In an outrageous attack on the academic freedom of a progressive high school teacher, Michael Baker, a long-time social studies teacher at Lincoln (Nebraska) East High, was fired from his job earlier this month for showing the Emmy award winning documentary Baghdad ER.
Baker is one of fewer than 50 teachers in the state of Nebraska with National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certification. NBPTS certification is voluntary and an indication that Baker has meet the highest level of the teacher profession in the US.
Baker cannot talk freely about what happened because he reached an agreement with the school district. Part of that agreement prohibits him from saying anything “disparaging” about it, he says.
Baker hosts the radio program “Room 101,” an interview/call-in show that focuses on progressive education issues. Podcasts of “Room 101” are available here. He recently interviewed the producers and directors Baghdad ER on the show.
Baker expects to continue teaching at Southeast Community College and at the University of Nebraska, where he teaches a course on the history of American public education.
Read the Lincoln Journal Star story on Baker’s forced retirement here.
Read Matthew Rothschild’s (editor of The Progressive magazine) piece on about the firing on CommonDreams.org.
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great post. I read all your tags, and some of the comments left in them. Great teacher. One that every public school student remembers and leaves their students transformed.