Should It Be Illegal For Teachers To Push Their Politics On Their Students?

[chanel]

I will be teaching 1984 in a few weeks. I am struggling with how to present it objectively. What you are proposing would have a chilling effect on educators. The NYC Dept of Ed has just produced a list of 50 "controversial topics" that may not be mentioned on standardized tests inc. Halloween and built in swimming pools. The irony is eery. Be very, very careful what you wish for.

P.S. Nearly half the teachers at my school are righties. Ssssh.

 

[Uncensored2008]

I will be teaching 1984 in a few weeks. I am struggling with how to present it objectively. What you are proposing would have a chilling effect on educators. The NYC Dept of Ed has just produced a list of 50 "controversial topics" that may not be mentioned on standardized tests inc. Halloween and built in swimming pools. The irony is eery. Be very, very careful what you wish for.

P.S. Nearly half the teachers at my school are righties. Ssssh.

Is a "righty" teacher one that voted less than 3 times for Obama?

Just curious....

 

[Uncensored2008]

The Mac/PC Rivalry: A Case Study in Subjective Valuation

The value is subjective.

That Apple uses low-end, Foxcon parts is a matter of fact. That Mac's have a high failure rate is a matter of fact.

 

[boilermaker55]

Public Schools are a terrible mess. And the blame for that does squarely fall on the Democrats and their Teacher Unions. It's only all about the greed & indoctrination for them now. It's tragic.

And there you go with your opinion and no facts to base your statement.
Go sit in a classroom for a week.

 

[chanel]

I will be teaching 1984 in a few weeks. I am struggling with how to present it objectively. What you are proposing would have a chilling effect on educators. The NYC Dept of Ed has just produced a list of 50 "controversial topics" that may not be mentioned on standardized tests inc. Halloween and built in swimming pools. The irony is eery. Be very, very careful what you wish for.

P.S. Nearly half the teachers at my school are righties. Ssssh.

Is a "righty" teacher one that voted less than 3 times for Obama?

Just curious....

Very funny. No. I live and work in a Republican town in a very Republican county. We have excellent public schools. Ssshhh. Don't tell rdean. His head might explode.

 

[LoneLaugher]

.

I don't know about the word "illegal", but there's certainly no place for political propagandizing in a taxpayer-funded institution, particularly when the "audience" is a bunch of children.

When my kids were in grade school, we had MANY conversations about stuff their teachers said, and what they said was ALWAYS coming from the Left. Since I want my kids to be independent thinkers (and not partisan sheep), I had to make a strong and consistent effort to (1) ask them what went on in school that day, (2) show them the other side of each argument and (3) remind them that there is always two sides to a story and to question everything, because partisans lie with great regularity. They're older now, but we still talk about that.

There is no excuse for pushing political agendas in public schools, zero, nada, none, period.

.

My daughter's current Social Studies teacher is a card carrying Glenn Beck nutter. I could care less. She gives him his money's worth.....and will be taking his Government class next year. She'll be in his class on election day. And she is looking forward to it.

We need to expose our kids to more....not fewer.......varieties of thought and allow them to form their own opinions. We have done our job at home......and as a result, our kids are not easily impressed.

 

[chanel]

Well said. My brother is a highly respected History teacher and is far more conservative than I. I don't believe he "pushes his politics" on anyone, but I am also certain that someone could guess his party affiliation after 5 mins speaking with him.

Our Social Studies dept is heavily weighted to the right. Our school board is as well.

 

[regent]

Well if I were a teacher, I'd play it safe, just have the kids read the textbooks and don't deviate from the text. The books were approved by the board so one could not be accused of putting in their opinions. The play it safe is the only way, no irate parents, and no crimes committed.

 

[initforme]

All 3 of my kids went through the public school in town. Not a one was ever brainwashed nor were any agenda pushed. They learned to read and write and of course were prepared to go attend college(which is the only chance a kid has nowadays). I think we must prepare all kids with post graduate training whether college or tech schools. I run a construction company. I will not hire you to pound a nail without at least a technical college degree. Of course I have to pay em more but then I get higher quality work and my goal isnt to only make a profit. Theres a tradeoff. I could hire others without a degree but then I know they dont have the moxy to even complete that. Not worth wasting my time. Of course Santorem would disagree.

 

[Annie]

I was wondering about this. Why are teachers allowed to take a captive audience (their students) and shove their vices and their political ideology down their throats.

The students really don't have a choice but to sit there and listen to a activist teacher filling their heads full of nonsense. When the kids come home and repeat this to their parents some go nuts. Some sue. Some start home-schooling. Some meekly put up with it because they feel powerless.

When I was in school, especially H.S., we had roundtable discussions about abortion or whatever the big issue of the day was, but the teachers rarely tried to tell us that we had to think a certain way. They asked what our opinions were, not tell us what our opinions should be.

Our kids are constantly being bombarded with nonsense. Listening to the SCOTUS hearings on Obamacare it seems that clarity is rare and common-sense is hard to find.

Can't a teacher who abuses his or her authority be guilty of a crime. Why isn't there a problem with teachers that abuse the trust they have earned to be in charge of our kids for 8 hours a day? If they're screwing up our kids can't we do anything about it?

