Academia, Bizarre, Constitutional Law, Free Speech, Politics, Society

Teachers In Alabama and Texas Suspended After Anti-Obama and Anti-Trump Displays

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It appears that teachers are having a difficult time keeping their political views out of classroom.  Recently, an Alabama teacher was put on suspension for projecting an image of Obama with “You’re fired” after the election.  Now, on the other side of the political spectrum, a  Texas high school art teacher has been placed on administrative leave after video surfaced showing her “shooting” the image of President Donald Trump in a classroom while screaming, “Die!”

 

What is interesting is that the teacher at W.H. Adamson High School in Dallas brought this upon herself not just by using a classroom for the videotape but then posting it on  her Instagram account.  It was posted with the following caption: “Watching the #inauguration in my classroom like…#no #stop #denial #squirtgun #hypocrisy #powerless #saveusall #teachthembetter #atleastitsfriday.”

Voices can be heard in the background – but the school district would not say if students witnessed the teacher’s disturbing demonstration.

It was later removed but it was too late — which is itself the amazing thing about our current environment and technology. In the short time it was up, people had already copied the videotape and let it run on the Internet.

Dallas Independent School District stated:

“Today, we were made aware of a social media posting being circulated involving a teacher at W. H. Adamson High School.  The teacher has been placed on administrative leave and the district has opened an investigation. This is a personnel matter and as such we cannot comment.”

I have previously written about the increasing monitoring and discipline of teachers for conduct in their private lives. These cases are different however. While the Texas teacher posted on her own social media site, she used a classroom and possibly exposed students to his deeply disturbing display. It is an appalling lesson for students to hate a president and even celebrate his assassination.

As I have previously discussed, my house is hosting over a dozen family and friends who came from around the country to join the protests today as part of the “Women’s March” in Washington. While neither my family or I joined them, I was disturbed by the level of hate and the lack of objectivity shown by some of the protesters on TV. There seems a feeling of some that they can discard notions of civility and maturity in denouncing President Trump and his Administration. I am not sure where this sense of impunity or license comes from. There is a rising level of hate and intolerance in this country that is captured by a teacher pretending to shoot a president in front of her students.

The question is what should be done with these two teachers. What do you think the appropriate response in both cases should be?

 

60 thoughts on “Teachers In Alabama and Texas Suspended After Anti-Obama and Anti-Trump Displays”

  2. Anger is part of a cycle.
    Sense of loss
    Fear of the consequence
    Anger…then rage if the sense of loss is akin to personal survival

    Her rage reminds me of the animal forced into a corner.
    Some cower, others unleash hell.

    Oh for the progressives to now understand how their oppression, backing into a corner, of the conservatives feels.

    But then, I don’t think that ilk cares or is capable of understanding the emotional outworkings of their oppression. Though, the far right is in the same boat.

    A book THE DYSFUNCTIONAL ORGANIZATION captures the essence. One is not allowed to take the middle ground.

    I mourned the loss of the American broadcast of Al Jazera news coverage. At first I wouldn’t touch it as I thought of it as an arm of strictly anti-Americanism. But when BBC World News was programming specials, I discovered the {now defunct) channel as a very good resource.

    But I dared not tell my conservative friends of my errant ways.

      1. Yes, you can see what Tsar Putin wants you to believe. It is all Faux Neuz.

        1. No, it’s not all fauz news. Sure there is some propaganda but that’s easy to spot. RT has covered a lot of stories that didn’t even make the US MSM.

    2. I didn’t like the subtitled Al Jazeera broadcast abroad for anything other than tragic, gripping ME soap operas (everybody always seems to die and the heroines are miserable), as it did have an anti-American bent, so I wouldn’t try the domestic Al Jazeera. What did you like about domestic Al J?

      1. Al J news had reputable (mostly known) reporters and found much more balanced news with little subtext commentary. Actually heard about the rest of the world and the people’s take on USA and other countries’ activities and policies. This take as opposed to days dealing with an expulsion of a misbehaving child or Michael Jordan’s death.

        Oh how I miss the US News paper mag.

        My other prime source is the Seattle Times (surprised me too)…actually read the online IOS version as a digital paper. What used to be the true Headline News morphed as did Fox, CNN and others and carried a lot of what I characterize as high decibel exchanges without benefit of coherent arguments.

  3. Suspended? This “hateful, spiteful, Unpatriotic teacher “SHOULD BE FIRED, FOR TRYING TO SHOW VIOLENCE TO HER STUDENTS WITH HER ‘UNHINGED ACTIONS/SPEECH.’ SOME EXAMPLE!”

  4. The personal politics of the teacher needs to stay out of the classroom. End stop. That needs to be one of the ethical rules of all teachers and professors across the country, including universities. There are a few who are able to appreciate other points of view, but the classroom is becoming an increasingly hostile place to those whose personal beliefs contradict the teacher. The overwhelming trend is to bully conservatives, but it’s wrong when the teacher is biased against Liberal students, as well.

