Bad teacher tells kid he could go to jail for criticizing Obama

This North Carolina teacher probably qualifies as the country's worst history teacher, judging by reports of her behavior this week.

Tanya Dixon-Neely was suspended with pay after yelling at a student and telling him it was wrong to criticize President Obama, according to news reports.

The class at North Rowan High School in Spencer, N.C. was discussing the presidential election and reports that Republican candidate Mitt Romney had bullied a fellow student in high school. Kids in the class then began arguing about whether Obama had also admitted bullying a girl when he was in high school.

A video posted to YouTube -- apparently recorded on a student's cell phone -- shows Dixon-Neely telling student Hunter Rogers that there is no comparison between Romney and Obama because Romney is running for President and Obama is the President. "Listen, let me tell you something, you will not disrespect the president of the United States in this classroom," she tells Rogers. She goes on to tell him that people were arrested for slandering President George W. Bush and asked if he realized that he isn't supposed to say bad things about the President.

The student she was arguing with showed a far better grasp of the law than the adult history teacher: "They cannot take away your right to have your opinion … They can't take that away unless you threaten the president," he told her, asserting his right to freedom of speech.

Of course Rogers is right and the teacher is dead wrong. If you could be thrown in prison for disrespecting and saying bad things about a President, half the country would be locked up right now.

Dixon-Neely could have snapped for any number of reasons, but one thing is certain: she demonstrated poor knowledge of this country and what it stands for. Luckily, Rogers and his classmates all knew better.