Language Teacher Fired For Using ‘Homophones’
Utah has never been known as the pinnacle of education. There are communities in Utah that are almost entirely homeschooled, especially in the southern part of the state. When Warren Jeffs told followers to take their kids out of public schools, enrollment at the school that serves the sect’s home base of Colorado City, Ariz., and Hildale, Utah, dropped from about 1,200 students to 230.
Tim Torkildson, Teacher Fired For Teaching “Homophones”
The Nomen Global Language Center in Provo is far from Hildale, but the BYU city has many extremely devout LDS members. A recent firing of a language teacher over teaching the concept of homophones points to exactly how bigoted and ignorant a large section of the Utah population may be.
People at this level of English may see the ‘homo’ side and think it has something to do with gay sex,” the owner, Clarke Woodger, allegedly told Tim Torkildson while firing him last week. He then continued, “I’m letting you go because I can’t trust you, this blog about homophones was the last straw. Now our school is going to be associated with homosexuality.”
Spending just fifteen seconds on the intertubes could have educated Mr. Woodger that a homophone is merely a word that sounds exactly like another word, only spelled differently with different meanings. Examples would be which and witch, or sight and site or the most commonly botched words there, their and they’re.
I’m certainly not accusing families who choose to homeschool their children of being irresponsible. However, from personal experience in working with children, I’ve seen parents who are relatively disinterested in matters of education, who are barely high school graduates, choosing to educate their own children. The amount of ignorance in some of these kids is stunning. The rules for homeschooling are pretty vague. Truth is, homeschooling is essentially unregulated in Utah. Utah school districts are forbidden from making parents keep records of instruction or attendance, requiring them to have any teaching qualificationsor testing home-school students.
Times certainly have changed with the homeschooling population. Let’s compare two very different eras.
- 1960s -70s: Most homeschooling parents were members of the counter-cultural Liberal Left (academically and/or socially motivated pedagogues; New Age-ers, hippies, homesteaders)
- 2007: Fifty-eight percent of homeschoolers were “fundamentalists;” however, only thirty-three percent cited religious reasons for homeschooling.
Some parents believe that it is “a God-given right to home-school their children. These families tend to live and die by the word of the Bible and try to use this theory as a means of casting out state monitoring from their home-school program.” It seems the homeschooling trend is edging towards the “Don’t Tread On Me” mindset, where the government should not interfere with ANYTHING. I just hope when they have a gas leak or a road in terrible disrepair, they start to understand that government interference is sometimes the only way a society can help one another.
Click here for reuse options!Copyright 2014 Liberaland
By: VegasJessie
A resident of Las Vegas Nevada, a graduate of the University of Oklahoma as a Political Science major. Very motivated to get people to participate in the electoral process.
R.J. Carter July 31st, 2014 at 14:08
Only in Utah are homophones used for Dial-a-Gay.
Eric Trommater July 31st, 2014 at 15:00
Is Dial-a-Gay a thing? I’m um asking for a friend.
Anomaly 100 July 31st, 2014 at 15:17
My BFF would love to know about this dialing gays thingy.
R.J. Carter July 31st, 2014 at 14:08
Only in Utah are homophones used for Dial-a-Gay.
Eric Trommater July 31st, 2014 at 15:00
Is Dial-a-Gay a thing? I’m um asking for a friend.
Anomaly 100 July 31st, 2014 at 15:17
My BFF would love to know about this dialing gays thingy.
R.J. Carter July 31st, 2014 at 14:09
The vocabulary lessons will be shorter, now that they have to cut out homonyms.
But their milk must be more expensive, since it can’t be homogenized.
M A G July 31st, 2014 at 14:12
Laughing!
Anomaly 100 July 31st, 2014 at 14:25
So I guess saying Homosapiens is verbotten, too?
Annie July 31st, 2014 at 19:57
I assume no mention will be made of homoerectus either
Anomaly 100 July 31st, 2014 at 19:59
I am soo glad you brought that up.
Sincerely,
Dirty ol’ lady
mmaynard119 August 1st, 2014 at 13:29
There are gay maple trees?
Eric Trommater July 31st, 2014 at 14:09
If only the owner had watched the religious program Veggie Tales with his kids like I did he would have never made that mistake. The irony of course is that the “homo” in homophones actually uses the long o it’s not even a homophone.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0J-T2lr0Ms
R.J. Carter July 31st, 2014 at 14:09
The vocabulary lessons will be shorter, now that they have to cut out homonyms.
But their milk must be more expensive, since it can’t be homogenized.
MIAtheistGal July 31st, 2014 at 14:12
Laughing!
