Chilling Effects in Teaching and Offending the Religious

I couldn't help but be intrigued when I stumbled across another site listing a student as a litigious douchebag. So I started looking around to find out what the hubub was.

Apparently a high school teacher was found guilty in a federal lawsuit of violating the first amendment by saying that Creationism was "religious, superstitious nonsense" during a lecture and thus offending a former Advanced Placement European History student by the name of Chad Farnan.

The news story can be found here.

Predictably this is causing a class A crapstorm, where Christians claim they are under attack in America (despite being the majority) and secular humanists yelling that this is simply rediculous to have such an idiotic lawsuit in the first place. PZ Myers, respected professor and biologist, had an interesting point in that Creationism as a movement is quick to point out that Creationism is a "scientific theory" (it isn't) that is separate from religion (it isn't) so it should be allowed in classrooms, but with this lawsuit finding in favor of Farnan, how can dismissing Creationism as superstitious nonsense offend someone's religious rights?

What perpetually amazes me is we still have people with some form of sense shut off when they decide to become teachers in schools today. This guy was expressing a personal opinion and due to some twerp getting offended gets...this being America...sued. Because of course appealing to a sky wizard to intervene, as is consistent with his beliefs, simply doesn't have any effect. Somehow the law of man must intervene to make an example of him.

Teachers are expected to shut off any sense of self when teaching lest they become the target of some pissed parents or lawsuit when some form of personality offends one of the kids or their overprotective, or in some cases plain ignorant, parents.

Express an opinion contrary to a student's belief? May get sued.

Maybe you are contrary to a student belief. Openly gay? Better watch your opinions being expressed. But you should tread lightly when breaking Suzy and Billy's liplock in the hallway between classes because it may be because you're not the same persuasion.

Just being a different gender carries dangers. Male teachers seeing a thirteen year old exposing her thong have to find a female teacher to address the issue or risk sexual harrasment...for enforcing a (GASP!) dress code!

Don't get overly friendly with students. Don't interact with them outside classes unless you must. Keep doors open. Don't touch them either.

Try explaining why Creationism isn't science in class. It's pretty simple...it doesn't fit the scientific method. It cannot. It does not. Here the application of actually explaining the issue in a class where it has legitimate reason to be taught may offend someone...and cause a royal crapstorm because it offended someone in the class.

I'm amazed there are still people with some form of crazy optimism that they can make a difference in teaching. There's simply too many drawbacks for me to see a positive benefit to doing it; this is just a rant about offending some nutters to feel bad about something you may or imply while going about the course of teaching while suffering from the condition of being human. Teachers are expected to be teachers, counselors, substitute parents, moral pillars, all while be accountable for the utter lack of ambition and getting the blame for parental failures in actually raising their kids while not having the tools for holding the students themselves accountable for their behavior. Oh, and teachers are expected not to have lives, opinions, or personalities of their own.