Freshwater like a College Professor

The following testimony took place between 1:22 P.M. and 1:49 P.M. on 1/16/09.

Brian Gastin, English teacher at Mount Vernon High School, was brought as a witness for the defense in the Freshwater termination hearings.

Two of Gastin’s children were in John Freshwater’s class. According to Gastin, his children had no complaints about Freshwater. Just the opposite. They had praise for Freshwater.

One of Gastin’s children, Cory, is now a junior at Mount Vernon Nazarene University. Cory told his dad that the way the professors at college make the students think is like the way Freshwater taught. “I sit and listen to my professors in college—it sounds a lot like sitting in Freshwater’s class,” Gastin said his son told him.

While in Freshwater’s class, Gastin’s son had the Tesla coil used on him. The device tickled, Gastin said Corry told him. Gastin never heard from his son any word that the device had harmed him.

Gastin never saw Freshwater teach from the Bible, but the only teaching in Freshwater’s classroom that he has seen is when he would walk by the classroom. The times that Gastin was in Freshwater’s classroom for student/teacher conferences, Gastin reported never seeing a Bible on Freshwater’s desk.

Gastin brought to the hearing the Bible that he keeps in his own classroom. “It’s old like me,” Gastin said. It is a Faith, Parkers edition, large print. Gastin said that he puts the Bible where he happens to be when break ends, or lunch ends. He has sometimes left it out where students could see it.

(Community members gather for prayer outside the Mount Vernon Middle School, August 4, 2008.)

In addition to his personal Bible, Gastin brought a plaque that he keeps in his classroom. It shows a painting of Jesus. The plaque, which was willed to him by his grandparents, has been with him 25 years. Gastin said that he keeps it behind his desk, down on the floor and tilted towards him. It reminds him of his grandparents and of what they did and what he wants to be like.

The painting on the plaque is of a scene where Jesus is knocking on a door. “He did not say as I kick the door in,” Gastin said. “He said as I stand at the door and knock.”

No one has given him parameters of how to deal with religion in the classroom, Gastin said. Students would ask questions about Easter when it was that time of year. Gastin said that he would explain to them that that holiday had different names for different people.

Gastin said that he has seen four or five other teachers with Bibles at the school.

Kelly Hamilton asked Gastin about his knowledge of the Colin Powell/Bush poster. Gastin said the poster came out following the 911 attacks. He remembers seeing the poster in one of the school’s hallways. Gastin said the copy he had in his classroom probably came from a student.

The poster is no longer in Gastin’s classroom. A school administrator was in the classroom and asked him if there was anything in the room that would be a problem or that she needed to look at, Gastin said. The administrator suggested that Gastin cut the Bible verse off (James 5:16) that was printed along the top of the poster, and keep the rest of the poster, Gastin said. She did not order him to take any action on the poster.

Gastin said it was his own choice to take the poster down. The poster was old, was not staying up well, and with the upcoming change of President, it was outdated, Gastin said. That and he would rather take the whole thing down instead of compromising and taking the Bible verse off it, Gastin said.

Under cross examination by David Millstone, attorney for the school board, Gastin said, “I didn’t sense any concern on her part” that there was a religious verse on the poster.

Head Teacher at High School: Never Said Freshwater’s Students Needed Re-taught

The following testimony took place between 1:05 P.M. and 1:18 P.M. on 1/16/09.

The report by H.R. On Call, Inc contained the statement, “During interviews high school science teachers expressed frustration and concern regarding having to ‘re-teach’ concepts that in their opinion had been improperly taught by Mr. Freshwater at the eighth grade level.”

John Frye was called as a witness for the defense. Frye has been a teacher in the Mount Vernon city school system for 22 to 23 years. The high school’s website lists him as “Head Teacher.”

Frye said that he never had a conversation with anyone, school officials or H.R. On Call, about Freshwater’s students needing re-taught. He does not remember having to re-teach Freshwater’s students.

Frye did explain that with the freshman class, re-teaching them is something you have to do. (So technically, then, all freshmen are re-taught. Frye may have been talking about things that students forget over the summer.)

Last year Frye had a daughter in the eighth grade. She was not in Freshwater’s science class, but daughter was in FCA. Frye had no complaints from his daughter.

Frye had no knowledge of the Tesla coil experiment.

During the fifteen years that Frye coached with Freshwater, Frye never saw Freshwater preach at the sports practices.

The only location that Frye saw the Colin Powell/Bush poster was in Freshwater’s classroom. Frye said that he has seen Bibles around the school in cabinets and on bookshelves. One teacher that he was able to name as having a Bible at the school is Brian Gastin.

Kelly Hamilton asked Frye about the school’s religion policy. Frye said that he is unable to recite the exact policy and that he never had any training in that matter.

In the ninth grade, there is a lot of material to cover so there is not really a chance to teach beyond the grade level, Frye said. He is not aware of prohibiting of teaching beyond the grade level.

Frye said that teachers do not have to get permission to bring in extra material to supplement the lessons, as long as it is on the subject matter being taught. Frye has brought movies to class and said that the only stipulation is that they are not “R” rated.

Never Spoke to H.R. On Call

The following testimony took place between 11:36 A.M. and 11:52 A.M. on 1/16/09.

A teacher with a classroom across the hall from John Freshwater’s class was not interviewed by H.R. On Call, Inc. during its investigation last spring. The teacher, Sara Malone, has been a seventh grade history* teacher at Mount Vernon Middle School for the last five years.

Malone said that during the last school year her classroom was close enough to Freshwater’s that she would often stop by in between periods to see what Freshwater was up to.

At Friday’s Freshwater termination hearing, Malone was called as a witness for the defense.

(The Freshwater termination hearing is taking place in the Knox County Service Center.)

Malone testified that she had the Tesla coil tried on her last year. It was “just a little shock,” not an experience that she would describe as painful. It was run across her very quickly, maybe for a second.

The Tesla coil did not give her red skin, raised skin or blisters, Malone said.

Malone’s daughter was in Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) and interacted with Freshwater. “She enjoyed [Freshwater] as an FCA advisor,” Malone said. Her daughter never had any complaints about Freshwater and “she enjoyed those times that she actually got to be in his class,” Malone said.

Malone never saw Freshwater preaching from his Bible, but she never spent time in his class during class hours.

Malone said that she sometimes has her personal Bible out at school. Two other teachers she is aware of having a Bible out are Freshwater and Lori Miller.

As a history teacher, Malone deals with religion in the material she covers. Easter and Good Friday are subjects that might come up when talking about Christianity. The children do ask her questions about religion, such as one question that comes up almost every year: How does a person know what religion is true? Malone said that her response is to say, “That is a personal choice.”

Kelly Hamilton, Freshwater’s attorney, asked her if a teacher can teach beyond the grade level.

Malone said that the teachers try to make connections to the things the students will be taught in the future. She has taught things that are reserved for the higher grades. One of those things was the formation of democracy “a mini unit on American government, on Greece and Rome” –a sub unit of a larger unit that she was teaching.

Malone uses internet resources, literature, books from different cultures and primary documents when possible. She uses movies that shed light on culture. Even shows regular movies: Prince of Egypt, Aladdin, Jason and the Argonauts. Malone explained that these are things that expand on the cultural elements that the class is covering. She said that she did not have to get outside approval to bring in any of these resources.

*note: I understood Malone to say that she was a history teacher, but the middle school website lists her as a Social Studies teacher. (Maybe she does both.)