to explain how peaceful measures may work in a school environment but not always in a world that isn't fully civilized. Sometimes, force and striking first are necessary, he says. But he knows he has to keep some of his feelings to himself. "It's a conflict for me," he said, "but it would be irresponsible for me, as a teacher, to get up and politically share my viewpoint and try to persuade students one way or another."

---

"While there is no state requirement that teachers remain neutral and balanced in discussing controversial topics, many individual school districts have such policies. And even in the absence of a policy, teachers are expected to use good, professional judgement."