One thing The Crucible teaches us is how common the expression "witch hunt" is in our American vernacular. My guess is you'll hear this expression for the rest of your lives, and my hope is that every time you hear this expression you'll also remember this play and how it encourages us to think about the many layers of meaning in this expression.
When people typically use the phrase "witch hunt" they're suggesting -- similar to the events of The Crucible -- that there's an unjustified prosecution or attack on an individual or group. President Trump is especially fond of this expression. This New York Times editorial tracks the number of times Mr. Trump has used the expression "witch hunt" in his Tweets when describing the Justice Department's investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election. By referring to this investigation as a "witch hunt", Mr. Trump is clearly trying to undermine the investigation in the mind of the public.
So here's one of my big questions about this phrase: how do we know if some kind of investigation is legitimate, and how do we know if it's an unfair "witch hunt"? The article you're reading for tomorrow ("Watch What You Say") is an interesting test case because it's not obvious whether or not
Mr. Frisch is being unfairly labeled as a "witch" or if he legitimately should be punished for what he did, and that's where we'll start our conversation on this article.
For tomorrow, comment on this blog post by responding to this question: "Should Mr. Frisch have been fired for his mistake, or is he an unfair victim of a school community being too sensitive in trying to create a safe learning environment?" You may respond to the question above or reply to a classmate's comment.
I believe that Mr. Frisch’s punishment was a bit too extreme and shows how “sway-able” the school is from sensitive, rich parents. Unfortunately, many high school students make daily distasteful jokes, but in this case, Mr. Frisch was unfairly called out for it. In my opinion, he should’ve just received a warning and have been asked to apologize to anybody that he offended, but not so far as to be fired. Distasteful jokes shouldn’t have the same magnitude of punishment as jokes that actually incite violence. For example, if some people saw a person wearing a Trump shirt and felt threatened by him/her, that doesn’t mean that that student should be suspended/expelled. Not only is that an infringement upon free speech, but it illustrates that it’s okay to shun someone who might not be in the favor of a majority of people.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Sender. I think that Mr Frisch made a mistake as a teacher, but right as he made this mistake, he knew what he did wrong. Even though it was not okay for Mr.Frisch to make a distasteful joke about the Holocaust, his punishment was very intense and effected him for a long time after his mistake. As well, I think it is interesting that Sender has said that the school was very torn between the parents and Mr Frisch. Many of the parents who send their kids to Friends threatened to unenroll their kids because of this incident. fortunately this took over the whole case and the school thought it best to terminate Mr Frisch because of one mistake he made. No one is perfect, and sometimes things happen that are very unexpected, but he should have been suspended for some time but in the end, come back to Friends to continue working. His dedication to the school for almost 30 years show how he was a great teacher and liked by many for his teaching. Overall, school should be a safe environment for everyone to express themselves in whatever way they want but make sure that it is school appropriate to ensure that there are no arguments that could end up hurting one or many people.
DeleteI agree. I think that Mr. Frisch made a mistake, like all people do. The school treated him unfairly by not allowing him to even apologize to the students and by firing him. I think these actions were very extreme and should have been called into question. There are always going to be overly sensitive people and there are always going to be people who make mistakes, this incident involved both which made it an unfortunate situation for both sides. Although I do not think what Mr. Frisch did was okay and it was hurtful, he had made a mistake and ruining his career for one mistake he made seems extreme.
DeleteI don’t think that what Mr. Frisch did was ok. I don’t believe that making a joke about anything that resulted in the death of more than 10 million people, as well as numerous civilians and soldiers is acceptable. I think that when people make jokes of the nature of Frisch's, whether they be about Hitler or other sensitive topics, they don’t understand or forget the real pain still felt by people, and how not taking these events seriously demonstrates an ignorance to the scope of the pain felt by people. I should also add that it takes a certain amount of privilege to be able to conscientiously be able to make a joke of such an offensive nature.
