Freedom of speech; let him teach

I prefer the local take on Colorado teacher Jay Bennish’s remark comparing President George Bush to Hitler.

The national networks have quoted him out of context, failed to mention that his is an honors class in “human geography,” and implied strongly that the student walkout was an indictment when in fact it was, for the most part, a demonstration of support.

Honors classes are expected to be less scripted, more free-flowing, more thought-provoking. The opportunity to enroll generally is extended to only the brightest, most intellectually curious students.

Listening to the entire recording (20 minutes of a 1-hour class) gives a somewhat different picture from that generated by the few sentences taken out of context by the networks. Listen and judge for yourself.