‘Obama Is Not God’: Students School a Teacher About Free Speech

May 25, 2012 By 45 Comments

The student responds by correctly noting that being arrested for talking badly about the president would violate the right to free speech. “You would have to say some pretty f’d up crap about him to be arrested,” he says. Indeed, you would have to make a credible physical threat to the president, a point that the student, unlike his teacher, understands. “They cannot take away your right to have your opinion… They can’t take that away unless you threaten the president.” “Sweetheart, sweetheart,” the teacher replies condescendingly, before sailing off on an incomprehensible tangent about people not being read their rights when arrested.

Her argument wouldn’t even hold up in Logic 101. First she states that criticizing Obama, the current president, is disrespectful. Then she claims that criticizing Bush, when he was in office, was criminal and people were arrested for it. Which is it, merely disrespectful or illegal? It’s neither, of course. One of the superior qualities of America is that we are free to criticize our elected officials, even hurl invectives at them, without expecting a visit in the middle of the night from the secret police, as the totalitarian left might prefer. The truth is that these students were not disrespecting Obama; this teacher was simply incensed that rogue students weren’t falling in line to worship him.

A Rowan-Salisbury School District spokeswoman confirmed that the teacher is still employed, but would not release her identity. This is fortunate for the teacher, since the audio reveals her to be not only less literate and articulate than her own students, but also  less well-versed in such subjects as free speech, American history, and constitutional rights.

A School District statement noted that this video can be a learning experience. Indeed it can. What we can learn from it is this: Certainly there are many excellent teachers out there struggling against all odds to inspire, enrich, and open up the minds of our nation’s youth. But this video is an instructive reminder that some high school students are being shouted down by incompetent and even moronic leftist ideologues who see their role as indoctrinators, not educators, and who discourage critical, intellectual debate with political bullying.

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About

Mark Tapson, a Hollywood-based writer and screenwriter, is a Shillman Journalism Fellow at the Freedom Center. He focuses on the politics of popular culture.

  • http://ampatriot.blogspot.com/ C.R.

    There are not many excellent teachers in America–excellent teachers are few and far between! The teacher in question should be outed by name–she is a useful idiot and Obama whore!

    • G.C.

      Indeed, the main reason for the American misery is the terrible quality of the teachers. They transform schools
      into factories for the mass production of left-voting bunglers.

      • Jim_C

        Oh, is it?

        And where'd you get your degree–a crackerjack box?

    • Lady_Dr

      Agreed – education (actually just getting a degree) is just another consumer item these days. About 15 years ago I got to talking to 18 year old who had rececently been hired for some low level work at my place of business. I asked this barely literate girl what her plans were for the future and she told me that after she got her degree (she was attending a community college part time) she might get her master's degree and even a Ph.D. Now she had not even decided on a major, and it was hard to talk to her because of her limited vocabulary, but she saw degrees as her right and perhaps her path to easy street. Education in the traditional sense, a love of learning, or a passion for some particular subject were as far from her as East is from West. (an explanation she probably would not even understand). This girl, I fear, is not unique.

      • Jim_C

        What are you agreeing with, and what is the point of your little anecdote–that you met an airhead, once, 15 years ago?

    • bmatkin

      Your comment is nonsense. There are lots of excellent teachers in America working in a totally broken system.
      Calling her an Obama "whore" is rather evil like Hustler's Flynt photoshopping S.E. Cupp.
      Stop it. Conservatives respect women as women..
      The useful idiot part is absolutely true.
      Leave the slime out of it.

      • Jim_C

        The majority of my kids' teachers went above and beyond trying to reach the kids. You know, it's one thing to go to a private school, where your tuition weeds out the riff raff. It's another thing to have to process ALL the children in your community with no choice about who gets to take your classes. Being able to wrangle that sort of classroom takes skill. People think because they went to school, once, they know something about teaching. But teaching is a skill. Some people are naturals, some take a few years to really know how to handle a class full of kids from every walk of life, and some try it and find out they simply don't have the skills or fortitude to handle it.

        There's a lot of teachers. Like any job, some are great, some are OK, some are bad.

