Should teachers be aloud to promote their personal political beliefs in the classroom? (Hopkins: condo, school rankings)

[orange869]

wow!! I guees abortion is not that important.

That is crazy- for some it is the only issue and for Golf Gal to suggest that other isssues are more important: I'd like to know for her what is more important than human life.

Funny how influences change peoples minds.

Public school teachers should NOT be allowed to share their ideas about most topics. Followe the course outline Now wonder public education is so poor in this country.

Maybe more people should send their kids to pricvate school

[Haakon]

Originally Posted by crazyme4878

I think you need to look for some good, hard, independent studies of whether or not "most teachers...are liberal". This has long been a talking point of conservatives, but it is seldom followed by actual proof.

Here's some proof, but really few if any die hard liberals will accept any proof of a bias towards liberalism.

The Seattle Times is a very liberal/democratic paper in (obviously) Seattle, they just ran an article titled "UW faculty, staff giving favors Obama more than 80-1"
Local News | UW faculty, staff giving favors Obama more than 80-1 | Seattle Times Newspaper

From the article "The data, which record donations of more than $200, are collated by the Center for Responsive Politics. They reflect a national trend in which college professors and administrators are donating eight times as much to Obama as they are to McCain."

[knke0402]

Originally Posted by Haakon

Here's some proof, but really few if any die hard liberals will accept any proof of a bias towards liberalism.

The Seattle Times is a very liberal/democratic paper in (obviously) Seattle, they just ran an article titled "UW faculty, staff giving favors Obama more than 80-1"
Local News | UW faculty, staff giving favors Obama more than 80-1 | Seattle Times Newspaper

From the article "The data, which record donations of more than $200, are collated by the Center for Responsive Politics. They reflect a national trend in which college professors and administrators are donating eight times as much to Obama as they are to McCain."

Interesting.
I hate to be generalistic, but I believe it is safe to say that colleges tend to fall on the more Left Wing side of idealogies, especially in MN. I went to SCSU, a Liberal Arts schools, full of liberals. I rarely ever felt any push from Conservatives, but always felt and seen in your face politics of Liberals. I had an instructor who would constantly take subtle pokes at Bush Administration, and at Conservatives, and then looked at other liberals with a cocky smirk, like "hehe". I dispised that instructor, and that was the only time I ever felt a political press.

[roneb]

Originally Posted by orange869

wow!! I guees abortion is not that important.

That is crazy- for some it is the only issue and for Golf Gal to suggest that other isssues are more important: I'd like to know for her what is more important than human life.

Funny how influences change peoples minds.

Public school teachers should NOT be allowed to share their ideas about most topics. Followe the course outline Now wonder public education is so poor in this country.

Maybe more people should send their kids to pricvate school

I certainly hope the spelling and grammar in a post that is bashing public education is the result of an attempt at satire and done tongue-in-cheek!

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by orange869

wow!! I guees abortion is not that important.

For some people, it isn't, or its importance tends to depend on the clarification of several oft-nebulous definitions.

That is crazy- for some it is the only issue and for Golf Gal to suggest that other isssues are more important: I'd like to know for her what is more important than human life.

Many human societies over time have valued other things more highly than an individual human life. I'm not saying it's right or wrong, but it's hardly inconceivable.

Funny how influences change peoples minds.

I would hope that an intelligent person's opinions are at least partially formed by their own firsthand experience. Those who teach are often wise, but not always, and even wise teachers can make mistakes.

Public school teachers should NOT be allowed to share their ideas about most topics. Followe the course outline Now wonder public education is so poor in this country.

That's right. Teach to the test. No thinking allowed, just rote memorization.

Maybe more people should send their kids to pricvate school

In metro areas like Atlanta, private schools are a crutch which helps support a problem that would be better addressed by competent parenting. IMO.

[golfgal]

I never said that human life isn't important, I said that the president has zero chance to do anything about abortion and it shouldn't be the only issue on which people vote. Besides, abortion shouldn't be a legislative issue to begin with, it is a MORAL issue.

[knke0402]

Originally Posted by golfgal

I never said that human life isn't important, I said that the president has zero chance to do anything about abortion and it shouldn't be the only issue on which people vote. Besides, abortion shouldn't be a legislative issue to begin with, it is a MORAL issue.

Such a perfect post. I wish more people would understand this.

I heard so much "Obama is a baby killer" talk

Its totally ludacris. People, please, if you don't know issues, dont try and act like you do.

Pick up a book-not your newspaper. Then you can really understand HOW FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WORKS.

Everyone becomes a veteran politician when its voting time. Seriously, turn off Fox news, and CNN and read a book. Honestly, I believe only about 10% of USA citizens really get how things work, especially public policy and the balance of powers.

[Clifford63]

Originally Posted by golfgal

I never said that human life isn't important, I said that the president has zero chance to do anything about abortion and it shouldn't be the only issue on which people vote. Besides, abortion shouldn't be a legislative issue to begin with, it is a MORAL issue.

The presidient appoints supreme court justices. Composition of the supreme court has a lot to do with how future rulings may or may not change. I doubt that row v wade will be overtunred, but 12 or 16 years of republican president instead of 8 could have significant on the court being more conservative. People can and do feel that abortion is the biggest issue today and feel a moral obligation to vote for the cantidate that is pro life.

My opinion would be teachers should not be expressing a position on this type of issue and certianly not advocating a position. Explaing both sides of the issue, and talking about the issue is in my opinion should be allowed in the appropriate context. For example, math class is not the place for this.

The biggest problem I see is that many people that like to talk about these issues are not completly informed, and human nature is prone to be biased. You can't thwart creativity and implement a wholesale ban on particualr topics, and parents have substantial role in education process too.

[golfgal]

Originally Posted by Clifford63

The presidient appoints supreme court justices. Composition of the supreme court has a lot to do with how future rulings may or may not change. I doubt that row v wade will be overtunred, but 12 or 16 years of republican president instead of 8 could have significant on the court being more conservative. People can and do feel that abortion is the biggest issue today and feel a moral obligation to vote for the cantidate that is pro life.

My opinion would be teachers should not be expressing a position on this type of issue and certianly not advocating a position. Explaing both sides of the issue, and talking about the issue is in my opinion should be allowed in the appropriate context. For example, math class is not the place for this.

The biggest problem I see is that many people that like to talk about these issues are not completly informed, and human nature is prone to be biased. You can't thwart creativity and implement a wholesale ban on particualr topics, and parents have substantial role in education process too.

True, however the supreme court justices still have to be approved by congress and without that approval the President's nomination is worthless.

So you are suggesting that being pro life supercedes all other issues? What if you don't agree with the candidate on any other issue but being pro life/pro-choice, do you still vote that way?

[MNNative]

Originally Posted by golfgal

True, however the supreme court justices still have to be approved by congress and without that approval the President's nomination is worthless.

So you are suggesting that being pro life supercedes all other issues? What if you don't agree with the candidate on any other issue but being pro life/pro-choice, do you still vote that way?

I have trouble seeing these people's viewpoints, but there are tons of people who do believe just that, Golfgal. I'm unapologetically against abortions, but I realize that it's not the only issue that plagues our nation nor the world. Last election (2004) I brought up this issue (to vote for someone who will do no good for the country simply because of his pro-life stance) and without missing a beat, got responses that said, unequivocally yes. Because to vote Catholic is to vote against murder.

A president could propose sending all jobs to Antarctica, a ban on healthcare and insist we outlaw soap but be pro-life and still get a HUGE amount of followers/votes.