Mr. Peterson is my favorite teacher from all of high school because he exposed us to challenging material that kept us interested and taught us new perspectives in literature and life. Losing him would be incredibly detremental to Arcadia High School, and would put a very sour image of the school as a whole. If they claim to foster an environment of learning and education, they have to keep Mr. Peterson. He is an incredible teacher, and definitely has touched not only my, but numerous other students', lives. Six years later, and I still talk about and re-read stories he taught in Freshman year of high school.
R
Rebecca Smith
11 years ago
Where suspicion fills the air and holds scholars in line for fear of their jobs, there can be no exercise of the free intellect. . . . A problem can no longer be pursued with impunity to its edges. Fear stalks the classroom. The teacher is no longer a stimulant to adventurous thinking; she becomes instead a pipe line for safe and sound information. A deadening dogma takes the place of free inquiry. Instruction tends to become sterile; pursuit of knowledge is discouraged; discussion often leaves off where it should begin. Justice William O. Douglas, United States Supreme Court: Adler v. Board of Education, 1951.
E
Elise Goyette
11 years ago
Support for David Peterson
J
Joshua Butts
11 years ago
All texts are relevant. Teenagers should not be treated like children. They are students. Scholars. They should also be challenged.
P
Paul W Sanders
11 years ago
Scottsdale resident, Arcadia district
L
Laurie Silver
11 years ago
I suppost Mr. Peterson's reading list choices - it's literature. This is a witch hunt.
A
Anita Taylor
11 years ago
Shame
A
Adam Dalva
11 years ago
Go Mr. Peterson!
E
Elisa Narin van Court
11 years ago
All great teachers teach challenging material--that's what we do.
F
Florence Dore
11 years ago
Associate Professor of Contemproary American Fiction, UNC-CHapel Hill
J
Joy Maran
11 years ago
Some of the best works are the controversial ones; they encourage me to think creatively.
M
Mark Bixby
11 years ago
As an English teacher at a school that gives a lot of liberty to teachers to teach compelling (and sometimes controversial) work, I know that many of those challenging texts (taught/discussed in a safe and supportive environment) create compelling links between teachers, students, literature and life. It's a shame to exercise censorship in this way.
I
Ivania holland
11 years ago
mr. Peterson is allowing students to rech their highest potencial. Please let him continúe to edúcate Well.
P
Pamela McLellan
11 years ago
Mr. Peterson taught my children and was an excelllent inspirational teacher . He knows his subject and does an excellletn job in getting the students to delve into literature and get them reading ( not easy to do with teens). I can't believe that this issue is here about firing a fantastic teacher. And we wonder why the schools do so badly in Arizona. We buy million (or billlion) dollar programs and get rid of great teachers. I sure hope you all really think through this..
C
Cecilie Hammershoy
11 years ago
Prove that you are e citizen in the free world, by not firiing a man over literature.
J
James Alex McLellan
11 years ago
I became an outdoor educator because of Mr. Peterson. Every day I interact with my students, I draw from his masterful techniques to connect and keep them engaged. The artistic material presented in his class is vital to keeping teens interested in a subject that is often dreaded. I can only hope to be half the educator he is. Thank you for being there Mr. P!
D
Daniel Johnson
11 years ago
Good literature classes expanded my world in high school. I would like to see a world where more students have that opportunity.
N
Nichole Krinberg
11 years ago
I dropped out of Cindy Golab's mindless AP class my freshman year at Arcadia to be in a learning environment, that environment happened to be Mr. Peterson's class. The debates and literature were not force fed nor were the conversations geared towards the social status of the kids or hearing an ignorant diatrib or worse the history of how many siblingsof the student body the teacher taught
Mr. Peterson is my favorite teacher from all of high school because he exposed us to challenging material that kept us interested and taught us new perspectives in literature and life. Losing him would be incredibly detremental to Arcadia High School, and would put a very sour image of the school as a whole. If they claim to foster an environment of learning and education, they have to keep Mr. Peterson. He is an incredible teacher, and definitely has touched not only my, but numerous other students', lives. Six years later, and I still talk about and re-read stories he taught in Freshman year of high school.
Where suspicion fills the air and holds scholars in line for fear of their jobs, there can be no exercise of the free intellect. . . . A problem can no longer be pursued with impunity to its edges. Fear stalks the classroom. The teacher is no longer a stimulant to adventurous thinking; she becomes instead a pipe line for safe and sound information. A deadening dogma takes the place of free inquiry. Instruction tends to become sterile; pursuit of knowledge is discouraged; discussion often leaves off where it should begin. Justice William O. Douglas, United States Supreme Court: Adler v. Board of Education, 1951.
Support for David Peterson
All texts are relevant. Teenagers should not be treated like children. They are students. Scholars. They should also be challenged.
Scottsdale resident, Arcadia district
I suppost Mr. Peterson's reading list choices - it's literature. This is a witch hunt.
Shame
Go Mr. Peterson!
All great teachers teach challenging material--that's what we do.
Associate Professor of Contemproary American Fiction, UNC-CHapel Hill
Some of the best works are the controversial ones; they encourage me to think creatively.
As an English teacher at a school that gives a lot of liberty to teachers to teach compelling (and sometimes controversial) work, I know that many of those challenging texts (taught/discussed in a safe and supportive environment) create compelling links between teachers, students, literature and life. It's a shame to exercise censorship in this way.
mr. Peterson is allowing students to rech their highest potencial. Please let him continúe to edúcate Well.
Mr. Peterson taught my children and was an excelllent inspirational teacher . He knows his subject and does an excellletn job in getting the students to delve into literature and get them reading ( not easy to do with teens). I can't believe that this issue is here about firing a fantastic teacher. And we wonder why the schools do so badly in Arizona. We buy million (or billlion) dollar programs and get rid of great teachers. I sure hope you all really think through this..
Prove that you are e citizen in the free world, by not firiing a man over literature.
I became an outdoor educator because of Mr. Peterson. Every day I interact with my students, I draw from his masterful techniques to connect and keep them engaged. The artistic material presented in his class is vital to keeping teens interested in a subject that is often dreaded. I can only hope to be half the educator he is. Thank you for being there Mr. P!
Good literature classes expanded my world in high school. I would like to see a world where more students have that opportunity.
I dropped out of Cindy Golab's mindless AP class my freshman year at Arcadia to be in a learning environment, that environment happened to be Mr. Peterson's class. The debates and literature were not force fed nor were the conversations geared towards the social status of the kids or hearing an ignorant diatrib or worse the history of how many siblingsof the student body the teacher taught
[email protected]
I just wish there was some Bret Easton Ellis on the syllabus!