Cop takes 'midnight photos' of teacher's classroom

[Zipp]

BARRE ? John Mott and Tom Treece have at least one thing in common. Make that two.

Both men think they have been unfairly accused and, if you believe their critics, both have had a chilling impact on students at Spaulding High School.

Story

 

[shiner]

A teacher peddling his leftist views in the classroom?

I'm shocked!

 

[sMiLeYz]

My political science professor is a big time leftist and very much opposed the Bush administration, most of our classes did agree with him though.

 

[tec699]

Guess what Motts. This is A-M-E-R-I-C-A and if you don't like it then leave. An educator has a right to look at both view points and if you don't agree then you can hit the high horse. Educators shouldn't have to worry about what other people may think, because someone may oppose their viewpoint.

If I was Treece I would get the ACLU involved and sue Motts for invasion of privacy. If he wants to play hardball, I'd make him wish that he'd never stepped foot in my classroom. I'd make him pay big time.

 

[shiner]

Originally posted by: tec699
Guess what Motts. This is A-M-E-R-I-C-A and if you don't like it then leave. An educator has a right to look at both view points and if you don't agree then you can hit the high horse. Educators shouldn't have to worry about what other people may think, because someone may oppose their viewpoint.

If I was Treece I would get the ACLU involved and sue Motts for invasion of privacy. If he wants to play hardball, I'd make him wish that he'd never stepped foot in my classroom. I'd make him pay big time.

And the case would be thrown right out of court. The classroom is not private. Not only does he share it with another teacher, it's also in a public building and he can expect no privacy there. It's the whole principal that locker searches are based on.

 

[sMiLeYz]

Looks like the officer was the one who did anything wrong, using your uniform to go into a classroom at NIGHT and take pictures? Abuse of authority?

?I tell kids from day one: ?I don?t want you to agree with me, I want you to be informed and think for yourselves,? he said. ?I have never squashed dissent in my class in any way shape or form.?

Treece said his message to students is simple: ?Defend what you believe and if you can?t defend it I?m going to pick holes in your argument no matter what side of the issue you?re on.?

Treece said he supplies his students with a broad range of resources and encourages them to use them to come to their own conclusions.

?My goal in that class is to get kids to think and be critical of everything they read and hear and see,? he said.

Doesnt sound like he is trying to push any leftist views on anyone, but he makes his views known. Theres a difference.
Is it then wrong that he has leftist views? No.

So what exactly is the problem?

It sounds like we need more teachers like him.

 

[UltraQuiet]

Originally posted by: tec699
Guess what Motts. This is A-M-E-R-I-C-A and if you don't like it then leave. An educator has a right to look at both view points and if you don't agree then you can hit the high horse. Educators shouldn't have to worry about what other people may think, because someone may oppose their viewpoint.

He is a public employee being paid with tax dollars. If the parents at that school don't like what he is teaching then he will be gone. As far as your "both points of view" comment what makes you think that was happening. His word or the "all hail the idiot boy king" sign?

If I was Treece I would get the ACLU involved and sue Motts for invasion of privacy. If he wants to play hardball, I'd make him wish that he'd never stepped foot in my classroom. I'd make him pay big time.

There is no privacy in a public school classroom. Were Motts methods wrong. Yes. Invasion of privacy? Hardly.

 

[Nitemare]

good riddance. The teachers are paid to educate not indoctrinate.


how can you be a history teacher and a pacifist? you remieve the war and conflict from history books and you have about 12 pages left.....with pictures.....in large print...

 

[shiner]

Originally posted by: sMiLeYz
Looks like the officer was the one who did anything wrong, using your uniform to go into a classroom at NIGHT and take pictures? Abuse of authority?

?I tell kids from day one: ?I don?t want you to agree with me, I want you to be informed and think for yourselves,? he said. ?I have never squashed dissent in my class in any way shape or form.?

Treece said his message to students is simple: ?Defend what you believe and if you can?t defend it I?m going to pick holes in your argument no matter what side of the issue you?re on.?

Treece said he supplies his students with a broad range of resources and encourages them to use them to come to their own conclusions.

?My goal in that class is to get kids to think and be critical of everything they read and hear and see,? he said.

Doesnt sound like he is trying to push any leftist views on anyone, but he makes his views known. Theres a difference.
Is it then wrong that he has leftist views? No.

So what exactly is the problem?

It sounds like we need more teachers like him.

Teachers like him are exactly what is wrong with the current education system. They have given up teaching for political indoctrination. That or they spend more time worrying about a student's feelings and perceived self worth than they do teaching them how to read or do math. What purpose did his "All hail the idiot boy king" serve in a classroom environment? Teachers like him use their position to push, that's right push, their beliefs on their students and then hide behind their profession whenever someone questions their motives.

 

[shiner]

Originally posted by: Nitemare
good riddance. The teachers are paid to educate not indoctrinate.


how can you be a history teacher and a pacifist? you remieve the war and conflict from history books and you have about 12 pages left.....with pictures.....in large print...

