Teaching since Fall 2001 – 3rd year in 2nd grade

You have to be kidding

October 14, 2008

http://www.teachermagazine.org/tm/articles/2008/10/13/08uftsues_ap.h19.html?utm_source=fb&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=mrss

I honestA teacher writing on a blackboard.Image via Wikipedialy don’t understand how that are teachers even considering advocating a political stance while on the clock. Teachers need to stay neutral on topics such as politics and religion while we are teaching. By advocating a particular position on the job – we risk losing the trust of our students. Why is that hard to understand?

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Comments on: "You have to be kidding" (2)

  1. coldfire said:
    October 20, 2008 at 2:12 pm

    Just a thought.

    What if students ask our opinions on the topics at hand? The other day, for instance, a student asked a teacher I was observing what it means to be born again. I know that teachers are frowned upon preaching in the classroom, but couldn’t a teacher answer the student’s question for the sake of understanding ideas (the teacher totally sidestepped the argument).

    I know that there is definitely a line that we cannot cross as teachers, but if a student asks who we are going to vote for, couldn’t we take time to explain our reasoning in class?

    I think it’s foolish to think that we are “neutral” on anything. We can try to feign neutrality, but we all have opinions, and wouldn’t it do some good if students understand why we have opinions?

  2. NYC Educator said:
    October 27, 2008 at 5:13 pm

    I will tell kids my opinions if they ask, but I don’t offer them unsolicited. I don’t wear political buttons anywhere, so I don’t wear them in the classroom either. Why do I really want or need to influence my students, who can’t vote anyway?

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