ya gotta love government schools

[WriterDom]

Teacher Suspended For Allegedly Burning Flag

A sixth-grade teacher has been suspended from a Del Paso Heights school for allegedly burning part of an American flag in a classroom one week after the recent terrorist attacks.
  
The teacher, whose name has not been released, allegedly burned the corner of a flag with a lighter, school district superintendent Carl Mack Jr. said.Tuesday night, district officials made a decision on the teacher's fate, but, per district policy, the results were not made available."Generally in my past history, the steps have ranged from any disciplinary action that I feel is appropriate, all the way to termination," Mack Jr. said.The teacher also allegedly said some "inflammatory" statements, according to Mack Jr., including, "I can't burn it all because it's illegal."The teacher has been put on administrative leave with pay pending the decision by the district, Mack Jr. said."This flag has been up on everybody's car, their house, to represent patriotism," parent Sonny Tupuanay said. "For (him) to do this ... I don't know."About 30 students witnessed the alleged burning, officials said, but most didn't report the incident because they like the teacher.

 

[Mellon Collie]

On the same note...

Two high school students here in Philly were expelled from school for allegedly burning a flag in one of the school's bathrooms.

 

[WriterDom]

This same teacher locked a 6th grader in the closet last year and also plead guilty to assaulting a policeman. They had his superintendent on tv tonight and he wouldn't say whether the guy would be fired or not.

All Hail/Hell the teacher's union.

 

[lilminx]

What, exactly, is your point?

 

[morninggirl5]

This same teacher locked a 6th grader in the closet last year and also plead guilty to assaulting a policeman. They had his superintendent on tv tonight and he wouldn't say whether the guy would be fired or not.

All Hail/Hell the teacher's union.

Where did this happen?

 

[WriterDom]

Where did this happen?

California. I hope you didn't burn a lifeline on that question.

 

[morninggirl5]

Me too, I'm gonna need all of them tomorrow.

Give me a link or something, I'm curious now. What kind of classroom is it? That locked box may have been "seclusionary time-out" and it's used all too often. I almost fell off my chair when teachers were discussing it in class last night.

 

[WriterDom]

Give me a link or something, I'm curious now. What kind of classroom is it

http://search.news.yahoo.com/search/news?p=teacher+flag+burning&c=fullcov&n=20

I only found two links and they both say the same thing. It's not something the liberal press is going to harp on.

 

[shadowsource]

ya gotta love impecunious patriots!

From the Sacramento Bee, which confirms the story of the teacher's suspension, another story:

Thieves are grabbing flags from homes, businesses
By Ralph Montaño
Bee Staff Writer
(Published Sept. 22, 2001)

Patriotism may be soaring to new heights in the aftermath of last week's terrorist attacks on the East Coast, but it also is stooping to a new low, according to area law enforcement.
Some folks are apparently not above thievery these days when it comes to getting a U.S. flag and letting it fly.

"It's not a very patriotic thing to do," said Sacramento police Lt. Mike Uyeda.

Flags big and small are being stolen from businesses and homes, police said.

In Modesto, a flag measuring 50-by-30 was stolen from a car dealership. The owner has offered a $500 reward for the flag's return.

The new wave of crime has victims outraged.

"Those who are flying stolen flags are not patriots," Karen Ryan wrote to The Bee after her flag was stolen over the weekend. "They are nothing but common thieves. It is difficult for me to even think of them as Americans."

Finding a replacement for a stolen flag only adds to the frustration.

"I've checked at a couple of stores, but I'm not going to make a concerted effort until I find a higher place on my house to hang it," Ryan said. "If they want to steal it again, they are going to have to work a little harder next time."

Flags have been in short supply since last week. Sacramento Flag Works ran out of Old Glory days ago. Local Wal-Marts said they were out and didn't expect another shipment for two weeks. A manager at Target said more flags have been ordered, but he expected them to go quickly.

Flag theft is a hard crime for law enforcement to fight, officials said. Short of catching a thief in the act, there is not much that an officer can do because most flags look alike and proving ownership would be difficult. Most law enforcement agencies are also too busy to send an officer to take a police report for what amounts to petty theft. The Sacramento Police Department will only take such reports over the telephone or require the victim to come downtown and fill out a form.

So how are people supposed to protect their national symbol now that it's a hot commodity?

Sacramento County Sheriff's Capt. John McGuinness said the best bet is to bring the flag in at night and post it again in the morning.

 

[Young Knave]

Conservatives are always whining about the government and the teacher's unions, but have they ever noticed that nearly if not all the countries that are always kicking are asses in education are even MORE socialistic and unionist than we are? I don't think attacking teachers and paying them less is going to solve any problems.

 

[SoftPeaches]

I don't suppose anyone here has an opinion on the voucher system?

 

[WriterDom]

Conservatives are always whining about the government and the teacher's unions, but have they ever noticed that nearly if not all the countries that are always kicking are asses in education are even MORE socialistic and unionist than we are? I don't think attacking teachers and paying them less is going to solve any problems.

I don't think anyone said anything about paying teachers less. Perhaps one reason why 60% of black 4th graders can't read is poor teachers are protected by the union?

