Honestly, who cares? Think back to high school, did you know ANYTHING about politics? I gaurantee after these kids finished the test they went about their business.

With all other problems solved in their lives, these parents go after a politically partisan teacher?

Could George W. Bush pass the quiz?

Only if Cheney was sitting next to him during the test,
like during the 911-commission questioning.

ihateemo

Wasn't the Bush quote "is our children learning?".

I think the whole thing was, "Rarely is asked, 'Is our children learning?'".

I don't see anything in that question that is anti-bush. It is a fact that Bush has trouble speaking in public.

However, the "insuring him Republican votes" part IS a jab at Republicans. and no, I'm not a republican. I just love people who are so arrogant that they actually think, "har har, ne1 who disagrees with me is teh stupid and dumb!!!11"

ImJustaTroll:

"Fill in the Blank: But Clinton got a _______!"

The correct answer is "subpoena," right? What's wrong with that?

Maybe a right-leaning parents should become a teacher there for "fair and balanced" teaching.

I use GW's quotes to show foreign language students that even the president has terrible grammar, so its not that big of a deal to mangle english, most people will understand you anyway. They like it.

There are two things that teachers should keep out of the classroom: Politics and religion.

I don't care what their stance on either is, they should leave their views at the door -- especially when you're dealing with elementary-school kids.

And another thing; those English teachers who are trying to batter their students into believing that Shakespeare and Chaucer are better authors than Stephen King and Michael Crichton, how dare to share your beliefs about a subject that you are responsible for teaching. Maybe some child's mom or dad really like "The Pelican Brief"; how dare you try to indoctrinate them into believing that "King Lear" is a better piece of literature. You must remain unbiased whether you are discussing "The Canterbury Tales" or "Children of the Corn". Damn teachers, actually trying to get students to think!!

I didn't like lefty teachers foisting their views on me in class any more than right-wingers and/or evangelicals, but there were always a lot more of the latter.

Farked!: BackspaceG: Then why do we say "To whom it may concern?"
/genuinely curious.

Because "whom" in that sentence is not the subject. It concerns him (not he), it concerns me (not I), it concerns whom (not who).

But it's speak to whoever complained because whoever is the subject of complained, which clause is the object of the preposition.

Q: This deserves a (Hero, inane) tag!
A: Obvious

I didn't like lefty teachers foisting their views on me in class any more than right-wingers and/or evangelicals, but there were always a lot more of the latter.

It's true. In my experiences, it has been the former. Their arrogant views do nothing but push you in the exact opposite direction.

example: the current neo-cons who were educated by liberal ivy league teachers in the 60's

nonexistent, this was high school. Were you just offering your opinion? And why should a teacher not discuss politics? Political discussion is a good way to reaffirm, questions, and solidify your own beliefs. Or is it better that they learn about politics from talk radio and The Daily Show?

2005-11-26 12:35:05 PM queenin

Honestly, who cares? Think back to high school, did you know ANYTHING about politics? I gaurantee after these kids finished the test they went about their business.

With all other problems solved in their lives, these parents go after a politically partisan teacher?

It's not the biggest problem in the world but still it's annoying when the teacher uses his job as a platform to project his own worldview; he should run for office or start a blog on his own time. It must have bothered someone or no one would have complained. As I mentioned earlier the potential problem if one teacher does this and isn't stopped, is that others can do so, and there's no telling what political or social views some people would love to advertise to your children. (I grew up in the bible belt and numerous times teachers would "witness" to us in class.) If you can do a solid, professional job without pushing your politics on your students, why not just stick with that?

This isn't as bad as I thought at first. That is, if it is true that the teacher encourages debate. Which would mean that those who hold opposing views get say them without reprisals.

But it is sticky ground. It is bad to even look like you are taking sides. At least the Teacher said he would be more neutral in the future.

I wonder if national exposure will become a topic in that class next week

mama's_tasty_foods

It's not the biggest problem in the world but still it's annoying when the teacher uses his job as a platform to project his own worldview; he should run for office or start a blog on his own time. It must have bothered someone or no one would have complained. As I mentioned earlier the potential problem if one teacher does this and isn't stopped, is that others can do so, and there's no telling what political or social views some people would love to advertise to your children. (I grew up in the bible belt and numerous times teachers would "witness" to us in class.) If you can do a solid, professional job without pushing your politics on your students, why not just stick with that?

The reason I don't swallow this totally is because whether a teacher expressly states her views or not -her teaching style, what she teaches, and how she teaches it will no doubt be based on her beliefs. I always liked it when my teacher let me know his/her views on something, then you could take biases into account.

Was the 2nd question on the quiz

Cindy Sheehan is a (hero, coward) for what she is doing in Texas

It wouldn't be so funny if it weren't so true...

