Teacher Confiscates Linux Discs, Claims There is No Free Software
Let us just say that we hate IM-speak and Webby abbreviations, but being that this is a family-friendly publication, a simple "WTF" will have to suffice for our reaction on this one.
Our minds are really blown by this:
A middle school teacher, Karen, had a mini-meltdown when she spotted a student showing off the capabilities of his Linux-powered laptop and handing out Linux discs provided by HeliOS, a organization dedicated to putting low-cost, Linux-powered PC in the hands of under-privileged children. She confiscated the CDs and set out to make sure the evil man behind this free software was prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
When she landed on Ken Starks, founder of HeliOS, she sent him a tersely worded e-mail. Here are some of the absurd highlights:
"I am not sure what you are doing is legal. No software is free and spreading that misconception is harmful."
"I will research this as time allows and I want to assure you, if you are doing anything illegal, I will pursue charges as the law allows."
"I admire your attempts in getting computers in the hands of disadvantaged people but putting Linux on these machines is holding our kids back."
"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..."
We know that many people out there are not aware of, or at least not well-educated about Linux, but to claim that there is no such thing as free software is so bone-headed that we strongly suggest this woman be stripped of her teaching license. Even Microsoft, the company she evangelizes for at the end of her e-mail, offers numerous free software packages.
Ken Starks did eventually get an apology from Karen after having a 45 minute conversation with her explaining (in more polite terms than we're capable of, we're sure) Linux and the Free Open Source Software (FOSS) movement. According to a post on Twitter she was "in awe." [From: Download Squad, HeliOS Blog]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
brarsh. try6943 said 12:35PM on 12-12-2008
If there is no free software, then taking the disks was theft, and should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
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Lin said 1:20PM on 12-12-2008
This teacher is an idiot and should be fired. What she did was wrong, and no matter HOW you look at it, she committed THEFT!
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louis said 1:25PM on 12-12-2008
Did this happen in Florida? It must have happened in Florida. Every unimaginable thing under the sun happens there.
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Shadowguitar said 2:05PM on 12-12-2008
I don't like advocating the firing of teachers, mainly because we need as many as we can get, but this lady is obviously not suited to teach children right now. She ignored the student's explanation and stole the CDs he was handing out. There really should be some sort of punishment for this. Maybe not firing, but at least a stern talking-to.
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nightqueen said 4:44PM on 12-12-2008
The thing is - middle school students lie - frequently. I teach middle school, and have had students accuse me of stealing their cell phones, and all sorts of things. If the teacher was of the (admittedly stupid) impression that there is no such thing as free software, then she could have thought that either the student was misinformed, had been lied to himself, or that he was just lying in an attempt to not get it taken away. She did not "steal" anything. You have no idea how hard it is being a middle school teacher. It is at times like being a prison guard, and you have to somehow nab the criminals while handling the poor sweet babies with kid gloves. Everything you do can be second-guessed and turned against you. Let's say there really wasn't any such thing as free software - then the teacher could have been accused of aiding criminal activity. And just because she is uninformed in this one area doesn't mean she is a bad teacher - just in need of more training. It is impossible to be an expert in all areas.
Ian said 3:30PM on 12-12-2008
ok she should really just look up linux on the internet. then she would realize that it is an open source program that anyone can use.
she should apologies to the student, to Starks and to the world in general...
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COMPUTERSCOTT2 said 3:35PM on 12-12-2008
Now you know why I home-school my kids. My kids wanted to go to public school after seeing high school musical, so we sent them. FOR ONE DAY! My neighbors kid was in the same 1st grade class as my daughter. She was in the "Gifted" class and they were writing their P's and Q's. The book they gave for home work over the weekend my first grade daughter had finished before we were a mile away from the school. My other daughter was in 2nd grade and they were both learning things that we had taught in pre-school through home schooling. No way were we going to have our children Left Behind! The "No child left behind" act seems to leave a lot of children behind.....
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zargon said 9:57PM on 12-13-2008
Except, with out exposure to a real social environment, your kids are going to be those socially awkward kids. I will never claim schools, public or private, to be perfect, but being book smart will only get you so far. There are a lot of life lessons learned while in a social environment at school.
GHynson said 8:45PM on 12-12-2008
Everyone should find this teachers address and snail-mail her copies of linux distos.
I wouldn't mind sending her a few 500+ cd's.
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Lazy Trainer said 9:16AM on 12-13-2008
And we wonder why our education system is in so much trouble?
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Sally G said 4:55PM on 12-18-2008
Wow! Not only is this woman computer-illiterate, but she is not serving students well by being unaware of resources available to them. It's hard to imagine that she considered the particular student passing out these disks; if the student was a regular con-artist type, she might have some excuse, but from the report here she's simply close-minded and a subscriber to the "Microsoft knows everything about computers" philosophy.
In a sense, the teacher is right; software does cost money to develop (which is why I will never pirate software, though I do use established freeware). However, there is a large community of open-source and freeware program providers into which she could be tapping for class resources. Sometimes what's free is just a tease to get you to buy a more expensive product; sometimes its an altruistic contribution to the larger community. I'm glad she learned that.
I hope her students learn from the experience that teachers don't know everything, that one should do one's own research, that snap judgements should be weighed before being acted upon, and to listen before you condemn. It certainly would have been better for all concerned to have a more positive role model in this situation, but I'm glad that the story is calling attention to the wide range of resources available.
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