Don't you think teachers should not. . .?

Question

Don't you think that there should be some kind of rule making it so teachers at public schools arnt allowed to say if they are Republican or Demorcrat. Or even hint that they are one or the other. They shouldn't being their personal beleifs into the school enviroment. So many of my teachers you can tell so easily and I just don't think that you should be able to tell that easily. I don't know, what do you think???

Answer 1

I think they should be biased and point out the pro/cons of both sides and not give their personal preference.

The students should be able to form their own opinion...with their own minds.

Answer 2

Do you also think that you should not be able to tell what religion a teacher is?  Or what kind of a family they have?  For many people, their politics are an important part of who they are.  I do think that there should be rules against any sort of campaigning on the job, and that they should not be able to grade based upon agreement with their own perspectives (just as they shouldn't be able to grade people who share their religion higher), but I think that in certain settings, it is appropriate for a teacher to let the class know where s/he stands and why.

Answer 3

That is just insane.

One of the things that you should be learning in school is that we have rights. You are actually suggesting that we limit freedom of speech?

think it through!

Answer 4

teachers affect their students so i think they should keep to therselves what /whom they vote or support.

Answer 5

It is one thing if you can tell easily if they are a Democrat or a Republican.

However, it is another if they are wearing items, displaying items in the office or classroom that inform you of their political party or candidate of preference. This is not appropriate nor should they talk about their political preference within the classroom or school for that matter.

What you believe in politically is your own business that you should not bring to school.

It is your responsibility of an educator to help students to realize that they should become a part of the political process - this in particular applies to the social studies teachers. In particular in voting and selecting candidates using their critical thinking skills. However, you should not impose your views either passively or actively on students. They have to figure out what is best for them and make their own decisions based on the skills you help them to acquire.

Answer 6

I think that they should be able to express whether they are Republican or Democrat, but what would be inappropriate and unprofessional is to try to sway the students one side or another but should leave the students to choose their own side. Of course I have never gone to a public school, and the school I go to works a lot different and supports you to express yourself in whatever way, which has lead me to believe that is what you should do, but you shouldn't on touchy subjects like that try to tell someone that they are right or wrong about their beliefs, you can show why your for one side, but you can't say that they are wrong, unless they say 2+2=5 in which then you can say that they are wrong.

Answer 7

they should keep it to themselves; it's unprofessional!

Answer 8

I haven't had students ask me what I am, but I do present both sides fairly, let them know the good and bad with all candidates and present it evenly. They make their own choices.

Answer 9

I think that's kind of over the top.  If I tell my students that I'm a republican or democrat, that's not telling them that they need to believe in that creedo.  Now a teacher saying that they are a democrat or republican and letting that influence the way they are teaching (by punishing a kids grade who they know to come from a conservative family) then that's wrong.  But in the end, saying that you're a republican or democrat shouldn't affect what you're teaching.  If you're a republican and teaching a public speaking class, you're probably not going to use President Bush as a fantastic example.  Does that mean you're telling your students he's a terrible influence?  No, you're just saying he's not a great example of a good public speaker, because he's not!  There's an area of grey to find there, so don't go too far with the whole thing.

Edit:  Amen, MissM!

Answer 10

Everybody is something and everyone has an opinion.

You are either a Conservative, Moderate, or Liberal.

Yes, you might be able to tell those things, but, I doubt seriously if you can tell if they are Dems or Reps. Only if you get them "rolling" into a lecture might you get it.

In some things, you have to get the ball rolling. Discussion groups. You can't make a rule like that. You can make a rule where no one can espouse their political beliefs in school, However, you will find that their are landmark cases that uphold the teachers right to "be what they are". It is what it is because it is. Its just life and all those wonderful freedoms that get used and abused by those w/o any place in society.

Answer 11

If a teacher is doing his/her job, their personality will come through while they are teaching.  For many people, political preference is influenced by personality and other areas of their lives.  I am a teacher and I am sure that my students have probably figured out what my political preference is because of my religious beliefs (I go to church with many of my students), my family (we have been in the same small community for years), and my friends.  Many of my family members and friends have held or ran for local political offices or are very active in local political organizations.  As a rule, I do not state my political views, but my students and their families are bound to figure it out.  There is a difference between knowing someone's political affiliation and shoving personal beliefs on others.  Keeping these parts of your personality under wraps is virtually impossible if you are doing your job as an educator, but there is a professional way to handle these things.  In fact, most school systems in my area have rules in place about campaigning, etc. on school grounds by school personnel.  It is not allowed.

Answer 12

I don't think they should.

When I was in the first grade, my teacher gave us a small kids magazine. She showed us two pictures of Bush and Gore (this was during their campain).

We had to circle the one we wanted to win.

She told us that both men wanted a gun. She said that George Bush wanted a really huge gun, so we shouldn't vote for him. She also said that Al Gore wanted just a small gun, so we should vote for him, because "a smaller gun isn't as bad as a big one."

Like there's a difference. One- this was the first grade, and I doubt any of us knew what was going on with the election. Second- It's wrong to try and manipulate people's thinking in any way, no matter what the topic.

The only kids who circled Bush's picture were the ones who liked shooting and violence. The rest voted for Gore. She took advantage of our nativity for what? I'm not really sure how the opinion of a first grader will effect the election. But, she did it nontheless.

I think my mother might have called in about this, I can't really remember. I wish I knew how many parents DID call in on this.

She wasn't a very good teacher.

Yes, they should keep their beliefs to themselves, thank you very much.

Answer 13

Why would the teachers want the students to know, anyway? It's not like they are going to sway them one way or the other, they are too young to vote