Tuesday, March 07, 2006

"Whiff of McCarthy" and conservative parents

Oh my goodness!

Australia’s News.com.au reports on "Whiff of McCarthy as pupils out teachers":

Teachers who express radical left-wing views in the classroom are facing a new tactic in America: conservative parents are encouraging students to make recordings of their views.

The use of micro-recording devices, often in mobile phones or digital music players, is the latest twist in conservatives' struggle against what they see as the leftist slant of American education.

A high-school geography teacher was placed on leave last week in Colorado after a 16-year-old pupil recorded him comparing US President George W. Bush to Hitler.
Should we be shocked? I don’t think so.

We all knew that if Bush was reelected, conservative parents would take that as a green light to get more involved in their children’s education.

Experts warned that as conservatives got more involved in their children’s educations, there could be a “copy-cat effect” with liberal and politically independent parents getting more involved in their children’s educations.

All of that has brought us this "Whiff of McCarthy," with children recording what their teachers say to them in the privacy of public school classrooms.

We should all ask ourselves: What will the future be like if parents learn more about what’s going on at school?

Please help stop this latest conservative assault on what liberal teacher unions hold most dear, freedom from accountability and the right to proselytize.

To volunteer your help, call the National Education Association at: 202- 833-4000

Or call your state association. In North Carolina it’s the NC Association of Educators: 919-832-3000

When speaking with representatives of the NEA or your state’s teachers’ union, remember to use short sentences and words of five letters or less.

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