I have a first hand account, was quite flabbergasted today in a special ed Language Arts class today. The kids were directed to make a book mark with a quote. One of the quotes was:

“Bush has not read enough books to have a developed moral sense. The fewer
books you read, the easier it is to become fundamental. In some ways my antiwar
stand here is also a stand on anti-literacy. Someone should get G.W. into a reading
program, get him to join a book club. Have him read Hamlet, King Lear.”
--Sherman Alexie

No agenda there?

Like many issues in history, time will tell:

Dinner with George W. Bush : page all - NorthJersey.com

 

[chanel]

Wow Annie. Did the teacher select the list of quotes or was it from a book? Is this in a "progressive" area?

I've always felt that schools are merely a microcosm of the communities they serve. A quote like that wouldn't fly in our district. Not to say that there aren't teachers who hate GWB, but they wouldn't dare offend the parents who don't.

If teachers are clearly spreading propaganda or using "hate speech" against people who disagree, they should be disciplined. But "illegal"? Very, very slippery slope. Let us not forget who gets to decide what hate speech is.

 

[editec]

The basic premise of this thread is bullshit.

 

[Uncensored2008]

Wow Annie. Did the teacher select the list of quotes or was it from a book? Is this in a "progressive" area?

I've always felt that schools are merely a microcosm of the communities they serve. A quote like that wouldn't fly in our district. Not to say that there aren't teachers who hate GWB, but they wouldn't dare offend the parents who don't.

If teachers are clearly spreading propaganda or using "hate speech" against people who disagree, they should be disciplined. But "illegal"? Very, very slippery slope. Let us not forget who gets to decide what hate speech is.

What if the propaganda is systemic?

California schools use the fabrications of Marxist Howard Zinn as a substitute for American history. There is no other description than propaganda for Zinn's pile of shit - yet California high school students are forced to endure Zinn's idiocy rather than learn history.

 

[Staidhup]

Wow Annie. Did the teacher select the list of quotes or was it from a book? Is this in a "progressive" area?

I've always felt that schools are merely a microcosm of the communities they serve. A quote like that wouldn't fly in our district. Not to say that there aren't teachers who hate GWB, but they wouldn't dare offend the parents who don't.

If teachers are clearly spreading propaganda or using "hate speech" against people who disagree, they should be disciplined. But "illegal"? Very, very slippery slope. Let us not forget who gets to decide what hate speech is.

What if the propaganda is systemic?

California schools use the fabrications of Marxist Howard Zinn as a substitute for American history. There is no other description than propaganda for Zinn's pile of shit - yet California high school students are forced to endure Zinn's idiocy rather than learn history.

This issue has been at the forefront of every parents argument about public and private education for the past century. Unfortunately the concerns, though valid, will never go away which is why one must become actively involved with their children.

 

[Kevin_Kennedy]

The Mac/PC Rivalry: A Case Study in Subjective Valuation

The value is subjective.

That Apple uses low-end, Foxcon parts is a matter of fact. That Mac's have a high failure rate is a matter of fact.

This isn't something I can discuss with you, not having that much knowledge about computers. I just use them. However, I can say anecdotally that in the near four years I've had my Mac I've never had a problem with it. More than can be said for any of the PC's I previously owned.

 

[Quantum Windbag]

Why make this into a criminal issue? Surely it is a disciplinary matter for the school authorities?

Like religion?

 

[LoneLaugher]

Once upon a time......I was a young Social Studies teacher in upstate NY. I proposed to my students that greed was a primary motivator behind the actions of religious leaders during the middle ages.

Lets just say that I was disciplined.

 

[rdean]

Should It Be Illegal For Teachers To Push Their Politics On Their Students?

Only if they're liberals.

However, it's OK to teach children the earth is only a few thousand years old, science is a faith, evolution a lie and the Grand Canyon happened because of "Noah's Flood".

 

[Steelplate]

I was wondering about this. Why are teachers allowed to take a captive audience (their students) and shove their vices and their political ideology down their throats.

The students really don't have a choice but to sit there and listen to a activist teacher filling their heads full of nonsense. When the kids come home and repeat this to their parents some go nuts. Some sue. Some start home-schooling. Some meekly put up with it because they feel powerless.

When I was in school, especially H.S., we had roundtable discussions about abortion or whatever the big issue of the day was, but the teachers rarely tried to tell us that we had to think a certain way. They asked what our opinions were, not tell us what our opinions should be.

Our kids are constantly being bombarded with nonsense. Listening to the SCOTUS hearings on Obamacare it seems that clarity is rare and common-sense is hard to find.

Can't a teacher who abuses his or her authority be guilty of a crime. Why isn't there a problem with teachers that abuse the trust they have earned to be in charge of our kids for 8 hours a day? If they're screwing up our kids can't we do anything about it?

I agree. Especially when it comes to history. It should be told exactly as it happened. No denying atrocities, no revisionist bullshit. To deny the past is to allow history to repeat itself.

 

[hjmick]

Illegal? No.

Cause for dismissal? I wouldn't have a problem with that...