Graphic by Eric Truong
By Maya Kim
Opinions Reporter
Let us be honest, everybody has that one teacher that shares a little too much about his or her personal life. Most of it, like their child’s soccer game or where they ate dinner, is harmless, granted mildly annoying. The real controversy begins when teachers bring their political views into the classroom as well, spreading their views to students.
Teachers, parents, and students alike have long debated the role and limit of a teacher’s political views in the classroom. To sophomore Malissa Beckles, there is a right way to do it to make sure everyone feels like they can share their thoughts in a classroom.
“If a teacher strongly shares their opinion, students with opposing opinions may feel like they can not share their point of view. Although teachers should be allowed to share their political views, they should still make sure that their classroom is a safe space for all opinions” Beckles said.
A classroom should be a place where passionate and introspective debates should be encouraged, but the top priority should be maintaining a sense of inclusion. Interesting debates and conversation cannot succeed if students feel insecure or unsafe about voicing their opinions. A teacher is the authority figure in a classroom, and when it feels like they aren’t open to other opinions important conversations cannot happen. A teacher’s job is to make sure every student feels comfortable sharing their own opinions, something that they should prioritize before announcing their political beliefs.
Like it or not, politics is a recurring topic in classrooms, particularly history classes, and sometimes people do not see a teacher’s opinions on politics as a bad thing. Teachers can prioritize making students feel comfortable sharing their views and still share their own. One could easily make the argument that a teacher’s participation in political discussions could be beneficial in opening up students and pushing their thinking. For many students, it could be difficult to talk in front of a class, especially about a topic as controversial as politics. A teacher being respectfully willing to share about their political beliefs could be the encouragement a student needed to participate in the discussion and may push the discussion into something deeper. A teacher’s honesty could improve the atmosphere of a classroom by creating the feeling of a place open for discussion and debate. Furthermore, politics is a huge part of past and current life.
“Teachers should always be able to share political opinions when it is relevant. Sometimes, in history class, for example, a historical event may relate to something occurring in society today” Beckles said.
With all the current political turmoil, there is a lot that students need to be informed about and teachers are the ones who provide that information. Inherently, talking about politics usually mean that it is difficult for a teacher to separate their own beliefs from what is happening in the world, but it still important to inform the students that it is happening. Hearing a teacher’s opinion on current events can help a student form their own opinions, whether they agree or disagree. Just by talking about current events and how people feel about them, students become more well-informed, invested citizens. The more people share their feelings towards certain political situations, teachers included, the more understanding and depth gained from the class. Connecting past and current events can also help students learn more about both the present and past enriching a classroom experience.
Finally, teachers should be permitted to discuss political views due to freedom of speech. While obviously some topics should be not permitted, politics can be handled in a purely productive manner. Teachers should be able to make the judgment call to include politics as a topic in the classroom if they feel it would benefit the class.
Additionally, when teachers share their political opinions, it is not because they want to persuade their students to think a certain way. It is rather because sharing these opinions will help promote our school’s values. When a teacher voices their opinion on a certain candidate or political issue, it is usually because that candidate or issue would promote ideas that our school is against such as racism or sexism.
Despite the controversial reputation given to teacher’s discussion of politics, there are many advantages of being open about political views and allowing students to get more in touch with what is going on in the world.
