Teacher penalizes students for saying "bless you"

[Hazcat]

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A Northern California teacher says he doesn't want to hear a common courtesy in his classroom.

He's even lowering students' grades if they say "bless you" after someone sneezes.

Steve Cuckovich says the practice is disrespectful and disruptive. He's banned saying "bless you" in his high school health class in Vacaville.

He even knocked 25 points from one student's grade for saying the phrase in class.

Cuckovich says the policy has nothing to do with religion, but says the phrase is just a outdated practice and disrupts class time.

"When you sneezed in the old days, they thought you were dispelling evil spirits out of your body," Cuckovich said. "So they were saying, 'god bless you' for getting rid of evil spirits. But today, I said what you're doing doesn't really make any sense anymore."

After parents complained about students losing points for saying "bless you", Cuckovich says he decided to stop the practice.

However, the teacher says he will just find another way to discipline students for saying "bless you" in class.

http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?section=news/state&id=8372183

Another a-hole that needs to be unemployed!

[BAC]

WTF?

[MikeBjerum]

Would it be appropriate in this teacher's presence to respond to a sneeze by saying "Keep your damn germs to yourself!"?  I don't think that is outdated in this day and age of paranoia over germs and hand sanitizer.

 

[Timothy]

Vacaville is out in the boonies between SF and Sacramento.  Half are hippie, communist homosexuals and the others are like TAB.....

[crusader rabbit]

Vacaville is out in the boonies between SF and Sacramento.  Half are hippie, communist homosexuals and the others are like TAB.....

To add a bit more to Tim's accurate assessment, the name of the town comes from the Spanish word vaca which translates as "cow."

It is the epitome of "cow-town."  And, with the amount of cow-pies available, the magic mushroom harvest is a regular celebration.

[Sponsor]

[Big Frank]

It's never made sense to me to say bless you when someone sneezes but that doesn't mean people should be punished for it. Gimme a freakin break.

[ellis4538]

I heard someplace that saying "Bless you" was to keep the evil spirit you just expelled (and any other lurking around) from re-entering your body.  Don't have a clue when or what the circumstances were.

FWIW


Richard

[twyacht]

I heard someplace that saying "Bless you" was to keep the evil spirit you just expelled (and any other lurking around) from re-entering your body.  Don't have a clue when or what the circumstances were.

FWIW


Richard

Historically, like middle earth, knights and maiden times,...the violent act of such a purging reaction, was surmised that one could actually expel one's soul, or lose one's inner spirit....leaving you vulnerable to the devil....

So, in many different languages, mostly old Europe, "Bless You", was quickly the retort, to protect you from evil spirits.

Anyway, when is enough, enough? I'll bet if every parent that finds this offensive went to the school, say at 9:00 a.m. and demanded to speak with this idiot "educator",....she would back down....

Seeing how she is probably union,.....she cannot get fired for this,....just transferred at best.

 

[philw]

they make a point of saying that at my little one's school

and she will say excuse me to us  is she sneezes and the Mrs or I did not say it.


makes you wonder what the next generation will end up being like........  when getting taught by arse clowns like that....

have they blamed Bush for this one yet...

[Solus]

I used to tell folks  "Gesundheit" meant  "Hope you choke"

I guess that would count as a disruption also.