First Amendment Protection-Amy Sorrell

No surpise that Amy Sorrell would be fired by EACS. Where is all these first amendment right folks? And what happened to her legal protection under the law, she is not a criminal? Silence, because she supported students' right over the status quo, the principal and board members. Was the law applied to Sorrell in a fair and just way? If not, Sorrell was not treated as an equal under the laws that govern our country.


Harvard Crimson reports on censorship by administrators:

Due to Supreme Court precedent set 19 years ago in Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier, public high school and middle school media are currently only entitled to full first amendment protection if they are established as “public forums” for student expression. A recent decision by the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals extended the Hazelwood decision to public colleges as well. That ruling was extremely troubling in its failure to see a clear distinction between a high school and college environment—in the latter, there is a far greater need for strong, independent press, a greater emphasis on the freedom and diversity of ideas, and a greater capacity for responsibility among journalists.

Hat tip to Indiana law blog

Brain Drain- the lack of PHD Professors on the College Campus

The problem with the school system is spilling over onto the college scene. And why the problem impacts the economical grown of the State of Indiana. Karen Franciso of the Journal Gazette reports on what could be viewed as potential political intervention in Ivy Tech appointment of a new president. It appears that Ivy Tech has become a retirement home for elected official seeking second careers.

“You don’t have to be too politically sophisticated to see (Ivy Tech) has become a place where elected officials have been hired in droves,” said Julia Vaughn, policy director for Common Cause/Indiana. “(The college) seems to have grown tremendously over a short period of time. I have to chuckle as I read the stories about the politics involved in the search. It seems rather inevitable that would be case.”

Indiana University Purdue University Fort Wayne is not Ivy Tech, but the IPFW University is filled with political appointments. The reason that is offered given is that the university is unable to attract PHD professors. These are educated scholars who are not seeking to make nice to incompetents influencing appointments. Unfortunate for those students who are paying top dollars to be educated by professors who had earned their doctorates in a specific field of expertise. Deferring the title of professor on present and former elected official does not give them credentials just legitimize the instructor for evaluating and teaching those students who believe such instructors are qualified to teach the class. Such instructor may be ill equipped to engage such students in the learning process and such a policy that promotes unqualified instructors can only contribute to Indiana mantra of suffering from Brain Drain . How can you teach what you have not been trained to teach?

A community college researcher suggests that Indiana will be at a disadvantage if it doesn’t develop a strong, politically autonomous system. “Community colleges are essential in any industrial-based economy moving to a knowledge-based economy,” said James Jacobs, associate director of the Community College Research Center at the Teachers College at Columbia University. “The states that are recognizing that are advancing faster than the states that aren’t.”

There are few well paying jobs for students leaving high school. Many decide to go on to college to get a degree to increase their chances later when searching for a job. However, many of these students are ill prepared for a four year degree and sit in remediation classes. The university is no longer a degree college to these students but a money making machine, siphoning off dollars from naive students and parents. Classes that are non credits but cost the same as credit classes. The university is able to collect funding from these students and the students may end up without a degree.

The competition for these students have caused many local colleges and university to seek money elsewhere by investing in real estate. These university are investing in building dormitories in hope of attracting students who would select a technical school over a university curriculum. All the major universities in Fort Wayne has build dormitories.

What might be unique about Indiana, however, is that community colleges elsewhere tend to fall to the bottom of the education funding food chain – after K-12 schools and higher ed. With its tremendous political clout, Ivy Tech has quietly become the favored party.

Many of these students have a better chance with taking online courses for free rather than attending college with professors who are politically appointee. The more these students began seeking online course for free from prestigious school the sooner the university will be required to hire qualified professors. Parenst should demand to seek the diplomas of all college professors before spending a dime.

Hat tip to Indiana Law blog.

Notes was unable to find who had PHD's from the IPFW website.

Follow procedures-Steps to Censorship

Amy Sorrell, a teacher at Woodlan Junior-Senior High School is in the hot seat. Sorrell failed to discourage an opinion piece written by a student. Did Sorrell not read what happened to a young male student at Carroll High School in expressing his views about a friend. This student was kicked out of school for expressing an opinion also for defending a friend but in his own publication that dogged his school.

But student, Megan Chase expressed an opinion in support of a friend with same sex issues. Bad, Bad She wrote this opinion and it was printed in the school student newspaper. For all the other students to be exposed to same sex issues. Hello, can we say Rosie, Ellen, Rock Hudson, just to name a few. It's not like it's the student looking hearing about the issue. Nevertheless, Chase's opinion stirred the Woodlan's Principal into action. The Principal took over the student newspaper. This way, he will have final say on what goes on in the student's newspaper.

It's not like the school is against same sex issues. Sorrell does not understand how it could have come to her losing her job. Krista Stockman reports:

The East Allen County Schools teacher at the center of a controversy over the newspaper at Woodlan Junior-Senior High School has been placed on paid leave.

