When Teachers Are Obstacles To Linux In Education

jamie found this blog post up on the HeliOS Project, which brings Linux to school kids in Austin, TX. It makes very clear some of the obstacles that free software faces in the classroom. It seems a teacher came upon a student demonstrating Linux to other kids and handing out LiveCDs. The teacher confiscated the CDs and wrote an angry email to HeliOS's founder, Ken Starks: "Mr. Starks, I am sure you strongly believe in what you are doing but I cannot either support your efforts or allow them to happen in my classroom. At this point, I am not sure what you are doing is legal. No software is free and spreading that misconception is harmful. ... This is a world where Windows runs on virtually every computer and putting on a carnival show for an operating system is not helping these children at all. I am sure if you contacted Microsoft, they would be more than happy to supply you with copies of an older version of Windows and that way, your computers would actually be of service to those receiving them..." Starks pens an eloquent reply, which contains a factoid I have not seen mentioned before: "The fact that you seem to believe that Microsoft is the end all and be-all is actually funny in a sad sort of way. Then again, being a good NEA member, you would spout the Union line. Microsoft has pumped tens of millions of dollars into your union. Of course you are going to 'recommend' Microsoft Windows."

Comments

Re:Oh dear god

[Anonymous Coward]

Don't fake us out. If this is real just tell us which public school. Its our right to know as tax paying citizens. We'll get the rest of our information directly from the school district.

That's exactly what this situation doesn't need. With 60 comments in the thread, I've already seen two different "outings" of the teacher in question. Having hundreds of well-meaning and dozens of raving emails and phone calls targeted at the school district and the unfortunately misinformed teacher will make the Open Source movement look like children. It's the nature of massive mailing campaigns that the ones remembered are those that are over the top, and those become the characterization of the movement.

TFA says Ken Starks is going to meet with the school's superintendent and the teacher in question for some adult discussion. It's a lot less flamboyant than setting fire to copies of Windows, but it goes directly to the point of introducing Linux to the bureaucracy in professional, credible terms

Re:Let's cut the conspiracy theory

[theaveng]

>>>I then tried to explain about linux and FOSS but he had grown up with the solid idea that nothing worth having is ever free

When explaining complex concepts, it's often better to keep things as simple as possible. I would simply ask the man: "Don't charitable organizations exist to give away free tutoring to students, free food to the hungry, and other volunteer work?" "Yeah." "Well the same organizations exist in the world of computers. They give-away free software to benefit the community." I'd then leave him to think about that for awhile.

>>>The teacher confiscated the CDs and wrote an angry email to HeliOS's founder, Ken Starks:

This is the point where I would take several steps:

(1) Ask the teacher to meet with me so we can discuss why she stole the personal property of my teenager.

(2)(a) If the teacher is not cooperative, I would remind the teacher that theft is still illegal, and that she should return the CDs to my teenager, else she could be prosecuted for criminal acts. (b) Schedule a meeting with the superintendent of the school district to discuss the teacher's stubbornness.

(3)(a) If he is also uncooperative, I would stop paying school taxes to this non-free district. (b) I would then use the money saved to pay the tuition for a private school, or a neighboring public school, that does not violate a young adult's basic rights.

It's a bunch of bullshit that government schools can dictate to teens/parents what OSes they can or can not use. Or what books they can or can not read. Or... Citizens need to fight back when this kind of tyranny happens, not just "give in".

BTW:

My alma mater Elizabethtown College has turned its back on Windoze. They use Linux to run the campus-wide network and for the student labs. I would also mention that in my discussion with the close-minded teacher/superintendent. "Well if Linux is illegal, then why is my college using it?" and see what they say.