Science teacher preaching creationism and branding crosses on students' arms

[Goofball]

Good Lord...

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servl...rnational/home

I'm a little disappointed that the article was so sketchy on details, as I have a feeling that there is much more here than meets the eye. For example, I find it interesting that one of the complaints about the teacher is not that he branded his students, but that he branded crosses on them. I would think that and branding of a student by a teacher would be enough grounds for immediate dismissal and filing of criminal charges against the teacher in question. Neither of those things have taken place.

What are we not being told here?

[Ronin]

Sounds like a work for the local health authorities....this person is obviously mentally unbalanced and should be given help.

[PanzerJaeger]

Sounds like a work for the local health authorities....this person is obviously mentally unbalanced and should be given help.

So Joel Olsteen has been declared a mental disorder?

[HoreTore]

Well teaching mumbo-jumbo(this time creationism, arguably the lamest theory ever conceived) is more than enough to fire him immediately.

Branding the students is more than enough for an arrest, of course assuming that it was done involuntary.

[Lemur]

Branding the students is more than enough for an arrest, of course assuming that it was done involuntary.

As a parent, I can tell you that I wouldn't care if the branding was voluntary or not. If the kids were down on their knees, begging him to sear their flesh with a hot iron, that would mean nothing. You don't go mutilating other peoples' kids, no matter what the circumstances.

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

Well teaching mumbo-jumbo(this time creationism, arguably the lamest theory ever conceived) is more than enough to fire him immediately.

You cannot disprove that God created the Earth/Universe.

At any rate, the science teacher was out of line.

[HoreTore]

You cannot disprove that God created the Earth/Universe.

....And neither can you prove it

Anyway, my lack of respect for creationism comes as much from how it originated and the motives of those pushing it as to the theory itself.

@Lemur: Yes, I meant with the parents approval... He has supporters in that town, they might have wanted to get crosses burned on their kids arms...

Of course, that's starting to sound like a job for child-services...

[Adrian II]

You cannot disprove that God created the Earth/Universe.

But it does prove the teacher is an idiot.

If this isn't a hoax. I mean, branding students - is that an American thing?

[Goofball]

You cannot disprove that God created the Earth/Universe.

You cannot disprove that I created the Earth/Universe. Why shouldn't we be teaching Goofballism in science classes?

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

....And neither can you prove it

No, you cannot. It's a belief, plain and simple.

[woad&fangs]

Based on the article I have a feeling that the "branding" is being blown out of proportion by those that want him fired.

edit: or maybe not..., After looking at the picture that does indeed look like small burns.

[atheotes]

The teacher was out of line.... the article says the brandings were done in december and there were complaints...if so the school authorities were also not doing their job.

[yesdachi]

If my kid came home with a “brand” and it was anything other than those wicked cool dragons David Carradine had on his forearms in the TV show Kung-Fu I would not be a happy parent.

[Viking]

You cannot disprove that I created the Earth/Universe. Why shouldn't we be teaching Goofballism in science classes?

I don't find it very likely that you created the universe; but however, since Mars is such a red planet, it was obviously created by communists.

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

since Mars is such a red planet, it was obviously created by communists.

[Goofball]

I don't find it very likely that you created the universe; but however, since Mars is such a red planet, it was obviously created by communists.

If you believe I am anything even remotely close to a communist, you really have no idea what you are talking about...

And at any rate, if I say "I am the Lord Goofball. I have been around since the beginning of time, and it was I who created the Universe," as far as being able to offer any proof goes, my statement is just as plausable as anything the Bible has to say about creation.

[Viking]

If you believe I am anything even remotely close to a communist, you really have no idea what you are talking about...

And at any rate, if I say "I am the Lord Goofball. I have been around since the beginning of time, and it was I who created the Universe," as far as being able to offer any proof goes, my statement is just as plausable as anything the Bible has to say about creation.

Well I just thought my example was a bit more like ID; I was by no means referring to you as a communist.

I do agree with your second statement, Lord Goofball.

[HoreTore]

No, you cannot. It's a belief, plain and simple.

And the proper place for belief is in church, not in school. In school we teach science.

[CountArach]

At least they didn't have to bow down to Allah.

