Conservative teacher is crying because he can't use bias in his classroom?
good.

Hobodeluxe: Conservative teacher is crying because he can't use bias in his classroom?
good.

I don't know, reading the article it sounds like everyone involved was being an idiot.

Hender: Hobodeluxe: Conservative teacher is crying because he can't use bias in his classroom?
good.

I don't know, reading the article it sounds like everyone involved was being an idiot.

I got that feeling too when I reached the word Kansas

"I had been called into [Gentry's office] and was told I was picking on Obama in class," Latham said. "But I didn't cover anything else that wasn't already covered by anybody else in the news."

Heh. He might be better off saying that he's been quoting a Ouija board ;)

Well, that certainly covered one side of the story in depth.

SpinStopper: "I had been called into [Gentry's office] and was told I was picking on Obama in class," Latham said. "But I didn't cover anything else that wasn't already covered by anybody else in the news."

Heh. He might be better off saying that he's been quoting a Ouija board ;)

Some people have said that he conducted animal and human sacrifices to his dark lord, Satan, after classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Oh no, I'm not accusing him of anything, I'm just repeating what others have said.

Whamdangler: Well, that certainly covered one side of the story in depth.

Yeah, exactly. I was left feeling there was a lot more to the story.

St_Francis_P: Yeah, exactly. I was left feeling there was a lot more to the story.

what? you think Fox isn't fair and balanced or something?
how could the be anything but? it's right there in their title.
therefore it must be fair and balanced otherwise it would be false advertising.

FTFA: ""It's gross misconduct," he said. "[The district] jumped straight to non-renewal.""

Actually, most districts have the right to not renew your contract for any reason (at least in Texas). We had three teachers who weren't renewed this year (all of them for real gross misconduct). None of them filed grievances. This guy is a complete moran who's crying because he sucked and missed out on a HUGE teachable moment. Hell, even our staunchest Republican teacher was adamant about showing the Inauguration because, regardless of your political beliefs, it was history unfolding right before us.

This guy is an idiot.

Wow, Fox really went out of their way to make sure you thought this guy lost his job for being a Republican.

Kansas Teacher Claims Conservative Views Led to Loss of Job

HA. Unlikely.

Now, granted, this was in Lawrence (the one pocket of pseudo-progressivism in Kansas) but even still, there's no way in HELL this guy lost his job because of his conservative views. I would wager a lot of money on it.

GAT_00: Wow, Fox really went out of their way to make sure you thought this guy lost his job for being a Republican.

The word, "agenda", pops to mind.

There are three things teachers can be fired for in Kansas:

1. Getting caught doing the principal's daughter on school grounds
2. Showing up drunk and threatening to punch out a 9-year old (only if there are adult witnesses)
3. Getting caught with kiddie porn on your work computer (generally applies only middle school vice principals)

Notice that "being too conservative", especially in Kansas, is not on the list.

tudorgurl: Hell, even our staunchest Republican teacher was adamant about showing the Inauguration because, regardless of your political beliefs, it was history unfolding right before us.

Yeah, I think it's a legitimate criticism to fault him for not showing the inauguration - it was live history.

Of course, I would hope the school made the announcement that that's what they would do? "All teachers will show the inauguration on TV today instead of whatever class is scheduled for 10AM" etc. And then the guy ignored it?

If the school didn't tell him beforehand, he might have a complaint (but did they at least tell him during, "hey, turn the TV on"?).

As for criticisms of Obama, did he criticize the guy's VIEWS? Or was he repeating obvious right-wing-radio WHARRGARBL, birther stuff? There's a difference.

All that said though, places have gotten in trouble for trying to outlaw bumper stickers. Heck, the place I work tried to say we can't have bumper stickers in the PARKING LOT, which is not next to the building and it's not as if people have assigned spaces so you'd even know who owned which car! It was laughable and they quickly backed down, but places HAVE been that stupid.

TwistedIvory: Now, granted, this was in Lawrence (the one pocket of pseudo-progressivism in Kansas) but even still, there's no way in HELL this guy lost his job because of his conservative views. I would wager a lot of money on it.

If they fired all the bad educators in Lawrence, all the KU students would have to transfer to K-State.

They nuked^ Lawrence Kansas for a reason. Twice^.

At least he can always have a long and fruitful career serving VIGO, ze SCOURGE of CARPATHIA, sorrow of Moldavia!

HansensDisease: They nuked^ Lawrence Kansas for a reason. Twice^.

Three times, if you count all of Kansas.

