By Jimmy Abbott
School is not only a place of learning, but also a place where ideas are shared. These ideas can sometimes shed light on issues that others may never have thought of, and other times can extend the same ideas discussed in the classroom. Conversations are sparked by disagreements, and debates broaden our outlooks on the world. However there is a time and a place for this sharing of ideas. Talking outside of class with a friend is one, or even talking outside of class with a teacher. But one circumstance in which political views should not be divulged is by the teacher while in the classroom.
Teachers may rightly share their political views when asked, or in the right situation, but the classroom in general should remain a non-partisan, open discussion for ideas of all types. To make an open and welcoming environment, teachers should listen to other views without preference. But when a teacher openly professes their love or hate for a certain candidate or party, students can feel bad for disagreeing, and wind up keeping quiet for fear of embarrassment, or worse, their grades.
This is a feeling that I have had in the past. However, I have come to combatting that feeling by professing my thoughts on issues just as the teacher does. Fearing for my grade will not do anything to help, rather it will just reinforce an environment in which students fear to share their beliefs. Recently, as I have begun to tell people what I really think about a subject, more and more people have begun to agree, but they were just too scared to say anything.
A classmate recently shared the topic of an opinion paper he was writing. Instead of saying what he really thought on the subject, he altered his view to the one the teacher wanted to hear. The issue of teachers stifling student’s opinions is not a new one, and it is by no means exclusive to University School. Rather, as we begin to head off to college, the partisan classroom will become more and more apparent, and students who differ in opinion from the teacher or professor will continue to be quiet.
I am not advocating for a sort of “safe space” for students’ opinions while in the classroom, quite the contrary in fact. What I find to be a correct way of going about solving this type of problem is by being more open in sharing views. Teachers who withhold their views create for a much more dynamic class, a class that lets students share ideas and learn something new from their peers. Although in some instances it is great to hear a teacher’s outlook on a current event issue, a constant stream of under the breath insults and jokes about candidates is not what makes for a good learning environment. A classroom in which students do the analysis themselves does.
