DD's High School teacher is a nut

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Wait, you give a snarky response to me, and then use my information in replying to the OP? Okay, whatever.

I can see you deleted your original response to me. I thought discussions happen by multiple ways including asking questions and answering questions unless you believe you shouldn't ask questions of any poster when commenting on a thread. You don't need to be snarky either.

I wasn't questioning whether it was illegal or not- it appeared you leapt to that conclusion. I was just simply asking if they had asked permission. It hadn't dawned me to question if it was legal or not when you responded to me and then when the OP brought up not knowing the laws that's when I mentioned a PP, which happened to be you, had confirmed it wasn't illegal in classrooms.

 

[DLgal]

If you're happy with that response then I guess the situation is over. Personally that response would make me very concerned. While gathering all information is important. It's just as important to gather legitimate information. The only way a discussion of a hoax should come into the conversation is to discuss the importance of the sources of information. Since you seem clear that he believes this stuff, I think he's not telling them to beware of information from bad sources.
While some poster don't like the term recruiting or don't think that's what he's doing, I think the response you got says that's exactly what he's doing. It sounds like he's pointing kids to seek out these shading sites and making it sound as if they should be considered when trying to form an opinion on something.

I totally agree. I would absolutely NOT consider this response to be acceptable. And since there is recorded evidence, I think that needs to be taken to the administration as well. My interpretation of what the teacher said is "well, without ALL the facts, no one can prove the shooting ACTUALLY happened." That's how these conspiracy theorist people think. In the absence of indisputable evidence, an event didn't occur the way we are "being manipulated" to think it did. Conspiracy theorists don't accept evidence the way normal people do... they question ALL the evidence and find ways to turn it into whatever fits their conspiracy.

So, like, the moon landing didn't actually happen, because how can NASA and the Government actually PROVE it did because if no one had ever been there before, how do we know what it would look like? So therefore, they filmed it on a movie set to make it SEEM real, but these conspiracy theorist know the "real truth." NEVER MIND the word and shared experience of the crew who landed on the moon...they can't be trusted, obviously, because they were "in on it" the whole time.

It's almost like "if I didn't see it with my own eyes, it could not have possibly happened." This is delusional thinking of the highest level.

 

[Shanti]

**UPDATE PG 10 #188**

and irresponsible, would you report him?

We knew going in that he was a 9/11 conspiracy theorist but today he was talking about how the Parkland shooting was a hoax, didn't really happen and is a cover-up.

Come on, you are telling a room full of high school students that their fears and emotions are not valid because it is all a conspiracy? And what if, heaven forbid, something does happen and the kids don't respond because they think it is a hoax?

The last few years I have let DD handle teacher interactions so she can advocate for herself and she is comfortable doing so but this seems different to me.

Thoughts?

Yes, you should report that. I am a teacher, btw. His remarks to his students are completely irresponsible.

 

[robinb]

(Edited)

The OP said she believes the students were goading the teacher into the conversations. I wonder how. I mean what did they say or ask to get the discussion going. He needs to learn the art of the brushing off their comments or questions perhaps.

Obviously his views are well known in the school. Sounds like the students treat it like a joke. Perhaps most of them look at a way of distracting him from their math lesson rather than an actual, serious conversation. We had a teacher like that our junior year. Just ask about her kids and we were golden for an hour and got out of any assigned homework too!

He had the same "conversation" in at least TWO classes. That is not the action of someone who was accidentally goaded into speaking about something he should not. He intentionally brought up his wackadoodle crisis actor theory. He gets no "slack" from me.

Maybe he needs to learn how to keep on task?

We finally agree on something on this thread.

 

[robinb]

DD's friend has same teacher, same class, different period and recorded him and I have heard it. He clearly believes what he is saying and as evidenced by him spouting it in different classes, this wasn't a one off thing.

Just curious, was that recording shared with the principal? Also, who emailed you back? The principal?

 

[CarolAnn856]

I can see you deleted your original response to me. I thought discussions happen by multiple ways including asking questions and answering questions unless you believe you shouldn't ask questions of any poster when commenting on a thread. You don't need to be snarky either.

I wasn't questioning whether it was illegal or not- it appeared you leapt to that conclusion. I was just simply asking if they had asked permission. It hadn't dawned me to question if it was legal or not when you responded to me and then when the OP brought up not knowing the laws that's when I mentioned a PP, which happened to be you, had confirmed it wasn't illegal in classrooms.

Nope, just adding to the conversation. And yes, I edited when I read further and realized that not only was your reply to me snarky, but hypocritical as well, so yes, I edited to include that.

 

[luvsJack]

(Edited)


He had the same "conversation" in at least TWO classes. That is not the action of someone who was accidentally goaded into speaking about something he should not. He intentionally brought up his wackadoodle crisis actor theory. He gets no "slack" from me.

We finally agree on something on this thread.

The OP clearly said she felt they were goading him. You don’t believe her now?

The fact is this man is going to believe what he wants to believe. If he is still a good math teacher then he is doing his job.

Do we really know ant someone fired because of what he believes?

 

[L&Lfan]

Unfortunately, luvs, in today's world , that answer for many would be YES!

 

[Hannahinwonderland]

Do we really know ant someone fired because of what he believes?

