Kansas State Rep arrested for...

[smartcooky]

Coming back to this:

And a substantial number of people would like to see those standards lowered. Abolishing the federal Department Of Education is a major goal of many on the Republican side. Abolishing public education in general has support in Congress. This state, Kansas, has at times put creationism in to the curriculum in this century.

But of course! How else can Republicans stay in power if the great unwashed actually get an education and learn stuff. They might get to learn what a bunch of assclowns Republican politicians are; assclowns who will screw them over at every opportunity. Without public education, only the religious rich and well to do could afford education for their children, and of course they will ensure they will only be taught the stuff that allows this state of affairs to continue...

 

[Modified]

Reading the article there are only a couple of questions that come to mind.

He said that the kids, or a lot of them, were in on it. They knew what was going on.

Unless the point he intended to make was that substitute teachers should be vetted better and monitored more closely, then I don't get it.

 

[Meadmaker]

Unless the point he intended to make was that substitute teachers should be vetted better and monitored more closely, then I don't get it.

I'm thinking the psychotic breakdown is a lot more likely. His "the kids were in on it" was probably part of the delusion.

 

[Stacyhs]

Samsel is obviously having a mental health crisis of his own. He's posted a very long rambling and incoherent FB message today. It begins with

"I am truly sorry that this has caused confusion and pain, especially in my native hometown. But this is not about me. It never has been. If it were up to me, I'd be sitting on a beach in Australia or exploring the jungles in Africa. Maybe the beach in San Diego, or Portland or Madison remain on my bucket list of places to travel. Of course, I'm pretty blue collar, so Melvern Lake or a Royals game is more my style."

and proceeds to all kinds of unrelated topics including the incident in the classroom.

https://www.facebook.com/MarkSamsel...d=650140028766996&comment_tracking={"tn":"R"}

 

[Babbylonian]

Who's confused? A religious nut somehow weaseled his way into a high school classroom where he proceeded to show just how crazy he could be. This is the opposite of confusing.

 

[Squeegee Beckenheim]

I think it says something about the state of US politics that my brain immediately completed the title with "child molestation".

 

[Craig4]

I was referring to the lack of a requirement for specific 'teaching' training in order to teach.
Here in order to teach (at post-primary level) you need:
1. Specific Bachelor's degree in education (honours level, i.e. level 8), covering general teacher training and one or more (usually several) specific modules on the curriculum.

OR

2. A Bachelor's degree in a relevant subject (also at level 8) that specifically covers the requirements of the curriculum of the subject(s) to be taught.

AND

3. A specific teacher training qualification, usually a Higher Diploma in Education (H.Dip or H.Dip.Ed) which is a one year post-graduate course.

In either case the prospective teacher would have to hold a vetting certificate indicating they were a suitable person to have access to minors.

Any higher degrees (Masters or Doctorate) would be useful in applying for a post, and garner a salary increment, but on their own are not sufficient to teach.

Hence I, despite possessing doctorates, a masters and a B.A. (Mod) in natural science, am not qualified to teach in schools. Which is probably a good thing for all concerned.

It depends on the state here. There is a national certification but you can only get it after teaching with a state cert for five years. In the state where my now ex-wife got her certification, she needed a BA in (in her case history and psychology) and 20 post-bac credit hours in education followed by one term of student teaching.

Some states have lower standards.

 

[TurkeysGhost]

Strange that this is being treated as a misdemeanor battery rather than a child abuse charge, which it absolutely should be.

 

[gnome]

I'd like to read it, but they're blocking my adblocker!

You need an adblocker blocker blocker. Not only does it blocks the ads, it blocks the blocker trying to block... your ◊◊◊◊!

(obscure reference)

 

[ponderingturtle]

Good grief, USAian teaching standards seem to be rather lax.

Really it is only for substitutes, to get a teaching certificate and be a real teacher does have standards. Substitute teachers are more like baby sitters.

ANd of course for non public schools they are free to hire who they choose.

 

[TragicMonkey]

As much as I enjoy dunking on Republican politicians who get themselves into idiotic situations...this sounds more like genuine mental illness. Or possibly a physical one-- a brain tumor in the right place can remove inhibitions. Talking wildly about sexual and religious matters in inappropriate contexts is not normal behavior, even for Republicans. He may not be responsible for his behavior, in which case he merits sympathy (and help) rather than condemnation (and amusement).