That's not surprising. They don't really teach history anymore. Most history texts have been so watered down to keep from offending anyone that it's hard to tell what really happened. I have a BA & MA in History and nothing pisses me off more than some of the so called history teachers/professors that I have had to deal with.

 

[Nitemare]

Originally posted by: sMiLeYz
Looks like the officer was the one who did anything wrong, using your uniform to go into a classroom at NIGHT and take pictures? Abuse of authority?

?I tell kids from day one: ?I don?t want you to agree with me, I want you to be informed and think for yourselves,? he said. ?I have never squashed dissent in my class in any way shape or form.?

Treece said his message to students is simple: ?Defend what you believe and if you can?t defend it I?m going to pick holes in your argument no matter what side of the issue you?re on.?

Treece said he supplies his students with a broad range of resources and encourages them to use them to come to their own conclusions.

?My goal in that class is to get kids to think and be critical of everything they read and hear and see,? he said.

Doesnt sound like he is trying to push any leftist views on anyone, but he makes his views known. Theres a difference.
Is it then wrong that he has leftist views? No.

So what exactly is the problem?

It sounds like we need more teachers like him.

I take it you missed this paragraph...

Among the student projects that Mott said he photographed were a poster of the President Bush with duct tape over his mouth and a large papier-mâché combat boot with the American flag stuffed inside stepping on a doll. He said there also were pictures of Cuban dictator Fidel Castro and his former chief lieutenant, Ernesto ?Che? Guevara, posted on the walls.

history is things that have happened not current events and US bashing....that would be down the hall...French class

 

[Nitemare]

Originally posted by: shinerburke

Originally posted by: Nitemare
good riddance. The teachers are paid to educate not indoctrinate.


how can you be a history teacher and a pacifist? you remieve the war and conflict from history books and you have about 12 pages left.....with pictures.....in large print...

That's not surprising. They don't really teach history anymore. Most history texts have been so watered down to keep from offending anyone that it's hard to tell what really happened. I have a BA & MA in History and nothing pisses me off more than some of the so called history teachers/professors that I have had to deal with.

Try getting American government taught to you from a leftish socialist

 

[sMiLeYz]

Originally posted by: Nitemare

Originally posted by: sMiLeYz
Looks like the officer was the one who did anything wrong, using your uniform to go into a classroom at NIGHT and take pictures? Abuse of authority?

?I tell kids from day one: ?I don?t want you to agree with me, I want you to be informed and think for yourselves,? he said. ?I have never squashed dissent in my class in any way shape or form.?

Treece said his message to students is simple: ?Defend what you believe and if you can?t defend it I?m going to pick holes in your argument no matter what side of the issue you?re on.?

Treece said he supplies his students with a broad range of resources and encourages them to use them to come to their own conclusions.

?My goal in that class is to get kids to think and be critical of everything they read and hear and see,? he said.

Doesnt sound like he is trying to push any leftist views on anyone, but he makes his views known. Theres a difference.
Is it then wrong that he has leftist views? No.

So what exactly is the problem?

It sounds like we need more teachers like him.

I take it you missed this paragraph...

Among the student projects that Mott said he photographed were a poster of the President Bush with duct tape over his mouth and a large papier-mâché combat boot with the American flag stuffed inside stepping on a doll. He said there also were pictures of Cuban dictator Fidel Castro and his former chief lieutenant, Ernesto ?Che? Guevara, posted on the walls.

history is things that have happened not current events and US bashing....that would be down the hall...French class

I obviously read the paragraph better than you... no wait... you're going to tell me that he forced his students to make that project?

Edit: LOL and you think French language class teaches anti americanism or "US bashing"? Ignorance must be bliss.

 

[tec699]

And the case would be thrown right out of court. The classroom is not private. Not only does he share it with another teacher, it's also in a public building and he can expect no privacy there. It's the whole principal that locker searches are based on

Opps... your right. I should have thought it over a bit before I hastly posted my message.

 

[shiner]

Originally posted by: Nitemare

Originally posted by: shinerburke

Originally posted by: Nitemare
good riddance. The teachers are paid to educate not indoctrinate.


how can you be a history teacher and a pacifist? you remieve the war and conflict from history books and you have about 12 pages left.....with pictures.....in large print...

That's not surprising. They don't really teach history anymore. Most history texts have been so watered down to keep from offending anyone that it's hard to tell what really happened. I have a BA & MA in History and nothing pisses me off more than some of the so called history teachers/professors that I have had to deal with.

Try getting American government taught to you from a leftish socialist

I did....I was originally a Poly Sci major. Had to switch because I was having too many run ins with the professors. In the department hallways instead of the normal pictures of posters you would see about the school or upcoming campus events there were pictures of Marx, Guevara, LaRouche, Ho Chi Min, Engels, Chairman Mao, etc.... I had a class one semester on the early American political system and we had to write a paper about the Constitutional Convention. I got my paper back and the professor had torn it to shreds. Why? Because in his view the Constitutional Convention was nothing more than an early day KKK rally where powerful white men met and drafted laws designed to keep "the black man in a perpetual state of poverty"(his quote not mine) and to "continue the goals of the crusades in the New World." Not long after that I dropped the class and then switched majors the next semester. Ended up getting a Poly Sci degree later on from a different school.

