“BACK-TO-SCHOOL” FUN CONTINUES …
Government-run schools across the country are ramping up the nuttiness as students head back to school this month. Yesterday, we wrote about the 16-year-old South Carolina student who was suspended (and arrested) because he wrote a short story about killing his pet dinosaur.
Today comes the tale of high school senior in Dyer County, Tennessee who was suspended for saying “bless you” to a classmate who sneezed.
According to WMC TV 5 (NBC – Memphis, Tennessee), Dyer County High School senior Kendra Turner was removed from class and sent to in-school suspension as a result of this “godly speaking.”
“(The teacher) said that we’re not going to have godly speaking in her class and that’s when I said we have a constitutional right,” Turner told the station.
Meanwhile Turner’s youth paster told the station the teacher in question had been “very demeaning to them in regard to their faith.”
Students at the school also provided the station with a photograph of the teacher’s white board, which lists “bless you” among the terms students are not permitted to use …
(Click to enlarge)
(Pic: WMC)
So … what do we make of all this?
Well, this website is an adamant supporter of the separation of church and state. We don’t believe religion has any place in government (i.e. the sanctioning of one faith at the expense of another), nor do we believe government has any place in religion (i.e. telling churches who they can or cannot marry).
And while this situation is another ridiculous “politically correct” overreaction, it goes without saying that we believe core functions of government should be performed independent of any religious-based connotation or discrimination.
But that brings us to our second point … the salient point as it relates to this debate.
When government reaches its tentacles into places where it doesn’t belong (i.e. the business of education) friction like this is bound to arise. America’s government-run education system is – in many states – an effective monopoly, one that starves individual parents and communities of the resources they could be using to educate their children.
And more often than not, government-run schools are doing a piss-poor job … which is why American students are falling further behind their peers around the world.
This entire cycle needs to stop.
The more parents and communities are empower with choices (a.k.a. letting them keep more of their money to do the job government is failing to do), the better equipped our nation will be to compete in the 21st century.
And the less of this nonsense we’ll have to read about …
25 comments
I remember being in high school and middle school more than 20 years ago and thinking that as a minor, I really wasn’t privy to all the civil rights I would have when I turned 18.
Apparently this hasn’t changed.
Only 9 days left in this month. Mortgage time is approaching. Sic Willie has to roll out his voucher scam articles to get his check from Howie. But, you say, he didn’t mention vouchers. True but don’t be fooled. He is working up to it. See, “government-run” education is bad. He keeps driving that point. Then later he will hit you with the “solution”.
Why does an elected school superintendent makes a school government run and our elected people in congress make it a government of the people? A mystery that only idiot republicans seem to understand.
Still a pain in the ass
its important to understand that we know precisely what happened here and our opinions are rooted in steely logic. bless you.
Used to was stupidity like this happened once in a great while, people would laugh it off and say “where do they find dorks like that”, but now it happens multiple times each year and more frequently every year. I would like to blame it on someone but truth is that as it happens more people let it bother them less and before long we’ll just go along to get along and that is when the real dumassery will start happening.
How stupid. “Bless you” isn’t godly speech at all anyways. “Bless” is a word commonly associated with religious stuff, but not always, and even when it is, it does not outright reference any religion, god, etc. In this context it is nothing more than common courtesy.
Open and shut case in court, but no doubt taxpayer dollars will burn from a teacher getting butthurt over something ridiculous.
Also
the business of education
Hahaha, oh wow… Let’s start calling students “fungible assets” now!
Of course government is to blame for this (probably Obama or Holder, amirite?) rather than a wild-hare teacher!
The reason we blame government is because not only do they allow teachers to do this, they force kids to go to these schools with either no or very expensive alternatives. Perhaps that’s why support for school choice is rising.
No, the state requires all children be educated. Home schooling is an option.
fukin’ libtards
I know: failed to teach you syntax and spelling.
You mean “p-a-s-t-e-r” instead of the intended “p-a-s-t-o-r” ?
‘libtards’ — that teacher just added that to her board…
I don’t know. I use other peer expressions and stupid dumb boring stuff whenever I hang out. My bad. Bless you.
Who implements your opinion, with what authority and from which source?
Why wasn’t “fuck your dead mother” on there?
Reading the article, I couldn’t help but remember the kid with chronic flatulence who was in my high school class. Whenever he farted, one of us who was closer to him would always say, “FUCK YOU, man!”
I don’t know about you but but I find Ms. Smith’s class boring. She’s dumb and the material is stupid. Let’s hang out tonight so I can bless you. My bad Ms. Smith I forgot you have all these stupid rules about words we can’t use. Word to your mother!
When looking at it from the perspective of public school’s teaching children to be obedient & compliant worker bee slaves for some faceless corporation, it become quite clear that the teacher is just doing her job.
She knew the rules and broke them. I have no problem with this.
Religious types need to be stamped out from all facets of society when they think they are special or above the rules.
At least fuck you bitch ain’t on the list
I love the way Will searched the country to find some wacky thing some teacher did at a public school. Why don’t we discuss some of the wacky things done at Private Schools.
Like this: http://www.ajc.com/news/news/private-school-principal-accused-of-child-molestat/nZPWc/
Or this: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/has-media-ignored-sex-abuse-in-school/
Or this: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/uk/article3980201.ece
Or this: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/24/horace-mann-sex-abuse-letter_n_3333752.html
Or this: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/may/20/child-abuse-catholic-schools-ireland
Don’t you understand? Nothing wacky has ever occurred at a private school. How many times does Will have to tell you?
I was home scalded.