Is this ok?

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-12-2008
Is this ok?
33
Fri, 11-07-2008 - 5:34pm

This was on our news tonight.

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-12-2008
In reply to: melanie230
Fri, 11-07-2008 - 6:16pm
Sandy, what bothered me most was her account of the situation at the end.

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-08-2008
In reply to: melanie230
Fri, 11-07-2008 - 6:30pm

That if it were too difficult for him maybe he needed to go into another line of work.

 

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-20-2008
In reply to: melanie230
Fri, 11-07-2008 - 6:44pm

Wouldn't it be nice to have all the answers to life? I wonder if you get that from a magic 8 ball? Or maybe there is an audio book somewhere out there. Gosh if only that were offered as a class in college?

That said, I don't know of any school district that allows teachers to wear political pins or tee-shirts. I think NY was trying to take legal action to allow it. I think since many, although not all, students look up to their teachers it is important for us to keep out personal views to ourselves. I teach math so it doesn't come up too often, but when I does I tell my students that votes are private things. When I taught elementary school I did teach social studies, during Bush's election. You have to realize that most school children would vote the way their parents vote - it is based on the discussions they hear at home. You might not agree with their choice but to belittel it is to belittle their parents. That is NOT appropriate. I do think as teachers we should find ways to get kids to think about the issues in a more open minded way, but not by telling them, or even insinuating, that they are wrong. It was really hard, living in a red county, for me to keep my opinions to myself sometimes, but I did. I used a debate to teach about the candidates. My fifth graders were randomly assigned either democrat or republican and had to debate their candidate as if they really were supporting that candidate. They had to research the issues and look at the candidates stance - sometimes it was a real eye opener.

Personally, I don't know why the parents of the girl don't have a problem with the teacher, she really put the girl on the spot and the parents should be standing up for her. I don't think the teacher will get fired, but she should definitely be reprimanded. She owes that girl a very public apology.

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
In reply to: melanie230
Fri, 11-07-2008 - 6:46pm
and interesting you can take this point of view from one sentence of a whole post without the benefit of knowing what was being said and how he handled the talk from the parent.

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iVillage Member
Registered: 10-08-2008
In reply to: melanie230
Fri, 11-07-2008 - 7:05pm

I agree that teachers need to keep their opinions to themselves.

 

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-08-2008
In reply to: melanie230
Fri, 11-07-2008 - 7:09pm

If I were to relate an incident that occurred between me and another person, I would not tell everyone that I said something that could be construed as threatening or rude without also letting them know what exactly had provoked that statement (such as the other person telling me that they weren't going to change their ways or something to that effect).

 

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
In reply to: melanie230
Fri, 11-07-2008 - 7:09pm
wise choice imho ... although I, as a parent ,would be ok

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iVillage Member
Registered: 10-25-2006
In reply to: melanie230
Fri, 11-07-2008 - 7:55pm

No, that is not okay.

Nor is it okay for a teacher to put a child on the spot for having different religious beliefs. Unfortunately, religious views, just like political views, expressed by a teacher can serve to browbeat a student.

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http://www.pnhp.org/news/2009/october/meet_the_new_health_.php

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQTBYQlQ7yM

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2007
In reply to: melanie230
Fri, 11-07-2008 - 8:13pm
The teacher should be suspended/fired/whatever is the policy of the school system.

Sopal

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iVillage Member
Registered: 10-12-2008
In reply to: melanie230
Fri, 11-07-2008 - 8:19pm

Well I didn't go into specifics.