[HoreTore]

If you believe I am anything even remotely close to a communist, you really have no idea what you are talking about...

Sure you are goofie, you're to the left of Bush and his croonies aren't you? That makes you a bleedin' commie childkilling terrorist, you know...

[Goofball]

Well I just thought my example was a bit more like ID; I was by no means referring to you as a communist.

I do agree with your second statement, Lord Goofball.

Good Lord man! Don't refer to me that way! I was only joking! If the Flying Spaghetti Monster hears you, he might think I'm really serious and smite me with a noodly appendage!

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

And the proper place for belief is in church, not in school. In school we teach science.

Unless the school in question is a private or faith-based school, than yes, I agree.

[Viking]

Good Lord man! Don't refer to me that way! I was only joking! If the Flying Spaghetti Monster hears you, he might think I'm really serious and smite me with a noodly appendage!

If FSM wants to hurt the master, FSM must die.

[Crazed Rabbit]

I would think that and branding of a student by a teacher would be enough grounds for immediate dismissal and filing of criminal charges against the teacher in question. Neither of those things have taken place.

What are we not being told here?

John Freshwater, 52, was fired last month after an outside consulting firm released a report concluding that he taught creationism and was insubordinate in failing to remove a Bible and other religious materials from his classroom at Mount Vernon Middle School.

Needless to say, this is ridiculous. Teacher's unions should be struck down and sundered apart for the good of the children.

CR

[CountArach]

Needless to say, this is ridiculous. Teacher's unions should be struck down and sundered apart for the good of the children.

CR

Never mind that they are in fact fighting for higher wages for the teachers, thus providing the incentives to teach that the Right-wing are so keen on lobbying for. Further, it would be an obvious breach of freedom of assembly.

[Crazed Rabbit]

They fight for what is good for them, not what is good for children. That is why it takes years in some areas with strong unions to fire bad teachers; in NYC some schools station teachers in a building away from kids and have them do nothing all day, because the administrators don't want them near children. Those poor teachers eat up money that could be used for better teachers and resources for the children.

Making it easier to fire people also makes it easier to hire them; you don't have to worry about how you're going to fire a teacher if they turn out to be horrible.

And unions fight for higher wages based on seniority, not merit. So good young teachers can't be rewarded properly.

CR

[Goofball]

Darn CR, don't know how I missed that bit about the fact that he was already fired. I think I read the bit about him likely being suspended without pay and that's what stuck in my head. Thanks for pointing that out to me.



At any rate, I think there's still a lot more happening here than we are being told. I still can't figure out why no criminal charges have been laid in this matter.

[Tribesman]

I wonder why in this topic there is no ..OMG its the Christians I tell ya , its that Christanity thing...going on ?
Now if it had been a Koran in the classroom and he had branded a crescent on the kids this topic would be on the fourth page of shite by now .

[Ice]

They fight for what is good for them, not what is good for children. That is why it takes years in some areas with strong unions to fire bad teachers; in NYC some schools station teachers in a building away from kids and have them do nothing all day, because the administrators don't want them near children. Those poor teachers eat up money that could be used for better teachers and resources for the children.

Making it easier to fire people also makes it easier to hire them; you don't have to worry about how you're going to fire a teacher if they turn out to be horrible.

And unions fight for higher wages based on seniority, not merit. So good young teachers can't be rewarded properly.

CR

Uh huh.

I'd also agree teaching creationism in school is a bunch of bs. Evolution is based on science, while creationism is based on religion (mythology if I dare say). Science belongs in school, while religion belongs in it's appropriate place. Teaching creationism as part of a history class on Christianity (like I had last semester), or as mythology wouldn't be bad.

[Navaros]

Evolution is not based on science at all. It's based on wild speculations & fabrications in the minds of men, and faith-based opinions in the correctness of those wild speculations and fabrications. Evolution is every bit as much of religion as Creationism is.

A simple and irrefutable way to demonstrate this is that evolution does not meet the requirements of the scientific method, therefore it's not science.

Teaching Creationism should be perfectly legal, or teaching evolution should be every bit as illegal.

The branding thing would be wrong if it's true. But the way evolution is 'branded' into and thereby acts as a corrupting force in innocent students' minds, and presented as fact when it's actually merely opinion, is just as wrong.