 

[Zipp]

I don't have a problem with the cop going into this "public" school. I do have a problem with the way this person teaches his students....Well at least the way he goes about doing it that is...I'd also be willing to bet that this guy isn't even closed to be being fair and balanced in his discussions.

 

[Windi]

I do have a problem with the way this person teaches his students....Well at least the way he goes about doing it that is...I'd also be willing to bet that this guy isn't even closed to be being fair and balanced in his discussions.

How the fvck do you know? Just because the teacher has leftist views doesn't mean he forces them on his students.

He wants there to be discussion in class, something that is part of every good history class, and need opposing viewpoints for discussions.

So please STFU. He _wasn't_ forcing his viewpoints on the students at all. He is free to have his opinion, and since history class involves discussion, he might as well share his opinion with the students. There's nothing wrong with that unless you want history class to consist of only blindly learning facts and flag waving.

 

[UltraQuiet]

There's nothing wrong with that unless you want history class to consist of only blindly learning facts

That's exactly what I want my history class to consist of. At least to the extent that is possible with humans involved. Posting Bush pictures with "little idiot boy king" captions does nothing to add to the history lesson and is clearly forcing opinion on students.

 

[Windi]

That's exactly what I want my history class to consist of. At least to the extent that is possible with humans involved.

So the students shouldn't hold discussions and form their own opinion on various matters? History class is ideally suited for this.

Posting Bush pictures with "little idiot boy king" captions does nothing to add to the history lesson and is clearly forcing opinion on students.

The teacher didn't do that. The students did the posters. Read the article.

 

[Windi]

The way I see it, Treece is a fairly good history teacher.

 

[UltraQuiet]

Originally posted by: Windi

That's exactly what I want my history class to consist of. At least to the extent that is possible with humans involved.

So the students shouldn't hold discussions and form their own opinion on various matters? History class is ideally suited for this.

Posting Bush pictures with "little idiot boy king" captions does nothing to add to the history lesson and is clearly forcing opinion on students.

The teacher didn't do that. The students did the posters. Read the article.

From the article:

Treece said that goes for his detractors, some of whom are using the controversy over a six-word sentence ? ?All hail the idiot boy king? ? that he posted on a bulletin board next to a picture of President Bush as a reason to reject the high school budget. The budget is scheduled for a re-vote next week.

?They?re out to get the budget and they?ve made me their whipping boy,? he said.

Treece makes no apologies for how he conducts his classes or for his own political views. In retrospect, he said, the comment he posted about Bush was probably too direct.

I suggest you read the article or take the advice you gave someone else earlier.

 

[Zipp]

Quote

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I do have a problem with the way this person teaches his students....Well at least the way he goes about doing it that is...I'd also be willing to bet that this guy isn't even closed to be being fair and balanced in his discussions.
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How the fvck do you know? Just because the teacher has leftist views doesn't mean he forces them on his students.

He wants there to be discussion in class, something that is part of every good history class, and need opposing viewpoints for discussions.

So please STFU. He _wasn't_ forcing his viewpoints on the students at all. He is free to have his opinion, and since history class involves discussion, he might as well share his opinion with the students. There's nothing wrong with that unless you want history class to consist of only blindly learning facts and flag waving.

Your telling me to shut the fvck up? I can't express my opinion or thoughts on the topic? That doesn't sound to fair. From what he allows to be posted on his classroom walls...I would still place that bet and I'll wave my flag while doing it.

 

[Windi]

Your telling me to shut the fvck up? I can't express my opinion or thoughts on the topic? That doesn't sound to fair. From what he allows to be posted on his classroom walls...I would still place that bet and I'll wave my flag while doing it.

Of course you're allowed to voice your opinion, maybe the STFU was a bit too harsh.
But I still don't see how he is forcing his opinion on the students. Hell, he _wants_ his students to critize him.

 

[dabuddha]

Originally posted by: Windi

Your telling me to shut the fvck up? I can't express my opinion or thoughts on the topic? That doesn't sound to fair. From what he allows to be posted on his classroom walls...I would still place that bet and I'll wave my flag while doing it.

Of course you're allowed to voice your opinion, maybe the STFU was a bit too harsh.
But I still don't see how he is forcing his opinion on the students. Hell, he _wants_ his students to critize him.

The mans an idiot and people like him need to be removed from our schools. The parents have complained and the school board refused to do anything. I believe it should be the parent's decision on who gets to teach their children. And seeing how it is a public school, they are paying for it and have the right.

 

[CPA]

Originally posted by: sMiLeYz
My political science professor is a big time leftist and very much opposed the Bush administration, most of our classes did agree with him though.

and of course he didn't indoctrinate you nor your classmates, right?