ReplyDeleteAll of this being said however, the one defense that I can think of for Frisch is that he said the joke without thinking it through, and seemed to recognize that he made a mistake in saying it afterwards. However, I don’t think that his explanation of, "only recently has such jokes become taboo," is any kind of excuse for making the joke.
I think that all of this therefore leads to the question of should Frisch be fired, and even with all of this, I don't think that he should have been. That being said, simply issuing an apology isn’t enough. I think I that when people apologize, they often do it quickly, hoping to get it over with, and not seriously understanding the mistake that they made. Frisch does say later in the article that he was embarrassed by his failure to recognize the severity of the gesture after he made it, and I think that this shows that perhaps him being fired had an effect on him and he changed due to the severity of the punishment. With all this in mind, I think that Frisch's should have been suspension, as well as some training required for him.
I agree with everything you stated here Zach. People had the right to be very upset with Mr. Frisch after he made the joke because it was very insensitive and offended an entire community of people. He was very insensitive for saying that and did not think through his actions at all what so ever. His explanation for the joke did quite add up as well, but he has been a good employee there for s while and did seem very apologetic about it. Mistake happen and people learn from their mistakes, and I think this would be a good example of that so I believe that the school was wrong for firing him.
DeleteI think that Mr. Frisch should not have been fired from Friends. Athough I think that what he did is not unexcusable, the consequences are definitely too harsh. Mr. Frisch was someone who had worked at Friends for 34 years. For more than three decades he had made endless impacts on student´s lives, and adapted quite well to the change in dynamics of the classroom. I think more so than this, it is obvious that Mr. Frisch did not intend to be malicious. It is said that two of his great’grandmothers were killed at Auchwitz, so it can be assumed that he grew up learning about Nazi brutality, and as the article mentioned, using things like humor to cope with the loss his family personally felt. I think that Mr. Frisch´s termination had more to do with the school looking out for the prevention of economical deficits, than with a moral wrong he had committed. As Friends has constantly skewed from its previously held Quaker sentiments, the value of simplicity has totally gone down the drain as the tuition has increased. Lauder had cited the reasoning that because he had recieved complaints from parents threatening to remove their kids from the school, this was cause for thinking about the termination of Mr. Frisch. Yet it is obvious that the priorities of these parents lies in the amount they pay for the school. One mother posts “Maybe in the ‘70’s that would have been O.K but not when you’re paying $45000 a year in tuition.” This clearly implies that the mother believes that becuase of the amount she pays for her child’s education, she is warranted in determinining, at least in part, the quality or specifics of the education her child is recieving—something that is a true claim, but the citation of money, creates a suspicous tone in her intent.
ReplyDeleteMisbah, I agree. Although Mr.Frisch made a mistake through his comment, the consequences he faced were unfair to him and the Friends school community. I also agree that the pressure from the parents and their tuition payments has influenced their amount of authority in the decision making process. The article states that administrators try to balance the institutional values as well as the demands of the parents, which are described as high-paying customers. This statement connects to the discussion of Frisch being a witch. The parents were able to skew the outcome of the debate over Frisch because of the pressure put on the school by them, ultimately influencing the legitimacy of the case. The parents were able to act with power because of the threats made by them to remove their students from Friends, leading administrators to have the only choice of firing Frisch. As well, Frisch should not have faced termination because of his support from the school community. Students wore buttons and made posters in order to rally support for Frisch, and encourage administrators to let him remain teaching. This reveals the "witch hunt" aspect of the case, as the students supported Frisch, showing that they did not feel offended by his comment. Frisch did not disturb the school environment, nor did he make students feel unsafe through his comment, as many students hadn't heard about the case or had even thought nothing of it. Overall, the pressure from high-tuition paying parents and support from coworkers and students reveal how the case's legitimacy was skewed.
