Recently retired from a 40-year career in public education, I have led dozens of field trips, some with over 100 students in attendance. These trips demand a lot of organization and help from parents who want their kids to have a special educational travel experience. Besides the obvious safety issues, the most important item I impressed dealt with the way my students behaved themselves. They were told that their behavior not only reflected their character, but the character of our school, the community and me as well. I am very proud to say that my students always made me proud that I was their teacher and field trip leader. Simply, their behavior made me look good! So, I am not only outraged by the actions of those students; I am horrified to imagine the shame that the adult in charge of field trip must feel.
But after seeing so many “MAGA” hats on these students and learning they were there protesting on behalf of the “Right to Life” movement, I realize that these kids were probably led by an adult who impressed his/her particular ideology on them. Their chanting of “build that wall” as the Native American gentleman tried to continue his religious practice illustrated adult leadership that actually might have instigated this outrageous behavior. If this is the case, that person, whether a teacher or parent, must be called out for this and made an example of poor organization and inexcusably unintelligent leadership, possibly encouraged by the behavior of our president.
I wish the Catholic Diocese of Lexington the strength it needs to encourage diocese leaders to find out the teacher or parent in charge of this trip, because that disrespectful, youthful mob has tainted not only CCHS, but the community, the state of Kentucky and the Catholic church. Their organization might salvage some positive optic value with a public show of disapproval to this adult who, by allowing the confrontation to happen, has fomented children’s attitudes of bigotry, disrespect and intolerance. This act will also illustrate the church’s willingness to quickly and forcefully deal with an important issue instead of pushing it “under the rug,” thereby teaching students in schools across the nation that such behavior is wrong.
Mark Dressler, Former Performing Arts Director/Teacher, Laguna Beach Unified Schools
Please write your apologies to all that you offended! Rushing to judgement is not a wise moved , the truth has many layers. You should’ve made the “facts” fit your preordained narrative. This is a great teachable moment!
Waiting on your apology!
Mr.Dressler I believe you owe these students an apology ! Sooner than later! Please don’t push it “under the rug”! It’s a teachable moment.
Mister Dressler, you got everything wrong, as Progressives always do. The unfathomable arrogance of your comment, “these kids were probably led by an adult who impressed his/her particular ideology on them.” Teachers and professors have been brainwashing kids for fifty years, impressing their, and your, Leftist ideology on them. This prompted the late Milton Friedman, professor and Nobel Laureate, to state “Public education is a socialist monopoly, a real one.”
The Native American did not “try to continue his religious practice.” He attempted to intervene by bringing peace when Leftists, such as you, decried and condemned the freedom of speech of Christian youth, which you so desperately want silenced, at any cost.
“In 1950, we spent (in 1989 dollars) $1,333 per student. In 1989 we spent $4931. As John Silber, the President of Boston University, has written, ‘It is troubling that this nearly fourfold increase in real spending has brought no improvement. It is scandalous that it has not prevented substantial decline.’ ” – William J. Bennett, former Secretary of Education, in The De-Valuing of America
Over thirty million unborn babies have been slaughtered for the lie of Norma MccCorvey, who claimed she had been raped in Roe V. Wade. She had not, and that evil decision should be overturned on the basis of perjured testimony, as so many other court decisions have been properly overturned.
WOW!!! Really, WOW…and you were in charge of our children? Very disturbing…Perhaps too much drama and not enough real life in your world. Your little angels vs. these damn kids…lol. I have a crazy idea…try watching your news somewhere else because mainstream media is a joke and this is what comes from it. Well said John!
Mr. Dressler, I’m so grateful you are no longer teaching our students at LBHS. You LTE is a prime example of someone who I don’t want in the classroom with your leftist factually inaccurate rants and pure political agenda. As a teacher, aren’t you supposed to be factual and not just parrot the biased left wing media fake news? Teachers are supposed to encourage their students to seek and learn facts, not fiction, and not re-write history to serve a political purpose. The only indoctrination going on here is the liberal agenda being shoved down our children’ proverbial throats by what used to be university liberal indoctrination. Unfortunately the leftist liberal agenda has now seeped into our high schools, and even middle school and grade schools. Still, I’m glad you wrote your LTE, as it exposes your and those like you who spew falsehoods to promote your political agenda.
I too would like a written apology in a letter to the editor. See if you can be accurate with your apology.
Hypocrisy is what upsets me the most. I don’t care if you are a liberal or a conservative. Hypocrisy has to stop. I’m proud of the Covington boys, the parents and the school. Mark Dressler doesn’t describe the events that lead the Covington boys to act that way. Beginning in the morning, the boys were taunted by the native Indians inside a catholic church, where they were in the middle of a private church service. Later that day, at the Lincoln memorial, 15 black men, who identify as the Hebrew Israelites verbally attacked them. Calling the boys young Klansmen, fagots, incest babies and more. Than, the liberal Indians approached the boys. Banging drums and continuing to work directly into the middle of the group. Could the boys handled the situation better, maybe. But, they were targeted, harassed by ADULTS. blaming THE BOYS OR A HAT is simplistic. It’s the adults that applied childlike emotions to adult issues.