QUICK DISPATCH: TEACHERS INTIMIDATE STUDENTS WHILE MILLER’S TORONTO BREEDS MORE VIOLENCE
What else can we say about this story in the Toronto Sun. More gun violence in Toronto. Last week I wrote extensively in two Dossiers about the rise of random gang violence in Toronto. Sadly, this story continues to confirm what I wrote and I suspect nothing of substance will be done. This time an innocent four year old boy was shot and the cycle of violence and denial, violence and denial, violence and denial will most likely continue. Meaningless statistics will be cited, America will be blamed and more will be killed.This next story is just part of a larger series of Dossiers I am preparing on how our educational system at virtually all tiers now has been co-opted by individuals who are more concerned with left-wing political ideology than teaching our children how to think cogently for themselves.
According to the Vancouver Sun via (Neale News)
“Teachers have the right to post politically charged notices in schools and criticize the provincial government over school funding during parent-teacher interviews, the B.C. Court of Appeal has ruled.
In a judgment released Wednesday, three judges upheld by a two-to-one margin a labour arbitrator's finding that ordering teachers to stop talking politics in the schools was a violation of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.”
Now when it comes to free speech I am fairly libertarian. There is not too much I do not think one should be allowed to say in public. And in theory, one might even say I agree that a teacher should not be legally reprimanded for saying political views in the class.
But what of the rights of the students to disagree?
What of the intimidation factor of a student who wants to question the beliefs of a teacher clearly beholden to their union and ideology?
Will they be chastised? Will they be docked grades?
Worse…will they even think to question in the first place?
Similarly what types of politics are allowed to be talked about in the classroom? Bill C-38 is a political topic; could a teacher put up a sign and question it? Dr. Chris Kempling knows the answer to this. He was suspended for telling his opinions in a public newspaper unassociated with the school system outside of class. Our sympathies lie with him.
That a teacher in any school system would want to use his/her students or the forum of parent teacher interviews to pontificate about their political views tells something about the quality of the teacher themselves. It betrays someone who cares more about their own ideology than the welfare of their students.
The fear and intimidation of a teacher or professor bringing their views into the classroom is something I know well too much about and I do not like it. Not at all; especially when there is a double-standard as to what political views are even protected by our so-called Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
What is ironic about this case is that it was a Liberal government that the teachers were speaking up against. Of course because the teachers were obviously further to the left of the Liberals, it was permitted.
There is something plainly pathetic about a teacher who is so beholden to their union that they would exploit the presence of children or teens in a classroom to put forth views that could be intimidating and counter productive to the educational process. Teachers have an immense influence and responsibility over our young. They can inspire one student to the greatest of heights or destroy the hopes and dreams of another with poor teaching and petty politics.
At the university level this turns into something else entirely where for well over two decades now, our institutions of higher learning have been turned into a virtual central nervous system for left-wing indoctrination. It is not done as blatantly as one would think at the higher level, but on the other hand, to go against it can lead to repercussions that can be quite severe. This story written by Wendy McElroy courtesy of The Fire is one of too many examples we could cite.
My own experiences and those that I witnessed at Queen’s University led to some horrifying examples of censorship and intimidation at best and at worst, incidents where students were charged with crimes they did not commit merely for being known to have views that were ‘incorrect’ or being in the wrong places at the wrong time.
Unfortunately at this level, many students also have to take the blame for being co-conspirators and working diligently to intimidate their peers (or professors) with whom they disagree. I do not believe any ideology should be dominant in a school, right or left, but sadly, all of the tyranny-and I use this word with the full intent of its weight- I encountered was at the hands of the New Left.
On American campus’ students are gradually waking from their slumber and some are fighting back. In Canada…for most, the hibernation continues.
posted by Nicol DuMoulin @ 6:53 AM
11 Comments:
I think it's time to seperate school from state. I am personally sick of having to deprogram my child.
Beyond that - Canada has become a country where you are free to speak your mind as long as it:
-accepts gay marriage
-thinks gangsters can be won over with hug.
-marijuana and prostitution are cool.
-Unionized labour is the ONLY way to go.
-taxes are fun.