DeleteI don’t think that Frisch should have been fired. He was a dedicated Quaker and even the only Quaker that taught at the school. If the school really wanted to act on their Quaker views, they would have opened the discussion to the community rather than deal with it internally. Especially since Lauder had been said to make insensitive comments about women and all girl schools, I feel that he didn’t have the right to terminate Frisch for his comment if he makes similar ones himself. I believe that the school board should have taken the opinions of the students, parents, and other teachers into consideration.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI don’t think that Mr. Frisch should’ve been fired from Friends. I do believe what Mr. Frisch did was very wrong and disturbing but he simply made a bad choice at an awkward time and mistakes happen. Also, Mr. Frisch has been teaching pre-calculus at Friends Seminary for thirty four years and one mistake shouldn’t have gotten his job terminated from Friends after Mr. Frisch has been teaching at the school for several years. In addition, he confessed his mistake and said the gesture was “other equally inappropriate and troubling” which shows he knew he made a huge mistake. Friends seminary should forgive him for it which could set an example for the students to forgive each-other if one makes a careless mistake.
ReplyDeleteI agree Sahil. I think that Mr. Frisch should not of been fired and that the school was a little extreme with the punishment. We all make mistakes sometimes and he was just put into an uncomfortable situation. Also, Mr. Lauder was pressured into his decision by the parents as he has to appease to them. What he did was wrong and definitely not appropriate for a school setting and he knew that after it happened. Mistakes happen, its a part of life, and the school shouldn't be teaching their students that you will be punished for your mistakes, then none of the students would want to try new things because they will be worried about the consequences.
DeleteI think that Mr. Frisch should not have been fired for what he said. We all say things that we don’t mean, especially in uncomfortable situations, and that’s what he did. He understands, probably more than most considering his family members were victims, that we cannot joke about the Holocaust. I think that the parents had a right to speak out against his actions, but I feel like they pressured the administration in this case to unrightfully fire him. Because it is a private school, the administration relies on the funding from parents and must appease the, which occurred in this case despite the fact that Mr. Frisch was a good teacher.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Annie in that Mr. Frisch should not of been fired. I believe that the school felt as if he should have a greater consequence only due to the fact that the parents, who are large funders to the school, wanted a more extreme punishment. But I believe that what he said was just a unfortunate mistake. There is no denying that the joke was out of line, possibly not even be considered a joke and more a terrible comment, but I believe that since the staff has known this man for 31 years they know that it was not made from hate, more of a action created from a lapse of judgment. This teacher is also known for making inappropriate comments, so instead of firing him, they should teach him how to distinguish an appropriate joke/comment to a joke that would make kids feel unsafe.
DeleteI agee with Kate and Annie that Mr. Frisch should not have been fired and at least deserved a fairer and better process that he was given. I think this because he has been a teacher at this school for almost two decades and has given much to this school. This doesn’t even come close to excusing his action. What he did was stupid and wrong and a mistake. This is someone that I do not believe is a racist or an anti-Semitic, I believe it was a bad mistake. And it shows that nearly 70% of the students wanted him to stay as a teacher it shows his positive impact on the community and one distrusting joke should not have ruined his career.
DeleteIn my opinion Mr. Frisch did not deserve to be fired. He was in a tense situation and said the first thing that popped into his mind. Was it the best thing he could have said? Definitely not, but he shouldn't be fired over it. All schools try and create a safe space where students can learn and feel comfortable in all circumstances, but unfortunately it is unattainable. As a student, and most likely by other students, you will be judged, possibly made fun of, and might hear an offensive comment, but that's just how the world works. Parents attempting to shelter their kids by firing this teacher aren't helping any cause. He shouldn't be fired especially after he realized the gravity of his comment and apologized. I can't imagen what he must feel when he looks back and thinks, if only I didn't say those two words. I truly think that Frisch is a victim in this situation. He had no clue that those two words would turn his community against him.
