The Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch newspaper had an interesting article last Sunday titled, “Plan calls for judging teacher on results.” It was about the Ohio Governor’s desire to reform education in his state. The article included and concluded its dissertation with comments about the difficulty in ridding the schools of poor, bad or ineffective teachers. They mentioned John Freshwater by name as the only example cited. Not a teacher who had sex with a student, not a teacher who worked as a prostitute on the side, or not a teacher convicted of some felony. No it was a dedicated Christian man and model teacher, who kept a personal Bible on his desk and who allegedly marked a students arm during a science experiment.
TAKING A SHOT AT JOHN FRESHWATER
The article also took another poke at embattled Mount Vernon middle school science teacher John Freshwater:
“School leaders have long complained that districts have little recourse against ineffective teachers who haven't broken laws or work rules. Also, a state law unrelated to tenure can make termination procedures expensive for districts .
“Take the case of John Freshwater, a Mount Vernon science teacher accused of burning a cross shape on a student's arm with a science instrument. Before the district can vote to fire him, it had to offer a hearing at its expense.
“Freshwater's hearing, which is to resume this week, has cost Mount Vernon schools about $200,000 so far."
So what was the paper saying? John Freshwater should not have a right to appeal the school board’s decision? Is it implying he should be paying the school districts costs?
As I have been following this story in the newspapers and other media sources both supportive and those in obvious opposition, I conclude that the Columbus Dispatch has an obvious bias against Mr. Freshwater. Originally he was confronted and disciplined for not removing his personal bible on his desk. After his refusal, other charges were conjured up including the “burning” or more appropriately the marking of the young man's arm.
Nothing was done about the marking until the boy’s parents filed a lawsuit against the school district and Mr. Freshwater several months following the alleged incident. That side of the story is woefully ignored or neglected. What is emphasized is Mr. Freshwater’s daring to bring his Christian faith into the secular humanistic classroom. The newspaper seems not to appreciate or tolerate Christianity, preferring the religion of Secular Humanism to be the only accepted creed of choice in the classroom and on the public square.
Truth be told, secular humanism actually is just as much a religion as Christianity. Although true Christian is more than a religion, it is a way of life. In fact, it was a way of life practiced since before the founding of this nation in 1776. Our Founding Fathers were not predominately Secular Humanists or Deists as the leftist revisionists continually and misleadingly claim. The Left chants that mantra over and over again, until, I guess, they hope everyone swallows the lie.
CAN PUBLIC EDUCATION BE IMPROVED?
The Dispatch article quotes Ohio Superintendent Deborah Delisle as saying that improving teacher quality is a “vital factor” in the education reforms of the governor’s budget plan. The article cites the need for teachers to be assessed or evaluated by the all-knowing standard or tool established by the state Politburo, the department of education. This, they think will make for better teachers.
On the surface the plan sounds swell. However, I believe that the local school board and the local parents provide the best oversight of the education of the teachers and children in their bailiwick. The more government and political, agenda-driven issue oriented non-teaching mega teacher unions are involved in education the less our children are educated.
Why are our schools failing? It is not lack of funding. It is not the majority of teachers, it is not the majority of teachers, it is not the lack of facilities. It is the secular humanistic creed that is so inculcated in the so-called education experts, leaders and trainers of the teachers. It is the inferior teaching material. The learning materials strive to revise American history taking morality, God and character out of the school curriculum. The secular humanistic creed is entrenched like a malignant cancer throughout our education system.
It is the pervasive and corrupting affect of the teachers unions, which are more interested in teaching (indoctrinating) little Johnny and Janie about alternative lifestyles, global warming, and the flawed and unscientific theory of evolution than giving them a sound foundation of reading, writing, arithmetic and character. Those are the things that mean real success at work and in society.
The federal government has no business meddling in the business of educating of our children. A step in the right direction would be the abashment of the Department of Education. It seems like the DOE is an unnecessary layer of bureaucracy that does nothing to improve the learning of little Johnny or Janie.
ACCOUNTABILITY
Who is responsible for the terrible state of our education today? It seems to me that whatever the job of the federal department of education is, it is not performing. What would happen if we eliminated the federal Department of Education? Would education of our children be better or worse? If it would be better, then why is it allowed to exist.
It certainly cannot be the amount of funding. We waste a bunch of money on “education.” Seems to me we are not getting our money’s worth.
Who is ultimately responsible for the mess we are in today? Is it the children? Is it the parent? Is it the teacher? Is it the school principal? Is it the school district? Is it the state department of education? Is it the federal department of education? I think the answer is all of the above.
ABANDONMENT
Our education system may just be beyond reformation. It needs to be abolished or caring parents need to find effective alternatives: Homeschooling, On-Line education, Private Schools, or Christian schools.
Isn't it ironic that little or no mention of the results that Mr. Freshwater produced is ever mentioned in any of the coverage of this story? He motivated his children to learn. His class tested the highest of the middle school science classes. He cared personally about the children. He was admired, respected, even envied by many of his peers for his love and devotion to teaching. What Freshwater has been put through is a terrible indictment against the system and is a major reason why it just may be time to abandon this woefully corrupted, godless and immoral system. It may be time to seriously consider pulling all students out of what has "evolved" into merely secular humanistic and socialistic indoctrination and dumbing-down centers . . . The results of the election of 2008 is proof of the pudding. America elected one who grossly deficient of any executive experience, one who was a political hack from the politically corrupt state of Illinois, and one with a socialist-Marxist philosophical bent. Although I grant that the choice was between bad and worse.
See www.ExodusMandate.org for more information as to how and why government education is a lost cause and how to escape that diseased corrupted system.
THE FRESHWATER HEARING RESCHEDULED
I took a trip to Mount Vernon on Friday to take in the on-going Freshwater termination hearing which had been originally set for Friday, February 20. But I eventually found out that it had been canceled. The Mount Vernon News reported that the hearing will resume on Thursday, February 26. It also reported that additional dates have been scheduled for March 20 and 25-27.
The costs continue to mount up to both parties as well as to the children and to the community being denied the services of a very good teacher. That is the real crime here, not the apparent false, lame accusations made against Mr. Freshwater.
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