Was the teacher (Bennsih) teaching World or Human Geography?

I have found reports that say both. How about something definitive so I can shove it up my rightie neighbors nose????

he could have been teaching theory of music and it wouldn't matter. heaven forbid a teacher comment on current events and ask students what they think, including allowing plenty of dissent.

they expect geography to be pointing on a map the location of the Caspain Sea. They ask why would a teacher be talking politics anyway?


A world geography class makes the point that it is political in nature, thus leaving open political deabte -- which pretty much makes this censorship.

are just arbitrarily drawn up and have nothing to do with politics, right? /sarcasm for your "rightie" neighbor, not you.

It was on the local news in Denver.

they understand it when you hit them with a shovel though

Geography is

1. The science which treats of the world and its inhabitants; a description of the earth, or a portion of the earth, including its structure, features, products, POLITICAL DIVISIONS, and the people by whom it is inhabited. It also includes the responses and adaptations of people to topography, climate, soil and vegetation.
2. study of the earth's surface; includes people's responses to topography and climate and soil and vegetation.
http://www.webster-dictionary.org/definition/geography

And that kid isn't so innocent and picked on.

*******THIS IS IMPORTANT******** It has the goals of the class.

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/education/article/0,1299,DRMN_957_4514148,00.html

"Bennish's attorney, David Lane, said his client's comments were protected by the First Amendment "because it's on topic, it's part of the course curriculum."

Lane said the class was designed to to examine social, economic, religious and political aspects of geography.

"Contrary to what right-wing talk radio would want the country to believe, the First Amendment does apply to teachers in the classroom as long as what they're saying is consistent with school policy and is within the curriculum," said Lane."

Read about this kid. He makes a joke on his web site about beating a Jehovah's witness to death with his own bible.

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/education/article/0,1299,DRMN_957_4514147,00.html


http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/education/article/0,1299,DRMN_957_4514358,00.html

"Lane said that complaint had to do with a textbook Bennish was using in a class - a textbook he said was on the district's list of approved materials.

Lane said the whole purpose of Bennish's class was to provoke his students to think.

He also said that portions of Bennish's discussions with the class that weren't recorded provided the balance that district policy requires.

Bennish, he said, told students: " 'I'm throwing all this out to you guys. I want you guys to write about what I've said. I want you to take it apart. I want you to criticize it. I want you to analyze it, and if you do that I will give you extra credit. It doesn't matter what your position is - you can agree with me; you can disagree with me.'

"That's not on the tape - that's off the tape," Lane said.

Asked why, he responded, "You'll have to ask the taper." "



http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/education/article/0,1299,DRMN_957_4514361,00.html
Walter Williams jumped in with both feet. He thinks he knows what the class curriculum is all about. NOT!

This is from a blog by Bennish's brother quoted in this article. He sums this kid up pretty well.

"What kind of student covertly records his teacher after peppering him with questions from his father during the open discussion on current events section of class?" Jeffrey Bennish's post asks. "The same student that boasts of beating Jehovah's Witnesses over the head with Bibles on his MySpace site."

These people are dishonorable bullies of the worst sort.

I would have stuck with straight geography. I've been in enough parent dramas as a teacher of 34 years to know that the public school system is not a place to dig too deeply. I try and give them the skills to get busy as soon as they graduate and then I won't lose my job. And yes, I always assume somebody is taping me. It has happened to me before. I play it very, very straight at my job.

I've taught, as well, and what he is doing is hard and a bit edgy, but the kids and their parents do need to learn to handle this. This wasn't a required class, and he was set up by this kid and his dad. No matter what your approach, you can be set up too, for whatever random reason people take a notion to embrace. The school needs to take a firm stand on this and not back down to blackmail and harassment. Who knows, maybe they will. If they don't teachers everywhere will be left open for predatory students and parents to harass. Walking on eggshells, which I am not saying you are doing, but some teachers do, guarantees nothing.

and yes, "walking on eggshells" is a very good metaphor. I have to be careful not to touch a child, to always leave the doors open, to watch my language, and to avoid discussing things like Harry Potter, witchcraft, the war, evolution, etc. I defy any parent to find one single thing they can "get" me on! I'm like that crab you hook when you're crabbing that is bigger and bluer than any crab out there, and he's covered in barnacles. But you somehow can never get him into your net! He scuttles away.

So do It.

The way I deal with these issues is ask questions. "Well, what do YOU think, Mary, about the war in Iraq?" And when they ask me what My opinion is, I tell them someday when they are 18 and out of school, we can have a soda together and I'll tell them all about it. Until them, my job is to ask questions, listen, and make sure they don't kill each other in my care.

I've kept contact with a lot of my older students and gotten together for that soda quite often. The community college is on our same campus and I go over there sometimes to walk and get a snack. I've also turned a few of them on to DU and they know who they are!

here at DU within the last few days, do a search. Also, if you know the name of the school, they have a website with PDF of the syllabus and transcript of the tape the kid made.