There's a difference between believing something totally deranged and then stating that as fact in front of a classroom full of impressionable youth. The latter, yes, in my opinion, has no business being a teacher. And it sounds like he wasn't doing too great a job teaching them math if he was wasting time telling them that real events didn't happen.

 

[DLgal]

The OP clearly said she felt they were goading him. You don’t believe her now?

The fact is this man is going to believe what he wants to believe. If he is still a good math teacher then he is doing his job.

Do we really know ant someone fired because of what he believes?

Yea, because his beliefs are patently untrue and provably so, not to mention morally bankrupt. Teachers do more than simply teach a specific subject.

 

[CarolAnn856]

The OP clearly said she felt they were goading him. You don’t believe her now?

So, just to be clear...

High school students should be mature enough to discern when a teacher is presenting falsehood as truth,

BUT

that same teacher is not expected to be mature enough to avoid being goaded into discussing inappropriate topics by his students?

The fact is this man is going to believe what he wants to believe. If he is still a good math teacher then he is doing his job.

Do we really know ant someone fired because of what he believes?

Here's the thing...he can believe that the moon is made of cheese. He has that right. What he doesn't have the right to do is tell his students that, and the administration's job should be to make sure that the staff teaches facts, not falsehoods. If the teacher insists on continuing to pass along false facts after being warned (and I believe the OP said that there was a previous issue with this teacher, but I could be getting threads mixed up), then absolutely, they should be fired.

 

[sunshinehighway]

Yea, because his beliefs are patently untrue and provably so, not to mention morally bankrupt. Teachers do more than simply teach a specific subject.

Right.
It's not just that he believes some dumb conspiracy theory. It's that at least some of the ones he believes say much about him and it's not good. Not all conspiracy theories are created equal. There's a huge amount of space between "hey maybe Elvis fake his death" and " that shooting is a hoax, the victims (included loved ones of those who died) are nothing but actors and liars".

 

[robinb]

The OP clearly said she felt they were goading him. You don’t believe her now?

I believe that she feels he might have been goaded in class, but there is no way that he was goaded in BOTH classes. He said the same thing to AT LEAST two classes so even if a grown man was goaded by a bunch of teens in one class, his decision to have the same "conversation" about crisis actors in the second class was intentional.

The fact is this man is going to believe what he wants to believe. If he is still a good math teacher then he is doing his job.

Do we really know ant someone fired because of what he believes?

I've said all along that he can believe whatever he wants. I don't care if he's a nut and as long as he keeps it to himself in the classroom there's no harm, no foul. However, his job is to teach math not conspiracy theory. If he continues to choose to teach conspiracy theory in math class then he isn't doing his job and should be fired.

 

[luvsJack]

I believe that she feels he might have been goaded in class, but there is no way that he was goaded in BOTH classes. He said the same thing to AT LEAST two classes so even if a grown man was goaded by a bunch of teens in one class, his decision to have the same "conversation" about crisis actors in the second class was intentional.


I've said all along that he can believe whatever he wants. I don't care if he's a nut and as long as he keeps it to himself in the classroom there's no harm, no foul. However, his job is to teach math not conspiracy theory. If he continues to choose to teach conspiracy theory in math class then he isn't doing his job and should be fired.

Again, we had a teacher that you could get off topic just about every class period. Everyone knew it and every class did it. It is possible.

Now, if the man is fired because h isn’t teaching math, that’s one thing. But firing him because he believes in little green martians is another.

 

[Pink Partridge]

The last thing we need in an emergency is a teacher who is not able to differentiate reality from hoax.

Very well said.

 

[okeydokey]

The OP clearly said she felt they were goading him. You don’t believe her now?

The fact is this man is going to believe what he wants to believe. If he is still a good math teacher then he is doing his job.

Do we really know ant someone fired because of what he believes?

This man should be fired for trying to convince his students that the conspiracy theories he believes are the truth. The response from the school is weak and ridiculous. They are trying to hide what happened in the classroom.

I would take this straight to the school board and local media. There is no way this man should be a public school teacher.

 

[monsterkitty]

The principal can't tell the OP exactly what happened when he met with the teacher. This is a personnel issue and the outcome of the meeting cannot be discussed with anyone outside of the principal/district/teacher. They can't tell you if he was given a memo of understanding or anything else. The email back was probably a scaled down version of what really went on in that meeting.

 

[luvsJack]

This man should be fired for trying to convince his students that the conspiracy theories he believes are the truth. The response from the school is weak and ridiculous. They are trying to hide what happened in the classroom.

I would take this straight to the school board and local media. There is no way this man should be a public school teacher.

Where was it said that he is trying to convince anyone of anything????

She said he does believe his theories. She said he is NOT trying to recruit.

 

[manning]

**UPDATE PG 10 #188**

and irresponsible, would you report him?

We knew going in that he was a 9/11 conspiracy theorist but today he was talking about how the Parkland shooting was a hoax, didn't really happen and is a cover-up.

Come on, you are telling a room full of high school students that their fears and emotions are not valid because it is all a conspiracy? And what if, heaven forbid, something does happen and the kids don't respond because they think it is a hoax?

The last few years I have let DD handle teacher interactions so she can advocate for herself and she is comfortable doing so but this seems different to me.

Thoughts?

That old saying "shooting yourself in the foot"