-corporations and money are evil.
-no two tiered health care.
-etc.
-etc.
-etc.
Sadly,
I agree. Free speech in education is perhaps my 'pet' issue. Without the ability of students at all tiers of education to be able to question...everything else is nothing.
We talk a lot about politics, religion, etc. in our house. My kids are warned constantly 'don't say this at school'.
My kids are politically and socially engaged. They tend to be opinionated (they don't always share my opinion, but I insist that they be able to back up their beliefs with reason or fact). They are loathe to hold back an opinion when the teachers start going on about conservatives, the US, etc.
It's a challenge to keep their mouths shut. The older two have had real difficulty with the same teacher (in grade 6) when he preached from the altar liberal during class time, and they were unable to restrain themselves.
They each spent much of their grade six year in the hall.
I was only too glad -- better than having them listen to this guy's nonsense.
Canadianna,
I can't tell you how upset that makes me...that your kids have to spend time 'in the hall' for going against their teachers politics; if I understand correctly.
That it is happening as young as grade 6...words cannot express how I feel.
I got hit hard...real hard when I went to university about a decade ago. When there was a symposium to debate political correctness, one of the professors who came in from Ottawa to support the 'anti PC side' had a note shoved under her office the night before saying if she spoke certain faculty members 'knew things' about her and would see to it that her career was ruined. She went back to Ottawa terrified and did not speak. This is one of the more tame stories. These people (New Left PC types) are ruthless and vile. I was a liberal scholarship student when I went in. Not when came out.
These stories will come out someday...the truth will be known.
Ironically enough...I always found the worst professors were the white males. They seemed to get off on their new found power where many of the female and minority profs could see through the facade.
However, back to your point...I recently got married. Nothing worries me more than how I will educate my children in the current system. What if they say something they shouldn't...what will the repercussions be. It literally keeps me up at night. This is probably the issue I am most passionate about because it is so 'in the closet.'
I have friends that experienced the same instances I did in university but now...they don't even acknowledge it.
I keep wondering...you were on the right side then...why aren't you now?
All the best.
The allegation that professors are so are ideologically sadistic is silly. I went to a very left wing university and not a single prof ever docked marks or penalized a student solely because he/she disagreed with the tone of the class. In one poli sci class I took (of which the prof was openly Marxist), we had to write a book review of "The Wealthy Banker's Wife" by Linda McQuaig, and guess what, our prof told the class that those who tended to disagree with McQuaig did better than those who did! The key is how well one defends their arguments in essays and tests etc. Perhaps conservative students just aren't as articulate as their leftist cohorts? So much for bias.
And come on, profs are well aware in this day and age that students and their parents are paying an arm and leg to attend university and no one could possibly be insensitive to that. Profs get paid ultimately from tuition so it would be dumb of them to scare students off.
And perhaps I'm old but I can't even remember politics being discussed in high school. From my recollection, high school teachers are quite dense and what little talk of politics was in one of those boring social studies classes where the teachers would be lost without their textbooks.
Eugene are you kidding me? I am a Trent University student and I don't think you can find a more left-wing University than that! My partner WAS a poli-sci major but he received Cs on any paper that went against left-wing ideologies. He wanted to appeal to the chair of the department, but in the poli-sci department at Trent the policy is that you have the risk of either raising or LOWERING your grade if you attempt to appeal! Freedom of speech? Where?
It wasn't until this year until my eyes were opened to this disgrace in our schools today. I used to support this left-wing crap because I was brain-washed by it for so many years that I believed this it was right. Politics is brought into the classroom. I was in elementary school during the Harris era, and boy, did I hear about it. This past year I wrote a term paper on the common sense revolution and I finally learned what my teachers never told me.
In University seminars my partner and I are reprimanded by peers for our right-wing beliefs. Biased documentaries, stop the evil corporations, that's all I get shoved down my throat. And make no mistake, we are very articulate.
Eugene, whatever prof you had at whatever school you went to, I must say that you were very lucky. I know a student who is attending University in Quebec and she painfully learned the lesson that you must write what the prof wants to hear if you want a good grade. I am a stubborn person who despises writing what the prof wants to hear, but I also need to keep my scholarships and get into grad school. It stinks, but I take my stands when I need to.
Profs don't care about scaring off students. They make their six figure salary anyway. Students don't choose a University based on profs, they base it on program and location. I chose Trent because I wanted small class sizes, but if I had known it was this politically wacko, I don't know if I would have chosen Trent.
Trent has changed a lot even in the past 3 years. Talk to alumni from 5, 10 and 20 years ago, there have been a lot of changes.
I'm glad I have the opportunity to learn what I can in an attempt to try and understand the left and I can express my opinions to challenge people to think critically.
I'm very thankful that I had a teacher in my high school that told us that if we were to learn only ONE thing in his classroom, it would be to think critically. Sadly, this was only one teacher. Imagine the students that aren't as lucky!
I agree for sure that most profs don't give a sh** about the students' financial woes. If they did, they wouldn't have students by 3-5 books per class if not more. I found I never had time to read textbooks so by 2nd year, I rarely even bought any of the textbooks also because I could never afford tuition plus 3-5 books per class. I have a pile of first year books here that have been barely touched. Freshmen need to learn the hard way I suppose.
Sorry Eugene,
I'm writing with another first-hand account of ideological discrimination from within our nation's post-secondary institutions.
For me the key was not "how well one defends their arguments in essays and tests etc". I was enrolled in the theatre program at an Albertan college. This was not political science, or sociology, or history... I was paying to study an art-form.
During my second year, I was told point-blank by a teacher that she was reducing my percentages from in the 90's to in the 30's (regardless of the quality of my work) because she felt my religion was going to interfere with my future career as an actor.
Thankfully, after the chair of our program did nothing, the Dean of our college did, and I was still allowed to graduate with honours.
I wish I could share your optimism in our professors but, sadly, my personal experience doesn't allow it.
Eugene,
Thank you for your comment. Because this is an extremely important issue for me I will respond to you on the main page.
Sharon,
As someone who is currently in university you know only too well what the truth is. It takes courage to question any establisment and taking on the 'New Left' on a modern day university campus is courage personified.
I am very familiar with the academic environment at Trent seeing as it is based in my hometown. Trent was considered a 'left' university even before the trend took hold. I can only imagine how it is now. Good Luck!
Reservoir Dog,
Yes these teachers/profs do tend to miss the irony. I suspect the examples they gave you American. Most teachers thing that the American network news is right-wing biased. And from their vantage it is. It is to the right of their world-view which tends towards neo-marxism. At any rate, I'm glad the prof still gave you a good grade.
Anonymous,
The worst is when the prof assigns you a 100 dollar text written by them so they can boost sales of a book that never made an impact in the first place. By second year, I quit buying most texts and borrowed them from the Reserve Library.
Straphanger,
Your story, like Sharon's and Canadianna's just...angers me. I am glad that you found an administrator to sympathize...but that it got to that place to begin with. Sadly your story is one of thousands that are screaming out to be told in a larger forum. Again, not all profs are bad-but a significant enough number are that this is a serious issue. In many ways I see it as a defining story of our generation...and it has yet to be told.
I agree entirely with all the above. I'm currently studying law at Ottawa U, and I have only admitted to one fellow student of my true political allegiance, for fear of being an outcast. With the rest, I pretend to be entirely apolitical.
The worst teacher I ever had was Martha Jackman - in her first class she proclaimed herself a communist, and quickly started bashing Harper and Klein. She then told us that the class where we would discuss corporations were optional, as she felt this topic was entirely irrelevant.
On a slightly different but relevant topic, i work at the justice department during the summer. this one idiot has a bust of lenin on his desk, proudly showing his allegiance with a ideology responsible for the brutal death of more than 100 million people. I really feel like confronting him with this most unfortunate detail, but unfortunately I dont feel like I would have the necessary support from my co-workers if I were to open up this can of worms.
Anonymous,
Thank you for your stories. This is a very important subject for me so please feel free to contact me if you have any other stories or feel free to post.
I am sorry you feel alone but rest assured you are not. There are more like you and they will come out.
All the best.
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