/newk-u-ler

12. "Please expain in essay form why is Dubya is the worst president in U.S history. Additional paper is available at the front of class"

Much eye rolling all 'round. Teacher is an a$$hat, quiz was funny, Bush talks funny.

There. I've just summarized everything that has been/will be said in this thread.

This isn't the worst I've experienced. When I was a fifth grader we took ESP tests once a week. We also learned the witches' chant from Macbeth, studied about the witch trials, and other things that were very interesting. We thought nothing of it and went about our business. Obviously the teacher was into the occult, but it's not like we all turned in to witches or devil worshippers.

I'm a high school teacher and I believe this is a good example of irony: Conservatives biatch that we can't get basic skills across to students to pass NCLB testing, but we suddenly have the power to convert them to liberalism through a vocab test?

Teachers can't talk about politics but they CAN talk about creationism?

I mean, they are both full of shiat, but if you can talk about one, you should be able to talk about the other.

I read this headline as:

Teacher gives anti-Bush vocabulary quiz. Hillary ensues.

Parts of me are anti-Bush:
My head, my heart, my feet and tush
My arms and legs and chest and hips
My eyes, my ears, my nose and lips
My kidneys, liver, belly, tongue
My puckered portal that dumps dung
My fingers, toes, appendix, spleen
Near every part of me that's been;
One part of me still thinks Bush rocks;
That homonym ignorant cock.

shrapnil77:

Much eye rolling all 'round. Teacher is an a$$hat was expressing his politics (right or wrong), quiz was very funny, Bush talks funny doesn't seem to have a grasp of the english language or public speaking.

There. It just needed a little touching up.

Farked!
BackspaceG: Then why do we say "To whom it may concern?"
/genuinely curious.

Case (whether it's "who" or "whom") is dependant on the function of the word within its clause or phrase.

So in the sentence "Principal Sue Maguire said she hoped to speak to whomever complained about the quiz and any students who might be concerned." The "whomever" should be "whoever" because it is the subject of the clause "whoever complained about the quiz" and takes the nominative case. That whole clause--NOT the pronoun "whoever"--is the object of the preposition "to".

In the expression "to whomever it may concern", the "whomever" is genuinely the object of the preposition "to", so it takes the objective case. You can tell because "it" is the subject of "may concern".

Mini-Grammar Lesson:

Whom (or whomever) is used when it refers to the object of the verb. In "Whom did you buy this for?", the whom is the person that the letter concerns (I bought it for Jane... Jane, the answer, is the object of the sentence.)

Who or (whoever) is used when it refers to the subject of the sentence. In "Who went with you?", the who is the person that did the action (Jane went with me... Jane, the answer, is the subject of the sentence.)

It's a little more complicated than that, but whom has been slowly dying for over 400 years, and it still shows no signs of disappearing.

damn guys this shiat happens all the time in Red States....i went to school in Baton Rouge where the teachers would make fun of me for being liberal....

I definitely don't agree with the teacher using his job as a means by which to indoctrinate his students. Nonetheless, it happens everywhere, and children in high school should probably challenge something with which they disagree.

On a different note, if this was opposite (conservative/republican espousing views, indocrinating) it would already be national news.

Zagloba: But it's speak to whoever complained because whoever is the subject of complained, which clause is the object of the preposition.

Er, no. Let's look at the sentence again.

"Principal Sue Maguire said she hoped to speak to whomever complained about the quiz."

Ms Maguire is the subject. She is speaking. 'Whomever' is the direct object; they are being spoken to. Therefore 'whomever' is entirely correct, reflexive clause or no reflexive cause.

here's the thing...if this guy gives funny/themed quizzes every week, even if the quizzes piss kids off, i could see 'em making the material easier to relate to. as such, rock on.

that said, the below-average intelligence thing was over the line. if he left out that part, it wouldn't have even contained a political statement per se.

I used to joust all the time with my American Government teacher, a right wing whackjob who did everything but force us to kneel and pray to a Reagan shrine. I used to call her out on the blatant inaccuracies in her spiels. I was actually tossed from class after pwning her for trying to pass off the HAWK missile system as "WWII technology" - she was trying to dismiss Iran Contra as much ado about nothing. She got mad because I knew more about missile systems than she did, and embarrassed her lying ass in front of the class. She lost all face with the class that day, which was a beautiful lesson for everyone.

She probably did more to educate me about American Government than anything else at the time, and taught me that even teachers have agendas. What's the problem?

I had a Catholic HS History teacher hit me in the head with my history book after we had gone round and round for a week over the Catholic Church's role in WWII, specifically, their deal with the Nazis. So I took panty liners from the girls bathroom and made a swastika on the front of his desk. His response was violence, making my point for me.

Teachers should never be asked to toe a Party Line, it's just bad for everybody involved.

