As a teacher, I just have to make a comment about this one.
The teacher in question deserves to be fired. His judgement is, without question, not just poor. He gave 13-year-olds homework designed to promote an agenda - those are innocents at Guantanamo Bay? - and potentially insult the parents of the children he is paid to serve.
This guy works for the parents of the children. His first obligation is to teach the students reading, writing, math, history, and science. That’s a full plate. His job description doesn’t include indoctrination. His job DOES include an obligation to provoke thinking and to remain cautiously neutral in matters of public cotroversy. I usually don’t have these concerns in my classroom because I spend all my class period actually doing my job.
If my son came home with this assignment with the explanation given in the article, I’d be at the school board the very next meeting.
For instance, I post here at Free Republic. I have definite opinions. Those opinions do not have a legitimate purpose in my classroom, especially since I’m an English teacher. If I do voice an opinion, I make it very clear that it is my opinion, and that opposing views are not only heard, but those views are welcome. Of course, if we ever got into a discussion about imprisonment during wartime, I’d better have a text about it in front of a student to justify the discussion, and I had better be prepared to create a professional distance from the students to moderate the debate instead of promoting a viewpoint.
Good night! The guy should be delivering pizzas next year.
Thank you for your service as an excellent teacher. Your students, parents, and community are lucky to have you as their teacher.