Why Teachers Have a Bad Name When It Comes to Politics

Take a look at this North Carolina teacher teaching her kids around election time last year:

Click here

Oh, MY! Can you believe this? As a teacher I'm...oh, what's the word...dumbfounded! Cannot believe that this kind of teaching exists-- and this was not even behind closed doors! This (and I use the term loosely) "teacher" KNEW that she was being recorded-- and actually THOUGHT that how she approached this subject was right.

Now, I do not profess to be an extraordinary teacher. I do my best and have a heart for the kids. But if the type of "teaching" that's mentioned above is common practice, no wonder parents don't trust teachers to do the right thing next Tuesday when President Obama's address to schoolchildren is supposed to be viewed.

I work at a fairly conservative school. There are a few "lefties" on campus, but for the most part, the more conservative way of thinking is predominant. I have no doubt that if viewing the speech was mandatory, my son's 4th grade teacher would treat it logically, bringing in constitutional issues if necessary. She would not tell them what to think, but rather question and have them come up with their own opinions, and value those opinions without sharing her own. She would be a teacher.

However, most families are not in the situation that I'm in-- working at a school where your child attends. In fact, with my older son, I am not in that situation, and have found myself with the other parents. My child goes to a school where I don't know the teachers that well, or at all. I cannot trust their handling of the president's address to be fair and balanced. So, I did what many others have done, and written a note to his principal, requesting that he not participate in this activity. Fortunately, I got the response that I wanted:

"Thank you for your email. I do not have a teacher so far who has selected to air the speech."

That's good to know, especially at the high school level. Our elementary school is in the same boat-- no teacher is willing to commit to sharing this speech without having seen it first. That's a good clue that the teachers-- at the very least-- want to be informed before making a decision. No one has agreed to show the video on Tuesday. The principal has made it clear that if choosing to air it later, all plans must be approved by her.

Good.

Now-- to give a "counter-example" of the teaching video above when it comes to working politics into the classroom, here's a reposting of how I handled elections last year (it was on my old blog site):

Friday, October 31, 2008
Straight-Line-Democrat
I had a mock election with my class this week.Third grade is a fun time for this, as kiddos look to the adults in their lives for leadership and guidance, while at the same time, begin to assert their independent thinking.
As I began, I asked the kids if they wanted to share who their first thoughts were for which side of the fence their vote started. The first one asked me who I planned on voting for, in which I answered, "I'm not telling you. I'm an adult in your life-- a teacher. My job isn't to tell you who to vote for, but to help you make an informed decision. I'm afraid that if I say who gets my vote, it will influence your decision."
Despite their disappointment, some of them still wanted to share. Some of the students said McCain, many said Obama. One child in my class (whose grandfather is running for office) raised her hand and said (quite confidently, I might add), "I'm voting for Obama."
"Why?" I asked.
"Because I'm a Straight-Line-Democrat."
Hm...I thought."Why?" I asked.
This time it was her turn to say "Hm..."
Okay, so we proceed. I introduced Candidate #1 as a husband, father, and a senator. Candidate #2? A husband, father, and a senator.
"But that's the same!" the students insisted.
"You're right. If I were to give you a name, you would immediately access your schema (a phrase used quite often in our class) and it would influence your vote. We're going to look at the issues.
So I passed out the ballots. The ballot was a spreadsheet printout of a list of issues, including: Economy, Energy, the Environment, Health Care, Illegal Immigration, and the War in Iraq. There were 2 columns next to the list of issues, labeled with "Candidate #1" and "Candidate #2". Their job was to choose a candidate with whom they most agreed with on each individual issue. At the end, we'd count up the votes, and then declare a winner.
We go through the issues, and the students are amazingly interested in how each man felt about the issue. There are some good questions, as well as some silence, which makes me know that they're thinking.
Once we make it through the issues, the ballots are tuned in. I tally the votes, and then show them the results.
Candidate #2 wins by the proverbial landslide.
Next question:"Who is candidate #2?" I ask them as they answer enthusiastically,
"Obama!"
Well, actually, no. Obama is Candidate #1. Number 2 is McCain.
It was amazing. The amount of puzzled looks gazing back at me let me know that the experiment worked.
So, that next question (I love questions!) was,"So, if you'd like to share--only if you'd like to-- I'd like to know if anyone thought they would have voted for one person, but ended up choosing the other"
A few kiddos raised hands, and shared that they thought they would have picked one person, but ended up liking another.
Then, the granddaughter raised her hand.
"You'd like to share, Miss Straight-Line-Democrat?" I said with a smile.
She smiled back."Well, I really thought I was going to vote for Obama, but it ends up that I agree more with McCain."
"Why do you think that is?"
"I never really listened to what either had to say."
"What do you think of things now?"
"Well," she paused, and looked up, grinning, " I think that I'm not a Straight-Line-Democrat any more."...


Posted by PSG at 8:09 PM