Teacher expelled for having Bible on Desk

Teacher expelled for having Bible on Desk

by A Person | Published on April 23rd, 2008, 9:55 am | Religion

Middle school teacher was ordered to remove religious items

Some students at Mount Vernon Middle and High schools want everyone to know they support a science teacher who has refused to remove a Bible from his classroom desk.

Students cheered and offered high-fives to Middle School teacher John Freshwater when he showed up yesterday at a student-organized rally in his honor.

So not actually expelled, just told to remove it - teaching Creationism and using an electrostatic device to brand children with a cross is apparently OK

We are religious people, but we were offended when Mr. Freshwater burned a cross onto the arm of our child. This was done in science class in December 2007, where an electric shock machine was used to burn our child. The burn was severe enough that our child awoke that night with severe pain, and the cross remained there for several weeks. ... We have tried to keep this a private matter and hesitate to tell the whole story to the media for fear that we will be retaliated against.

I wonder what would have happened if he had branded them with a pentagram?

Man. This guy is a nut. He ought to be fired for leaving marks on his students, regardless of the shape. And he is doing a grave disservice in teaching religion in a science class. Geez. :!:

Clearly the child wasn't a True Christian or his flesh would not have rebelled form the cross. He was obviously posessed and the mark was made by the demons in his body. Some one needs to perform an exorcism with a much bigger burning cross.

What irks me about this -- and it's a big part of the problem with the whole ID "controversy" -- is that this science teacher chose to change his science classes into church time. And when his administration called him on his malfeasance, he starts trying to pull this "martyr for Jeebus" routine. Some dedication to higher morals there!

I've known a few deeply religious science teachers -- one was the head of the physics department at UNCG while I was a student there. They knew the difference between science and religion and what their duty as teachers was as opposed to people dedicated to spreading their faith. I took a course in quantum physics with Dr. Haggeseth, and he kept strictly to teaching the math, the theories, and the evidence. There was none of this BS about God making electrons jump from state to state or whatever he might have thought had he brought his beliefs into the course. It really can't be THAT difficult.

Not only is this going to cause some defamation drama for the teacher but also for the school. It's one thing to have the right to keep a bible tucked away in your desk, it's another to physically mutilate students and religiously influence them without the consent of the parents or knowledge of the child's religious affiliation. In an environment where peer pressure runs-a-muc and the minds of these pre-teens are so easily influenced, who knows what kind of psychological damage is going on here. Essentially, these parents may fault the school for this teachers behavior and rightly so if the school allows this to continue. Screw a moderator, put this 'nutcase' in time out.

Luckily, it seems that the "mutilation" was not permanent, but it was long-term enough to warrant an investigation of this guy by the school system management. As AP said, I wonder what the reaction of the parents wold have been had he tried to push any other religion on these kids?

The story says that this guy has taught for several years, with terrific reviews. I wonder when he started the nutty stuff? He couldn't have been doing the crazy branding iron trick for very long. Could he? :?:

What is interesting is that it was NOT the branding trick that got him into trouble - the parents were afraid to complain :shock:

. Nor the teaching of creationism. It was having a Bible prominently displayed on his desk (not tucked away in) and read from.

Frankly I have no problem with him having a Bible - even if it's left on his desk - as long as it's not used when he's supposed to be teaching science, math, history or any other subjects. And if it were my kid coming home with a brand of any type I'd do something - like maybe trying this harmless electrical device on his genitals. On second thoughts he'd probably enjoy that.

APErson wrote: So not actually expelled, just,.............

expelled.

Ugh, the whole religion bit is so tired. How many adults superimpose their views on children, whether it be their own kids or not? Religion, with some people, has become so twisted and now there are more loop holes in the bible than ever, I'd be more worried about what he actually preached about and the fact that he was physically abusive with an 'electric shock machine'. Heeellllloooo? ELECTRIC...SHOCK...MACHINE...BURN...KIDS. C'mon!

GrassIsGreener wrote:Ugh, the whole religion bit is so tired. How many adults superimpose their views on children, whether it be their own kids or not? Religion, with some people, has become so twisted and now there are more loop holes in the bible than ever, I'd be more worried about what he actually preached about and the fact that he was physically abusive with an 'electric shock machine'. Heeellllloooo? ELECTRIC...SHOCK...MACHINE...BURN...KIDS. C'mon!

I tend to agree. I think people know what are 'hot buttons' to many, and the best way to get people to not focus on the truly horrible is to wave the hot button topic around like a flag. EG: Burning kids becomes "They are oppressing me for religious reasons".

