Students: Teacher Gave Anti-Bush Vocab Quiz

Yes, this news article is posted by "great Satan" of media coverage (though from the Associated Press, but I hardly think anyone will give notice to that). Yes, I don't care. No, I was not perusing FOX's web page to find articles to stir up KMC. If you're going to contribute nothing but bitching about FOX News, please don't reply.

Originally posted by the devil himself
Friday, November 25, 2005

BENNINGTON, Vt. — A high school teacher is facing questions from administrators after giving a vocabulary quiz that included digs at President Bush and the extreme right.

Bret Chenkin, a social studies and English teacher at Mount Anthony Union High School, said he gave the quiz to his students several months ago. The quiz asked students to pick the proper words to complete sentences.

One example: "I wish Bush would be (coherent, eschewed) for once during a speech, but there are theories that his everyday diction charms the below-average mind, hence insuring him Republican votes." "Coherent" is the right answer.

Principal Sue Maguire said she hoped to speak to whoever complained about the quiz and any students who might be concerned. She said she also would talk with Chenkin. School Superintendent Wesley Knapp said he was taking the situation seriously.

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

Chenkin, 36, a teacher for seven years, said he isn't shy about sharing his liberal views with students as a way of prompting debate, but said the quizzes are being taken out of context.

"The kids know it's hyperbolic, so-to-speak," he said. "They know it's tongue in cheek." But he said he would change his teaching methods if some are concerned.

"I'll put in both sides," he said. "Especially if it's going to cause a lot of grief."

The school is in Bennington, a community of about 16,500 in the southwest corner of the state.

(It is my opinion that the teacher simply not put anything political into this type of exercise, avoiding even completely neutral statements.)

(EDIT: Also, I would like to know if the entire test was filled with statements like the example shown or if it was only one or two.)

This is so frustrating especially from the point where the teacher points out

"Chenkin, 36, a teacher for seven years, said he isn't shy about sharing his liberal views with students as a way of prompting debate, but said the quizzes are being taken out of context."

Yeah know the problem right there is that he can prompt debate then he can also keep the debate in HIS line of reason and control the direction of presentation. Put a cap on the presentation of political views brought to the table in Highschool classes like this.

Now I think that might be interesting in an after school debate forum or political science group but not in the class.

Liberal's trying to corrupt our youth.

Idiot. Did he really believe he would be able to give this quiz without a negative reaction from both the parents and his higher-ups?

Unless it's for a course that focuses on political debate, or that's one of the points the class teaches, a teacher should not be able to impress upon the students his political position, especially in a quiz.

I could see if it was more of a relaxed paper where the students were able to share their opinions, but this guy took it a bit too far.

Originally posted by FeceMan
(It is my opinion that the teacher simply not put anything political into this type of exercise, avoiding even completely neutral statements.)

agreed. im as much against this as i am for prayer in public schools.
kids go to school to gain knowledge, not the opinions and beliefs of someone with a teaching degree.

of coarse, others will reply as if this is just a liberal thing, which is bullshit. both sides are disgustingly guilty.

and feceman, do you think fox would have been all over this story if the teacher was putting anti-liberal questions in?

example: the dirty hippy was not (coherent, eschewed) when he spoke, because he was strung out on heroin and leftist treehugging lies

Originally posted by PVS
and feceman, do you think fox would have been all over this story if the teacher was putting anti-liberal questions in?

example: the dirty hippy was not (coherent, eschewed) when he spoke, because he was strung out on heroin and leftist treehugging lies

(And I would hardly consider FOX being 'all over' the story; they posted it without comment.)

in English its pretty common for students to have to do critiques of newspaper articles of political issues...i myself had to do them on articles with viewpoints i didn't agree with...

its benefits are that it may inadvertantly get young people interested in politics and help combat apathy among the young for the political process

on the flip side...it can give a political bias either way

The teacher shouldnot be giving politically biased ideas to the students......

That said, some of those were pretty funny.

i personally would encourage teachers to show all pupils the donald rumsfeld "there are things we know we know and things we know we dont know and things we dont know we dont know" speech as easily the worst use of English in the history of the planet

😛

Unfortunately many teachers and most curriculums are bias..Influenceing students in one way or and other and counterproductive to them developing their own thoughts...More critical thinking skills...and debates should be encouraged and let students come to their own conclusions.

Originally posted by FeceMan
Thoughts?

(It is my opinion that the teacher simply not put anything political into this type of exercise, avoiding even completely neutral statements.)

(EDIT: Also, I would like to know if the entire test was filled with statements like the example shown or if it was only one or two.) [/B]

I believe a wise man once said..teaching multiple viewpoints on a particular subject is "education." Teaching only one viewpoint on a particular subject is "indoctrination."

A teacher should be able to present his/her political views to students..as long as the opposition to his views is taught along with it..and all arguments are presented to the classroom are taught in a non-doctrinal fashion.

On another note..it's getting a bit scary that issues like this are coming up. It seems like our government is slowly beginning to move towards a secularist agenda. One where the only doctrine taught is the one that supports the government.

True...our Education system is really just government politics...What they want you to believe....Not true education....always both or many views should be studied........Especially when it comes to history.

Originally posted by KidRock
Liberal's trying to corrupt our youth.

Originally posted by debbiejo
True...our Education system is really just government politics...What they want you to believe....Not true education....always both or many views should be studied........Especially when it comes to history.

How so?

Originally posted by RedAlertv2
How so?

Take any scenario....What view do you get?....What should happen in my view is get the views from all that was involved in it and then make your opinion from it...learn from it....history especially....all bias depending on what country did what to whom.

In the US, you could look at view from the south instead of the north, and vs..in WWII, you could look at what happened with Japan.......Just need to look......Why 2 bombs...and why even why...OH..it ended the war...OH, the Japanese didn't get the message to us liked we liked....but why 2 bombs.....?

Only making observations....things need to be looked at from all view points, talked about, then there will be some real learning.....

Not sure I see a problem with it. A teacher can state his opinion: there's nothing wrong with that. I had a Catholic teacher, for example, that told this joke: "How many Protestants does it take to screw in a lightbulb? None: They live in eternal darkness!" 😆
A philosophy teacher stated rather clearly that he thought Existentialism was bunk.
Incidentally, these two were the best teachers I had in high-school.
A third, an English teacher, had our class do an analysis of an editorial letter she wrote about abortion (Her position was pro-life).
There's no agenda here, students are under no compulsion to believe what their teacher believes. Seen as it is an English grammar test in question where there's only one word that works in the given sentence, the content is in no sense normative. If it was a political science class and the correct answer was something supporting a certain ideology, that's another matter entirely, but there is nothing wrong with a teacher being honest about his opinions which is all this is.

Originally posted by debbiejo
True education is not dictated to you...It's seen at all view points and thought upon for one to ones opinions from it....Unfortunately, our education system is dictated by our government...It's funded you know.....Can't talk about other governments though.....but do suspect they do the same.....It's a hand me down view on history and or science, to make sure the next generation sees things as the older generation did.....

👆

Well its hard to resit when Bush can't even say the word syllable properly.

It seems the ameircan education system is F'ed up. SUCKAS!!!

Originally posted by debbiejo
True...our Education system is really just government politics...What they want you to believe....Not true education....always both or many views should be studied........Especially when it comes to history.