ReplyDelete^Sorry this is Tyler A
DeleteMr. Frisch should not have been fired. What he did was distasteful and is offensive no matter how you look at it. But as it said in the article it was an awkward in the moment thing, Frisch had worked at the school for 34 years before the incident, and was described as a pillar of the friends community. Unfortunately he responded in the wrong way to an awkward moment, and payed the price for it. I strongly believe that everyone deserves a second chance, and it seems that Mr. Frisch had said some questionable things in the past, but he was not an outspoken racist or someone who was a danger to the children he taught. He shouldn’t have been fired but I understand the school’s point of view as well, parents pay a lot of money to send their kids to get the perfect education and an incident like the one with Mr. Frisch, puts the school in a tough place. If they keep him it could scare off parents who are thinking of becoming clients to the school and if they fire him they lose a trusted and loved faculty member. But still Mr. Frisch shouldn’t have been fired for uttering two unfortunate words in an awkward moment.
ReplyDeleteIt is hard to determine whether or not something is undeniably legitimate because no one person can decide what is and isn’t legitimate. But there are many ways to see if an argument posed against someone is legitimate, one example being where the criticism came from. If a known opponent to a specific idea or person is making the accusations, then there is a higher chance that details and blame could be exaggerated, making it less legitimate. However, looking solely to examples like these can also create problems because then there would be too many unreasonable justifications for calling something a “witch hunt.” But in the context of the event involving the “Heil Hitler” comment, I believe that the teacher was unjustly fired. The fact that he attempted to diffuse an awkward situation with an unsuccessful joke does not give the school the moral right to fire Ben Frisch. Of course the school was within their legal rights as a private school to fire him, but the way the school connected him to broader negative ideas through one comment is inexcusable. I would argue that Frisch, as the only Quaker teacher there, can be seen as the most qualified to represent the school’s accepted values. Because even he wasn’t able to completely conform to specific moral values constantly, it shows that the justifications weren’t completely warranted. In instances like these, I would consider them “witch hunts” because many chose to formulate opinions based on minimal facts and without understanding every perspective. As stated by the senior Benjamin Levine, “It’s so much easier and simpler to decide someone is racist or ignorant or naive — or anti-Semitic — than to engage in the messy work of trying to communicate and understand when conflicts arise.”
ReplyDeleteI believe the Mr. Frisch should have been fired for his "joke" about Hitler. I believe that though times change and people change their views on things, not everyone "keeps up". This shouldn't be an excuse to use make a situation less awkward by making a Nazi "joke". Just the plain thought of ever making a joke out of the situation, no matter if it was fashionable/"cool" to me is terrible and unacceptable. Though Mr. Frisch was the last Quaker teacher, in the Quaker school Friends, he should have kept up the Quaker ideals of making sure that everyone is comfortable and not being persecuted. Him being a Quaker should be his crutch for his slightly unredeemable action. His "joke" speaks for itself so, that is why I think that firing him was the right choice.
ReplyDeleteIt is never easy to determine what actually happened in cases that are based on different takes of the same situation, however I believe that Mr. Frisch should not have been fired from Friends. Mr. Frisch had taught at the school for 34 years and was said to hold lengthy classroom discussions, meaning he had talked a lot before his students. Nobody is perfect and mistakes are bound to happen; Mr. Frisch happened to make a mistake, as most people do. What seemed like an innocent joke was interpreted as an insensitive utterance by the students in Frisch's class. I understand the gravity of Hitler discussion, but I can't imagine that if this happened in a class of mine that anyone would report it. After being reported the families in the Friends community out immense amounts of pressure on the board to fire the teacher. In trying to protect its reputation, student attendance rates and income, the school unjustly terminated Frisch to create a "safe" community. The comment was not well thought out and should not be joked about, however Mr. Frisch did not deserve to lose the job he earned.
ReplyDeleteI do not think Mr. Frisch should have been fired. Although the nazi salute and the “heil Hitler” comment was totally out of line, it was an accident. There could have been many others ways to punish Mr. Frisch other than termination. This is includes a restorative justice plan or letting Mr. Frisch have the opportunity to understand what he has done. Mr. Frisch was a valuable part of the Friends school and was a Quaker himself. The way the school responded to his actions were inappropriate and disrespectful to Mr. Frisch’s years as a successful and friendly teacher. Before his termination, the school did not let Mr. Frisch defend himself or explain why he made anti-Semitic comments even though it was a complete accident. The school was pressured by outside lawyers, parents, and alumni to terminate Mr. Frisch. This pressure took ahold of the school’s Quaker morals and did not let the students have a say in Mr. Frisch situation. It is obvious that schools are meant to be a safe and welcoming environment, and if students feel threatened, they have a right to speak up. However, students did not feel threatened by Mr. Frisch’s mistake and knew that the nazi salute was an accident.
