DD's High School teacher is a nut

[Tigerlulu]

I’d have shot off an email immediately to the principal, cc the superintendent. This is a huge issue. That teacher needs to keep those views to himself. Those views have no place in a high school classroom. Not ok.

 

[Nancyg56]

He has a right to his opinion, but hopefully if something happened he would adhere to the precautions and do the right thing.

Opinion? How is this an opinion? He has a right to think what he wants, however he cannot use the classroom as a vehicle to push an agenda on his students. My husbands mother insisted the Holocaust was a lie and never happened. She could think that but if she was an educator, she woudl never have been allowed to share that opinion as a fact. It is my opinion that this is the same thing: an educator who feels comfortable teaching tha t if you do nto want to believe something you deny it as truth. But he is doing this to kids who may need to trust his judgement in the event of an emergency, and if this is an example of his thought processes, these kids may be in trouble.

Because conspiracy theorists aren't lying, they actually believe what they are saying.
The OP says he is known as a 9/11 conspiracy theorist, so it isn't like people are unaware of his crazy.
She's Senior, if she's upset let her handle it, if it just mom upset, move along and be happy your dd recognizes the craziness.

This is the problem, IMO. He believes this. As a taxpayer I would not be happy paying a teacher to share these views in the classroom, not even at the high school level.

OP- I am not sure how I would handle this. My own daughter is teaching her daughter to handle most situations in school, but this one is tricky. School shootings are not out of the realm of possibility for any of our towns, and as a community we all need to trust that the people our childrens have been entrusted to are able to keep them as safe as possible if the unthinkable occured. I am not at all sure someone who is comfortable using the classroom as a pulpit to share his conspiracy theories would be capable of keeping his classroom safe. I do think I woudl send a message to the principal about the newest level of conversation this teacher is having with his students because of the gravity of the matter.

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

I would probably email an administrator or the principal and just give them a heads up. That's really not an appropriate conversation for a MATH TEACHER to be having with high school students. I could maybe see having a discussion in a college level social science class about these conspiracy theories, but not in a HS math class.

 

[mjkacmom]

I agree with you. I don't find the administration takes high school kids all that seriously and this is an extremely serious matter. I would have no problem speaking up and would have already called the principal. Why are we comparing high school students to college students?

I believe that teacher needs to be removed from the classroom and would have no problem voicing my opinion and I'm sure my husband would be right beside me.

In many cases, there is only a year between a high school student and a college student. As a parent of two college students, and three high school students, it’s really important to treat those high school years as practice years, for all sorts of situations. My children have resolved many issues in high school on their own.

 

[Poohforyou]

In many cases, there is only a year between a high school student and a college student. As a parent of two college students, and three high school students, it’s really important to treat those high school years as practice years, for all sorts of situations. My children have resolved many issues in high school on their own.

Exactly, my daughter is a college freshman and I belong to a parent Facebook page. I'm astonished by parents ready to call professors, deans, etc for things. One parent called housing to see if students would be moved to a hotel and the dorm fumigated because of lots of students having the flu. Can't make this stuff up.

Meanwhile I tested my daughter a list of stuff to pickup at CVS just in case.

Now, like I said above, in a situation like this I would step in if students weren't being heard.

 

[mom2rtk]

Exactly, my daughter is a college freshman and I belong to a parent Facebook page. I'm astonished by parents ready to call professors, deans, etc for things. One parent called housing to see if students would be moved to a hotel and the dorm fumigated because of lots of students having the flu. Can't make this stuff up.

Meanwhile I tested my daughter a list of stuff to pickup at CVS just in case.

 

[luvsJack]

Am I the only one that would look for an opportunity to discuss this with the actual teacher and engage him to try and find out what he really thinks? I'd be happy to debate it with him challenge his "facts" and to take my concerns to the administration if I felt like there was a real problem. (Granted, my DS's school environment was a little different; a private religious school where we perhaps had more interaction with the faculty than average.)

Nope. I would do the same. All my kids attended a public school but it’s a smaller school and the teachers welcome conversation with parents.

I would just start the conversation with “dd has told me some of your views and I would be interested in hearing more”. And I would just point blank ask him what he would do in lockdown situation. Chances are he would do exactly what he is supposed to. From that conversation I would determine if I need to go to the administration.

There is the possibility that the administration knows exactly what his opinion is.

Do I agree with him? Not a chance. Do I think he has a right to his opinion? Sure. And it is an opinion.

 

[Poohforyou]

Am I the only one that would look for an opportunity to discuss this with the actual teacher and engage him to try and find out what he really thinks? I'd be happy to debate it with him challenge his "facts" and to take my concerns to the administration if I felt like there was a real problem. (Granted, my DS's school environment was a little different; a private religious school where we perhaps had more interaction with the faculty than average.)

No, I typically don't engage crazy. This isn't someone with a differing point of view, this is someone wearing a tinfoil hat.

 

[Hikergirl]

What about the context in which it was said?
Was he up in the front of the class preaching about how it was all a hoax and telling the kids they shouldn't believe it really happened, or was it a general conversation between him and students asking him questions. Whether we parents like it or not, teachers do share their opinions with their students on many subjects, and get ready for it- some teachers actually develop close relationships with their students and engage in conversations about many things with them.
To the pp who said a math teacher shouldn't be discussing it- why not? This is a senior class in HS, do you really feel that teachers should never stray from the subject they teach? Or is it just because this particular subject is too much? If the latter then why would it matter that he was a math teacher?

 

[CarolAnn856]

Nope. I would do the same. All my kids attended a public school but it’s a smaller school and the teachers welcome conversation with parents.