There is definitely a liberal bias among faculty in schools. I am slightly left leaning independent and I was sickened by what I saw when I was doing my practicum in Elementary Education last fall during the campaign/election season.

Teachers and other faculty were handing out Obama buttons/stickers to their students and telling them to encourage their parents to vote for Obama. The day after the election, I heard over the announcements "We have reason to celebrate today. Obama is our new president." As if McCain was elected, we should all be in mourning. The teacher I was working with then started a chant "O-Bam-A" and this went on for a good 5 minutes. Your schools are indoctrinating your kids.

That said, FTFA I originally thought the teacher was getting a raw deal, but I then saw this quote:

"When you try to show two sides of an individual, sometimes people don't like that," he said. "They want to hear all of the sunshine, but none of the rain. I aligned more with [McCain's] values than I did with Obama, but I treated Obama with fairness."

Anyone who says something like that, lies.

Broadcastdave: There is definitely a liberal bias among faculty in schools.

There's similarly a conservative bias among Wall Street bankers, I hear. Self-selection and all that.

Broadcastdave: Teachers and other faculty were handing out Obama buttons/stickers to their students and telling them to encourage their parents to vote for Obama.

This is not cool. But, are schools seriously allowing that and not permitting the other direction? Where I live, they're paranoid about appearing biased these days, to the point that if anything they go too far and won't talk about elections, etc.

I do think that it IS a big moment in US history that a non-white guy was elected president. Whether you like his politics or not, the history of this country, with all its bad baggage, has made this a big deal, and the fact that he was able to be elected was a good thing in that sense. If Clinton had won, it'd be similar as the first woman, and if McCain won and Palin was vice-president, that TOO would have been a big moment (Palin slighly less momentous just for being #2, but it would still have been HUGE).

Sometimes people confuse recognition of that valid historical moment with support for the Democratic party win in this particular election.

itazurakko: As for criticisms of Obama, did he criticize the guy's VIEWS? Or was he repeating obvious right-wing-radio WHARRGARBL, birther stuff? There's a difference.

And just to clarify my earlier point, there are valid criticisms of Obama (and all the rest of the candidates, the system, etc) from both the right and the left. There are serious pundits and authors on the right and the left. But if the guy was going with some of the froth that requires a tinfoil helmet, it would not speak well of the teacher's worth as an actual historian or serious scholar, someone who is supposed to be teaching kids to look for well-written evidence.

Mind, the article doesn't give evidence either way - but that's where I'm agreeing with you that

Broadcastdave: "When you try to show two sides of an individual, sometimes people don't like that," he said. "They want to hear all of the sunshine, but none of the rain. I aligned more with [McCain's] values than I did with Obama, but I treated Obama with fairness."

Anyone who says something like that, lies.

... in other words, yeah, I suspect he was more frothy than he either realizes or would like to admit.

Hender: Hobodeluxe: Conservative teacher is crying because he can't use bias in his classroom?
good.

I don't know, reading the article it sounds like everyone involved was being an idiot.

For what it's worth, I agree. sounds like the teacher was being an ass, his boss was trying to be the alpha male and the kids were caught in the middle.

The real reason they canned him is because he's really Bristol Palin's baby daddy.

High school American history is all pure propaganda anyway, so it's no great loss.

Marcus Aurelius: High school American history is all pure propaganda anyway, so it's no great loss.

There are certainly things that I wish I'd seen in greater detail back when I was in school. I didn't develop any serious interest in history until much later in life. For example - I didn't know that Hong Kong was founding specifically as a clearing house for the opium trade. Which, when you think about it, clears up a lot of the basic confusion over China's attitude towards that city (which is to say, it's always been mixed at best...)

Broadcastdave: As if McCain was elected, we should all be in mourning.

With Treasury Secretary Phil Graham in charge, I think mourning would have been the least of our concerns.

itazurakko: This is not cool. But, are schools seriously allowing that and not permitting the other direction?

It happened at the school I was at. I am all for recognizing the historical implications of the election, but to openly campaign for a candidate in the classroom is illegal. I wish I would have recorded it, it was surreal.

Weaver95: There are certainly things that I wish I'd seen in greater detail back when I was in school. I didn't develop any serious interest in history until much later in life.

You and me both. In my history text, for example, there were maybe a couple paragraphs about the Vietnam War. "Well, it just kinda happened, and hippies protested, and then... it just kinda stopped."

It wasn't until I discovered my university library that I really developed an interest.

Epsilon: The real reason they canned him is because he's really Bristol Palin's baby daddy.

Yes, but metaphorically speaking aren't we all?