"They (teachers) don't have a license to hold forth on a particular standpoint."

You need a liscense for an opinion now? Damn gubmint!

Gross. I've got grammar dork all over my new suit.

"It's absolutely unacceptable," Knapp said. "They (teachers) don't have a license to hold forth on a particular standpoint."

Please, teachers can't teach without taking sides on every issue. Even if a teacher bends over backwards to be 'fair', he or she will surely be found biased by someone.

As I recall, I was taught 'world history' which amounted to 'western history'. I don't recall learning about the individual countries that made up the Soviet Union, or Tibet, or most of the African or SE Asian countries, but I did learn about the history of the western countries. The not-so hidden message? That the west is better than the rest of the world.

What this teacher did was biased, but in fun. Bush should be more coherent, and it certainly seems his supporters are, by and large, not very perceptive or interested in the real causes of things. So it is also true that the teacher hit the nail on the head.

As a parent, I get pretty sensitive when the school attempts to instill morals or attitudes in my children. What is wrong, how to be polite, family planning and sex ideas - these are not for the school to teach. I should be the one to do it.

Maybe if I liked the President I would have a different attitude. Not likely to happen, though, since I haven't liked any recent President much.

PC-inanity strikes. Teacher has an opinion, oh noes. Teacher trying to be funny double oh noes. If funny teacher with an opinion unduly influences a child. Child isn't fit to vote (oh wait they can't) and parents aren't fit to raise a child.


/went to a religous school, became an agnostic
//Was a lil reagan supporter contrary to the politics of most the teachers.
/// is more liberal now
////brother went to same school, was a liberal.
/////now he's a card carrying republican.
//////just because.

A tendency has sneaked into Dubya's public speaking patterns with increasing regularity (or maybe it just went overlooked for too long). More and more, Dubya relies heavily on starting sentences with "See, ..." Here are some of examples of what we're talking about:
See, when they say, Deputy Attorney General, it means he's the number two guy at the Justice Department. (Apr. 20, 2004)

See, we're now facing the first war of the 21st century. It's a different kind of war. (Apr. 20, 2004)

See, if you're a small business owner or a large business owner and you're thinking about investing, you've got to be optimistic when you invest. (Feb. 9, 2004)

Dubya's current record is:
18
Date: August 28, 2004
Location: Lima, Ohio

more at...
http://www.dubyaspeak.com/seecount.shtml

ZAZ: I only recall one college professor who made unnecessary political comments and they were pretty minor.

The only professor who ever injected partisan politics into any of my classes was actually a Republican.

If the extra verb is confusing, consider that "whomever complained" expands to "whomever it was that complained". 'It' is the subject, which is effectively made 'invisible' by abbreviation.

a means by which to indoctrinate his students.

That word's as loaded as Henry Earl on a bender.

/to wham it may concern

Why do ppl make long ass user names

Very disturbing image. Funny, but disturbing.

If nothing else, at least the teacher in question was showing a bit of a sense of humor. Something I wish my social studies teacher would have had. I had a social studies teacher that didn't know anything about social studies... Or at least it seemed that way. Every day she would have us open the textbook to some page and then she would read in this horrid monotone voice. It was completely devoid of inflection... so much so that nearly half the class would fall asleep about five minutes into her reading. Keep in mind that she didn't even have us read any of the sections, she would just read and read. Then she would give us a test. Every once in a while she would put in a history video of some sort.

Boy... I really hated that class. This teacher in the article sounds like a lot more fun.

/Bush sucks
//had to do it
///slashy slashy

Looks like that one question wasn't subjective. But really, if you don't talk about politics in high school class, you likely won't talk about it at all. Heck, I couldn't tell much difference between the parties back in high school, though I did notice the pro-rich leanings of the Republicans.

Help please!

I need to post an image how do I do that on FARK?

As a teacher, it is my job to get the kids to think. It is so easy to delude myself that stirring up controversy by espousing a viewpoint accomplishes this goal. It does not. When a teacher takes a side on an issue, he/she alienates the kids from the other side. Some of them shut down. A masterful teacher will whip the kids into a frenzied debate without ever revealing their personal bias.

This is the essence of teaching critical thinking to all the kids in the room, and it is much, much harder than it sounds. If this guy wants to be a good teacher, he will reel it in.

From a test I gave this year:

1) Identify the subject, verb, indirect and direct objects in this sentence:

Dick Cheney sang the children a song about puppies.

/I just can't help myself
//Is that still too far?

How does a quiz encourage debate? You not allowed to talk during a quiz.

Yes, I was interested on politics in high school and I had one great poli sci teacher who could debate either side on any subject. Your a Dem he'd take the GOP stance and vice versa. It was great fun.

The teacher was out of line for insulting anyone who is a Republican for calling them stupid. The Bush joke, that was funny.