 

[lilminx]

I see your point about some things, but...

I don't think anyone said anything about paying teachers less. Perhaps one reason why 60% of black 4th graders can't read is poor teachers are protected by the union?

I don't think teachers are as protected as you think... I've known many teachers who haven't been asked back b/c of some reason or another. A lot of it is bureaucratic though. It really depends on whether your prinicipal likes you or not... however, principals in general don't like poor teachers. I have to admit, however, that I have seen teachers who just don't give a shit or who are totally incompetent- but isn't that the case with people in every job?
I also think that if teachers were offered salaries comparable to those of teachers out in the suburbs, the Board of Ed would get higher-quality teachers.
As for your comment about 60% of black 4th graders, where didyou get that statistic from? Have you looked at all of the district reports?
It's not just the teachers; it's also the parents. Please don't place the blame all on us; I have had students where I've busted my ass trying to teach them how to read, but their parents just don't give a shit.. when they go home, everything that I have tried to implement in school gets undone when some of these kids go home.

 

[miles]

WriterDom

Perhaps one reason why 60% of black 4th graders

That is a racist statistic, even if it is true.

 

[lilminx]

Re: WriterDom

Perhaps one reason why 60% of black 4th graders

That is a racist statistic, even if it is true.

I agree- it IS a racist statistic... that's one reason why I don't think it's true...

 

[miles]

OMG

 

[lilminx]

OMG

OMG what?

 

[miles]

Like it or not, it's true. I was being facetious about the racist statement.

 

[lilminx]

Like it or not, it's true. I was being facetious about the racist statement.

But it IS a racist statement...
Children shouldn't be broken down into statistics based upon race... and do you have any links that back up the stat?

 

[WriterDom]

It's racist to stick your head in the sand and pretend it's not a problem.

It was reported a while back. I can't find a link directly to it, but it is mentioned in this article. This is a cause that should be picked up by the NAACP. But even they wont attack the educational system that is failing their children.

http://www.johnlocke.org/issues/agenda2000/5standards.html

Although N.C. schools may have improved, they still have a long way to go. According to recent NAEP tests, nearly 40 percent of our 4th-graders lack basic reading skills, while 44 percent of 8th-graders can't do basic math. If North Carolina were a country, our scores would be below those of most European and Asian countries though we would outscore Colombia, Iran, and South Africa. Furthermore, only about 60 percent of high school students graduate on time, the rest dropping out or falling further behind their peers in core subjects.
If the average performance of N.C. public school students is mediocre, the situation faced by our minority students can rightly be called a crisis. About 60 percent of black 4th-graders can't read at a basic level, and 69 percent of black 8th-graders lack basic math skills. Minority dropout rates are far higher than their white peers, as well.

 

[miles]

Here are the stats from that conservative racist U.S. Department of Education.


http://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/2001/section2/tables/se10_1.html


http://www.northjersey.com/ed/nyschool200105178.htm

 

[lilminx]

Here are the stats from that conservative racist U.S. Department of Education.
http://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/2001/section2/tables/se10_1.html
http://www.northjersey.com/ed/nyschool200105178.htm

Thanks- pretty f*cked up- we're not given racial stats during staff development meetings- just basic stats of all students...

 

[Sensua]

I don't suppose anyone here has an opinion on the voucher system?

I used to think that he public schools would be underfunded, and poor families, and "rejeced" kids would be all that was left to teach...the very ones that require the most resources, if we implimented the voucher system.

Given my most recent experiences in trying to get the level of education that my son is entitled, makes me realize that I have very little way to hold them accountable. My son is entitled, by virtue of my tax dollars, to a public education at his skill level. I can't afford private school...and I would still be supporting public school with taxes, even if I could. I will have to spend lots of hours advocating for my son....which I have always felt is a parents obligation, so that he can have more complex work!

Two years ago I learned of a clever way that public schools get tax dollars for having your kid in school, with out teaching him/her anything....it's called "In-House Suspension". Some really bright administrator really must be delighted with himself...

 

[morninggirl5]

Thanks- pretty f*cked up- we're not given racial stats during staff development meetings- just basic stats of all students...

You will be getting them soon. The new education bill requires schools to show that they are making progress in closing the achievement gap between minorities and Caucasian children. If WD and Miles would dig a little deeper, they would find that it's not just African American children but also Hispanic children who have significantly lower levels of achievement.

Teachers unions and poor teachers get blamed for a lot. And we can argue the parent involvement or lack thereof until the hell freezes over and nothing will really change.

We've been reforming education for the past thirty years, and all those reforms haven't improved the overall system. Maybe it's time to stop reforming and start rebuilding.

 

[miles]

morninggirl5

It's a shame this info is being buried where anyone has to dig for it.

The point WD was making is that 60% of black 4th graders don't meet reading standards. For whites it was 30%, which is still horrendous.

Common sense tells us that when parents were more involved in their children's education the child performs at a higher level. It's not the only factor, but a huge one. Unfortunately it's politically incorrect to honestly discuss it, and if you do, expect the "R" word to come into play.