[Vision2020] Luna Cautions Teachers About Political Activities

Wed May 18 09:47:45 PDT 2011

Thank you, Donovan.  And I do believe if I were teaching in the High School today, my lessons would be better, much better really.    I continue to learn so much from the wonderful teachers with whom I work. 

Sue 

From: Donovan Arnold 
Sent: Wednesday, May 18, 2011 7:25 AM
To: Sue Hovey ; Moscow Vision 2020 ; Tom Hansen 
Cc: Penni Cyr 
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Luna Cautions Teachers About Political Activities

      Sue Hovey may have retired, but her lesson plans are still as good as ever, if not better!

      Remember when slavery was right and evolution was forbidden to be taught? Oh, wait, in some schools it still is! Oops, my bad. 

      When you call for the official political time in Boise the operator says, "At the sound of the beep the official time will be . . .'nineteen hundred and thirty eight, in the year of our Lord.' "

      Donovan Arnold

      --- On Tue, 5/17/11, Tom Hansen <thansen at moscow.com> wrote:

        From: Tom Hansen <thansen at moscow.com>
        Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Luna Cautions Teachers About Political Activities
        To: "Sue Hovey" <suehovey at moscow.com>, "Moscow Vision 2020" <vision2020 at moscow.com>
        Cc: "Penni Cyr" <cpenni at gmail.com>
        Date: Tuesday, May 17, 2011, 4:05 PM

        Very well stated, Sue.

        Those of us who give a damn are beside, and behind, you 100%. 

        Tom Hansen 

        Moscow, Idaho 

        -----Original Message-----
        From: Sue Hovey [mailto:suehovey at moscow.com] 
        Sent: Tuesday, May 17, 2011 3:05 PM
        To: lfalen; Tom Hansen; Moscow Vision 2020
        Cc: Penni Cyr
        Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Luna Cautions Teachers About Political Activities 

        Roger, et al,  This sounds so simple:  be political only after hours.  But a 

        good teacher, regardless of subject brings herself into her teaching; her 

        thoughts, her motives, her political ideology.  And kids are not simple; 

        they recognize, and do not necessarily commit to, her ideology.  How could I 

        not teach slavery was an evil institution or not teach that women are 

        entitled to full and equal rights as citizens of this nation? Or that, from 

        my perspective the Constitution is a living document, capable of meeting the 

        needs of a changing culture.   In any classroom discussion of current events 

        anything that happens is by nature, germane.  I was lucky as a high school 

        social studies teacher in Moscow.  I was the recognized Democrat, Bob Weisel 

        the recognized Republican.  When we had kids working for credit during the 

        election seasons he worked with the students who wanted to help the 

        Republicans and I with those who sided with the Dems.  What both he and I 

        wanted was for all our students to recognize the importance of being 

        politically involved.  We tried to make it easy for them to do so, but the 

        choice was theirs.  There was a time when I thought ethical teachers had to 

        be neutral in class.  I tried so diligently that one of my students came in 

        to thank me personally for supporting Steve Symms.  I then decided I had 

        carried neutrality much too far. 

        Tom Luna is simply trying to intimidate teachers.  That was the intent of 

        the 3 laws.  Not only do they penalize good teachers, they place a terrible 

        burden on administrators and school district trustees--and small districts 

        are significantly at risk of losing good veteran teachers.  With the loss of 

        state funding for salaries, districts are going to have to search for ways 

        to keep teachers in every classroom.  As seniority can no longer be a 

        criterion and with the other criteria much less specific, districts may 

        decide to release one, more highly paid teacher to get two for less money. 

        That's what Luna's bills are all about--getting teachers on the cheap, and 

        rewarding his hardware and software contractors as well as legislators who 

        pushed through his bills. 

          Those of us who are working to carry petitions are doing so out of class 

        (well I'm retired, so it's easy,) and through our personal email addresses. 

        IEA officers have been adamant--do not use your school email.  What does 

        happen is if a parent is interested in signing a petition, the only email 

        they probably have access to is the teacher's school email.  In a reply 

        teachers always refer them to their personal emails, but the original 

        message from the parents comes through the only address they have. 

        I have sent  response to the Trib and the DN hoping it will get printed 

        soon.  It's another take on all this, but believe me, every time I reread 

        the laws, I find a new issue. 

        There isn't much more time left to get these petitions signed.  Please if 

        you haven't done so, consider it and call me.  I will come to your house to 

        get your signature, if you need for me to do that.   882-3380 

        208-301-2208 or just reply to this by email. 

        Think about it:  You cannot put our students first, if you put their 

        teachers last...... 

        Sue Hovey 

        "Corporations are an oppressed minority forced to move headquarters from state to state in search of friendlier tax codes--sometimes being forced to live just off our shores in tiny mailboxes." 

        - John Oliver, The Daily Show 

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