I'm not sure about "creep," but I'll bet a dollar to a dozen donuts that he's an idiot. I wonder why it’s so difficult to teach curriculum without interjecting personal politics . . .

Oh, wait . . . could it be by design – a purposeful intention to inculcate a particular point of view into the minds of young people who themselves would otherwise have no clue?

Hmmmm.

Posted by Mustang at November 25, 2005 07:49 PM

For the luv of GAWD. When will it stop? We need to make a club for these (dis)honorable teachers and professors...the club of communist loving cult headed, creeps....for lack of a better term right now. Sheesh.
Figures...up in VT.

Posted by Raven at November 25, 2005 08:00 PM

I'll stack my IQ against his any day of the week. Creep!!!!--GMR

Oh come on now. You can admit it. Everyone knows that 'progressives' are invariably much more intellectual and sophisticated than the 'conservative class'. It does no good to rail against the ignominy of it all. It just is. Best thing is just to accept your lot.

I'm sure I read that somewhere in the NYT's or the Washington Post at some point. And if it's not in the Times or the Post, it simply isn't, as you well know.

Why is it, by the way that when these tendentious propagandists are exposed, the powers that be always say that they are "taking the complaint seriously"? Why do they never say,for example, " Should this be found to be true, I do not see how Mr/Mrs/Ms "X" can continue at this institution. Such an imposition of personal beliefs is totally unacceptable not only to me but to the deepest values of this establishment".

By the by ---- I think that you used too many !!!!! after Creep. I thought I had wandered into DU for a moment there. :-)
+++++++++++++++++++++++
Corrected for clarity's sake. Gee dougf, you don't cut anyone any slack do you? ;-)

Posted by dougf at November 25, 2005 09:25 PM

No surprise to many, I looked up the high school in question and then sent the AP article to the principal with a few comments of my own. They will probably fall on deaf ears as most tend to "circle the wagons" and not really determine if there is a problem and fix it if one exists.

You know, we did pretty darn well with Warren County Community College because LOTS of phone calls and emails were sent. While this case is a bit different, I urge readers to check out the AP piece and if you're as hacked as I, send them an email and call them on Monday morn.

A din, generally, gets more attention than a feeble few words of protest.

Posted by tad at November 25, 2005 11:35 PM

This is just another case of the 60’s teachers reliving the glory days of communists addenda in America. These flaming anti-Americans should be tried and hung for treason.

Posted by Michael at November 25, 2005 11:56 PM

It also shows the total hipocracy of the left. You know that if this was done by someone on the right, US Senators would be having speeches, Jesse look-at-me-Jackson would be there in person, and the DU would be overflowing with hatred...oh wait, they're already overflowing with hatred...

Posted by Ogre at November 26, 2005 10:29 AM

GM - I hate to say it, but this situation is only going to get worse before it gets better, and the only way for it to get better would be for Ogre's (and mine, as well as a few others') ranting to be put into practice, GET THE GOVERNMENT OUT OF SCHOOLS ALLTOGETHER! The U.S. Constitution DOES NOT provide for government schools, and it's only in the last century or so that "public schools" even existed.

Hence, why my kids will either be home schooled or in a private school, after all, I'm going to be an "evil, rich, white, republican" aren't I, why not spend that money on something worthwhile?

Posted by Smokey at November 26, 2005 10:01 PM

Smokey,

Couldn't agree more. The whole academic "industry" (and that's what it is), is about jobs, money, perks....and little really about education. While it is true that there are some good and decent teachers (heck, I am a instructor at a community college myself), the deal is that not enough smart, tough teachers are in classrooms. Further, Administrators are also lefties and/or only interested in placating parents.

Speaking on a related subject, how is it that our school system is less and less rigorous? We are purposely dumbing done the requirements? Because: we're afraid of the students, afraid of the parents, afraid the students will quit and we won't get the money. Gad, this is 180 what is ought to be. This is the soft bigotry of expecting less from some kids than from others.

Using a sweeping generality, always risky, how is it that most Asian-American kids excel? Their parents absolutely demand it. Why is there violence in schools? How about gangs? Why do we tolerate it? This is a national malise. We think we can get the idiot terrorists to stop by speaking softly and attempting to "understand" their "culture". Same deal in schools. We'll excuse Jimmy, Juan and Jammar for hooliganism because they have a different "culture" which we really ought to understand. Here's the deal. It isn't acceptable and it isn't a "culture". Violence, or the threat of same, against other students, teachers, etc. is just against the law. It is morally wrong. This isn't about "diversity" (the moral equivalentcy [sic] of all cultures, it is about the unwilliness to demand the same standards from everyone.

Didn't we go through a bloody Civil War and too much later, a Civil Rights Movement to get the idea of equality hammered into the law and into public practice? If that is true, then let's embrace equality. The same standards for everyone.

Another thought. What sorts of behaviors do those tony expensive private schools for high schoolers require? Why don't public school attempt to emulate those private schools more?

Finally, the government does some things better than the private sector could: war-fighting and air traffic control to name two. Education, however, is something they are really awful at. Why not let them collect the money and then give vouchers to parents? The private sector would rush to fill the void. They'd do it better...or (if you gave a damn) you'd take Jimmy, Juan and Jammar out of that school and put them in one that was safer, more academically demanding, etc.

'Nuff ranting for now.

Posted by tad at November 27, 2005 12:09 PM

Notwithstanding the excellent points made above, let me respectfully disagree. It isn't the federal government that elects extremely liberal superintendents to local school districts.

The problem with American educational systems is that it isn't educating. It is indoctrinating students to very liberal ideologies, where everything is really quite okay and patriotism is a bad word. The people who elect these nitwits, who in turn hire other nitwits to occupy administrative and teaching positions, is less than TEN percent of registered voters within any given school district.

In an atmosphere where school districts hire armed police officers, but then instruct them to "look the other way," and in an environment in which teachers are instructed to pass "most" students, or face the possibility of not having their contracts renewed, I am astounded that parents remain unconcerned or apathetic.

The fact is that our schools are little more than a publically funded day-care center for kids who could truly care less about learning. No, my friends, the problem with today's schools isn't the federal government -- the problem is unconcerned PARENTS and TAX PAYERS.

Posted by Mustang at November 27, 2005 01:35 PM

I must demur here on the basis of the facts listed to date. This is a horse of different color than the Warren County Community College case.

I felt that Professor Daly's behavior [harassement of students, call to violence against American troops] was a serious departure from academic standards that deserved his firing (or resignation). The craven behavior of President Austin also deserved strong sanction (which does not appear to be forthcoming).

However, from what you've presented, Mr. Chenkin seems guilty just of bad judgment. Let's get some perspective here.

First, I don't read that the teacher is in his classes violating state curriculum standards and creating a hostile atmosphere for students of differing opinions that would be harassment. Let's be consistent here; if we're going to oppose PC speech codes based on regulating speech to avoid offending people, then we have to be willing to accept speech that may offend us.

Let's lighten up here a bit, we're talking about high school students here. If a few test questions are going to be effective in indoctrinating them into a "leftist" agenda, then we have much bigger problems than a high school teacher, we have students with weak minds who obviously will be hopelessly indoctrinated by the insults and hostility towards President Bush and the Republican party that they encounter in newspapers, magazine articles, popular songs, television, etc. Get a grip folks.

I can understand that a teacher might want to liven up/lighten up grimly serious test situations by composing what he thought would be humorous questions that might catch their interest and perhaps help keep them awake. Some of the more memorable and enjoyable tests I've taken in my school endeavors have some from teachers who had the creativity (and interest) to compose innovative and entertaining test questions.

In brief, from the story to date, what we're dealing with a teacher employing is bad judgment in his choice of test questions, who has crossed the line between humor and gratuitious insulting. This could certainly be handled as a personnel matter and should not come close to grounds for firing the teacher or setting off a national campaign.

I would certainly support an investigation to determine whether this judgment lapse betrays a systemic effort in his teaching to indoctrinate a "leftist ideology" and insult groups on the "right". If evidence arises that he indeed is doing such and creating an atmosphere of intimidation, then more serious sanctions would be called for.

But at this point, the level of outrage I'm reading in this thread is disproportionate to the level of offense described so far. Don't imitate the left who want to lop off heads when their orthodoxy is only scratched. Or, to use another metaphor, let's not go nuclear over a mosquito bite.

Posted by civil truth at November 27, 2005 07:19 PM

CT, I don't often say this, but I think you are dead wrong on this one. This teacher is teaching High School, some of the absolutely most tender minds around. When he injects his left bias into the classroom (as he acknowledges and as he acknowledges that he is a committed lefty) via exams, that little bit gets stuck. I would decry a conservative teacher doing the same thing. The class room is not a room for any kind of political indoctrination. Especially in Social Studies, but also especially in English where un-honed minds won't catch the subtlety of the interjected information. But they will remember the information. I've been teaching at the college level for 18 years and have seen the thoughts inculcated in the minds of students by both liberal and conservative teachers in the High Schools. It is wrong and shouldn't be allowed PERIOD. At least them's my beliefs.

Posted by GM at November 27, 2005 07:37 PM

This all is making me feel cheerier and cheerier about having my kids in public school. Sure, they're not even past the first grade yet... One thing for sure, the wifie and I are quite active in PTA and are keeping major tabs on what our kids are being spoon-fed.

But you know what? I've heard similar stories as yours about private school. The most expensive such school in our area is run by freaking moonbats. Even our liberal friends are starting to wonder about why they're putting up with it. Seems a military academy might be a safe bet... OR, yout teach your kids from the get-go to be discriminating and discerning and always critical about what they're being tought.

BTW, GM, I'm sure your little toenail has a higher IQ than Chenkin -- even after it's had it's annual clipping.

Posted by The MaryHunter at November 27, 2005 09:42 PM

GM,

I think you misread the thrust of my comments. I am not (and was not) defending Mr. Chenkin's actions, but rather reacting to what I see as an overeaction (primarily by the other commenters) to the incident as presented. In fact, the only issue I had with your post was your last sentence: Daly resigned, will Chenkin have the decency to do the same, or even the huevos to admit that he was flat out wrong?

Let me state now since it apparently was not clear from my previous comments that I disagree with Mr. Chenkin's behavior. He needs to be put on notice that his actions are not to be repeated. And now that this dispute has reached national attention, I would echo your sentiment that Mr. Chenkin have the cojones to make at least a written statement that his actions were wrong.

But again, I am basing my statements on the assumption that his unbalanced and insulting comments were limited to his test questions -- and a willingness on my past to thereby attribute his actions to bad judgment rather than an overt attempt to indoctrinate. As I wrote, if this level of behavior were characteristic of his teaching so as to constitute indoctrination and an intimidating environment to those with differing opinions (which surely would violate the education code, I trust), then more severe action should be taken.

The rest of my comments were an attempt to put the actions into perspective in line with the entire spectrum of teacher indoctrination. Perhaps I was showing undue confidence in our youth when I opined that a few test questions should not permanently scar our students' minds in light of all the political messages that our youth are exposed to in our society. Indeed, I think our youth are better served by exposure to strong opinions to gain the tools of critical thinking and good judgment that they will need in college or as informed voters. This is better than the PC approach of neutering anything controversial on the basis that someone might be offended, which will leave their minds unprepared.

The caveat, of course, is that the class environment be one of free debate presenting the range of dispute -- not systematic indoctrination, which would be a genuine threat. Again, more information is needed that what we presently have as to what was going on in Mr. Chenkin's classroom as a whole.

Regardless, the test questions were not appropriate and did not promote the educational values I just discussed.

However, when I compare these faulty test questions with the flagrant intimidation to students etc. exhibited by Mr. Daly, the disparity between these behaviors to me is such that I can't see calling for Mr. Chenkin's firing; that actions is just too extreme. In that context, the intensity of reaction that I see in the other comments in this thread seemed to me to be out of proportion to the offense and seemed to bring in many other grievances and associations that to me did not clearly pertain to this situation. Yes, Mr. Chenkin's questions were wrong, but firing him for those actions alone would also be wrong.

Posted by civil truth at November 27, 2005 11:49 PM