Anomaly 100 July 31st, 2014 at 14:25
So I guess saying Homosapiens is verbotten, too?
R.J. Carter July 31st, 2014 at 14:26
They’ll grudgingly accept that, but anyone reading X-Men during study hall will be expelled for promoting that whole Homo superior philosophy.
Anomaly 100 July 31st, 2014 at 14:50
Now that’s harsh.
tiredoftea July 31st, 2014 at 15:03
Wait, so they can’t read a science book, either?
Annie July 31st, 2014 at 19:57
I assume no mention will be made of homoerectus either
Anomaly 100 July 31st, 2014 at 19:59
I am soo glad you brought that up.
Sincerely,
Dirty ol’ lady
Annie July 31st, 2014 at 20:00
I’m always bringing these things up. It’s no wonder my friends call me ‘the slut’ :P
Anomaly 100 July 31st, 2014 at 21:02
Wear that name like a badge of honor!
Annie July 31st, 2014 at 21:05
I do! I do!
Anomaly 100 July 31st, 2014 at 21:25
Me too.. Me too! I mean, I’m not a slut:-)
mmaynard119 August 1st, 2014 at 13:29
There are gay maple trees?
Eric Trommater July 31st, 2014 at 14:09
If only the owner had watched the religious program Veggie Tales with his kids like I did he would have never made that mistake. The irony of course is that the “homo” in homophones doesn’t use the long o it’s not even a homophone.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0J-T2lr0Ms
M A G July 31st, 2014 at 14:17
Shamelessly stolen from Billy Jackson: good thing she didn’t bring up homo-erectus. ;)
R.J. Carter July 31st, 2014 at 14:25
Now, homosexuals with erections have NO place in our public education. Geez!
MIAtheistGal July 31st, 2014 at 14:17
Shamelessly stolen from Billy Jackson: good thing she didn’t bring up homo-erectus. ;)
Eric Trommater July 31st, 2014 at 14:22
I hear we’re all a little homo sapien.
R.J. Carter July 31st, 2014 at 14:37
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mY711HJK7pg
R.J. Carter July 31st, 2014 at 14:25
Now, homosexuals with erections have NO place in our public education. Geez!
NW10 July 31st, 2014 at 14:23
I heard about this story on Stephanie Miller. So ridiculous.
(((NW10,PATRIOT! ✓ᵛᵉʳᶦᶠᶦᵉᵈ))) July 31st, 2014 at 14:23
I heard about this story on Stephanie Miller. So ridiculous.
labman57 July 31st, 2014 at 14:28
I could imagine what this idiot owner thinks is taking place in the nation’s biology classrooms:
“Beware of the homozygous genotype — it will make people gay.”
labman57 July 31st, 2014 at 14:28
I could imagine what this idiot owner thinks is taking place in the nation’s biology classrooms:
“Beware of the homozygous genotype — it will make people gay.”
Tammy Minton Haley July 31st, 2014 at 14:34
and some wonder why the states are 27th in overall testing against other industrialized countries…
Tammy Minton Haley July 31st, 2014 at 14:34
and some wonder why the states are 27th in overall testing against other industrialized countries…
R.J. Carter July 31st, 2014 at 14:37
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mY711HJK7pg
bhil July 31st, 2014 at 14:45
How about “homogenized?” cast out your milk it leads to homosexual behavior !
neworleans878 July 31st, 2014 at 16:20
Never did trust them cows…forcing their bovine gay lifestyle on us!
bhil July 31st, 2014 at 16:26
Just wait this will be in the Republican platform come election time.
mmaynard119 August 1st, 2014 at 13:31
Yes, at least one cast member of the Big Bang Theory is gay.
bhil July 31st, 2014 at 14:45
How about “homogenized?” cast out your milk it leads to homosexual behavior !
nola878 July 31st, 2014 at 16:20
Never did trust them cows…forcing their bovine gay lifestyle on us!
bhil July 31st, 2014 at 16:26
Just wait this will be in the Republican platform come election time.
mmaynard119 August 1st, 2014 at 13:31
Yes, at least one cast member of the Big Bang Theory is gay.
Anomaly 100 July 31st, 2014 at 14:50
Now that’s harsh.
tiredoftea July 31st, 2014 at 15:03
Wait, so they can’t read a science book, either?
uzza July 31st, 2014 at 16:01
Since he’s resisting the call for puns, I feel compelled to add a correlation:
60s-70s America landed people on the moon
2000s America landed bombs on the Middle East.
——-
(Having said that, if you don’t read the comments on Raw Story’s article, you are totally missing out.)