“The Kansas 9.12 Project is a non-partisan group who is dedicated to the Constitution and our Founding Fathers' 9 Principles and 12 Values” states the group’s website. Most would agree that the Constitution and beliefs of the founding fathers have played vital roles in American history and government. Some would even go as far as to say that they are not negotiable; the Constitution IS American history and government. So what happens when a 9.12 member is also a history and government teacher at a Lawrence high school?
Meet Tim Latham. Latham has been a teacher for the past 19 years. A believer in the Constitution and passionate about teaching kids, he has never been dismissed as a teacher. Last year, he moved to Kansas from Arkansas where he had taught for many years. He interviewed for the position of history and government teacher for Lawrence High School and noting his record and enthusiasm for teaching, he was hired.
In October, Latham pulled his car labeled with a “McCain” sticker into the parking lot littered with “Obama” decals. He knew being a conservative, he was a minority, but being an honest and fair teacher, Latham always taught all aspects of an issue. “I teach BOTH sides of the issue; sometimes to the detriment of issues I believe in. “says Latham.
With the historic inauguration address in January, Latham decided the best way to understand what President Obama was saying would be to print out the transcript of the speech and analyze it together with his class. “[It is] easier to analyze than watching it live and trying to remember everything.” Latham said. However, Latham has been criticized for not having the speech on live in his class room. “[There were] only 15 minutes left in class when it started, they would have left for lunch in the middle of it and missed most of it. My way was more efficient.”
Latham received some heat for his political beliefs. Some of the faculty would make remarks about his political ideas, but Latham would stand strong. He had even asked the administration if his job was in danger and was told “we have no plans to non-renew you."
Imagine the surprise when Latham’s contract wasn’t renewed. An even bigger surprise was the students lining up to support Latham. A petition with over 100 names was signed and sent to the superintendent and a facebook page, Save Mr. Latham, Lawrence High History Teacher, has garnered almost 200 people. Students have even started showing up at school board meetings, fighting for Latham’s renewal.
Hope is not lost. It seems that the administration “forgot” to abide by Latham’s contract and perform an in-class evaluation dictated by the Master Agreement. By failing to do so, the school board may have no choice but to bring Latham back.
When asked why he continues to forge ahead, Latham said, “I probably wouldn't if it weren't for the students fighting for me. I can't let them down.”
One of the principles stated by the 9.12 project proclaims, “It is not un-American for me to disagree with authority or to share my personal opinion.” Lawrence High School administration agrees, as long as you agree with them.
Lawrence Board of Education
Comments
I really feel bad for the kids, being taught by all these discriminating teachers.
I have been in the Army over 20 years now. This is NOT the America that I signed up to fight for. Reinstate this teacher NOW!!!!
I entirely agree with what Ms. Braman had to say, and I appreciate her saying it. However, I really think she needs to return to Remedial Writing class. There are a number of grammar and spelling errors in this article. Is Ms. Braman a professional writer?
Ha! Yes, I am sure there are some grammatical errors as I am in NO WAY a professional writer. I can promise you that there are no spelling errors, since I used spell check, and that thing is always right. ? I did leave Latham’s quotes exactly as is, since they were through email and I wanted to keep them true to his mouth. I am glad you agreed with me. That’s the important thing! Keep reading and feel free to let me know how I can be more “proper”.
God bless.
1st paragraph: "a non-partisan group who is dedicated to..." Change "who" to "that"
--2nd para: capitalize "Constitution"
--2nd para: "He interviewed for the position of history and government teacher for Lawrence High School and noting his record and enthusiasm for teaching, he was hired." Unclear antecedent; awkward.
--Paragraph 7: "in class" should be "in-class"
--Last paragraph: "principals" should be spelled "principles." One way to remember this is, "The principal is your friend." Other uses (in other words, fundamental beliefs / precepts) would be spelled "principle." However, "principal" also denotes "chief, or of first importance."
I will certainly state up-front that people who are anal about grammar are annoying! :)
However, a good writer will aim at proper usage in context: formal writing differs from blog/conversational/informal writing.
(links/urls are not allowed; otherwise I would have included them.)
in love,
a former English teacher
1st paragraph - direct quote from the 9.12 website. Won't change
2nd paragraph - changed Constitution...but I like my messy/awkward sentence...
7th paragraph - added the dash
Last paragraph - Changed to principles...
Thanks for critique. Hey, but no misspellings! Just a wrong synonym.
Most of my articles will be less formal, but I am glad you are reading. :)
God bless.
The school superintendent must be from California where he would have fired Ms. California for her first amendment rights, also!
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