Teachers who want to raise social awareness among students face a new dilemma. Educators have been deliberating over what's allowed or not allowed when it comes to teaching Trump's politics to students especially when there are no clear guidelines.
Some believe teachers should toe the line lest their intentions are misinterpreted as influencing students' opinions. Others say, however, that dialing down on political discussions involving the president and his government's policies won't give the kids a clearer picture of what's going on when this helps hone critical thinking skills.
In an Alabama school district, school administrators suspended a teacher for supposedly expressing partisan politics in class. In Staten Island, a teacher received a warning letter for an assignment she gave students about Trump's language and manner of speaking, according to News Day.
In Baltimore, school administrators ordered teachers to take down the students' diversity posters as these were seen as anti-Trump, according to CBS Baltimore. In a Georgia school district, on the other hand, teachers were ordered not to express their pro-Trump stance or they will risk losing their jobs, according to WND.
Politics is increasingly becoming a volatile topic and no one can tell what passes as acceptable discussion or not. It is assumed social studies teachers face the most problems in teaching Trump's politics to students. The cases enumerated above, however, also involved art teachers and English teachers, which means that the problem affects all teaching staff.
Some teachers also get flak not just from the school but also from parents of the students. There are moms and dads who believe that political awareness should be handled like religion in that it is mainly a parents' duty to inculcate this on their kids. It's not for educators to teach.
Where do you stand on this issue, parents? Do you support schools that raise political issues in students or would you rather teachers limit the discussions? Share your thoughts in the comments!