  • David

    This person is NOT a teacher, but a "parrot" who spouts the party line. She is protected by the union who will defend her regardless of the transgression. She is trying to control the debate, but can't control her class. Why isn't her name made public?

    • Lady_Dr

      Someone who lives near that school needs to do some detective work and out this cretin who calls herself an 'educator'. Like most public school teachers she is ignorant beyond belief.

      Colleges of 'education' have the easiest admissions policies and the easiest courses in any university. Not all teachers are stupid, but the stupid people can ONLY get into the colleges of education.

      My advice? Home school your children. Or send them to religious schools where they will at least learn traditional values. They learn nothing but rebellion and self esteem at these public indoctrination centers known as public schools.

  • oldtimer

    Teachers are paid to teach, not voice their personal opinions. Students should discuss things among themselves with the teacher monitoring without injecting their opinions.

  • Mellie H. Wilkes

    Public school was OVER in 1968 when Brown vs. the Board was decided.

  • Tanstaafl.

    Sign. Why can't we go back to teaching the Classics?

    • Jim_C

      Probably because we want specialists, now, not generalists?

  • Rybbe

    Wow, if I were a parent of an incoming freshment to that school, I sure would feel confident that the staff of this school are the best educators for my child and will prepare her for the rigors of life after high school. This video is proof of the professionalism and high standards of this school's teaching staff.

    • StephenD

      LOL. Well said my friend. Is there a "School Choice" program there? I bet they'll be pounding down the doors to get their kid in. Who wouldn't want their kid to be re-educated in this camp? Oh wait…sorry just thinking back to how it went in every other socialist backwater dictatorship.

    • Choi

      Since you didn't note Sarc/on and Sarc/ Off ,one can only conclude that you actually MEANT your COMPLIMENRARY remarks towards that school and staff,including the teacher in question.
      The ONLY thing these people will "prepare" your daughter for,is to be an "Occupy" Storm Trooper TOOL of The Left and to HATE her own country.
      IF you really believe what you posted, YOU aren't prepared for parenthood,yet a parent you are.

      • StephenD

        Listen Choi, on another page you stood ready to accuse “Ain’t no Dhimmi” and now you choose to accuse me. You should have enough sense to see that it is indeed sarcasm without me spelling it out for you. You should have also noted that Ain’t no Dhimmi was attributing the "breath of fresh air" of the MB to others and not himself. Calm down…we're on the same side.

        • Vermont Yid

          Clearly, Choi is mentally challenged.

      • fiddler

        I got sarcasm when I read this.

      • Looking4Sanity

        You know what they say about "assume", don't you? Just because you have to have sarcasm explained to you, doesn't mean the rest of us do.

  • Anthony

    There you have it. Ghetto style Affirmative Action teachers showcasing the breadth of their keen intellect.

    Thanks liberals! Sounds like communist style reeducation camps, not American schools.

    Don’t wonder why so many young adults today are screwed up, this Obama drone is one big reason, and she is the tip of the iceberg.

    The “educator” is named. She is identified as Tanya Dixon-Neely, and I would absolutely love to see her college transcripts.

    She likely got an “A” in ” Black Studies”, an “A” in “Chairman Mao’s Great Leap Forward”, an “A” in “Whitey on the Moon”, and an “A” in “Ebonics 101″.

    Black run Amerika in your face, und it’s gonna keep accelerating till the tires burn off.

    Burn Baby, Burn!!!

    • Guest

      You got it right on something most conservatives are too afraid to voice. Conservatives are fond of stating it's the liberal policies that hurt and ruin cities such as Detroit, but compare it to the same liberal policies if Portland Oregon. What's the difference? The IQ of the population at large. The cultural shunning of learning. Thoses are th e things that matter. When teachers such as this teach in the inner city spreading thei propaganda and hate is there any wonder the mob violence mentality that exist and lead to beat whitey nights.

    • Sage on the Stage

      Yes, right. Its scum like this teacher that inhabit our colleges of education; and force students to toe their socialist line, or fail the class.

