Iran Physics Teacher Improvises Gravity Lesson: Watch Gays Tossed From Roofs

He came up with the ingenious idea after the older sibling of a student was convicted of homosexual activity and sentenced to death.

Tehran, May 27 – Sanctions imposed on the Islamic republic have compounded an economic crunch in the country that already challenges the budgets of numerous public institutions such as schools, forcing educators to find creative ways to teach their specialties without access to didactic resources they enjoyed during better times; one such teacher has found a compelling new way to convey principles of Newtonian attraction without breaking the bank: have students watch homosexuals get thrown off the tops of buildings, and use those real-life observations to understand the concepts.

Amsush Affagh, 30, teaches physics at a high school here in the capital, and has hit upon a money-saving way to help his charges grasp gravity: conduct easy field trips to witness the execution of gays, whose sexual activity is a capital offense under Iran’s Islamic code of law, and who face execution by methods that include getting thrown from rooftops – though on occasion the authorities resort to hanging by construction crane, which offers a different angle on the science of the process.

“We have to adapt to the budgetary shortfall,” he explained. “The American-led sanctions effort is putting the squeeze on every part of our life, especially those of us who earn a living in the public sector. Well, I mean everyone who isn’t secret intelligence, military, paramilitary, or well-connected.”

Affagh came up with the ingenious idea after the older sibling of a student was convicted of homosexual activity and sentenced to death. “Most of my student’s friends were quiet about it, but I knew I had to do something – and what better way to respond to the situation than by making it a teachable moment? I enlisted the principal’s help in making a few phone calls, and both of my physics classes will be right there in the front row, where we can apply those theoretical equations to real-life events. I am so excited.”

“We’ll need to record it and make notes as we play it back,” he predicted. “Acceleration may look like just a bunch of numbers, but a body falling from an eight-floor height still hits the ground in a hurry. We won’t have time for much instruction or application in real time. The real number-crunching will come later, back in the classroom. I can’t wait to see how the brother and his friends react to this – I bet they’re going to be the most intensely excited about this, what with how close they are to the story.”

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