POLITICS IN THE CLASSROOM
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for example , could probably make a good guess if they Googled their way to this article . 1 I ’ ve ultimately decided not to try to hide my political views in class — but I explicitly promise my students that disagreeing with me won ’ t hurt their grade , and it ’ s clear from their essays and in-class comments that they ( or at least many of them ) believe me . One advantage of this approach is it makes it possible to model how to have respectful disagreement about contentious topics , but I recognize the danger in it , too . Either way , I think it ’ s an important question to think about , and I ’ d be skeptical of anyone who ’ s absolutely certain of a one-sizefits-all approach .
What guidelines should we have for classroom discussions about politics ?
It ’ s vital for teachers and students to be on the same page about the ground rules for a discussion before it takes place . I ’ ve found it helpful to have students generate agreements along the lines of this sample contract2 from the organization Facing History and Ourselves . I like to tell students that what we say in class is a rough draft of what we think ; we should give ourselves and each other permission to say something stupid and then revise it upon reflection . At the same time , I also remind students that freedom of speech doesn ’ t mean speech is without consequence . Even in our rough drafts , we should strive to be mindful of
“ I like to tell students that what we say in class is a rough draft of what we think ... Even in our rough drafts , we should strive to be mindful of each other and understand that our intention may not yield the impact we intended .
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each other and understand that our intention may not yield the impact we intended . Sometimes we fail , and when we do , we should own it and try to mend it .
What kind of balance should we strive for in terms of views presented ?
Every student , parent , teacher , and administrator I ’ ve ever spoken with believes that students should be exposed to a wide range of perspectives . The benefits of this seem clear . At the same time , I think it ’ s important not to fall into the trap of thinking that every issue has exactly two sides , both of which should be presented as equally valid . To offer one blisteringly obvious example , we had the opportunity to host Holocaust
1 . https :// stanfordpress . typepad . com / blog / 2017 / 04 / wrong-time-wrong-place . html 2 . https :// www . facinghistory . org / mockingbird / fostering-reflective-classroom
Page 4 Summer 2021 CSEE Connections