  • BS77

    This teacher is another know-nothing dodo. I read a graduation test for high schoolers from 1895….and I guarantee you this teacher would have gotten an F. Why? Because back then SERIOUS subjects such as history, science, geometry, Latin, the classics and mathematics were at the top of the curriculum….not the vapid, worthless "self esteem" enhancing clap trap of today's shallow liberal school work. Schools used to feature trades, real world skills, home economics, advanced courses for the gifted in math, the sciences and so on……Educators say many high school graduates these days are ignorant, barely literate and unprepared for the world of business, science and real world trades.

    • fiddler

      At my daughter's graduation there were 14, FOURTEEN valedictorians. When I was in school there was just one. Why, you had to have a black valedictorian, an asian one, yadda yadda yadda. I don't know, isn't there something as the best of the best? Or are we in peril of offending someone?

  • Willy Rho

    Public schools in large cities are indoctrination centers. They teach English with a liberal slant. They teach Math with a liberal slant. They teach History with a liberal slant. They teach Science with a liberal slant. They teach Philosophy with a liberal slant. They teach Spanish with a liberal slant. Everything they teach is with a Liberal Slant. Do you understand the Master Plan of what is being taught? All LibProgSocComFascists are Evil and Anti-American.

  • clarespark

    But social studies students have been taught to deify the office of President. I write about such progressive attempts at mind management on my website. Here is one example of Leader worship: http://clarespark.com/2011/09/29/the-abraham-linc…. It was advanced by powerful social psychologists allied to the Roosevelt administration. For Diane Ravitch's dissent from multicultural history see http://clarespark.com/2011/06/23/the-u-s-history-…. She takes the view that the West was the source of ideas informing the Declaration of Independence, not convergence with Africa and Amerindians.

  • lizaz

    Good for this kid!!! More of them should speak up!! We have a lot of incompetent teachers who think they can teach children WHAT to think, instead of teaching them HOW to think. The kids themselves can do a lot to identify these radical, worthless teachers and they should!! We know there are many excellent educators and we need to remove the bad ones….unions or not!!!

  • al222

    if you haven't already, listen to the tape. the woman's slanted politics are far less problematic her frightening lack of general knowledge and ability. the whole edifice of union-controlled public schools has to be destroyed, before still more legions of semi-clueless young Americans are turned loose on the country.

    • BS77

      I recall that the Union teachers recoiled in horror at ANY attempt to test them, grade them or subject them to suspension or firing for gross incompetence in the class room. Many teachers are excellent…but many are also mediocre or worse. I had some great teachers….but a few who should have never been allowed to teach.

  • bearone7777

    Hello,
    Teacher—"NOT TO MY KNOWLEDGE", I have my head stuck the anal cavity of my KING Obama. et me clear something up for this stupid, ignorant teacher–[AND THAT COULD BE DEBATED]–She does not know anything about the man called Obama–[IF THAT IS HIS REAL NAME]-Or some made up name to appease the white folk into voting for him, back in 2008.

  • fightwarnotwars

    Maybe he is in fact God, or the Messiah. How could we possibly know? Remember when Jesus came around ( he did not exist, but let's just use our imaginations) only a select few believed he was legit, he was so despised by the powers that be (yes, the Jews of those days) that he ended up being tortured and then executed publicly. If our imaginations and "faith" have led most of us in the west to believe that some imaginary guy mentioned in the new testament was in fact a miracle-working ghost-zombie, who was the son of god and god himself at the same time, I don 't see why we would question those who might think Obama is god. In the end, actual facts/proof don't matter, it's all about faith.

    • Looking4Sanity

      Oh…I almost forgot.

      NUKE IRAN!

      • Looking4Sanity

        Nah. WeeToddDouche doesn't work on weekends or after gubbment business hours. It must be one of his moronic proteges.

  • Atikva

    First, Ms.Tanya Dixon-Neely is unable to maintain order in her own classroom, she lets her students use four-letter words and shout at each other, she yells even louder than they do – she is obviously unable to conduct a meaningful exchange of remarks between her students.

    Second, not only is she appallingly ignorant about facts, she is also unable to participate in a civilized discussion.

    And third, she doesn't seem to know that her role is to develop her students' ability to form an opinion on a given subject by learning facts, and only facts, comparing and analyzing them before arriving at a conclusion.

