Ken Schram: Sensitivity training would be a waste

You are totally wrong on this one Ken. Yes, the teacher was wrong for violating school policy on politics but he does not owe anyone an apology for having his beliefs. Then to automatically assume he is going to retaliate against the girl is way out of line. If he has to apologize to this student does that mean I have to apologize to my neighbors for having a Romney/Ryan sign in my yard???

I think they should ALL be subjected to "sensitivity" training, that is such a crock. The mom and her child need to learn that sometimes you will meet people who disagree with you and sending them to re-education camps is the wrong way to go. I had plenty of teachers who did their own politicking in class. Teach your kids to be confident in themselves and defend their beliefs.

Sensitivity training? What the heck?  Part of the problems with our society is everybody is TOO SENSITIVE!  Come on, toughen up a bit.  Why is something so stupid given so much attention?  Because so many of you are so overly sensitive, you and your kids! Getting your feelings hurt or some one saying something you don't like or agree with has yet to kill anyone! GROW UP! Ignore it, get over it and move the heck on to something else!  Surely this parent and all others that are so sensitive about what their kids see and hear don't actually think that they can go through life with everyone being sensitive toward them or their kids?  Sorry people, but life doesn't work that way and you can't shelter them from everyone that doesn't have the same point of view as they and their parents have.  Kids and adults are going to get their feelings hurt along the way in life. Quit making such a big deal about everything and live your life the way you want and let everyone else live the way they want to. Handle your own problems and quit laying it on everyone else!!! Maybe we should have "stop being so overly sensitive" training, which would show these prople how to live their life and take the ups and downs as they come and learn how to handle them without making a big deal out of them.  Gays got what they wanted in the last election, you can now marry your partner and live life like everyone else, with all the same benefits, but that still doesn't seem to be enough. It doesn't seem  that you can be happy unless you keep bringing on EVEN MORE problems for yourselves and everyone else?  It's like you aren't ever going to be happy until everyone agrees with your lifestyle and hands out praises to all gays.  That is not going to happen so get over it and live your life just like the rest of us do, without constantly bringing attention to ourselves and just being humans that encounter good and bad in the world and accepting that fact and dealing with it. Or maybe, some of you gay Americans can tell the rest of us, WHAT THE HECK IS IT THAT YOU WANT THAT WILL MAKE YOU HAPPY BECAUSE GETTING WHAT YOU WANTED ON ELECTION DAY DIDN'T SEEM TO DO IT. No one ever gets everything they want and the rest of society lives with that fact and makes the best of it with what they can have, but that doesn't seem to satisfy the gay community, so tell us without sarcasm and name calling just what you expect everyone can do to make you happy.  Are situations like the teacher and the pin and the lesbian parent going to keep going on and on?  You will never get EVERYONE to be sensitive to your feelings, so be realistic.

...and what if the teacher wore a pin that said "One World, One Q'uran" ?...too close to home?  ...now does it make any more sense?...probably not. 

You think the teacher owes an apology and deserves to be transferred. I think you're full of crap. I have never seen a sign that said that the first amendment stopped at the school room door. Maybe this is a good lesson for the students to see both sides instead of just the liberal main stream media side of an issue.  For one that is always harping about the rights of the .25 % of the people how about taking a stand for the other 99.75% who just go to work every day,  pay their taxes and try to stay out of the line of fire from wack jobs like this woman every once in a while. .  PS> my wife's a school teacher and for once agrees with me. Amazing.

It doesn't matter that R-74 was approved, just like the marijuana law it doesn't mean I teach my children that either of these are "right" just because they are "legal."  Remember everyone, tolerance does not equal acceptance.  As for the comments from Ken Schram they are simply ridiculous but what you would expect from someone in the liberal media.  I see Ken subscribes to the school of thought that you can have any opinion you want as long as it doesn't go against mine.  I am so proud of the teacher for wearing such a pin and commend their bravery while working in what I am sure is a very liberal environment.  As for the cry baby mother, I would have thought she would have prepared her child/children that the lifestyle they have chosen is very non typical and that some people may be offended and/or resentful.  God knows this mother has opened the door for ridicule and embarrassment for this poor child but apparently it is everyone else's problem and we all need sensitivity training.  It's a good thing this poor child did not see the bumper stickers on the back of my truck regarding the rejection of R-74, the poor kid would have probably spontaneously combusted due to the extreme level of offense.  Suck it up kid, life only get harder the older you get.  As for the mom, go apologize to you child and tell them that you are sorry your personal choices causes such anguish and controversy.  

And all the pro union pro Oboma crap the kids have brought home the last few years is OK?? This is the problem with controling speech. Only the speech that is deamed bad is stopped and the rest is allowed to slide by because it only offends those that it is OK to offend. This kid and her mom just need to grow up and get over it.

The true test of liberty is to defend the voice that makes your blood boil...

R-74 the lawyer full employment act  welcome to the wonderful world of divorce

Much about nothing. Evidently the teacher has been reprimanded, that should be enough. People do not have the right not to be offended, even kids sometimes.

Teachers shouldn't wear political buttons. My opinion would be the same if it said Yes for R-74. Clearly the school district felt this violated the policy and they handled the situation privately. The end. The teacher should not have to apologize to a single student.

Wouldn't want this poor child to go through life knowing that some folks will disagree with her.  She needs to know that anyone disagreeing with her position, or her moms', should be punished.  In today's political climate, that's not far from wrong.

Well Ken, I agree the sensitivity training would be a waste, but an apology? Oh please! That teacher has a protected right to express her views, and it was just a stupid button! What kind of world would we live in if everybody had to get so easily pissed off because someone expresses a view that another person does not agree with? I would be giving the mother a Schrammie just for being a whiny pansy!

I agree that she shouldn't have worn the button during school. However, imposing "sensitivity training" would be like ordering everyone who voted to reject 74 to change their minds as well. Yeah, right. As Obama has to learn, and so does this mother — winning an election doesn't mean everyone must now agree with you.

Jowsaf got it exactly right.   This teacher was STUPID for wearing a political button in a classroom, no matter WHAT it says.  If she does not know better than this, she does not belong in the classroom.   And I was going to vote for 74, but I found out they were lying in the advertisements to me, so I voted against it.

 

The teacher should not even still be wearing such a button the elections over.. we approved same sex marriages... get over it lady...you can keep those personal or religious beliefs she is pushing out of the classroom or find another occupation..

One Man + One Woman = Marriage That is the definition.

I don't think the outrage is justified, but why was a teacher wearing a politically charged button in the first place? Allowed to or not, isn't it kind of common sense that you keep that kind of stuff out of a school setting as a teacher? 

The mother and daughter should be apologizing to the Teacher for needlessly pointing him out and jeapordizing his employment at the school. Stupid!

This is so ridiculous. Let's look at the reality: Anyone who might have a conservative or christian worldview and has been a part of public education knows that your particular views about social or political issues are constantly challenged and even belittled by a largely liberal educating faculty. If you REALLY believe in diversity and sensitivity, try taking your own medicine, rather than using them as propaganda tools to support a particular worldview.      

I disagree. I'm not supporting the teacher or the mother, but I don't believe any of us need to give up our beliefs to make somebody else with different ideals happy. This whole ordeal was blown way out of proportion. Would there be such a complaint if the teacher wore a pin that was for the initiative??? I'll answer that...No.

Get over it already!  Damn, this mother needs to grow up.  Why does she have to make such a big deal over the button?

Ken,  I do not believe the teacher should apologize in front of the class.  He did nothing wrong.  He had a pin on his shirt.  BIG DEAL! 

Last year the kids at the high school  were allowed to wear a duct tape on their mouths to promote tolerance of gay people.  NO ONE complained about that. 

Give me a break, Ken.

The United States has become a country of offended People or might be offended.  You go through life searching for something to offend you, that is what you will find.  In life you learn to quickly look passed things that offend you and chalk it up somebody has a different opinion or belief.  We have managed to give up Christmas, the Ester Bunny and now Halloween because someone might be offended.  This last five years, if you don't believe what other see, you are labeled a racist, homophobe or whatever you can come up with just because you see things differently.  At this point I hate to see what the future brings and those people that continue down this road that have never learned life skills.  When I look around I see a lot of good stuff because I do not allow myself to be offended.  What a waste of energy to look of stuff that offends you.

boo-hoo! The 8th grader got a lesson that a person doesn't has to believe nor accept what others believe and accept. Sounds more like the parent/s require the sensitivity training that people have different beliefs then their own.

