Gothamist: Teachers Sue Over Endorsing in the Classroom

Clarice City

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 00:43:59 -0500

schadenfreudian mensch, I'm not talking about sex ed or enlightened teachers who did things like mock - votes. I'm talkinng about PUSHING A PERSONAL AGENDA.

schadenfreudian mensch

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 15:33:46 -0500

Yea, because God knows they'll definitely learn nothing valuable about abortion, being gay or politics while in school and serves no purpose whatsoever. That's why we have such critical thinkers in society today. God bless America!

Clarice City

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 13:47:28 -0500

Just saying that if we allow for politics in the classroom it could open a flood gate of political agendas- like abotion, gay marriage, etc. that probably serve no purpose but to distract students from the real purppose of being in school- which is to learn.

Clarice City

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 12:56:54 -0500

I had a teacher in middle school who put a "Choose Life" bumper sticker on the door of our class room. (In Massachusetts no less.) It was up for maybe a one period and then we had a substitute for the rest of the week. My poor mother had to then explain to an 11 year old what abortion is. That teacher should have been arrested for pulling such a stunt.

NannyState

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 07:56:14 -0500

A sharp kid, if there's still such a thing, could see their teacher's political views and then game the system by slanting their work towards that teacher's POV and get a higher grade. A not-so-smart kid might get agitated or distracted by a polarizing message T. I mean, for god's sake, half the teachers out there are so terrified about overplaying their gender in the classroom but it's ok to lay on the politics? Who hires these people?

glennQNYC

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 00:02:33 -0500

This is a place to WORK. Not a place to make (shape?) political statements.

MrCow

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 23:07:00 -0500

i think that teacher's should keep political opinions to themselves aka hint subtlety

schadenfreudian mensch

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 20:58:07 -0500

Oh, Please. "Pull My Finger" is right, but I'll say more than half of those kids can't even read at grade level much less form political opinions. So long as they can sneak their precious cell phone into the school their world view only encompass who they can have sex with and wonder when their face is going to clear up.

ides_of_march

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 20:26:48 -0500

If a conservative minded teacher started expressing his/her views in the class, there'd be hell to pay.

ides_of_march

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 20:25:08 -0500

Stop indoctrinating these kids and start educating them! It's utterely unacceptable to have these teachers forcing their politics down their students' throats. Randi Weingarten is a marxist whore. How would they like it if the NRA, military recruiters or John Birch Society came into the schools to give presentations?

iralarry

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 19:37:46 -0500

My immediate knee-jerk reaction to this suit is BS. Teachers have no "First amendment right" to express their personal, political leanings in a classroom. Students have been sent home to many times for wearing clothing that expressed what they felt was their "1stAR." Politics like religion ought remain out of the classroom so as not to distract from the course material at hand. If the election process was the theme of the class I still do not believe teachers need unduly influence their pupils. That is the purview of parents and the media. Teacher are there for reading, writing and arithmetic.

babyhitler

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 18:03:08 -0500

Just like you can't recite the pledge of allegiance in class you can't wear political buttons. If other kids can't wear hitler t-shirts then why can teachers wear mcCain/obama shirts? this is totally wrong. plus those kids can't vote anyway. If I know public school students then anything their old fart teachers endorse they will be against so it's not really good for their candidate of choice.

HughGass

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 17:47:56 -0500

Endorsing a political view and imposing it on students are two different things. What the hell is wrong with expressing ideas and opinions?

Pull My Finger

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 17:43:04 -0500

Half those students can not read the shirts or buttons anyway.

rikomatic

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 17:04:24 -0500

A public school classroom is not the place for a teacher to endorse a particular candidate or another one. He or she has a responsibility to develop a child's civic engagement skills, which can only come from nurturing their own critical thinking and information gathering abilities. Now if a civics teacher were to have a class where the students had to learn the positions of all the candidates on foreign policy, the economy, the environment and medicaire, then that's a totally different story. But I don't want my gym teacher telling kids how to vote. Even if I might agree with him.

Scout1

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 16:29:48 -0500

If you don't see how a teacher "expressing" their personal political views upon their students is problematic, you must never have had any decent teachers yourself. Granted there are other issues the DOE needs to solve, but I don't see how that has any bearing on this matter. And the defense that the rule was not enforced before is hardly acceptable. Instead of being happy to get away with it for this long, you are complaining that you are now being made to follow the rules? Problem is, if a teacher defies the rules and promotes a candidate anyway, there's not much that can really be done to them now, is there?

Toby von Meistersinger

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 16:28:46 -0500

Ah yes, Randi Weingarten that shining beacon of wanting what is best for her union and not the kids spinning away. She sounds like someone who is running for office.

jtp2106

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 16:25:21 -0500

*shouldn't

jtp2106

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 16:24:46 -0500

Those kids aren't adults yet and they haven't formed their own opinions on politics. They should have their teachers imposing their political leanings on the students.

berniegoetz

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 16:04:44 -0500

Students aren't supposed to be held captive by the radical left until college.

woodendesigner

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 15:49:03 -0500

The Department of Education in this town really needs to redirect their efforts on getting other problems taken care of instead of causing new ones. If a teacher wants to wear their political views then who the hell cares so long as they are doing a good job giving children an education.