[ale] a specter is haunting our school systems!

[Jim Philips]

On Wednesday 10 December 2008 18:37:57 Pete Hardie wrote:
> On Wed, Dec 10, 2008 at 18:30, Jim Philips <philips_jim at bellsouth.net> 
wrote:
> > And its name is...okay, it's not communism. It's Linux. For anyone who
> > may not yet have read this blog post, please read:
> >
> > http://linuxlock.blogspot.com/2008/12/linux-stop-holding-our-kids-back.ht
> >ml
> >
> > Maybe this concerned teacher should get a job as a droid for the Business
> > Software Alliance.
>
> What I find hard to believe is that the teacher so badly did not get
> FLOSS at all.
> I can see a plausible reason to stop the student from using something
> other than the
> installed OS (teacher can't be expected to know and block all the bad
> stuff but let safe stuff through),
> and certainly there could be a valid reason to tell the student to
> stop playing and do the classwork, but
> to so baldy misunderstand free software?!

I don't have any trouble believing it. The frightening thing is this 
combination, which is dangerous wherever it occurs:

1. someone eager to enforce the law
2. at the same time, clueless as to what the law really is
3. in a position of authority

This teacher might have taken some time to understand the situation before 
expressing herself so forcefully. But apparently that kind of self doubt is 
not natural for her. She might also have limited herself to putting a check on 
things that interfere with her classroom activities. But she didn't. I thought 
the blogger's response was excellent and restrained.