ReplyDeleteI don’t believe that Mr. Frisch should have been fired. I feel as though he was wrong for doing the Nazi salute and saying “Heil Hitler,” but the school should have taken into account his track record at the school throughly before terminating him. Mr. Frisch was a longtime teacher at Friends and was the only Quaker teacher at the school. He is a valued and well-known member of the Quaker community as well. Taking in account for all the good he has done for the Quaker community, the school should have clearly seen this as a lapse of judgement of his part, but not something that would likely happen again. Mr. Frisch should have been able to publish his letter of apology to his students and the community as a whole to explain what he did and how he knows it was wrongful for him to do. Since Friends had quickly become a elitist New York City private school, the school was influenced in their decision which was against typical Quaker morals and beliefs in this situation. This incident was definitely not appropriate on Mr. Frisch part, but everyone deserves a second chance to show that it was a momentary lapse in judgement.
ReplyDeleteI do not believe Mr. Frisch should have been fired. Even though his actions were offensive, it was an accident. He did the wrong thing at an awkward moment and he should be forgiving for that. We all do stupid things in an awkward moment, but we do not lose our reputation or lose our jobs because of an action. We can all be forgiven and be given a second chance. The parents have the right to speak out against his actions, but I feel as if they pressured the administration to fire him. Friends relies heavily on the parents' money to help fund for the school and if they were to lose a student, it would be like losing a customer. The school thought would be better to lose a dedicated teacher rather than an extension of their school. I believe this was a selfish act on the school's part and they should not have ruined Mr. Frisch life because he said two regrettable words.
ReplyDeleteMr. Frisch shouldn’t have been fired. Although his actions were wrong, it was in the moment of panic. This was also the first count of this happening for Mr. Frisch so it shouldn’t have been taken so far. He was a long term teacher and is well-known in the Quaker community. He even wrote an apology letter, as you mentioned, which proves that he shows remorse for his actions. All in all this rash decision was just something for the school to keep its elite, private school reputation.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the school did not have the right to fire Mr. Frisch because even though his comment was thoughtless and inappropriate, it did not seem like he intended to be anti-Semitic and racist. This is a Quaker school, and their values are based on forgiveness and restorative justice, but Friends school didn’t follow these by firing Mr. Frisch. I agree with Benjamin Levine (previously a senior at Friends School) who said “It’s so much easier and simpler to decide someone is racist or ignorant or naive — or anti-Semitic — than to engage in the messy work of trying to communicate and understand when conflicts arise”. I believe what Mr. Frisch did was tactless but was not something that couldn’t be forgiven. He tried to make an awkward situation better by joking around with his students but the comment that he stated was inappropriate and uncalled for but I don't think he was trying to offend any students or make them uncomfortable.
ReplyDeleteFrom Isabella R.
ReplyDeleteWhat Mr. Frisch did was not okay, and I think it was right of him to be fired. Yes he was in an awkward sistuation, but he could have just explained he didnt mean to make that gesture whether than making an offensive joke. If anything, the joke just made the situation more awkward and uncomfortable for himself and his students. It mentions in the article that his dad was Jewish and he had two great-grandmothers who died in the holocaust, so he is obviously not serious, but this should make him even more self aware to not make these types of jokes since his family has been personally affected by it. As a teacher he should know what’s appropriate vs what’s inappropriate, especially in a school setting. It also mentions in the article how if they kept Frisch, it would send the message that the school did not take anti-semitism seriously, which I believe is a valid reason because it could have caused outrage outside of the school as well as made students and faculty members uncomfortable if he was kept at the school.