    Her political views, which are of no interest to anyone but herself, have nothing to do in the classroom.

    Such a level of incompetence should preclude her from setting foot again in a classroom until she has learnt what is expected of her there.

    • ajnn

      good analysis. you covered the important issues well.

      the earlier point about contrasting the knowledge required to graduate high schools in the past and the thin knowledge characterizing the base of current high school graduates is also important. low expectations are a big part of our problem.

  • Ghostwriter

    What a jerk! She's probably one of the worst teachers out there. I'm glad I didn't have her as a teacher when I was in school. She sounds like a loon.

  • Texasron

    She should be fired, not given a paid holiday.

  • Amused

    Look . disrespectfull parents breed disrespectfull children . And it;s no wonder look at the fine example Wilson gave . The kids are just following the bad example of their parents .
    When I was in school you wouldn't hear talk like this from student or teacher , and no Truman was not a deity , nor was Ike or JFK , yet no one would speak about the president like that in a school room . Even with Bush ,as your favorite memes conclude "well look at what they called Bush " , yea but not in grade or high school .
    But this is the atmosphere set up by people and writers like the author of this blog . It sounds "intelligent "to the dumbed down population of this country but , well they are dumb .

    • intrcptr2

      And all this merely demonstrates your ignorance of democracy; the entire point is that we select equals to rule. When they have finished the task we have appointed them, they go away. Winning an election is the last thing that qualifies one for deification; Obama's smugness notwithstanding.

      Claiming the mantle of teacher demands respect for the intelligence of the student on the part of the one instructing. This "teacher" is all too representative of those who choose themselves as arbiters to truth and wisdom to our youth. Were I too meet her students, I would encourage them to stay the course (Asking them to tone down the vulgarity, in favor of broader vocabulary), pushing her to defend her position. It seems clear she can't; more's the pity for her.

      Honestly, the supposed lack of respect is being modeled by the teacher, so she is teaching them something.

      • Amused

        First off , you are most likely rreacting to an anectdotal "story " and then rendering judgements based upion it . There are things known as civility , respect , decorum. Free Speech while undiminshed , in this or any case , is not an excuse to act like an idiot , you can do so , but that doesn't change the fact , if one chooses to be a disrepectfull moron , such as Wilson , in the capitol Rotunda screaming out his comment . If you hadn't noticed , his outburst was not met by applause by Republican or Democrat .The kids are not getting their bad examples from teachers , their getting them from the poarents and public figures .
        I know in this lot , on this blog , teachers are the blame for everything , but that is a highly biased opinion based in an erroneous ideology . WHY ? LOL…..that's easy , schools teach evolution therefore schools are evil as are teachers , teachers are members of unions , and unions are evil therefore so are teachers .Democrats generally favor unions therefore unions AND Democrats are evil . The President is a Democrat therefore te Leader of "evil " . Ergo , "The Advance of Stupidity " .

        • Amused

          You people are such brainwashed schmucks , there is no hope for you , and your children no doubt the "unfortunate ones " will follow in your footsteps -pathetic

  • intrcptr2

    Some of my favorite days substitute teaching are those ones in which I can actually get some students to engage in discussions of a controversial nature, wherein they come to realize that the teacher is sometimes wrong, and they must challenge what they often get told.

    These days it is especially easy; all I need do is tell them I think Obama is a bald-faced liar…
    On ocassion we get around to why I don';t particuarly like Romney (Or, frankly, Bush) either.

  • 11bravo

    I had to de-program my kids after HS and Jr. College. I didnt see it until I went to Jr College at 44 yrs old and got a taste of the nonsense that was being espoused-it was truly SHOCKING!!
    This teacher is typical, not an abberation. Our country is done for if the conservatives/GOP/Tea party/Republicans do not get off their lazy arses…and get in the fight!! This is serious business for our country's future.

  • effemall

    I posted this in Youtube. It belongs here, too: Fire the folks who hired her in the first place and stick this dumb cow in a mental institution. She shouldn't be allowed to walk the streets, never mind teaching. Lunatics like her have come out of the woodwork all over the place since the Kenyan took the White House. There has been no division in America like we have now since the Civil War. Remember in November! Remember in November!