When did teachers become the enemy?

[frozone]

As I was reading the thread a student posted about finding information on how US detainees are being treated, I was struck by the instant questioning of the assignment and the teacher's intentions. Since the student specifically asked for no debates, I thought I'd bring up this question here.

When did teachers become the "lefty" enemy? When did we start questioning their rights to teach current events in school? Don't we want them preparing our children to be future Americans? The President is talking a lot about "freedom" these days, where do you think kids first learn the concept of freedom? I'd be thrilled if my daughter had a teacher who got students interested enough to post questions on a discussion board. We talk about no child left behind, but what about no teacher left behind? Isn't it time we start treating the people who teach our kids with respect and thanks? My mom was a teacher, and everybody in my hometown loved her. I'd hate to think that she was treated any different today.

 

[WDWHound]

I think the concern here is the goal of this particular assignment, which was to "write to my congressman regarding the treatment of US detainees". Think about it, why would you write to your congressman regarding the treatment of detainees except to complain? What are you going to say, "Atta, boy, lets keep detaining them just like we do now". I suppoose a letter in support of our current policy could be written, but it is not what one envisions in cases like this.The assignment seems prewired to generate a letter of protest, thus pushing the teachers agenda.

Now, if the assignment had been to research the treatment of US detainees and report your views back to the class, that would be a more open forum for all views. By making it a letter to a congressman, the output is already slanted towards disagreeing with the policy.

 

[disykat]

Oh, my gosh! Go straight to the newspaper or Supt. of Instruction. Don't stop to talk to the teacher or the principal - what do they have to do with anything- this needs to go straight to the top! It's all a government conspiracy to turn our children into parrots of their regime. I could go on and on.

I do see tons of teacher bashing. My kids have had many great teachers and one this year that drives me insane. I like to think I control my bashing to the fact that this individual teacher bothers me - not painting them all with the same brush.

I think any kind of political stuff needs to be done very carefully. I don't approve of any kind of forced political letter writing campaigns - regardless of the topic. This is nothing new. 28 years ago in junior high I had to write a letter so I picked a topic out of a newspaper - I randomly picked food stamp reform. It causes years of hurt feelings within my extended family when the teacher shared the letter around the teacher's room.

 

[brerrabbit]

Categorizing any group is dangerous. I personally do not consider all Teachers as "lefties". I do consider one of my daughters Teachers a "lefty" though when a similar assignment was given to them. A Teacher at her school told her class that if they would write a letter to their congressman supporting a womens right to choose abortion they would receive extra credit. My daughter attends church regularly and participates in mission trips, the childrens puppet ministry and a handbells group. She does not believe in abortion. This is not an issue I or her mother have forced on her. I personally have mixed feelings on the issue. She made her choice to be anti abortion on her own. I intervened in the process with her Teacher only after my daughter asked if she could write a letter to her congressman supporting a ban on abortion and was told she would not receive extra credit for the assignment. I felt that the Teacher was trying to force her beliefs on my daughter. After discussion with the Teacher she finally relented and gave my daughter the extra credit. I have no problem with the idea of assigning a letter writing assignment to the students. I do have a problem with not giving the student the credit for the assignment if their beliefs do not align with those of the teacher.

 

[mickeyboat]

I tend to agree with all of you. But here's something to think about, especially if the children are older. There is great value in being able to argue a particular position, whether or not you agree with it. Did the teacher actually expect the student to send the letter? If not, think of it as an exercise in critical thinking.

Denae

 

[peachgirl]

The assignment seems prewired to generate a letter of protest, thus pushing the teachers agenda.

That's ridiculous. The person who posted is a big, grown up boy or girl in college. I think they can handle the pressure of having an agenda pushed on them by their professor.

Or maybe, they could have their mommy or daddy go to the college and make the big bad professor get their approval before giving an assigment!!

I don't blame the professor at all. He/She's got a class full of college kids who never heard of Guantanamo???? That's what people ought to be worried about, not whether or not the prof. was trying to push an agenda!!!

 

[Molly Meow]

I just wanted to chime in - I'm the one who started the topic this one spun from.

Yes, we are expected to send the letter - we are to turn in two copies - one for the instructor to grade and return, and the other in a sealed, addressed, and stamped envelope for her to mail all at once.

I do agree that sometimes people bash teachers before realizing the whole situation. My mother is a retired special ed teacher, my father a retired middle school principal. In this day and age, it can be hard to put together any assignment that agrees with everyone, especially the parents.

My situation is different, though. It's a college class, and this assigment takes away from what we are supposed to be learning. In high school, it would be different. Actually, I feel it would be entirely inappropriate. If the teacher were to assign that the students research the idea and write a letter detailing THEIR opinion, it would be ideal. Sadly, hardly anything is ideal.

Teachers have a hard job. I know I couldn't deal with it, especially the politics that go into it.

