'Stand for God' costs teacher his job

[Walt Starr]

Published Tuesday
December 21, 2004

'Stand for God' costs teacher his job

BY JOE DEJKA



WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
With all the accolades heaped on Robert Ziegler last night, it looked at times like his bosses were giving him a commendation rather than firing him.

Ziegler, 24, a Papillion-La Vista High School math teacher, was described as a "a marvelous young man," "an asset to the community," "honest, candid, capable."

"I hope my son can turn out to be as fine a gentleman as Mr. Ziegler," said Rick Black, an assistant superintendent for the Papillion-La Vista schools.

But Ziegler's bosses also said he repeatedly disobeyed their orders to stop preaching and start teaching.

<snip>

http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_pg=1640&u_sid=1291280

Not only did this guy deserve to be fired, he should never teach in public schools again until he can seperate teaching math from preaching religion.

BTW, DU this poll about this issue:

http://www.omaha.com/

[PROGRESSIVE1]

1. GOOD! and may he NEVER get another job again!

[JHB]

11. Oh, it's ok for him to have a job...

...as long as it's something more suited to him, like preacher, or even math teacher at a school run by his denomination.

It's not a matter of being for or against Jesus, it's whether his inability to control his passions aids or impedes his ability to perform his job properly. Here it clearly impedes, to the detriment of his students.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

20. Is it just me or are fundie teachers trying the Garrison Gambit?

re South Park. Doing outrageous thing WITH THE PURPOSE of getting fired, so they can advertise martyrdom (and hopefully land a cushy job in the VRWC?)

[RaleighNCDUer]

19. If he wants to work in some sectarian school, that's fine by me,

but if I, as an avowed atheist, was in his class I'd have to worry about being fairly graded. Fortunately, I am decades past that point, but I was an agnostic in HS who refused to pledge 'under god' and that got me in enough trouble.

[fudge stripe cookays]

2. Oi.

"What they are telling me to do is in direct contradiction to what my authority, my God, is telling all believers to do," Ziegler said.

And some of us AREN'T believers, you sanctimonious prick.
FSC

[TlalocW]

6. There's a section in the Bible

About how no man can serve two masters - either follow the rules of the place you're hired or leave on your own accord.

TlalocW

[Kingshakabobo]

3. Where have we heard this before?

"You're either for him or against him" he said

[Kingshakabobo]

4. This guy seems like he is mentally ill.

To me, it seems like you would have to have a mental illness to keep preaching like this after several warnings and the threat of dismissal. Is there a name for this kind of compulsion?

>The next day, a teacher reported that a student was not doing well in algebra because she felt uncomfortable asking Ziegler for help, Kalina said.<

I mean, this guy is going so far as to creep kids out. He's a mental flasher.

[GOPFighter]

5. Why isn't this guy teaching in a church school?

There must be a number of Christian private schools in his area where he could teach and preach with no repurcussions.

Sounds to me like he deliberately forced the school system to fire him to embarrass them and make it look like liberals and atheists are "kicking god out of the school".

[TlalocW]

7. He's not there because he's not needed there

All the kids at the church schools are already saved and perfect Xian darlings. He needs to go amongst the unwashed heathen to try and convert people, and hey, if he gets around to teach the quadratic equation, extra bonus.

TlalocW

[KurtNYC]

8. That does it ! I'm going to sign up to teach Sunday school

then hit them with math questions. ;-)

[Walt Starr]

9. You bet,! Let's teach 'em String Theory in Sunday School!

:evilgrin:

[disconnected]

17. I don't understand why people can't understand

You can be kind, and loving just like Jesus without pushing RELIGION down anyone's throat.
In fact, he would've been a far better witness, by being an example...words mean nothing.
I don't understand why people don't get this.

[JHB]

22. "We're right about God, and it's our job to get out there and sell!"

His denomination probably is one that emphasizes every member evangelizing all the time, because God Said So.

Many such people think that since they're carrying out God's Law, mere mortal laws (or even basic civility) come second.

[Walt Starr]

23. Maybe they figure acting that way would convert too many people

and end an exclusive club?

:shrug:

I was exposed to Christianity as poreached by this math teacher throughout my youth, which is why I will never be a Christian.

[TlalocW]

14. Okay, everyone...

We'll get to the punch and cookies in a moment but first, let's look up here. Now watch - Jesus, in His perfect glory, is in a train heading east at 125 miles per hour...

TlalocW

[progressivebydesign]

10. Definite mental illness. n/t

[dolo amber]

12. Must be a Democrat

Ziegler said that as a teacher he saw 120 students a day, many with "issues and worries" that were barriers to learning. By giving up their cares to Jesus, the students would be free to learn, he said.

What *personal responsibility* lovin' Repuke would suggest you let someone else handle your problems?? ;)

[JerseygirlCT]

13. Why do these people not find themselves a job with

a private, religious school where they can spout off all day with the administrators', and parents' blessings? Why do they fail to understand the difference between a public and private school?

I think we need to take a hard look at our school's civics courses. Obviously we're falling down on the job big-time.

[PurityOfEssence]

15. Give him a compass, straightedge and pencil, and say:

"God knows you can trisect that angle..."

That should keep him busy...

[Walt Starr]

16. FOLKS, this is the WEDGE ISSUE!!!!!

Check out the infighting amongst FREEPERS over this asshole math teacher!

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1306572/posts?page=1,50

THIS IS THE ISSUE THAT COULD DRIVE A WEDGE BETWEEN REPUBLICANS!!!!!!

[Patiod]

18. I've got to get over to Freeperland more often

If only to remind myself how damned stupid they are:

"We can't have the pesants educated to the level of us nobles.

Besides if they were educated instead of being indoctineated, they would not believe the communistic bullshit we feed them.

Can't have that.

My children all graduated before this baloney had gotten started.

If I had a child today, I gurantee you that they would never set foot inside a government school as a student."

No, they would have been home-schooled, and wound up as stupid, illiterate and illogical as the author.

Grrr..also can't stand how conservatives always sprinkle "you see,..." into their sentences. They're so sure they are educating you and opening up your eyes to their "truth".

On second thought, maybe it's best I stay away from there and keep my BP down to an acceptable level.

[DireStrike]

24. LOL Check out this spectacular circular logic!

"It just illustrates why the whole concept of public schools can't work in a country that practices strict separation of church and state. The church/state debate has become more than just a sideshow in the public schools. It's tearing them apart."

AAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!

If only there weren't so many of these idiots.

[Obamarama]

21. Jesus was giving a sermon to 5,000 people.....

He had two fishes - one was a bass, and one was a salmon. He also had a loaf of bread.

1,000 people left during the sermon, but then 2,000 additional people filtered in to hear him preach. It was then time to eat.

a. How many people were there?
b. If 1/3 of the people wanted salmon and 1/3 wanted bass, and only 2/3 wanted bread with their fish. How many miracles did Jesus have to perform to make sure everyone got what they ordered?

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

25. The scariest part is the three last paragraphs:

Little stormtrooper of the future: :scared:

Cassie Young, 16, a student in one of Ziegler's pre-algebra classes, was among several students who left the hearing teary-eyed after the board announced its decision.

Young said the decision was "one more way of kicking God out of school."

"The law of man is wrong, and one day everyone will know that," she said.

[Walt Starr]

26. Hmmmm, Remember that name

In twenty years or so we may be hearing it in one form or another, either as a rightwingnut pundit (c.f. Ann coulter) or as another Andrea Yates.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

27. Why isn't little Cassie in Church school, then?

When did her version of God get in school as an exclusive gig? When I taught school, I told the kids about all the different concepts of God while teaching social studies. I also told about people who don't believe in God (this was when there was still the Soviet Union, so I could cover atheism as part of teaching about that country). I tried to be neutral on all this, and I know I succeeded because there was never a complaint one way or another.

[Walt Starr]

28. Kick

:kick: