Should politics stay out of classrooms? Education vs Bias.
November 20, 2019
Overview
Politics are a topic that many tend to avoid because they fear it will lead to some type of argument or disagreement. We should keep the political talk to a minimum at school.
The discussion of politics can become awkward or turn into a heated argument. People have different opinions on the different political ideas such as abortion, taxation, animal rights, environment, guns, immigration.
Many dread the awkward conversation of politics during family gatherings, so why should school be an appropriate place to have the discussion? School is a place for learning, so politics should only be talked about in a sense of education. Sarah Rice, a junior at Quakertown High School, agrees with this statement by saying, “I think politics are good to be discussed because it can help people make decisions in the future about voting and stuff like that. But as more of an educational thing.”
Education
Politics should be involved when providing an education on the subject, but not to pressure or persuade one to have the same political views. The only reason where politics should be a focus is in a class where it is involved, such as history or political science. That does not mean that teachers need to strictly avoid the discussion, but it is a discussion that can cause a distraction to the class.
Savannah March-Dole, a junior who has a decent knowledge about politics was asked if she felt that politics should be discussed in school. She responded, “Yes and No. For classes I think it should be, and I feel like it’s reasonable. But between students, if it causes tension, then no.”
An education on politics is actually quite important, and students should have some knowledge and understanding of what is going on, especially because some can vote or are almost at that age to vote. But their decisions should not be decided for them or influenced by a teacher. A teacher should not discuss their political opinions in a classroom, especially if it could offend a student. It is their job to educate the students on the curriculum, not their opinions.
When Education Becomes Biased
Education on politics can become biased when a teacher projects their opinions onto the students. If a teacher is simply educating their students on politics that is fine, unless the situation becomes glaringly biased and the teacher openly express their favor of one thing. Sarah stated, “Teachers should never say anything about political stuff. Students can have debates with other students, but I don’t think a student and teacher should be debating at all because the teacher can influence a lot of the class if they were to say something.”
Sarah also mentioned an experience she had with a teacher, “One time, one of my English teachers told us to write an essay about something we’re passionate about, but then she gave me a weird look when I told her about my idea, which was political based.”
Political discussions are not always the fault of the teacher, but can easily be prevented by them. A student who wishes to stay anonymous said, “Last year in one of my classes, the students got into a discussion based on politics, and it felt really awkward to listen to them target certain students because they have different political views. And the teacher didn’t do or say anything to stop them from continuing their conversation. It just sucks because those students said pretty hurtful things that shouldn’t be publicly talked about in front of a whole class. And our class didn’t all have the same opinions, so things were just weird.”
A student’s political views can be influenced by many things, teachers included. Sarah was asked if her political views were influenced by anything. She responded, “Definitely by my parents and my church, my religion.” Savannah stated, “I feel like they’ve been influenced maybe just through social media in general and learning more information.” Anything can possibly influence a teenager, so that is why it is important for a teacher to make sure they are not biased if there happens to be a discussion on politics.
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