 

[JoeMorgue]

As much as I enjoy dunking on Republican politicians who get themselves into idiotic situations...this sounds more like genuine mental illness.

Yeah the problem is we're the pretty much the same level with "It is Republican or is it Mental Illness?" as we stalled out at "Is it a Republican or it is a Poe?"

 

[JoeMorgue]

As much as I enjoy dunking on Republican politicians who get themselves into idiotic situations...this sounds more like genuine mental illness.

Yeah the problem is we're the pretty much now at the same level with "It is Republican or is it Mental Illness?" as we stalled out at "Is it a Republican or it is a Poe?"

Yeah does sound like real mental illness. All 4 years of Trump's Presidency sounded a lot like a genuine mental illness too. At that point what's the point?

 

[Belz...]

As much as I enjoy dunking on Republican politicians who get themselves into idiotic situations...this sounds more like genuine mental illness. Or possibly a physical one-- a brain tumor in the right place can remove inhibitions.

That's even funnier.

 

[Trebuchet]

As much as I enjoy dunking on Republican politicians who get themselves into idiotic situations...this sounds more like genuine mental illness. Or possibly a physical one-- a brain tumor in the right place can remove inhibitions. Talking wildly about sexual and religious matters in inappropriate contexts is not normal behavior, even for Republicans. He may not be responsible for his behavior, in which case he merits sympathy (and help) rather than condemnation (and amusement).

Problem is his way of thinking is common among a significant portion of the US population. And I wonder how many previous classes he's pulled this crap in, short of the actual assault.

 

[Meadmaker]

Problem is his way of thinking is common among a significant portion of the US population. And I wonder how many previous classes he's pulled this crap in, short of the actual assault.

But....it isn't.

Some of the positions he stated are indeed common, but his behavior, the manner in which he expressed his opinions, the setting, the whole atmosphere, was quite literally insane.

This is not normal.


If we were to dissect the ideological content related to what he said, you would indeed find conservative beliefs, but conservative do not think that substitute teachers ought to ask a class full of high school kids if they masturbate. Conservatives do not think that you should go on weird rants about lesbian parents when you are supposed to be teaching school.

There's nothing normal here, nor is there anything representative of any party.

The dude needs help.

 

[Random]

As much as I enjoy dunking on Republican politicians who get themselves into idiotic situations...this sounds more like genuine mental illness. Or possibly a physical one-- a brain tumor in the right place can remove inhibitions. Talking wildly about sexual and religious matters in inappropriate contexts is not normal behavior, even for Republicans. He may not be responsible for his behavior, in which case he merits sympathy (and help) rather than condemnation (and amusement).

Looking at the video, it looks like some of the standard nuttiness that you see in one of those "abstinence only" sex-ed classes. That of course would raise a whole lot of other questions though, and does nothing to explain the Facebook stuff...

 

[JoeMorgue]

But....it isn't.

Some of the positions he stated are indeed common, but his behavior, the manner in which he expressed his opinions, the setting, the whole atmosphere, was quite literally insane.

Well that's sort of the goddamn problem isn't it? That we don't judge this based on factual correctness but on... like style and poise.

Calm, non-crazy stupid is not better (or so we don't dare leave that hair unsplit least someone run with not notably better) than ranting at the heavens, birds nest in your hair stupid.

 

[phiwum]

Well that's sort of the goddamn problem isn't it? That we don't judge this based on factual correctness but on... like style and poise.

Calm, non-crazy stupid is not better (or so we don't dare leave that hair unsplit least someone run with not notably better) than ranting at the heavens, birds nest in your hair stupid.

Then point out and mock non-crazy stupid rather than pretend that someone who seems to be mentally unwell is representative of Republicans.

There's plenty to mock out there. I don't think Marjorie Taylor Greene or Matt Gaetz are literally mentally ill and their stuff is eminently mockable. Indeed, it is mocked around here and deservedly so. But it seems to me that you're awfully keen on treating this guy in the same manner and if, as Tragic Monkey plausibly suggests, he is suffering from mental illness, he doesn't deserve the mockery.

(Mind, he might deserve mockery for other things he's done or said, but that's another issue.)

 

[RecoveringYuppy]

Is there evidence he is actually mentally ill?