Benevolent Misanthrope: Weaver95: There are certainly things that I wish I'd seen in greater detail back when I was in school. I didn't develop any serious interest in history until much later in life.

You and me both. In my history text, for example, there were maybe a couple paragraphs about the Vietnam War. "Well, it just kinda happened, and hippies protested, and then... it just kinda stopped."

It wasn't until I discovered my university library that I really developed an interest.

I'm actually kinda pissed off that kids aren't given a more accurate background on the history of drug abuse in this country.

Chloe Mercer, who graduated Lawrence High School last month, said Latham's class was her favorite and said he was fair despite his decision not to show Obama's inauguration in class.

Facebook profile image:


Take yer pick.

Latham says he supported McCain because of the Arizona senator's military service and lengthy political experience. He admitted to offering students critical viewpoints of Obama due to his lack of experience compared to McCain.

"When you try to show two sides of an individual, sometimes people don't like that," he said. "They want to hear all of the sunshine, but none of the rain. I aligned more with [McCain's] values than I did with Obama, but I treated Obama with fairness."

Sounds like the same dumbass teacher that had a "reasonable" conversation about Obama and McCain and then berated the students that said they supported McCain.

"She said, 'I don't know how you could support that woman,'" Latham said. "That was the beginning of what was going on. They were trying to find a reason to get rid of me."

A paranoid conservative with a victim complex? Perish the thought.

GAT_00: Wow, Fox really went out of their way to make sure you thought this guy lost his job for being a Republican.

He did. Government controls the schools, their goal is to make sure all the little kiddies grow up to mindless liberals, like most of you here. No opposing opinions allowed.

I know, Butthurt, Neocon, blah blah blah... Cue the crying baby picture now.

Weaver95: Marcus Aurelius: High school American history is all pure propaganda anyway, so it's no great loss.

There are certainly things that I wish I'd seen in greater detail back when I was in school. I didn't develop any serious interest in history until much later in life. For example - I didn't know that Hong Kong was founding specifically as a clearing house for the opium trade. Which, when you think about it, clears up a lot of the basic confusion over China's attitude towards that city (which is to say, it's always been mixed at best...)

THIS
I'm still pissed they didn't discuss Kong Kong at all in my American History class! :)

Squawker: Government controls the schools, their goal is to make sure all the little kiddies grow up to mindless liberals, like most of you here. No opposing opinions allowed.

Would it not serve to reason that a government would want conservatives that desired the status quo and non-progressive thoughts?

I mean, it seems kinda odd to groom a new generation of athiest, free-thinking liberals when you could just as easily groom a new generation of conservatives that pushed away from science and advancement to instead focus on keeping things the same.

tudorgurl: FTFA: ""It's gross misconduct," he said. "[The district] jumped straight to non-renewal.""

Actually, most districts have the right to not renew your contract for any reason (at least in Texas). We had three teachers who weren't renewed this year (all of them for real gross misconduct). None of them filed grievances. This guy is a complete moran who's crying because he sucked and missed out on a HUGE teachable moment. Hell, even our staunchest Republican teacher was adamant about showing the Inauguration because, regardless of your political beliefs, it was history unfolding right before us.

This guy is an idiot.

I didn't vote for Obama but I watched the inauguration. I would have expected every teacher with a TV to have it on.

"I had been called into [Gentry's office] and was told I was picking on Obama in class," Latham said. "But I didn't cover anything else that wasn't already covered by anybody else in the news."

OK so he told his class that Obama was a secret Muslim that wasn't even a citizen? Fox News only mentions "lack of experience" but they tend to leave things out when it does not suit them.

Also "too patriotic" website. That's his description of their comments. Perhaps they thought his school affiliated website lacked any kind of balance. It sounds like a military recruitment site.

bulldg4life: Latham says he supported McCain because of the Arizona senator's military service and lengthy political experience. He admitted to offering students critical viewpoints of Obama due to his lack of experience compared to McCain.

"When you try to show two sides of an individual, sometimes people don't like that," he said. "They want to hear all of the sunshine, but none of the rain. I aligned more with [McCain's] values than I did with Obama, but I treated Obama with fairness."

Sounds like the same dumbass teacher that had a "reasonable" conversation about Obama and McCain and then berated the students that said they supported McCain.

There were numerous cases of teachers berating students for not like Obama last fall. I doubt any were disciplined either.

Nemo's Brother: There were numerous cases of teachers berating students for not like Obama last fall. I doubt any were disciplined either.

I'm sure you do doubt that.

