Teachers who stomped American flag, Jesus, are gone

[trag3dy]

nvm

[TheLegendOfMart]

MANY men and women have lost their lives for that flag. I lost so much of my small bowel for that Flag that I'm barely hanging on to life myself. Do I love America? Yes emphatically.

No, they lost their lives for their country and countrymen/women, not a piece of nylon.

[adrynalyne]

They didn't force the kids to stomp on the paper with the word Jesus on it.

They asked them to do it, to gauge a reaction and then talk about why some would have an issue doing so and others wouldn't.

Seems perfectly fine to me, it encourages critical thinking

It does, but at the same time I read reports that the student who refused was chastised. That doesn't promote critical thinking, it instead encourages intolerance.

[Stoffel]

It does, but at the same time I read reports that the student who refused was chastised. That doesn't promote critical thinking, it instead encourages intolerance.

From what I understood he didn't get chastised because he didn't want to step on the piece of paper, but because of his reaction/attitude to the whole exercise.

[majortom1981]

The flag one I can see him getting fired but the professor and the stomp on jesus thing I think goes against the church and state mixing thing(florida atlantic is a florida state university). That teach would have a good shot at a huge lawsuit

[adrynalyne]

From what I understood he didn't get chastised because he didn't want to step on the piece of paper, but because of his reaction/attitude to the whole exercise.

Would you expect catholics to be ok with someone coming in to their church and ****ing in the holy water? I mean heck, they are free to join in if they wish. It is "just" a symbol.

[seta-san]

They paid the inevitable price for not bowing to the Christian Taliban / uber patriot crowd. I fully agree with the teachers, it was an interesting lesson that raised an interesting point about the way people obsessively worship things like flags.

not bowing to the Christian Taliban and uber patriots only needs to involving *not* saying the pledge of allegiance and having a morning prayer. This person took it two steps further.. not only did he stomp on images that have deep meaning for millions(the flag) to billions(jesus) of people but also tried to force his students to do the same. This teacher shouldn't have been allowed to resign. He should have been unceremoniously fired from his position and had his teaching license revoked permanently.

[MFH]

I mean no other countries are attached to religion. Silly Americans.

What other country that claims that they are founded on the right of free speech and democracy has that much problem with separation of church and state? So yeah, silly Americans...

[adrynalyne]

The flag one I can see him getting fired but the professor and the stomp on jesus thing I think goes against the church and state mixing thing(florida atlantic is a florida state university). That teach would have a good shot at a huge lawsuit

I doubt it. Separation of church and state means he shouldn't have been an idiot and brought Jesus into the classroom at all, in any context.

[seta-san]

The flag one I can see him getting fired but the professor and the stomp on jesus thing I think goes against the church and state mixing thing(florida atlantic is a florida state university). That teach would have a good shot at a huge lawsuit

one could have argued that HE'S the one whom brought religion into a PUBLIC institution and should be fired just for that.

[adrynalyne]

What other country that claims that they are founded on the right of free speech and democracy has that much problem with separation of church and state? So yeah, silly Americans...

No, instead other countries have killed and maimed people for lesser 'sins'.

[Stoffel]

Would you expect catholics to be ok with someone coming in to their church and ****ing in the holy water? I mean heck, they are free to join in if they wish. It is "just" a symbol.

You lost me, what has one to do with the other.

[adrynalyne]

You lost me, what has one to do with the other.

I don't know how to get you back on track then. In both cases, it involves disrespecting someone's religious values. You think the first example was ok. Along the same vein, then my example must be ok in your mind too.

[Stoffel]

No, instead other countries have killed and maimed people for lesser 'sins'.

But those countries probably never thought of themselves as the best country in the world, with the highest morals and the deliverers of Freedom of speech to the whole world.

[adrynalyne]

But those countries probably never thought of themselves as the best country in the world, with the highest morals and the deliverers of Freedom of speech to the whole world.

Having pride in your country is nothing be ashamed of. The amount of American bashing on this site is amazing.

[Stoffel]

I don't know how to get you back on track then. In both cases, it involves disrespecting someone's religious values. You think the first example was ok. Along the same vein, then my example must be ok in your mind too.

Nobody was forced to do something against their will in the class. It was just to start a discussion.

Walking into a church and ****ing in the holy water is a completely different thing in my opinion.

[adrynalyne]

Nobody was forced to do something against their will in the class. It was just to start a discussion.

Walking into a church and ****ing in the holy water is a completely different thing in my opinion.

Stomping on Jesus' name isn't much different in mine. But hey, we are allowed to have different opinions. That is what tolerance is about, and not at all what that classroom exercise promoted.

[McKay]

Having pride in your country is nothing be ashamed of. The amount of American bashing on this site is amazing.

Maybe in Europe we're just uneasy about that, because the last time we saw a Nation who were that riled up about their own flag, they were marching into Poland.

[Stoffel]

Having pride in your country is nothing be ashamed of. The amount of American bashing on this site is amazing.

Absolutely right, nothing wrong with having pride in your country.

What people here are saying is, you can't have it both ways.

Tell others how they should live their lives but then do the opposite in your own country

[adrynalyne]

Maybe in Europe we're just uneasy about that, because the last time we saw a Nation who was that riled up about their own flag, they were marching into Poland.

Did you really just compare us to nazi Germany? Seriously?

[majortom1981]

The florida one was part of the schools curriculum . The teacher was also vice chairman of the county democratic party. This article states he was put on leave for his safety not as a punishment. Sounds like he was following orders from the college itself.

http://www.kjrh.com/dpp/news/national/Dr-Deandre-Poole-Florida-Atlantic-University-professor-in-Jesus-stomping-controversy-put-on-leave

Sometimes I wonder if certain stories are posted specifically because they are missing info.

[SiCKX]

Behead the teachers while you're at it.

[Stoffel]

Stomping on Jesus' name isn't much different in mine. But hey, we are allowed to have different opinions. That is what tolerance is about, and not at all what that classroom exercise promoted.

You are missing the point, They were never forced to do so. It was to start a discussion about why you would or would not have an issue doing so.

After all it is only a piece of paper. But does putting the word Jesus on it makes the paper special. If so why?

Isn't that worth a discussion?

[jakem1]

Teachers are meant to teach what's in the books not get their impressionable young students to "question the world around them". Teach the facts and leave your damn opinion out of it. Give children credit, they can learn for themselves what they do and do not want to believe in and what they do and do not want to respect.

Where I come from when some one is telling others what they should or shouldn't be doing we call that preaching. And I know how you guys feel about that.

And it's exactly that mentality that leads to the ignorance we see exhibited here. People who expect teachers to simply read from a textbook and think that learning is noting more than the ability to recall facts and statistics only see education as a form of babysitting designed to create mindless drones. Children who are taught to question the world around them will grow up to be critical thinkers who don't just accept that they should believe in fairy tales because they were told to.

Flags and religion only exist to keep mindless idiots in check and a decent education system should be encouraging respect for either of them.

[McKay]

Did you really just compare us to nazi Germany? Seriously?

Your borderline worshiping of flags and symbols yes.