Education thread

[GoCubsGo]

More from the worst Education chief in the nation:

State-mandated hateful bigotry.

Indictment coming?

[Vrede too]

More from the worst Education chief in the nation:

State-mandated hateful bigotry.

Indictment coming?

We can dream.

https://x.com/JoJoFromJerz/status/1971205692922175926

I hope that FN chyron is unintentional.

Full text:

Ed Krassenstein

Breaking: Oklahoma State Superintendent Ryan Walters has resigned.

This comes after a July 2025 scandal, when two members of the State Board of Education alleged that a TV in Walters’ office displayed images of naked women during a closed meeting.

Walters is the guy who directed public schools to incorporate the Christian Bible and Ten Commandments into instruction, which triggered lawsuits over church–state separation.

[Vrede too]

More RW disdain for the 1A and more repression of academia:

He said U.S. should be ‘overthrown.' Texas State's response: You're fired, again

Texas State University has again fired history professor Tom Alter for calling for the formation of a workers' party to "overthrow" the U.S. government in a socialist video conference, after a Hays County judge granted a temporary restraining order last month ordering his reinstatement....

"Without organization, how can anyone expect to overthrow the most bloodthirsty, profit-driven mad organization in the history of the world, that of the U.S. government?" Alter says in the video.

True. Notice the lack of call for violence.

... In a written statement Tuesday, Alter alleged that his firing was "part of a broader political attack being carried out by the authoritarian far-right to crush democracy and democratic institutions in the United States in general and Texas in particular," he said. "I have truth on my side and I look forward to my day in court."

Fascism is here.

... Alter has a right to appeal his termination, Damphousse said. Amanda Reichek, an attorney representing Alter, said in an email Tuesday that he plans to file that appeal. That process should take no longer than six weeks, she said.

Once he has exhausted that appeal, he will "proceed with litigation," she said. The lawsuit he filed last month remains active.

On Oct. 6, Reichek argued in a letter to Damphousse that Alter's statements were mischaracterized and he was fired for "speaking on matters of public concern, and in his personal capacity - in other words, First Amendment-protected speech," according to the letter, provided by Reichek.

RWers hate our Constitution.

Reichek is also representing Melissa McCoul, a former professor of English at Texas A&M University who was fired last month after a recording went viral of her teaching about gender identity and being confronted by a student who argued that the teaching was illegal after President Donald Trump signed an executive order declaring that it is the policy of the United States to recognize only two sexes.

Last month, a coalition of union organizers, liberal activists and elected leaders rallied in support of Alter in downtown San Marcos.

The Texas State Employees Union CWA Local 6186, of which Alter is a member, issued a written statement calling Alter's latest termination a "deeply troubling move that strikes at the heart of the First Amendment."

"President Damphousse had an opportunity to uphold the first amendment," said Ilesa Daniels Ross, President of the Texas State Employees Union, in a statement. "Instead, he chose to send a chilling message to every faculty member and student who dares to speak out or stand up for their rights at Texas State."

True.

[O Really]

What he said sounded a lot like what repugs used to say about the damgummint when Obama/Biden was in office.

[GoCubsGo]

Didn't know really where to put this, but since he did put on a masterclass...



https://www.adammockler.com/

[Vrede too]

Didn't know really where to put this, but since he did put on a masterclass...

https://x.com/MeidasTouch/status/1978686852577050887

https://www.adammockler.com/

Adam Mockler – Biography, Age, Parents, Career

MeidasTouch 22-Year-Old Host Adam Mockler Is Crushing It!
Mockler Leads Major DC Panel on New Media
Dec 09, 2024

More from the worst Education chief in the nation:

State-mandated hateful bigotry.

Indictment coming?

https://x.com/JoJoFromJerz/status/1971205692922175926

https://x.com/EdKrassen/status/1971199071541965128

Lindel Fields announces end to Ryan Walters' Oklahoma classroom Bible mandateOklahoma’s new State Superintendent of Public Instruction is ending his predecessor’s plan to distribute Bibles to every classroom.

... The Bible plan was slated to cost at least $3 million and appeared to be narrowly tailored to those endorsed by former President Donald Trump.

As for 500 Trump Bibles already purchased, right now state officials will “just let it be,” said Tara Thompson, a spokesperson for the Oklahoma State Department of Education.

Thompson said at a later date the department may “issue guidance to schools on what to do with those.” ...

Ooh ooh, may I offer guidance, too?

[Vrede too]

Cornell University to pay $60M in deal with Trump administration to restore federal funding

Cornell University has agreed to pay $60 million and accept the Trump administration’s interpretation of civil rights laws in order to restore federal funding and end investigations into the Ivy League school.

Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff announced the agreement on Friday, saying it upholds the university’s academic freedom while restoring more than $250 million in research funding that the government withheld amid investigations into alleged civil rights violations. He said the government’s funding freeze had stalled research, upended careers and threatened the future of academic programs.

The university agreed to pay $30 million directly to the U.S. government along with another $30 million toward research that will support U.S. farmers.

The agreement is the latest struck between President Donald Trump's administration and elite colleges he has accused of tolerating antisemitism and promoting far-left ideas. Trump is still locked in a standoff with Harvard, the nation's oldest and wealthiest university, and lately has tried an incentive-based approach by offering preferential access to federal funding for other schools that sign onto his political agenda....

[O Really]

I saw this article where an English teacher's poor students suddenly became good writers - turned out the school-issued chrome books include Google Lens, which now rewards hovering over any pic or text and provides detailed information about it. A big upgrade from telling you plant names, which I thought was totally cool at the time. The students used Lens and got excellently written answers to classroom questions. c
https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/other/te ... 82ea&ei=29

Lots of thoughty questions arise here: were the students cheating? I'd say no - they used tools the school had given them (even if the school hadn't paid attention). Is use of that type of tool detrimental to education? I'd say it depends on what you're trying to teach. But to me, the important question would be is the class even teaching things of most value? That is, how important is it now and in those students' futures, to know how to write essays and answers totally out of their own heads? Short of a complete tech crash, will there be a time when any issue or question those kids face will not be addressed with some level of AI assist? Reminds me of the math teachers who wouldn't let students use a calculator because "you won't always have a calculator around" Well, actually, you do. And for those rare occasions when you don't, you won't have used your long-ago math skills enough for them to do you any good.

Is requiring totally "original" writing the same as requiring the use of the card catalogue, or a hard-copy version of "Britannica"? Are they teaching already-obsolete skills, like tire-changing in a world with very few spare tires?

Not to say original writing doesn't have value - somebody has to do it, and some will do it well. But maybe teach that in the creative writing classes that students opt for and in other classes, teach real life practices.

[Vrede too]

Once they implant the chips there will be no difference between original writing and real life practices.