A few years ago and not that far from here they canned this guy for what seems like a lot less:
http://www.cnn.com/2003/EDUCATION/11/20 ... index.html

Teacher suspended for milk experiment

Thursday, November 20, 2003 Posted: 12:33 PM EST (1733 GMT)

SMITHFIELD, North Carolina (AP) -- A high school teacher was suspended for a classroom experiment that caused several students to vomit after drinking large amounts of milk.

Jeff Ferguson, a chemistry and physics teacher at Smithfield-Selma High School, organized the experiment last week to test the body's ability to neutralize acids in milk.

It was intended to show the body can handle only so much before a natural reaction occurs and the person vomits. Out of 42 students in two classes, 13 did just that. None required medical attention, and five students chose not to participate.

Parents alerted school administrators about the November 12 incident. Ferguson was sent home the next day and was suspended with pay Tuesday, pending an investigation by a law firm hired by the school district.

Superintendent Jim Causby said the district would decide on further action after the investigation, which could take "days to weeks."

On Wednesday, Ferguson failed to persuade a judge to let him return to the classroom. He wanted a temporary restraining order so that he could return to help his students prepare for end-of-semester exams, but Superior Court Judge Knox Jenkins denied his request.

"It's been rather unpleasant sitting at home and knowing nobody is teaching my class as effectively as I can," Ferguson said after the hearing. "There's not a lot positive about this situation."

The teacher's attorney, Lamar Armstrong, said students were not required to participate in the experiment, and students had receptacles in case they became ill.

"If anybody wanted to quit at any time, they could have," Armstrong said.

About 50 students packed a Johnston County courtroom for Wednesday's hearing to show their support.

Elizabeth Sthuerger, 18, said she drank about a half-gallon of milk, then felt sick. While she said the experiment "may have been a little off-the-wall," Sthuerger said she supported Ferguson.

Jacob Johnson, a 16-year-old junior, added that "it's an advanced class and students are old enough that they should be mature in making those decisions."

His trial is on right now. A demonstration of the quality of his science teaching can be gained from this handout:

DIRECTIONS: Follow along and fill in the missing words.

- mature [ bull ] giraffe - 18 feet tall
- Long [ neck ]
- needs a good pump ([ heart ]) for blood to the [ brain ]

Giraffes have a [ protective ] mechanism - [ valves ] in the [ artery ] in its neck begin to close when his head goes [ down ].

We all know that [ dead ] animals don’t evolve anything, even though evolution demands its creatures realize they need an improvement before that improvement begins to evolve.

Another problem arises - a [ lion ] creeps up and prepares to [ kill ] its spotted [ prey ]. The giraffe quickly raises its [ head ]. This causes a reduced [ blood ] flow - the giraffe passes out. The lion [ eats ] a hearty meal and the giraffe, were it alive, would realize that it had better evolve some mechanism to re-oxygenate its oxygen deprived [ brain ]. Remember that [ dead ] animals don’t evolve anything.

It is a distinct species, a discrete entity. No one would say a giraffe is a “missing [ link ]” or a “transitional [ form ].” A giraffe is not some [ creature ] emerging from some other creature or changing into a “higher” or more [ complex ] form.

This isn't ordinary incompetence. He is actively suggesting that individual living animals evolve by realizing a need.

The story about this teacher burning crosses on students was fabricated and not true. Typically when a Christian makes a stand then he/she is attacked by his/her opposers. Not only is the story NOT true but if it was then the parents should be arrested for endangerment of a minor. For Pete's sake, how many loving parents would allow that to happen and not report it to the police???? If the story was true then those students should have been placed in foster protective care and the parents put in jail.

vzmdgs wrote:The story about this teacher burning crosses on students was fabricated and not true.

It appears that this is the case. I suppose this IS a good thing you can say, that the teacher didn't burn his students.
:roll:

Typically when a Christian makes a stand then he/she is attacked by his/her opposers. Not only is the story NOT true but if it was then the parents should be arrested for endangerment of a minor. For Pete's sake, how many loving parents would allow that to happen and not report it to the police???? If the story was true then those students should have been placed in foster protective care and the parents put in jail.

It's a side-show, I agree. But it doesn't really affect the larger objection about the teacher being assigned to teach science while at the same time providing his students with anti-science materials and ideas. That is not acceptable performance in a public school.

SouthernFriedInfidel wrote:
vzmdgs wrote:The story about this teacher burning crosses on students was fabricated and not true.

It appears that this is the case. I suppose this IS a good thing you can say, that the teacher didn't burn his students.

The incident was 'resolved' to the school and Freshwater's satisfaction, but not to the parents, it is currently before federal court. There are updates in the Columbus Dispatch. Freshwater is doing everything to delay the process, including trying to sue the school board lawyer - an action which seems to have prompted two of his defence attorneys to resign

Richard Hoppe has been following the trial and also regularly posts updates on the Panda's Thumb