I don’t believe that Mr. Frisch should have been fired for his mistake, but I do believe that the joke is offensive. Although he made this distasteful joke, it was in a moment of panic, and he should be given a second chance. Everyone makes mistakes, and sometimes our decisions in moments of panic aren’t the best. Some of the students said that he mumbled offensive comments, but just like the witch trials, there was no evidence that he did other than the people that accused him of doing so. This was also only brought up after saluting incident, so why did they not bring this up before?
ReplyDeleteIn this moment of panic, he wasn’t meaning to be anti-Semitic or racist, although it came across that way to some of the students. In a moment of panic, someone shouldn’t be judged for their actions, because they may say things that they really don’t mean. Just like if you were to have an argument with a friend, you might be put in a situation where you panic and say something you don’t actually mean to them, this is one of those cases. Mr. Frisch didn’t mean to say this, but he wasn’t trying to offend any of his students, and should be given a second chance.
Even though Mr. Frisch said something that was completely in the wrong and could potentially have a harmful effect on students, I do not believe he should have been fired, and even if the school did fire him, I believe they could have gone about it in a different way. The school went about the firing process in a way that was against many Quaker values, and many people were upset when Mr. Frisch got fired. He was the only Quaker teacher left at the school and had done a lot of good for the school and community as a whole. He was put in a very awkward classroom situation, and even though he definitely did not handle it the right way, I think the school decided too hastily. While safety is one of the most important factors in having a strong school community, it is also important to realize when mistakes are made and make sure everything is taken into account before making such an important decision.
ReplyDeleteThough the comment that Mr. Frisch made was extremely insensitive and distasteful, I really don't believe he should have been fired. Obviously there should have been a punishment for him, maybe a written apology to his students, as well as the school, but it shouldn't have gone this far. It is also apparent that him being fired was widely unpopular amongst the school, therefore that is even more of a reason for it to not have occurred. He also should have been treated with some sort of prestige and bias because he was the only teacher left at the school who practiced the original Quaker values.
ReplyDeleteDespite Mr. Frischs inappropriate comment, I don’t believe he should have been fired. While it was an offensive comment, and disciplinary action should have been taken, I felt as though him being fired was a bit extreme. While there were people who agreed with the decision to fire the teacher, a lot of the students and community were upset that they weren’t able to defend their friendly, caring, teacher. The school judged him based on one bad moment, without fully looking at his impact on the students over the years, and made his termination too quick to object. Schools’ number one priority is often safety, so it makes sense that they would want to eliminate this kind of behavior within the school. However, I believed instead of firing him they could have used that moment to teach the importance of appropriate actions in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteI believe that firing Mr. Frisch was not the correct course of action following the incident that had taken place. When Mr. Frisch's intentions and motivations are examined, it is clear that he was simply trying to make a joke to diffuse an awkward situation and connect with his students. I believe that making a Hitler joke was in no way an acceptable thing to say in this situation, but I also believe that Mr. Frisch does not deserve to be fired for this mistake, as his intention was not to be antisemitic or hateful. I agree with Frisch's idea that when it is necessary for a teacher to change to meet the changing dynamics of the classroom, the school should help him to learn and provide him with the necessary support in order to make the right changes (Mahler 12-13). Firing Mr. Frisch goes against this idea and gives a bit too much power to the sensitive school community, such as the wealthy parents that send their children to schools like Friends.
ReplyDeleteFrom Anna C.:
ReplyDeleteAnna Culbertson) Personally, I believe that the termination of Mr. Frisch was wrong. I agree that action should have been taken, I agree that a suspension of the teacher was something that could have been appropriate, and I think that this should have been the way that the school went. Mr. Frisch seemed to be liked by many of his students, and the students were very upset when he was fired. I think the school administration should have thought about the school community and the students rather than just the way they were gonna be precieved.