That's because it is all a vast left-wing conspiracy in your world.

Right, and Carrie Prejean is still claiming that she was fired for her comments about gay marriage.

What was that Charles Krauthammer said about Fox News?

What Fox did is not just create a venue for alternative opinion. It created an alternate reality.

It's not really accurate anymore to say that Fox doesn't get its facts straight by accident, because long after they should have corrected information, they continue to push false information friendly to their positions.

I'm sure when the rest of the information comes out it will turn out to be a completely different situation.

What makes it worse is that Fox viewers lock themselves into a world where they only get this kind of information, so they continue to believe it because they don't know any better.

Fortunately they're a minority thought, and Fox News isn't growing its audience any.

bulldg4life: Squawker: Government controls the schools, their goal is to make sure all the little kiddies grow up to mindless liberals, like most of you here. No opposing opinions allowed.

Would it not serve to reason that a government would want conservatives that desired the status quo and non-progressive thoughts?

I mean, it seems kinda odd to groom a new generation of athiest, free-thinking liberals when you could just as easily groom a new generation of conservatives that pushed away from science and advancement to instead focus on keeping things the same.

Since the Democrats and the teachers unions are joined at the hip, training a vast army of so called "free thinking" or "progressive liberals" is just what they want. Keeps the Dems in power that way

Article lacks insufficient details to make judgement call, which, being Fox News, is no surprise.

Could this be another case of Fox News claiming discrimination against conservatives, as frequently do Christians claiming persecution?

/Film at 11.

Whamdangler: Well, that certainly covered one side of the story in depth.

indeed.

anyone else think he has a severe case of ted haggard gay face?

itazurakko: teacher's worth as an actual historian or serious scholar

Um, he's a high school teacher. He probably has a BA in history and a masters in education, it's extremely unlikely that he is any type of scholar or historian.

Nemo's Brother: There were numerous cases of teachers berating students for not like Obama last fall. I doubt any were disciplined either.

oh noes! Liberal conspiracy!

Squawker: Since the Democrats and the teachers unions are joined at the hip, training a vast army of so called "free thinking" or "progressive liberals" is just what they want. Keeps the Dems in power that way

Did you even go to high school? Liberal indoctrination certainly wasn't on the menu when I was there.

itazurakko: Of course, I would hope the school made the announcement that that's what they would do? "All teachers will show the inauguration on TV today instead of whatever class is scheduled for 10AM" etc. And then the guy ignored it?

If the school didn't tell him beforehand, he might have a complaint (but did they at least tell him during, "hey, turn the TV on"?).

That would be a valid point if he were a math or science teacher not showing the inauguration. The fact that he is a HISTORY teacher, more specifically an American History and Government teacher (according to TFA) means he should have been showing the damn inauguration. I don't care how conservative you are, how much you love McCain & Palin, or if you think Obama is going to be the ruin of our nation. The inauguration of the first black US president is a pretty significant event in American History (McCain even admitted that in his concession speech, so why can't you?), and the inauguration of any president is pretty significant to a Government class. History is history, and you teach it regardless of your politics, or you can GTFO.

The article is obviously slanted and feeds the "evil liberals discriminate against us" meme.

It is no coincidence that only Fox news covers this. The article can not be anything but one sided. Every news service knows that government agencies of every stripe have policies against discussion of any employee's dismissal. That is why most news services would not carry this story. There is no way to get both sides of it. But only one side suits Fox News.

They say that they contacted several people, but no one would talk to them. But they don't bother to say why. Then they just go ahead and uncritically present one side.

I love the "too patriotic" in quotes. Are they quoting him describing what he thought his boss was saying? They make it sound like that is what the boss said verbatim, which I very much doubt.

I had the same teacher for economics and US government my senior year. He admitted that he leaned more to the left, but that didn't stop him from having reasonable debates with students. In fact, I can't remember any "indoctrination" at all.

Same with my current events teacher. He leaned more to the right, but it was the same deal.

It's a lot more refreshing to see a teacher in a classroom with an actual opinion or personality, rather than someone who is afraid to upset one side or the other for fear of being fired.

CheetahOlivetti: There are three things teachers can be fired for in Kansas:

1. Getting caught doing the principal's daughter on school grounds
2. Showing up drunk and threatening to punch out a 9-year old (only if there are adult witnesses)
3. Getting caught with kiddie porn on your work computer (generally applies only middle school vice principals)

Notice that "being too conservative", especially in Kansas, is not on the list.

Nice equation there.

Non-renewal =/= being fired

/I bet you failed math, too

laughs at his predicament: