Site Search:
 
Speak Korean Now!
Teach English Abroad and Get Paid to see the World!
Korean Job Discussion Forums Forum Index Korean Job Discussion Forums
"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Teachers from Around the World!"
 
 FAQFAQ   SearchSearch   MemberlistMemberlist   UsergroupsUsergroups   RegisterRegister 
 ProfileProfile   Log in to check your private messagesLog in to check your private messages   Log inLog in 

CA Teacher Punishes Students for Saying "God Bless You&

 
Post new topic   Reply to topic    Korean Job Discussion Forums Forum Index -> Off-Topic Forum
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
Kennyftw



Joined: 08 Aug 2011

PostPosted: Sun Oct 02, 2011 5:17 am    Post subject: CA Teacher Punishes Students for Saying "God Bless You& Reply with quote

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2011/09/30/2011-09-30_high_school_teacher_punished_students_for_saying_bless_you.html

Most people consider it common courtesy to say "God bless you" when someone sneezes.

But it makes one high school teacher in Vacaville, California, sick to hear it.

Steve Cuckovich, a health teacher at William C. Wood High School, decided to deduct 25 points off students' grades if they say the phrase during class, reported Fox40 Sacramento.

Cuckovich believed that it caused a disruption and interfered with learning.

According to the school district's superintendent, Dr. John Niederkorn, Cuckovich believed the students were purposely sneezing to create a distraction.

The move has angered parents who say the punishment is anti-religious.

"I think that's ridiculous. First the Pledge of Allegiance, now preventing a kid from saying 'Bless you?'" parent Alan Johnson told the station.

Cuckovich insisted that the move had nothing to do with religion and said he doesn't think the custom serves any purpose.

"When you sneezed in the old days, they thought you were dispelling evil spirits out of your body," Cuckovich told Fox40. "But today, what you're doing doesn't really make any sense any more."

The outrage over the class rule prompted Cuckovich to stop enforcing it but said he would continue to discipline students in other ways.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
The Cosmic Hum



Joined: 09 May 2003
Location: Sonic Space

PostPosted: Sun Oct 02, 2011 9:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

...not a bad idea to limit vacuous and puerile statements like this...along with...God damn you.
From one extreme to the other...both are phrases this world is better off without.

Instead of statements such as these...people could actually do something proactive.

Someone sneezes...someone offers a tissue.

Sneeze�"Tissue?"
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
calendar



Joined: 22 Sep 2011
Location: being a hermit

PostPosted: Sun Oct 02, 2011 9:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The teacher needs to be replaced.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
kimchijigijig



Joined: 27 Jun 2011

PostPosted: Sun Oct 02, 2011 11:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

'Gesundheit' is a response that this Agnostic uses rather than other expressions.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message AIM Address
Unposter



Joined: 04 Jun 2006

PostPosted: Sun Oct 02, 2011 11:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Reading comprehension people: the teacher was not upset that students were saying "God Bless You," he was upset because they were faking sneezing and students were disrupting the class.

Either this is a fake story or some reporter took a really strange slant or this is a case of a teacher without any ability to control a class or possibly the last two combined.

Sheesh...
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
flakfizer



Joined: 12 Nov 2004
Location: scaling the Cliffs of Insanity with a frayed rope.

PostPosted: Mon Oct 03, 2011 12:39 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Unposter wrote:
Reading comprehension people: the teacher was not upset that students were saying "God Bless You," he was upset because they were faking sneezing and students were disrupting the class.

Either this is a fake story or some reporter took a really strange slant or this is a case of a teacher without any ability to control a class or possibly the last two combined.

Sheesh...

I don't know. The article is kinda weird. The guy does attack the idea behind saying "God bless you," and if the real problem is people fake sneezing in class, why not just ban fake sneezing instead of the phrase, "God bless you?"

Anyway, this whole topic was already covered here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2dWtK3tRpo


Last edited by flakfizer on Mon Oct 03, 2011 7:09 am; edited 1 time in total
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
hogwonguy1979



Joined: 22 Dec 2003
Location: the racoon den

PostPosted: Mon Oct 03, 2011 4:02 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Unposter wrote:
Reading comprehension people: the teacher was not upset that students were saying "God Bless You," he was upset because they were faking sneezing and students were disrupting the class.

Either this is a fake story or some reporter took a really strange slant or this is a case of a teacher without any ability to control a class or possibly the last two combined.

Sheesh...


thats how i read it, its a religion issue, its a classroom control issue, if i was that teacher i would have done the exact same thing

of course thats not what fix noise etc will say
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
jinks



Joined: 27 Oct 2004
Location: Formerly: Lower North Island

PostPosted: Wed Oct 05, 2011 12:32 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I grew up saying (and still say) "bless you". I have never heard anyone say GOD bless you when someone sneezes. Is it a N.Am thing to include "god" in the expression? Or is it just Bible-believers trying to subvert the rules around separation of church and state?
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
The Floating World



Joined: 01 Oct 2011
Location: Here

PostPosted: Wed Oct 05, 2011 1:39 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ridiculous. He's a control freak who's trying to drill the humanity out of his pupils, whom were only trying to extend a common curtesy, which if anything helps to create community.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
radcon



Joined: 23 May 2011

PostPosted: Wed Oct 05, 2011 2:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

In the version of that story that I read, a student would sneeze then all the students would say "bless you" one by one and then the sneezer would individually thank each person who said thank you,. The kids were being smartasses and disruptive. Then the stupid parents instead of contacting school administration made a phone call to the local tv news who showed up at school much to the surprise of the teacher and principal.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=%2Fc%2Fa%2F2011%2F09%2F30%2FBAB11LBSGI.DTL
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
The Floating World



Joined: 01 Oct 2011
Location: Here

PostPosted: Wed Oct 05, 2011 2:40 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

radcon wrote:
In the version of that story that I read, a student would sneeze then all the students would say "bless you" one by one and then the sneezer would individually thank each person who said thank you,. The kids were being smartasses and disruptive. Then the stupid parents instead of contacting school administration made a phone call to the local tv news who showed up at school much to the surprise of the teacher and principal.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=%2Fc%2Fa%2F2011%2F09%2F30%2FBAB11LBSGI.DTL


I take my comments back. Shameless under-reporting there from the linked article.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Steelrails



Joined: 12 Mar 2009
Location: Earth, Solar System

PostPosted: Wed Oct 05, 2011 6:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

First off, the teacher seems to be dealing with kids being yutzes in his class. The kids could have said "Atheist you" and he still would have flipped his lid and I can't blame him.

That being said

Quote:
...not a bad idea to limit vacuous and puerile statements like this...along with...God damn you.
From one extreme to the other...both are phrases this world is better off without.

Instead of statements such as these...people could actually do something proactive.

Someone sneezes...someone offers a tissue.

Sneeze�"Tissue?"


Relax.

Quote:
Is it a N.Am thing to include "god" in the expression? Or is it just Bible-believers trying to subvert the rules around separation of church and state?


Probably yes to number 1, to number 2- relax.

And get a clue as to what separation of church and state is about. It's as much about religious freedom as it is about freedom from religion. It is meant to prevent the state from endorsing religion AND banning religions.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
The Cosmic Hum



Joined: 09 May 2003
Location: Sonic Space

PostPosted: Wed Oct 05, 2011 7:00 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Steelrails wrote:
First off, the teacher seems to be dealing with kids being yutzes in his class. The kids could have said "Atheist you" and he still would have flipped his lid and I can't blame him.

That being said

Quote:
...not a bad idea to limit vacuous and puerile statements like this...along with...God damn you.
From one extreme to the other...both are phrases this world is better off without.

Instead of statements such as these...people could actually do something proactive.

Someone sneezes...someone offers a tissue.

Sneeze�"Tissue?"


Relax.


...sure...about what?
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
rainism



Joined: 13 Apr 2011

PostPosted: Thu Oct 06, 2011 12:17 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

look at the source.

that rag is the paper equivalent, if not even worse than Fox "News".

first of all, NO ONE says God Bless You.

they say "bless you".

the insertion of God into the story and the backdrop is painted to make it look like the socially conservative religious lunatics are suffering societal "persecution" again.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Steelrails



Joined: 12 Mar 2009
Location: Earth, Solar System

PostPosted: Thu Oct 06, 2011 12:32 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The Cosmic Hum wrote:
Steelrails wrote:
First off, the teacher seems to be dealing with kids being yutzes in his class. The kids could have said "Atheist you" and he still would have flipped his lid and I can't blame him.

That being said

Quote:
...not a bad idea to limit vacuous and puerile statements like this...along with...God damn you.
From one extreme to the other...both are phrases this world is better off without.

Instead of statements such as these...people could actually do something proactive.

Someone sneezes...someone offers a tissue.

Sneeze�"Tissue?"


Relax.



...sure...about what?


Someone saying 'God Bless You' after someone sneezes. Who cares?
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Display posts from previous:   
Post new topic   Reply to topic    Korean Job Discussion Forums Forum Index -> Off-Topic Forum All times are GMT - 8 Hours
Page 1 of 1

 
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum


This page is maintained by the one and only Dave Sperling.
Contact Dave's ESL Cafe
Copyright © 2018 Dave Sperling. All Rights Reserved.

Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2002 phpBB Group

TEFL International Supports Dave's ESL Cafe
TEFL Courses, TESOL Course, English Teaching Jobs - TEFL International