Thursday, June 17, 2010

Teachers Marybeth Verani and Adeline Koscher Protest Students Enlisting in the Military

I saw this story a couple of days ago but didn't have an embeddable video. At TigerHawk, "Peace Teachers."

The actions of two teachers at the Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, have come under considerable criticism. There are likely first amendment issues here protecting the speech of the teachers, and perhaps helping to insulate them somewhat from possible disciplinary action (along with their union), but I would guess that there will be some people who are sympathetic to their anti-war position who would nonetheless question the appropriateness of holding up signs at an assembly recognizing graduating seniors who are entering military service ....

Ms. Verani states in the video above, "It was not against them at a personal level," demonstrating that she is tone deaf on this matter -- only six students are being honored at an assembly, and it is then and there that she chooses to exercise her right to dissent, and that shouldn't be considered personal? I love Michael Corleone's line from The Godfather as much as anybody -- "It's not personal, Sonny, it's strictly business," -- but this is at least a little bit personal. The teachers are either directly or indirectly criticizing the career choice decisions of six students in a public forum.
More at the link.

3 comments:

Elena said...

This is just a symptom of what must go on in their classrooms. Probably not much flag-waving going on there. Where are the constitutional rights for those forced to pay teachers that teach America is not worth defending?

Rusty Walker said...

How do these privileged, educated, free citizens of the greatest country in the world come to the utopian conclusion that they can live on this dangerous globe without powerful military protection? I am baffled.

Anonymous said...

Rusty and Elena, if our democracy can't withstand the criticism of our ill-advised wars and well-meaning protection of our youth, what kind of democracy are *you* defending?