 

 

Politicking teachers?? When I was in high school back before most of you were BORN, I.E. 1958,

We always had teachers telling us to tell our parents to vote for the Democrats, because they gave the schools the most money!!

NOTHING HAS CHANGED!! Every levy that comes up, they try to get the parents to do the same!

What we have here is an attempt to belittle "Normal ideas", and supress free speach unless it is about politicaly

correct stuff.

What we have here  is a further attempt to ban free rational thinking, in the name of politicly correctness.

In the mean time, we have a total failure of the schools to educate our kids!!

But of course that is the plan. that way the "government" can control their lives.

Political signs, pins, whatever, should never be allowed in the workplace, just as religious crap should not be allowed. It's fine to have your opinion, but I don't want to be bothered with it while I'm at work. It's a WORKPLACE - Not a political rally - whether it's a school or not. Geez folks, we had those rules in the 70's when I first started working full time! It's called respect.

Get over it already!

 

The pendulum has swung too far.  Let's get some balance and have people's skin thicken up a bit.

People really need to get over themselves..... people get offended way to easy..... toughen up and get over yourselves,   offended over a button...really???!!!!  are you that shallow and self centered that you cant understand why somebody could possibly have a different opinion than you???!!!  Build a bridge and get over your delicate fragile little egos....  People who get offended this easy are a friggin joke...that is whats wrong with our society.... people cannot handle differing opinions.....really you want an apology??  is your sixteen year old daughter going to be damaged for life over a button???   if she is, she has more issues than what are being expressed here...welcome to the real world young lady!!!

Apology to the class? Sure. Directed at that student? No.....unless you can prove the button was directed at her in the first place. This really isn't that big of a deal. Sensitivity training is always a good idea, and the courses are held often. It won't cost that much. You don't need to be so negative all the time.

My sixteen year old read this story and is now offended that the mom was offended and wants an apology. Now she feels threatened by reading articles on KOMO because she feels threatened that KOMO is one sided. We need an apology and sensitivity training by the mom and KOMO. Grow up, the difference in people is what makes the world go round.

"It's sad that an 8th grade student had to endure an offensive and embarrassing moment," Really?

 

Have ever bee around 8th graders? Even better, unless this 8th grader was locked in a closet and restricted from TV for the past year-she was subjected to not only the button but both sides of the issue. 

 

The parent missed a learning moment here. Instead of teaching the child  the difference of winning and losing and that her family won a huge victory, the parent taught her how to be a victim.

 

One more thought, reality does stay at the front door of the schools. it comes in and discussed by most students in the hall, lunchroom and social media. They know much more than we are willing to admit.

 

No apology and No sensitivity training is in order here. This is life! now move on.

The school has a policy against politicking in the classroom and it has stated that the issue has been addressed. The teacher did not do anything wrong except display a button with a political message. There is NO indication that the teacher belittled or bullied the student in question.

 

This whole thing has been completely overblown. Having the teacher apologize to the student for his views is absurd.

I'm sure the teached fully knew the policy against politicking at work.  I'm not convinced the teacher didn't consider all this in making the decision to wear the button anyway.  There is more than just a political agenda in play here.  This teacher has some deep rooted biases here, and made a play to influence his/her classes toward those biases.  I wonder how the district dealt with this?  Why was it not disclosed?   My first take on this is not very favorably for the teacher.  I hope my gut feeling is not correct.

Why should the teacher have to apologize to the student for something the student finds offensive? I mean I have no problem with Gay marriage and support it. On the other hand if someone does not, that’s their right to believe that.

 

It should be a learning experience for both the teacher and student. Teacher from the standpoint of if they have rule against it and they break it, the consequences of doing so. The student can learn that other people believe in different views. Neither is right or wrong but should be tolerated equally.

 

I agree with Ken that sensitivity training would be a waste of time and money.

Perhaps the teacher could have gone generic.

________ + ___________ = ???

74......Fill in with whatever....acceptness is optional.

I live in this community, have several children going to this same school.  The teachers are allowed to wear buttons around during levy time, why does it change once it's a different topic?  If they say there is a ban on politicking, why can they wear buttons in support of school levies as well?  I don't think it was a big deal personally.