English and journalism teacher Amy Sorrell was told Monday that she was being placed on leave while the district investigates allegations that could lead to terminating her contract.

She said she doesn’t know what the investigation is about or why she is being placed on leave.

“I’m assuming it’s with this whole mess of all this other stuff, but I really don’t see how it got this far,” Sorrell said.

Sorrell, probably got caught up in groupthink and decided she is an adult and skirted the rule of going through through the proper channels. Had Sorrell followed the correct procedure, the article would not have seen the light of day.. or at best would have been more balance. Balanced in the fact that the articlewould not have leaned so heavily toward supporting same sex relationships. Lesson, students need to follow school rules. And learning about same sex relationship has nothing to do with following man rules.

Sorrell knows the rules, she's a teacher. First and foremost schools are not about what students think. You can gossip all day, but don't have a student thinking. It is a place to teach them how to fit into society. Second rule, do not challenge authority. Who cares if authority, or role model are wrong. Heck the President started a war based on information that was wrong. But the President is authority, just follow the rules.

Sorrell broke the rules, and now her job is on the line. Sorrell took the risk, and now a quick dismissal will teach the students the price of not following the rules. Schools don't care if you eat, sleep, chew gum and even have sex, but for goodness sake, it's not a place to encourage students to think.

Oh by the way, Sorrell is a female. The student who wrote the opinion was a female. The reaction towards these two female is not out of character for a district that allegedly stopped collective bargaining with a group of workers who were mainly females.

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) A federal labor board has ruled that an Indiana school district may have discriminated against female employees when it stopped collective bargaining with employee groups made up mostly of women.

East Allen County Schools said in December 2004 that the district would no longer negotiate contracts with nurses, secretaries, paraprofessionals and food service workers. District officials said the decision would save the district money, and noted there was no legal requirement to bargain with the associations, though they had done so for decades.

The four groups had a total of about 310 employees in 2005, but less than five were men. Union officials say the EEOC will work with the school district and the groups to come to an agreement.

East Allen County Schools attorney Tim McCaulay said he would forward the determination to the school board and consult with outside legal counsel about the ruling.

The saying goes, if you discriminate against one you will discriminate against others.

So now what? Hopeful those in the same sex community will stand with Sorrell and the student. Sorrell stood. Sorrell stood for the right to express your view. That students do have opinions and they need to be able to express these views without being censored. Let's see if the same sex community is without bias by standing up in defense of a female.

Public Servant/ Or Welfare- you be the judge

COMMUNITY SERVICE
When you have free time-just give a little or you are just among the walking dead..talk is cheap R.I.P.

AARP VITA/TCE Program in Fort Wayne, Indiana
AARP VITA/TCE Program in Fort Wayne, Indiana
Mayor’s Initiative Tax Program
Maple Grove Community Center Volunteer Outreach Coordinator
Volunteer Income Tax Assistant for Low Income Clients in Virginia
Volunteer Income Tax Assistant for Low Income Clients in Indiana (2)
Volunteer for Indianapolis Law School fundraiser AIDSWalk/ 1st place winner
Community Cable Television Program Producer
Board Member of Indiana Purdue Communicator Newspaper
Volunteer for Court Appointed Special Advocate,
Cooper Teen Center,
Pontiac Urban League,
AmeriCorp,
Wayne Township 21st Century Scholars
Served on Panel Discussion with Malveaux, Julianne
Served on Panel Discussion with Returning Adult Students
Participated in Women Studies Discussion on Race


Business Writing
Board Member of Indiana Purdue Communicator Newspapers
Business Law
Client Counseling Competition
Commercial Law
Mediation Course
Sales Law Course
Administrative Law
Nonprofit Law Course
Business Plan Course

Edited Indiana Public Defender Criminal Law Book
That's just a little somethin'..somethin'

Te gusta Enspanol ?

How do you teach someone another language that you have no knowledge? This was my challenge for the past week. I learned that love of motivating need more anchoring, as some of the estudiantes had no interest in learning spanish or being in school. The group I instructed was full of rebellious teenagers. Where would I start? I am good at finding resources, so I decided to start with resources for learning the language as my best option for traveling in unknown waters.

What resources would I use, if there wasn't anyone available to teach me the language? I searched the student's book for words and phrases and their translations. The glossary I found handy for definitions of words. I took the simplest verbs and make short sentences. I would not know the correct pronunciation, but I would teach them the vocabulary and to right the sentence. That would be my task, I can do this. And that I did ,with a headache, for four days!

I learned that Spanish is not just translation, but more word to add to my vocabulary. That the language is easy to read, but the pronunciation will need lots and lots of words. But, I am now interested in learning a new foreign language. I believe I am now up to the challenge. Jacqui gusta Enspanol.