Although the remark made by Mr.Frisch was wrong, the punishment was not appropriate. Mr. Frisch comes from a long time of Jews, including two of his great-mother who were killed at Auschwitz. Mr.Frisch did not mean his comment to be harmful or disrespectful to his students or their parents, he simply said the wrong thing in an awkward moment. In addition, Mr.Frisch is very well loved by his students and many people want him to stay. I believe that if Mr.Frisch was a bad person and said comments like this often, his students would not have enough respect for him to start a petition, and would all want him fired.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with this. Though he was in a panic and it was a quick response, his comment was not quite appropriate. The timing was not right for it to have been a joke or be interpreted as such. In our society, it is accepted for people to make jokes about their own backgrounds. Mr. Frisch had a long line of Jewish family, had the class had known that chances are they wouldn't have found offense to the comment. He overall is a good teacher, he has taught for many many years with plenty of beloved students. The comment doesn't take away from this. He is still a good person and a good teacher. He made a panicked choice, which is understandable. We are all human. This minuscule mistake shouldn't define his career though. If comments like these were more of a habit than a hurried mistake, this could be a totally reasonable termination; however, that's not the case.
DeleteFrom Henry S.:
ReplyDeleteAlthough I don’t believe Mr Frisch wasn’t justified in making such a comment in a learning environment, I don’t believe his punishment was appropriate, as he had no malicious intent with his speech. The school was concerned with their outer image and acted drastically to relieve the concerns of parents. The parents are right for having these concerns because they had no context of the situation. Although the school should have addressed these concerns by providing more insight into the situation and apologizing, not by firing Mr Frisch.
I believe that Mr. Frisch’s punishment was too severe for the action that he committed. Mr. Frisch was loyal to the school for many years and such a small incident shouldn’t get him fired. Furthermore, as the article mentioned, in these new upcoming generations teachers have to find a way to keep students engage in the class. I think Mr. Frisch’s joke, while it may have been awkward, was both trying to relieve the situation as well as keep his students engaged. I also believe this was the wrong decision because the majority of the students signed a petition saying they wanted Mr. Frisch back, and the school fired him in the first place to maintain a safe enviornment for the students.
ReplyDeleteFrom Hale:
ReplyDeleteI think that Mr. Frisch completely overstepped his role. However he did catch himself and explain to his students why he did what did. He was trying to recover from an awkward moment in doing this he may have made the moment more awkward. I don’t think he should have been fired as he turned the moment into somewhat of a teaching moment.
I think that although Mr. Frisch made a mistake that might have offended many people, I believe it is unfair to fire him from his job and that he should have received a less severe punishment. When determining whether something is worth a “witch hunt” or not, I think it is important to consider the whole person in relation to their “crime”. In Mr. Frisch’s case, there is no concrete evidence in his past that shows that he is a hateful person and his record is fairly clean. Therefore, it is unfair to label him as hateful based on one act. It could be very dangerous if people are labeled negatively based on a mistake and it leaves no room for redemption in the modern world.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the school made the wrong decision if firing Mr. Frisch. He did make a mistake in saying his comment and he did offend many people, but his punishment for it was very severe. Obviously people make mistakes but for him to be fired for saying two words is over the top. He has spent many years teaching at that school, so if he were to be seen as a threat, wouldn’t that have happened earlier? There should have been a punishment, but not one that could potentially ruin his career and life. He apologized for his actions, and therefore he should be given an amount of leeway that makes him able to still teach at the school. Overall, I think it is definitely a huge reach to say that he is hateful, and I do not think he should have been fired for making a mistake, especially if he apologized.
ReplyDeleteI think the school went too far in firing Mr. Frisch as although he made a poor choice, it was not the worst thing in the world and it appears that this was his first mess up while teaching for this school and I think that the school should respect and honor that. I also think the school needs to look farther back in his family history to realize that what he said was a joke and not him praising Hitler in anyway. Frisch has never had any history of incidents like these in his past and I think it was just an ill attempt at comedy. He has apologized for what he did and there is not much else you can do about a situation like that except to learn from it.
ReplyDelete