Speaking of the Constitution, Free Speech and Such

I'm sorry, I stopped listening when you decided to pick at spelling, grammar, etc.

It is published, go to NYC or N.O. if you want every type of degradation known to man and go to Jamestown (OH) or Cedarville if you want to avoid it.

We can all get along if you just understand that. When in Rome.......

 

Many? How many is "many"? I question the proportion of classes you have experienced relative to the total number of classes held in the U.S. The way you speak you make your "many" sound like a huge number.

As a 6th grade public school teacher, I speak from the experience of my own classroom. I oppose a great deal of what Bush has done to support his corporate clientele, to the great detriment of the vast majority of the rest of the world's population. I present this point of view, but I'm also very careful to present the FOX/neocon slant, which is already very well presented in just about all your usual media outlets that are commonly accessed by the generally uninformed public. I try to coax out any viewpoint, of either side, my students hold themselves or have heard from their parents to encourage discussion of all the FACTS, many of which they may not have had access to because of self-imposed media limits of discussion of perspectives and facts that contradict the state "party line." I thank every one of them of them for everyone of their opinions, regardless. My intent is to not tell my kids what to believe, but to learn that they as citizens of a democracy (currently being debated- stay tuned) have a duty to be informed of issues that affect our country, and not just hear one side but seek out and learn all the facts from different perspectives, and form their own opinions based on rational discorse and thoughtful reasoning. Hear what FOX/CNN/NBC/CBS (etc.) have to report, and listen to what BBC/CBC/Al Jazeera/Democracy Now have to say, and maybe you can be informed enough to know what the facts truly are and come to a well-informed opinion. Our DEMOCRACY utterly depends on it.

Teach just reading and 'rithmatic? No way. Teachers are hired to help kids learn to think in many different arenas. Good citizenship requires it. Part of our state-mandated curriculum IS social studies and current events. I'll never listen to you Hannity/Limbaugh/FOX dittoheads, to just shut-up and believe/teach what the president tells me to believe, or just stick to apolitical topics. (Make 'em good assembly line workers and followers of orders - easier to manipulate the political process.)

I don't want to indoctrinate- to feed my kids information and not have them think about it. I will give them information from both sides and trust they will be better for seeing the "whole picture," or at least knowing there are two sides, and remember to look for both when they are older and thinking more about those issues. I believe the neocons would like nothing better than to have our future voters unable to think for themselves, but rather just believe the lies they're fed by the president's spokespeople and corporate media, or better yet, just stay entertained by reality TV and leave the nation's business up to those in power, sans any oversight BY THE PEOPLE. I encourage the innate rebelliousness of youth, a reasoned questioning of authority. It's what's made our country so great, and it's how we've righted so many wrongs over the centuries.

 

I think if you do some research, you will find that over the years there are a lot of rights that have fallen to the wayside or have been taken away. And their are alot of people that would like abolish more of them as time goes on or even rewrite our constitution to their way of thinking..

I say pick a state & build a wall around it, like the old escape from LA or NY movies and place those people there <_< .

Im not stepping into this one but only to my ankles..... :huh:

 

I am a person with strong beliefs. I want my students to care about their country. I can't pretend to be politically neutral; they would see the disingenuity and would gain nothing positive from it. If teachers are going to continue to be real people in a country that continues to be free, they should be passionate about the freedoms of our democracy. They shouldn't be expected to leave everything they believe at the door. If my country is wrong to condone torture, or commit acts of aggressive war in contravention of international laws, I will stand against it and work to change it. Debate will make that happen, hopefully. My students need to know how to listen and process information, both sides of the questions. That's what I try to teach.
I want my students to see it's OK to believe in something passionately and hold a contrary opinion based on reason. And to disagree is alright. Informed discussion is the only thing that can save us from where our country finds itself today. I want them passionate about things they care about, not PASSIVE, like too many in our country today.