I would just start the conversation with “dd has told me some of your views and I would be interested in hearing more”. And I would just point blank ask him what he would do in lockdown situation. Chances are he would do exactly what he is supposed to. From that conversation I would determine if I need to go to the administration.

There is the possibility that the administration knows exactly what his opinion is.

Do I agree with him? Not a chance. Do I think he has a right to his opinion? Sure. And it is an opinion.

Well, a teacher can have the "opinion" that the Holocaust didn't happen, but that doesn't mean that they should share that with students. Denying facts isn't an opinion, it's mental instability.

As for a teacher who does deny plain facts and is dumb enough to share his level of crazy with students, well, I personally would not trust that they would do the right thing in an emergency, no matter what they claim they would do.

 

[ronandannette]

Nope. I would do the same. All my kids attended a public school but it’s a smaller school and the teachers welcome conversation with parents.

I would just start the conversation with “dd has told me some of your views and I would be interested in hearing more”. And I would just point blank ask him what he would do in lockdown situation. Chances are he would do exactly what he is supposed to. From that conversation I would determine if I need to go to the administration.

There is the possibility that the administration knows exactly what his opinion is.

Do I agree with him? Not a chance. Do I think he has a right to his opinion? Sure. And it is an opinion.

MTE

No, I typically don't engage crazy. This isn't someone with a differing point of view, this is someone wearing a tinfoil hat.

Maybe, maybe not. Which is why I think it warrants a conversation like the one bolded above. And honestly, if you really believe a person is a raving lunatic but are still OK with him teaching math at your kid’s school, well, I just don’t get that.

 

[Liberty Belle]

Am I the only one that would look for an opportunity to discuss this with the actual teacher and engage him to try and find out what he really thinks? I'd be happy to debate it with him challenge his "facts" and to take my concerns to the administration if I felt like there was a real problem. (Granted, my DS's school environment was a little different; a private religious school where we perhaps had more interaction with the faculty than average.)

No. I've had enough experience on Facebook trying to talk sense into these people and it is NEVER going to happen.

 

[ronandannette]

No. I've had enough experience on Facebook trying to talk sense into these people and it is NEVER going to happen.

Again, as I said upthread - the point isn’t to change this guy’s mind, it’s to determine whether or not he’s a threat in the classroom.

 

[Liberty Belle]

Again, as I said upthread - the point isn’t to change this guy’s mind, it’s to determine whether or not he’s a threat in the classroom.

Right. I hadn't seen that when I posted. I understand where you're coming from, but personally I don't have the patience for people like that. It wouldn't end well, I'm sure, if I were to engage him.

 

[AnnaFloridaLover]

In many cases, there is only a year between a high school student and a college student. As a parent of two college students, and three high school students, it’s really important to treat those high school years as practice years, for all sorts of situations. My children have resolved many issues in high school on their own.

I have kids in university and high school as well. So it is my experience, and we've dealt with a nut bar teacher, that the students were ignored for two years until the parents got involved.

 

[Wishing on a star]

I had to go report/address something like this, once....
Turned out I was like the third parent who had felt compelled to step forward, so no he-said, she-said... everything very out-there and corroborated.

It was addressed immediately.

Hope this all works out!
This is not why we should send out kids to school...
They should be there to be 'educated'....

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Why are we comparing high school students to college students?

1) Because someday that high school student will be out in the world filled with people who have not so sane thoughts

2) The OP did state that her daughter is a senior. A senior is 17 to 18 years old. Even if they don't go to college society will expect them to be able to handle things on their own very soon.

If they go to college it is a very real possibility that they will encounter a professor or two or more who have way differing thoughts out there, may waste classroom time, etc. How would they handle it there is a valid question. My father-in-law's girlfriend is very hands on with her son. He's been under the ultimate protection from his mom for years. Even as a freshman college he goes straight to his mom and his mom is like "let me handle this I'll make them ___" Admittedly the OP is not quite the same as they have advised they have let their daughter handle things for the most part.

 

[luvsJack]

Well, a teacher can have the "opinion" that the Holocaust didn't happen, but that doesn't mean that they should share that with students. Denying facts isn't an opinion, it's mental instability.

As for a teacher who does deny plain facts and is dumb enough to share his level of crazy with students, well, I personally would not trust that they would do the right thing in an emergency, no matter what they claim they would do.

You cannot judge if someone is mentally unstable from their opinion. Having a conversation with this person may enlighten you as to why he has that opinion and why he brought it up or in what context he brought it up to the students. He could have possibly just been trying to open the door to conversations about the many opinions that are out there.

I would have to know a whole lot more facts about what was said, how it was said, and where he gets this from before I decided that he should or should not be teaching my child. Sometimes a teacher with a "way out there" statement can be the best teacher because they do open the door to many discussions about things going on in the world.

And if they had that opinion, why shouldn't they share it with students? These are not young children, these are high school kids. They are old enough to know what the facts are and are not. Making a statement like he did to his class or one about the Holocaust opens up the opportunity for the students to dig for facts and prove him wrong.

The OP's child is a senior in high school. Chances are he/she is going to go to a university where there are a billion different viewpoints. And no "principal" to shut down those viewpoints.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I have kids in university and high school as well. So it is my experience, and we've dealt with a nut bar teacher, that the students were ignored for two years until the parents got involved.

That's a bit different though. The students tried first correct? And for 2 years? That's different than going to mom and dad immediately and them storming the gates so to speak.

 

[mjkacmom]

That's a bit different though. The students tried first correct? And for 2 years? That's different than going to mom and dad immediately and them storming the gates so to speak.

Yes, I have my kids’ backs, and have no problem stepping up if they hit a wall. I don’t think I’ve ever addressed an issue before my child did. I have advised them on who to talk to, and what to say.