Is This Michigan Substitute Teacher Good or Bad?

[XLFD]

The progressive Daily Caller reports the following about a guest teacher in the Grosse Pointe School system:

 

 

A student at a public, taxpayer-funded high school in Michigan has clandestinely filmed a substitute teacher preaching crazy conspiracy theories in front of a high school physics class last month.

Sources who wish to remain anonymous for fear of retribution from school officials have told The Daily Caller that the incident occurred on Jan. 16, 2013 at Grosse Pointe North High School in a ritzy suburb of Detroit, Mich.

They say the substitute teacher is Jason Glicker.

The reason for the regular teacher’s absence that day is unclear.

Initially, the student who recorded it on a cell phone set up the camera to show basically just the classroom ceiling.

As the clip begins, Glicker can be heard calmly discussing people who “worked for the ISI, which is Pakistan’s intelligence service.”

It becomes clear that the substitute teacher is discussing the September 11 terrorist attacks.

 

“The ISI is funded indirectly by the CIA so, whether they knew it or not, they were funding the terrorists,” he explains. Then: “One of the hijackers, Mohamed Atta, he was not a Muslim extremist because, (a) He’d been living here for years. He had an American girlfriend. He was supposedly addicted to cocaine.”

Glicker argues that Atta was “not a Muslim extremist” because “if you’re a Muslim fundamentalist, you know, you would stick to, you know, the laws of Islam.”

Next, a confused student asks why the September 11 terrorists killed themselves?

“That’s where it gets weird,” the physics sub cheerfully responds. “That’s where I think it’s somewhere along the lines of something like MKUltra where they’re, like, brainwashing these people.”

The teacher does not specify who “they” is. However, he immediately goes on to claim that the CIA was responsible for the Jonestown Massacre, when 909 people drank poison on the orders of cult leader Jim Jones. He suggests that the incident was “probably just an offshoot of the MKUltra program.”

At about the 1:50 mark, the videographer tilts the camera slightly and shows Glicker writing on a whiteboard what the sub believes are “the most easy-to-prove” conspiracy theories.

The substitute teacher lists MKUltra and “Operation Gladio,” which he describes by saying: “most world governments, pretty much, they want to start a war so they would use a false-flag terrorist attack.”

At roughly that point, as Glicker turns his back to the class, students can clearly be heard snickering in disbelief about the bizarre arguments they are witnessing. 

Glicker then explains how Franklin Roosevelt and other top U.S. officials let Pearl Harbor happen as an excuse to enter World War II.

As he wraps Iran-Contra Affair — and more cocaine — into his vast conspiracy theory, the videographer becomes bold enough to film Glicker directly. The teacher is shown with black hair and a beard. He is wearing a long necklace.

The last 15 seconds or so is Glicker’s (relatively reasonable) portrayal of the ATF gunwalking scandal—often called in popular parlance “Operation Fast and Furious.”

Two students in the class later spoke about what they saw.

“It is inappropriate for him to indoctrinate students without facts or logical discussion, especially in a physics class,” said the student who surreptitiously recorded the rant.

“Personally I feel that all opinions and perspectives should be valued, and yet there is an appropriate time and place for them,” the videographer added. “This was certainly not one of them.”

Another student who was also in the classroom to witness the screed observed that the conspiracy-crazed sub has continued as a substitute teacher at the high school

“The sub continues to fully participate in Grosse Pointe North,” the student said. “For example he not only taught soon after the incident but he also appeared in the student newspaper.”

The reference is to a puff piece in Grosse Pointe North’s student newspaper dated Jan. 31, 2013 which speaks flatteringly about four recurrent substitute teachers at the school.

“Substitute teacher Jason Glicker is rarely seen without one of his iconic necklaces on,” the article explains. “Glicker’s jewelry choice stemmed from a hobby of his, which is going to music festivals.”

In the part where Glicker describes himself, he notes that he is an avid fan of the alternative metal band Tool. He also gives a window into his unique teaching style.

“I like it when kids are engaged and they’re actually interested if I have something to say, they seem like they want to hear it. I will definitely tell them,” Glicker tells the student newspaper.

http://news.yahoo.com/substitute-teacher-taped-spouting-bizarre-con...

 

In my opinion, I think he's a great teacher.  I don't give some of the conspiracy theories that he talks of much weight, but he is obviously knowledgeable about them and does predicate them as conspiracy theories. 

In Physics class, theories are all over the place, and whereas we don't know where the conversation starts, you could easily weave the 9-11 conspiracy theory into a compelling and provocative physics lesson about the physics behind how the towers fell, the temperatures of burning jet fuel, and the temperature at which steel melts, etc..  So for those that thought he may have been off-topic, that is not the case, particularly when the students engage him for the most plausible theories, and he shows plenty of knowledge about the topics he brings up, without taking them out of the context that they are conspiracy theories.  He is actually engaging the kids without telling them how to think, as many teachers do in their indoctrinative way, and the kids are actually opining and asking questions.

 

The students on the other hand that recorded this teacher and published it are worried about what the school officials might do to them, but they should be more worried about law enforcement picking them up for feloniously recording and distributing the teacher's lecture without any sort of consent.  Michigan law requires two person consent for such filming, and I doubt seriously if they ever got Glicker's consent at any time. 

 

You would think physics students may be smart enough to critically think over conspiracy theories to make up their own minds, but the recorder says:  "“It is inappropriate for him to indoctrinate students without facts or logical discussion, especially in a physics class.  Personally I feel that all opinions and perspectives should be valued, and yet there is an appropriate time and place for them this was certainly not one of them."  

 

Unfortunately, his analysis, like his 'inappropriate' recording shows more that he, and the Daily Caller, has been indoctrinated into the naive acceptance of not questioning the official line and acritical thinking, and unused to being exposed to a skill not taught in most classrooms.  Socrates would have failed this one.

[XLFD]

As always, keep an open mind, and be skeptical of these theories.  But leave some extra skepticism around that mind for inconsistencies in the official story too.

For further research:  Pearl Harbor Conspiracy Theory,  Operation Gladio-style (false flag) events that declassified documents indicate foul play:  Reichstag Fire, Gulf of Tonkin.

[Willy]

I can't say if he is good or bad, what I can say is I would have fired him in a minute. He was totally inappropriate. He has no business teaching students his conspiracy theories. If he wanted to discuss 911 and connect it to his expertise in physics there are plenty of discussions he could have targeted especially about the buildings construction, material and other topics related to physics. He is one of the reasons schools are out of control and are teaching kids other than the basics. If the parents wanted their kids to learn about using their logic and powers of reasoning regarding conspiracies then a class could be offered to cover that so parents could keep tabs on what ideas are being stuffed into students heads. 

[XLFD]

As having been in a high school physics class (albeit, so long ago) and having been a substitute teacher, I must explain why I disagree with the appropriateness here.  Back at MCC, I had Tom Kudwa as my teacher for physics class, and I learned a lot about physics.  But there was a lot of time where we were at work on problems and Mr. Kudwa engaged us in a variety of topics not always dealing with physics or the attendant mathematics.  We still covered all of what he wanted to teach us. 

I will generalize a little here, but physics students are typically your smarter students, it isn't an easy class without prerequisites.  The students in physics are a bit different than your wood shop and pre-algebra pupils.  If the teacher has an interest, like this one apparently does in conspiracy theories, or for that matter, Mesopotamia history, Marvel superheroes, or non-Euclidean geometry, there is nothing wrong with talking about it in conversation if he is also covering the material.  My favorite teachers I can remember all did cross-teaching like that.

Substitute teachers are typically given directions for what they are supposed to do in the regular's absence.  This would probably amount to worksheet packets and busy work in a physics class, as you can't be sure you get a sub that knows the topic.  Mr. Glicker probably had administered what he was supposed to do, and engaged the class in periphery discussions.  A lot of subs will just sit back and babysit in similar circumstances, however, the typical physics class will generally be very behaved and willing to engage in conversation while doing busy-work. 

[Willy]

Where does the line get drawn on what a teacher can expose kids to?  There are many ways to teach kids to think for themselves but pushing your own agenda driven political theories onto kids is not the way to do it especially when they have nothing to do with subject being taught. This is what liberals have been doing for years to our children. I hope the parents send this teacher packing asap.

[Lori Reamer]

I don't understand any if this could some one explain this to me better?

[Willy]

Lori.

From what I understand about this topic, a substitute teacher in a Michigan high school was supposed to be instructing the pupils on physics but instead was relating his opinions about the 911 terrorist connections to the CIA and some of his other theories on terrorists. I say he has no business influencing kids about his political / conspiracy beliefs when he's being paid to teach physics. I say leave the politics home and stick to what your there to do. If I were a parent and found out what he has been stuffing in the heads of those kids I would personally escort him from the classroom down to the principals office. You can form a better opinion if you listen to the video at the top of the topic.

[Lori Reamer]

Thank you Willy now I understand this, I guess between the post ( a tad long winded and confusing to say the least). Willy you cut right through fluff and I agree with you stick to the plan teach it your gone!