 

Yeah, I've had numerous parents like you "ranting and raving" to my principal and superintendent, all the while totally clueless about the real facts of what goes on in the classroom (which, when investigated, was found to be objective and balanced). You assume I'm doing what you yourself would be doing, I guess. You've totally projected your own perspective (or Rush's or Hannity's). If you really read what I wrote, I don't ask them to debate me or "overcome" my opinions. I present both sides, usually your side first, which, if they're familiar with the issue they have usually already have heard, and then I also present the other side's facts. And I ask for their views, any and all, equally welcome and celebrated. And we just talk about opinions, facts, formulating their own ideas by asking questions.

You guys don't want your children to learn how to think. You want them to accept your skewed opinions as the "truth." Sheeple.

The only "ranting and raving" you speak of is your own post.

 

Teachers, even Social Studies teachers should stay out of politics in the classroom. Especially the most devisive issues. It is possible to talk about current events in a social studies context from a neutral position, and if current events are to be discussed then that is the position that should be taken.

What if we flipped this around a bit? Pick your favorite hot-button liberal issues and imagine your child's teacher indoctrinating your child with a view point opposite of yours. You would raise quite a fuss, wouldn't you?

Lets imagine the teacher telling his class that all abortions should be banned. Perhaps stating to them that there are few differences between a 5 month fetus and a one day old baby, so if killing a baby is illegal, then killing a 5 month fetus should be. Would that get your blood boiling?

What about a science teacher telling his students that Global Warming is not supported by solid scientific evidence, is simply pseudo-science hysteria, and they should not be concerned about it. Would that get you ready to pull out the pitchforks?

On a side note... Were any of you outraged back in October 2004, when a middle school English teacher in New Jersey got into trouble for hanging a picture of Bush on a bulletin board alongside pictures of other presidents, postcards of the White House, a copy of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence? Does that outrage you? And is your outrage directed towards the teacher or the school and parents?

Teacher defends pic of president

Teacher Says Bush Pic Got Her in Trouble

 

Squid,
IMO it comes across to me that Nmgreen is not trying to tell his or her students what to think but rather HOW to think. Granted a 6th grader can no more understand global politics than I could understand say one of Enfuco's medical journals. But learning the process of deductive reasoning starts at a very early age, by teaching children that there are almost allways at least two sides to every issue, they will grow up learning to have a critical (not to be connotated to negative) eye on things presented to them. It is only through decissions based on an open minded view that a society can progress.

An example of this often comes to mind. In the US, most of us are brought through our pre-school years learning to speak only english. Nothing wrong with that, it is our language after all. Well, two very close friends of my wife and I happen to each have a different native language, he english, she tagalog. When their son was born, he went through his developmental years (2 to 3 in this case) hearing both languages. As time went on he got a job with the US State Department and ended up living two years here and two years there etc. Then came an event (they were in Bonn at the time) they were at some sort of department sponsored event with the whole family and others from many parts of the world. There son was about 15 or 16 at the time, they noticed that their son was talking to a group of people all in their own language, spanish, french, german, etc. When they asked where he learned all these languages, his answer "I donknow, I just hear them and then know".
That is the effect of exposing children to all viewpoints early on, they learn how to learn!

If we had any kids, I would want them to have teachers like Nmgreen, I wouldn't want them to be clones of me or their mother. I would want them to be their own selves. And yes even if they developed different political views from my own!

 

Marlin,
I was working on my post when yours was put up. In answer to your question, no I would not get upset if the teacher picked on one of my "liberal hot-button issues". If fact I would be more dissappointed if he did not pick on one. Like I said before, I would want my kids to learn how to learn.

 

Am I stupid because when I went through K-12 (1965-1977) I don't recall the teachers discussing politics inthe classroom.

For SURE it didn't happen when I was in 6th grade. You teachers want to indoctrinate early...sorry...that is what I believe. (not ALL theachers, just the ones who "challenge" 6th graders in politics.)

 

Wow, Squish, you're amazing.
You continually reveal more and more about yourself with every post. You can pull some words out of a post to make whatever point you want to make. Assume all you want, whenever, you shouldn't really make the mistake of confusing it with reason.

Why so touchy with the bush comparisons with Hitler? A little too close to the truth?

You'd make it fun to have your kid in my class. And the reason I've had parents protest my teaching style: sorry to burst your bubble, but you're not that special. There are many people that hear (or read) what they want into what you say and then go off on their own agenda.

(I'm sorry. You're very special.)