Comments on Advance Indiana™: More Fallout From Gay Tolerance Editorial: Student Advisor Put On Leave

Very well-said anon 8:23. Thank you for making a d...

2007-03-21T20:27:00.000-05:00

Very well-said anon 8:23. Thank you for making a difference in your classroom.

I think this argument is very interesting, as I wo...

2007-03-21T20:23:00.000-05:00

I think this argument is very interesting, as I work as a substitute teacher, for students in a neighboring school district. Today during my day at a local middle school, I was asked to teach a course to 6th graders. In the context of this course, I showed a video entitled Hate. I thought it was ironic that the documentary discussed the GBLT community and the discrimination in it. The initial action of the students was to poke fun of each other, calling classmates 'gay.' I think it was very enlighting to the students, when they found out that people were killed because they were GLBT. I made it the point to conclude the class, by saying that you may not think it is right, but you need to treat everyone with respect. Personally, I am a pretty conservation person with a more 'traditional' values, however through my years of working with several different people, I have worked with those in the GLBT community. I have learned to build them up, not their lifestyle; I believe if that this is what Christ would do if he would be here on earth. What does this have to do with the school article? Students have to learn about each other, and explore their values. Not everyone will agree, but is that the value of agreeing to disagree. The message that this administrator may put out is that the GLBT lifestyle is not for his community or even his school. To a teen this is a powerful message, about belonging. For many GLBT students this may be a death sentence, as if no adult or student is allowed to help such teen in a crisis, this young person may end of dead through homicide or suicide.

May I suggest that the student newspaper submit fo...

2007-03-21T10:18:00.000-05:00

May I suggest that the student newspaper submit for thier next edition, selected quotes from Jefferson, Paine, Franklin and Orwell?
A single page edition of the student paper, submitted to theprinciple-less principal should be sufficient.

A seperately run, student betting pool as to which quotes are censored, would generate a pizza diner for the students fighting the good fight.

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=...

2007-03-21T07:53:00.000-05:00

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070321/LOCAL/703210493

"... but the principal has taken what would otherw...

2007-03-21T02:28:00.000-05:00

"... but the principal has taken what would otherwise have been a never-noticed story and turned it into national news ..."

Correction ... make that international news. We have read the opinion article in question here in Europe and learned that the teacher has been suspended.

What a lot of fuss about a good piece of journalism.

The reaction for the headteacher is way over the top and this sort of thing gives America a bad name in other countries.

I trust that the good people of Fort Wayne will rally to the cause and get the teacher re-instated immediately and the headteacher "put on leave".

There was nothing offensive or inappropriate about this article.

Who was the Greek philosopher who told the people ...

2007-03-20T12:28:00.000-05:00

Who was the Greek philosopher who told the people of Athens (?), when they asked him what to do about the decline of their civilization, said something like "first, stop doing what you're doing now." This is generally good advice....at least you should evaluate what you're doing now and give some preference to doing something new.

Trust me, school administrators are, for the most ...

2007-03-20T12:00:00.000-05:00

Trust me, school administrators are, for the most part, goons. The power rush is something akin to, say, the nerdiest kid in your high school class all of a sudden being in charge. Seriously.

There has not been a breath of fresh air in the school admin. instructional program in 40 years. The same old crap cycles in and out. It's an endurance degree/certificate. Go long enough, stay long enough, soak up their culture, and you become an administrator.

There are outstanding examples of people whom the system promoted, but who do not "drink the Kool Aid." But they are few and far between.

There is no incentive whatsoever for school administrators to smell the coffee. They make a decent salary falling out of bed, whether they push for extra effort or not. Their job is impossible, but they contribute to the malaise.

And school press freedom issues are not generally as clear as they first appear. I hope this teacher is a member of her union. She has a solid case. The principal ought to be disciplined, not the teacher. But good luck with that one. Guess who controls the discipline system?

The best way to reform school administration? Allow private-sector folks, with little or no extra training, into their ranks.

Don't you think an Army general, or a Nordstrom store manager, or a state police captain, could be a good principal, with some assistance? The arrogance of the school admin community would have you believe only THEY know how to run a school.

If we continue to allow that crap, we'll get the same kind of crap we've been getting. It's gettng worse, with time, because each decade that passes, without change, further shoves out the corral of acceptance. Outrageous administrator actions of 1995 are now accepted as normal.

It seems that there is something about school admi...

2007-03-20T09:13:00.000-05:00

It seems that there is something about school administration that turns people who were once presumably sensible into folks who do the goofiest things. I don't know if it's a (false) sense that one is in control or what - but the principal has taken what would otherwise have been a never-noticed story and turned it into national news, making himself look quite foolish in the process.