Ido not know if we still have civics teachers in Maryland - or if they are called that anymore, or if teachers even have time to introduce the concept of citizenship to their students - but, if so, I think they should consider the Tarburton lesson plan. It went over big at a high school in Massachusetts, leading to a great class discussion about the need for vigilant citizenship, the honor in personal sacrifice and the importance of acting on principle for the greater good.

Robert M. Bell, chief justice of the Maryland Court of Appeals, serves as honorary chairman of the Maryland Center for the Study of History and Civic Education, which promotes teaching initiatives in those subjects. The organization lists lesson plans on its Web site. Judge Bell and the other dignitaries associated with this group might want to add Tarburton to the list.

It goes like this:

George Tarburton, a veteran Maryland Transportation Authority cop, lost his job because he blew the whistle on security lapses in the port of Baltimore during a time when the federal, state and city governments had made homeland security a priority. Unable to get his superiors to attend to what he considered problems - dilapidated fences, malfunctioning alarms, busted surveillance cameras, unattended gates, patrol boats hardly ever used - Tarburton assisted a Sun reporter with a newspaper expose. After his superiors identified him as the Sun's source, they accused Tarburton of violating his department's rules and offered him resignation or dismissal.

Tarburton chose resignation.

Now, two years later, he regrets signing off on this job and the right to reapply for it.

He feels he had acted in the public interest and that a vindictive superior railroaded him out of a job he had for 17 years.

With a new governor in Annapolis, Tarburton has asked to have his old job back, or one similar. However, the O'Malley administration has done nothing to correct the injustice, and Tarburton remains a classic example of the whistleblower hung out to dry.

In Massachusetts, one of his old Marine Corps buddies, Paul Jancewicz, was outraged when he caught wind of Tarburton's dilemma.

Jancewicz teaches history and law at Amesbury High School in Massachusetts, north of Boston. He presented Tarburton's story to his students as a lesson in citizenship.

"I asked my pupils what they thought was correct - saving a job or putting forth the truth for the betterment of society, for security," Jancewicz wrote in an e-mail. "Most students were amazed that a person could be fired for questioning authority. This from the same students who no longer find critical thinking in the curriculum, as test scores seem to now trump such things.

"While they were generally upset to learn that you can be fired for telling the truth, all in all it has been a great learning experience for them - unfortunately, at the expense of a man of integrity, who listened to his inner voice and paid a high price for it."

Jancewicz suggested his students write about the Tarburton case - in part to comfort his old Marine Corps comrade.

"I did not lead my pupils to write what they wrote of the Tarburton Travesty, as I now call it," he added in a subsequent e-mail. "I introduced it as the Tarburton Affair - and I read to them the bare bones of the situation. Within the law course I offer up the need to have an open mind, to see what it is to walk a mile in the shoes of another."

Here are some of the short notes and excerpts of essays written by Jancewicz's students and sent to Tarburton at his home in Dundalk.

Nicholas Eaton: "I was very happy to hear what you did because it was the honorable thing to do. One of the things that my father has always taught me is being honorable. I often get upset because I see how people have no honor and so it made me happy to hear that you did what you believed was right, though others didn't have the courage to do it themselves. I am disgusted that you were treated the way you were."

Leigha Goodwin: "I always thought that, after September 11, people would work harder to make us safe. If our country wants us to feel safe, how can they condemn you? If there are problems with our safety, we will never know it because the people who do know it will be afraid to make it better at the consequence of losing their jobs. ... You know what you did was right, and don't let anybody put you down. Things like this only make you stronger."

Danielle Almon: "Thank you for taking a stand for what you believe in. It was the right thing to do."

Samantha Standring: "Nobody had the right to punish you for speaking up for yourself as well as the country. Stay strong and don't forget - everything happens for a reason. I respect you for what you did and I know goodness will come your way."

Mike Salisbury: "Thank you for doing the right thing."

Allow me to add to this civics lesson plan by suggesting that the next round of letters go to Martin O'Malley, Governor, 100 State Circle, Annapolis, Md. 21401. And if any Maryland students want to get in on this, please, have at it.

Dan Rodricks can be heard on Midday, Mondays through Thursdays, noon to 2 p.m., on 881. WYPR-FM