ETA: I agree with Peachgirl - when you're an adult, it's a lot easier to handle this sort of situation. You can respectfully approach the instructor and tell them you have opposing views, if that's the case. Chances are they'll listen to you. You also have better ability to understand that people everywhere have different opinions on issues, and you know that there is nothing wrong with that. I remember from high school that if I had a problem with the assignment, it was "tough luck."

 

[jgmklmhem]

I think this stereotyping has started happeneing more and more because we hear more reports (due to more info available) of teachers pushing their views on children and in many cases offering negative impacts on those who disagree with them. Not saying that is what was happening in the assignment from the other poster but that is the inclination I got. If a teacher unemotionally brings up a topic and tries to present all sides then that is good....but if they only allow their view on the topic to be heard then that is bad. I took a class in college called ethical choice where each week we tackled issues such as abortion, death penalty etc. The professor taught it as a discussion type class and you could never really figure out his leanings because he would counter arguments from both sides....basically an all sided devil's advocate. If more teachers/professors taught in that way I would not have a problem with tough issues being discussed....but when they start bringing their own views in and make those who oppose their views uncomfortable then that is where I think these stereotypes originate.

 

[jgmklmhem]

That's ridiculous. The person who posted is a big, grown up boy or girl in college. I think they can handle the pressure of having an agenda pushed on them by their professor.

Or maybe, they could have their mommy or daddy go to the college and make the big bad professor get their approval before giving an assigment!!

I don't blame the professor at all. He/She's got a class full of college kids who never heard of Guantanamo???? That's what people ought to be worried about, not whether or not the prof. was trying to push an agenda!!!

I agree that students should be aware and be able to defend their position...but you hear more and more that if you are not right behind the professor in their thinking then your grade suffers etc and that is when a problem occurs. In college I don't have a problem with a professor voicing a viewpoint to a certain extent. I do have a problem with then expecting you to agree with them on that point. But as I said in my previous post I think professors shouldn't really take sides an get all sides presented instead of just it being one sided banter.

 

[WDWHound]

That's ridiculous. The person who posted is a big, grown up boy or girl in college. I think they can handle the pressure of having an agenda pushed on them by their professor.

Or maybe, they could have their mommy or daddy go to the college and make the big bad professor get their approval before giving an assigment!!

I don't blame the professor at all. He/She's got a class full of college kids who never heard of Guantanamo???? That's what people ought to be worried about, not whether or not the prof. was trying to push an agenda!!!

First off, I thought the professor was teaching high school, but thanks for the attitiude .

And yes, the students should have heard of Guantanamo, but why rig the assignment to generate political activism that supports the professors views? Why should the professor be pushing their views at all. When I went to school at the University of Texas, I had one instructor who pull stuffed like this. He was a history prof who took a very liberal view of the past 50 years of US history. I disagreed and my grades suffered for it. I didn't complain to "Mommy or Daddy" (where did that come from). I was simply torked that my own money (I paid my own way through school) was being paid to someone to agressively push their political aggenda at me.

Profs should leave their political agendas out of the classroom. Many do, but those that don't should be called on it.

 

[bsnyder]

Anyone who doesn't realize the extent to which a blanket liberal worldview is pushed on college students around the country is either naive, uninformed, or actually approves of the situation.

In this particular case, while I don't view the professor as "the enemy" there's clearly an agenda here that goes beyond a writing assignment.

What I do have a problem with is parents/students who automatically view the teacher as "the enemy" when it comes to personal responsibility. You know, the "it can't possibly be my child's fault, it's the teacher's/school's fault" mentality.

 

[greenban]

I think this stereotyping has started happeneing more and more because we hear more reports (due to more info available) of teachers pushing their views on children and in many cases offering negative impacts on those who disagree with them. Not saying that is what was happening in the assignment from the other poster but that is the inclination I got. If a teacher unemotionally brings up a topic and tries to present all sides then that is good....but if they only allow their view on the topic to be heard then that is bad. I took a class in college called ethical choice where each week we tackled issues such as abortion, death penalty etc. The professor taught it as a discussion type class and you could never really figure out his leanings because he would counter arguments from both sides....basically an all sided devil's advocate. If more teachers/professors taught in that way I would not have a problem with tough issues being discussed....but when they start bringing their own views in and make those who oppose their views uncomfortable then that is where I think these stereotypes originate.

ITA, In *MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE* many of my high school, college and grad school professors were far far left of normal. In high school to disagree was to risk detention, exclusion, and harsher grading. In college the same happened, but less frequently, although when it happened it was much more severe. In grad school, and upperclass college days, a brave student could goto a dean and appeal/complain, especially if they had the prior academic performance to prove the discrimination.

