If your students know your political affiliation, you have failed as a teacher. Teachers are there to help students think for themselves, not think like you.

Truth!

BusterAg said:

---

If your students know your political affiliation is conservative, you will be fired from teaching. Teachers are there to help students think for themselves, not think like you.

---

FIFY

Completely agree. But sadly it's so easy for kids these days.

"My teacher asks me to stand for the pledge"
"My teacher teacher American supremacy"
"My teacher teaches the negatives of socialism"
"My teacher allows students to speak their beliefs"
Etc etc etc

Those are items that every teacher should do but by doing them it's a dead give away where you stand.

There is a difference between discussing your politics and forcing your kids to believe what you do. If 11th graders ask me what I think about something, I will discuss my policy stances and the alternatives. The only other option is to cede that territory to the militant leftist educators that permeate public ed. I will be damned if the only stance they hear is the Marxist left worldview.

Teachers and lawyers. 100% democrat.

Tabasco said:

---

Teachers and lawyers. 100% democrat.

---

Except there have already been two people who commented on this thread disputing your take...thanks though for your support.

BusterAg said:

---

If your students know your political affiliation, you have failed as a teacher. Teachers are there to help students think for themselves, not think like you.

---

Agreed. I just have to work to be more subtle in my indoctrination.

cpsencik04 said:

---

Completely agree. But sadly it's so easy for kids these days.

"My teacher asks me to stand for the pledge"
"My teacher teacher American supremacy"
"My teacher teaches the negatives of socialism"
"My teacher allows students to speak their beliefs"
Etc etc etc

Those are items that every teacher should do but by doing them it's a dead give away where you stand.

---

What world are you living in. I've never had a single issue teaching the evils of communism.

Until every progressive liberal can say this, we have much work to do.

Monywolf said:

---

Until every progressive liberal can say this, we have much work to do.

---

Conservatives can be just as bad. Especially the evangelical sort.

They aren't preaching communism.

Should be posted on the bulletin board in the Anthropology department.

Monywolf said:

---

They aren't preaching communism.

---

Neither are 99% of teachers.

Post a link to back up that stat. Thanks

Monywolf said:

---

Post a link to back up that stat. Thanks

---

Feel free to refute it.

Tabasco said:

---

Teachers and lawyers. 100% democrat.

---

The attorneys I know are solidly right leaning. For every D bag DC swamp power attorney you hear about in the news, there's a few hundred conservative or at least moderate ones that don't have TV commercials. Small towns have lawyers too.

You're also ignoring the several regulars we have right here on /16.

Smokedraw01 said:

---

Monywolf said:

---

Post a link to back up that stat. Thanks

---

Feel free to refute it.

---

That's what I thought.

BusterAg said:

---

If your students know your political affiliation, you have failed as a teacher. Teachers are there to help students think for themselves, not think like you.

---

BS

Smokedraw01 said:

---

Monywolf said:

---

Post a link to back up that stat. Thanks

---

Feel free to refute it.

---

I refute it

Tabasco said:

---

Teachers and lawyers. 100% democrat.

---

This is a flat out lie.

It should be easy to refute since I essentially said almost all teachers don't preach Communism.

I agree with the tweet in the OP and am VERY adamant about that with my peers.

I am primarily a US History teacher (11th grade), but I often teach Government & Economics (12th grade).

We discuss politics in class every day. At the end of the year, I offer my students extra credit if they can write an essay telling me what my political opinion is and how I "tipped my hand." In 5 years, only 2 have gotten it right and been able to provide evidence that I couldn't refute. The purpose of the "how they know" part isn't just to prove that they weren't guessing...it's to make sure I don't tip my hand again like that. A third person figured out 2 years after he graduated and emailed me his evidence, but it required him doing a little more research into politics on his own. In all 3 cases, the only reason they figured it out is because they are libertarians like me. I guess it takes one to know one.

In my classes, i ALWAYS present every law, bill, issue, trial, event, etc from multiple perspectives while doing my best to not reveal my own perspective. I always say "some people believed..." and "other people believed..." and do my best to remain completely neutral.

Especially in Government class, but often in US History & Economics, I constantly explain that it's my job to teach them the rules of the game, not which team they should root for.