    When political discussion is appropriate to the class, there needs to be a concerted effort to be unbiased and give equal credence to all sides of students’ views.

  8. b.b. rubble

    I tend to agree with your conclusion, despite your, shall we say, over-the-top rhetorical flourishes. “P]antsuit-wearing Mao clone”?!? Frankly, I could never see Mao cozying up with Wall street financial firms the way she did. but maybe that’s just me.

    1. Let me take a wild guess on this one–the reason why you could never “see” it is because you have never lived your life in a Communist country and under the thumb of a Communist regime. By the way, neither have I, but I happen to be the best of friends with some individuals who did live the majority of their lives in the former Soviet Union. While you may not be capable of “seeing” it, they have no troubling “seeing” it. It is through their descriptions and stories, relayed to me, over the decades, pertaining to the manner in which the Communist party leaders spoke and preached, and the stark and vast difference with the reality of the privileges, opportunities and indulgences to which they, the Communist leaders, their families and friends availed themselves, that I can “see” it. While you may not recognize the similarities, it happens to be an individual, crushed from living decades in the former Soviet Union, who mentioned the frightening similarities to Mao with regard to the manner in which Hillary dressed, including the way in which she screeched her mandates which would never impact her lifestyle one iota. For you, that is an over-the-top flourish. Spoken, like an individual who has never spent a day outside the warmth and safety of the USA. In the words of one of these friends, after her hearing the results of the election, we just missed a bullet.

  9. The right thing to do is:
    1. School should fire teacher
    2. Secret Service investigation
    3. Prosecution!
    4. Make an example!!

    Not very bright for a teacher! People don’t know that when you make a threat against POTUS…you’re now forever on the watch list of the GOV!! Btw…your family too!

  10. Live Free Or Die!

    School teachers should not be suspended for those two acts. But. They should be told that they were wrong to inflict politics upon snowflakes. Each snowflake needs to be assessed by a mental health oriented doctor and then given prescriptions or shock treatment or brain transplants if needed. Only then can we allow the snowflakes to hear about such terrible things as politics.

  11. Another illustration about what progressivism has left behind. Duty, professionalism, and responsibility. Surely she could have found a safe space somewhere. With lollipops and unicorns (LOL!!!).

    Man, this blog needs some more REAL lefties, not Democratic apologists. I appreciate Jill’s commentary.

    1. Slohrss29, I’m at work or I’d say more. I’ll get back to you later today with some thoughts about Real Lefties.
      Ciao!

      1. I’m looking forward to it. Defense of HRC and Obama don’t qualify as leftist argument in my book, since neither of them are left. I would call them “opportunist” at best.

        1. slohrss, spot on. DINOs – Bill was the first Republican prez.

          Jimmy Dore just did a great interview with THomas Frank – author of “LIsten Liberal. or whatever happened to the party of the people”

          I tried to get all my Hilbot friends to read it and they ALL refused =)

            1. you are quite welcome Squeek. Been following Frank for years – from when he published “What’s Wrong with Kansas” about the shenanigans in the GOP. I was delighted he turned his turned his intellect and gimlet eye to the Dems. Many of my Republican friends read “Kansas” but thus far no Dem I know of had read this. =)

        2. I would suggest looking at the courtesans who were counting on HRC being the POTUS. These folks are in massive denial and having a major fit right now because their candidate didn’t win.
          I give you example A: James Wolcott,via Twitter
          “Ingratitude aside, what is irksome about Chelsea Manning’s statement was that it sounds like BernieBro boilerplate anybody coulda done.”

          Snobs are not progressives.

          Tulsi Gabbard. authentic progressive, least compromised.
          There, how’s that for a start to frame things?

          1. I’m all about Tulsi and am watching with great amusement as she refuses to comply with the Dems “leadership” strategies. I think she is a straight shooter (pardon the pun) and they will destroy her if they can.

  12. As her once fellow Texan, I am ashamed of her. Doesn’t she have a real gun!

    Seriously, this is way beyond the pale. I hope kids weren’t in the classroom because that’s just scary and kids don’t need to be exposed to this. On the same side of the coin, teacher number two, while not risking arrest from the Secret Service, has decided, along with the TX teacher, that she may inculcate her political beliefs on students who have no choice in being there. That’s not her job.

    Having an actual discussion about politics, one informed by reality and allowed for open argument of differing opinions would be a great idea. Too bad it doesn’t occur to the religiously political that their religion may be questioned and examined just like any other system of belief.

  13. Reviewed some of Modi’s tweets from India & UAE. Not sure if Modi is here on a visa.
    Now this is interesting. The hack group Anonymous posts a warning video to Payal Modi.

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