Now I live in NJ, a totally left-wing-nut state, and my higher education experiences were all northeast. In my children's middle school it is okay to describe hunters as evil murders of Bambi, but not to have a gun-safety course (Eddie Eagle).

IMHO (please note only my opinion), teachers became the enemy when they started to march lockstep with the NEA.

-Tony

 

[bsnyder]

IMHO (please note only my opinion), teachers became the enemy when they started to march lockstep with the NEA.

-Tony

ITA, and if ever there was a conflict of interest problem, the NEA defines it!

 

[jgmklmhem]

I would also add my opinion would be the same if it went the other way as well. I am one of the few people on my side of the aisle who doesn't want religion taught in public schools. Isn't teaching religion and pushing those ideals similar to pushing a leftest agenda...if you disagree or do not practice either, you are alienated. Isn't this one of the big reasons the religion/praying in the schools was banned to not make others feel alienated...well if you are pushing a political agenda you are doing the same thing just not bringing God into the equation. As I said earlier the best class I took was a philosophy class that had a professor who basically challenged all ideas to make us all think. He never pushed his ideas on us nor did he ever let one side of an argument dominate the discussion.

 

[peachgirl]

And yes, the students should have heard of Guantanamo, but why rig the assignment to generate political activism that supports the professors views? Why should the professor be pushing their views at all.

Where do you get the assignment was rigged? The professor didn't tell them his views one way or the other, simply told them to research it and write a letter.

If in their research they form a negative opinion, fine. If they think the opposite, that's fine too.

The letter that was to be mailed is in a sealed envelope. The prof. has no idea whether it's a complaint or a letter of support. How on earth that is a case of the prof pushing their views is beyond me.


The near hysteria that exists is almost laughable these days. You'd think adults were mere putty in the hands of the evil liberal professors.

Be very afraid people...you send a fine, upstanding conservative Repub to college and you may get a flaming liberal who wants to feed the world with your tax dollars in return!!!!


How on earth did we ever get all the Republicans in office with all the brainwashing that happens from Kindergarten to college???

ITA, and if ever there was a conflict of interest problem, the NEA defines it!

What a surprise! Is there any union on earth you support? My guess is no, so the fact that you bash the NEA comes as no surprise. It wouldn't matter what they did, you wouldn't like it.

 

[frozone]

I think this stereotyping has started happeneing more and more because we hear more reports (due to more info available) of teachers pushing their views on children and in many cases offering negative impacts on those who disagree with them. Not saying that is what was happening in the assignment from the other poster but that is the inclination I got. If a teacher unemotionally brings up a topic and tries to present all sides then that is good....but if they only allow their view on the topic to be heard then that is bad. I took a class in college called ethical choice where each week we tackled issues such as abortion, death penalty etc. The professor taught it as a discussion type class and you could never really figure out his leanings because he would counter arguments from both sides....basically an all sided devil's advocate. If more teachers/professors taught in that way I would not have a problem with tough issues being discussed....but when they start bringing their own views in and make those who oppose their views uncomfortable then that is where I think these stereotypes originate.

We are hearing more reports because there's more information? Or because it's fitting into the conservative agenda? Which reports are you referring to?

The professor you're describing sounds great- but how do you know he isn't the norm instead of the exception? What about all those great teachers that we don't hear about? Where are the reports on them, or perhaps good teaching just isn't that newsworthy.

 

[bsnyder]

What a surprise! Is there any union on earth you support? My guess is no, so the fact that you bash the NEA comes as no surprise. It wouldn't matter what they did, you wouldn't like it.

I'm not particularly supportive of unions in general (I think they've largely outlived their usefulness) but the NEA is definitely a sore spot with me in a way that other unions are not.

They have a blatant conflict of interest.

 

[frozone]

I just wanted to chime in - I'm the one who started the topic this one spun from.

Hi Molly. I hope you don't mind that I started the new thread. I wanted to say something, but didn't want your thread to turn into a debate.

HOpe the assignment goes well. BTW- if you hand the letter to your prof sealed, what's to stop you from writing the letter you want to your congressperson?

 

[bsnyder]

We are hearing more reports because there's more information? Or because it's fitting into the conservative agenda? Which reports are you referring to?

The professor you're describing sounds great- but how do you know he isn't the norm instead of the exception? What about all those great teachers that we don't hear about? Where are the reports on them, or perhaps good teaching just isn't that newsworthy.

The blogosophere is inundated with anecdotal evidence of liberal bias by professors and college administrators. That forum simply wasn't available to the public even 10 years ago.

 

[Mermaid02]

I'm not particularly supportive of unions in general (I think they've largely outlived their usefulness) but the NEA is definitely a sore spot with me in a way that other unions are not.

They have a blatant conflict of interest.

My dh is a union member and you are right about the unions- they have outlived their usefulness.....

Schools and teachers need to teach children the reading and writing etc. and leave the teaching moral values to their parents.