CalebMcCreary06 said:

---

There is a difference between discussing your politics and forcing your kids to believe what you do. If 11th graders ask me what I think about something, I will discuss my policy stances and the alternatives. The only other option is to cede that territory to the militant leftist educators that permeate public ed. I will be damned if the only stance they hear is the Marxist left worldview.

---

As a fellow US History teacher (11th grade), I must respectfully disagree. If I tell a student who has a great deal of respect for me that I believe a certain way, he will automatically give that view more consideration than its opposing view. If the student hates me, he will automatically give an opposing view more consideration than what I support.

In both cases, you are influencing one opinion over another in their minds whether you know it or not.

Discussing policy stances and their alternatives is a great thing and exactly what you should be doing as a teacher who doesn't "indoctrinate." Attaching yourself to one of those is what I would suggest against.

BusterAg said:

---

If your students know your political affiliation, you have failed as a teacher. Teachers are there to help students think for themselves, not think like you.

---

"Knowledge-Based Education We oppose the teaching of Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) (values clarification), critical thinking skills and similar programs that are simply a relabeling of Outcome-Based Education (OBE) (mastery learning) which focus on behavior modification and have the purpose of challenging the student's fixed beliefs and undermining parental authority." - 2012 TX Republican platform

It is very good to see more support for crItical thinking skills.

I like that idea, although I'm not sure if 8th graders could do that. I let my students know that I'm supposed to ask questions that are contrary to what is stated in class from time to time.

I once had a student say I was a Democrat because I wore a blue shirt the day of the election. I told him I don't put that much thought into my wardrobe.

Teachers should teach:
1) Self reliance and responsibility
2) Value of hard work

Libs probably would call that conservative principles.

Seeing as how I sponsor our campus' Republican club, I think that cat is firmly out of the bag.

et98 said:

---

I agree with the tweet in the OP and am VERY adamant about that with my peers.

I am primarily a US History teacher (11th grade), but I often teach Government & Economics (12th grade).

We discuss politics in class every day. At the end of the year, I offer my students extra credit if they can write an essay telling me what my political opinion is and how I "tipped my hand." In 5 years, only 2 have gotten it right and been able to provide evidence that I couldn't refute. The purpose of the "how they know" part isn't just to prove that they weren't guessing...it's to make sure I don't tip my hand again like that. A third person figured out 2 years after he graduated and emailed me his evidence, but it required him doing a little more research into politics on his own. In all 3 cases, the only reason they figured it out is because they are libertarians like me. I guess it takes one to know one.

In my classes, i ALWAYS present every law, bill, issue, trial, event, etc from multiple perspectives while doing my best to not reveal my own perspective. I always say "some people believed..." and "other people believed..." and do my best to remain completely neutral.

Especially in Government class, but often in US History & Economics, I constantly explain that it's my job to teach them the rules of the game, not which team they should root for.

---

Very nice.

As a teacher, I could not agree more.

BusterAg said:

---

If your students know your political affiliation, you have failed as a teacher. Teachers are there to help students think for themselves, not think like you.

---

This 1000x!! My daughter is a freshman at A&M this semester. She has already experienced an outside speaker addressing the class go completely off topic and so nothing but spew there political beliefs for the entire period. This is just unacceptable and should not be occurring nor tolerated. It's certainly not what I am paying for at any university, no less A&M.

Lawyer and vocal conservative.

I disagree with the assertion. I taught school was a school administrator for 30+ years. Students knew I was pro gun rights and hunted. If they were smart enough to put 2+2 together they could have realized I was conservative. I never brought up politics. I was pro kid and did what I could for them. Was personally socialist and gave willingly of my own for students in my school who needy. I certainly don't want government mandates taking my money and distributing it after they rob their share.

Tabasco said:

---

Teachers and lawyers. 100% democrat.

---

This is complete and utter horse*****

My wife is teaching pre-AP sophomores this year. As part of their introduction to argument, she set up a form where students could either post their own topic to argue, or respond to someone else's post. The only condition was that the topics had to be light-hearted (they're sophomores, they don't know squat about how to properly frame an argument). Some of the topics covered have been why mint chocolate chip is the best ice cream flavor, or why it should be called jelly and peanut butter instead of peanut butter and jelly. But then one student posted about how Trump is the most dangerous president in the last 100 years, and another posted how abortion should be illegal. Both posts were removed.