I'm fed up with my high school education. It's as simple as that.
As a conservative with strong views, I am not allowed to express them without being ridiculed in school.
For my global warming persuasive essay, I wanted to use an interview that Glenn Beck had with climatologist, Bob Carter. I was able to use the interview after having to explain why it was valid information. I was also told that Beck is full of propaganda.
Being a great fan of Beck's work and ideals, I was stunned that my teacher had said this to me. Teachers have an influence on their students and now seem to be abusing it.
I am also afraid that my grade for this essay will suffer for this. Even though we were allowed to choose what we wanted to write about, I believe that I have to conform to what my teacher wants to hear. I have done that for each assignment, besides this one. I feel that I cannot say what I truly think in certain classes because my grade will be lowered for what I say. Its a ridiculous, but true, thought.
I'm not saying that teachers should all be conservatives, but it is certainly annoying to find that none are. Teachers should not be able to tell students what their political views are. Most high school students do not even have views, and they can easily be influenced and led to believe something.
Who else has had this problem?
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I had a government/economics teacher who refused to tell the class his beliefs in anything so our opinions wouldn't be affected.
Your teacher sounds a little misguided, and hey all teachers are human but they should still act like teachers. Students deserve to find their own voice afterall.
~ *~
This is a signature, an automated thingy that pops up when I comment, not a demand to see my blog!
Mind Control is Easier Than You Think
That sounds like an awesome class. I remember my eighth grade history teacher is the only one who has ever not told us his opinions.
And I agree, teachers are human, but need to keep quiet at times. This year just seems to be especially bad for teacher opinions..
Tegan.
He is full of propaganda. But I would not have told you that. If your teacher gives you a grade you think is unfair just report the teacher, or ask to discuss it with him/her. Even if his views are different from your own, most teachers are able to put aside personal prejudices and grade fairly.
Its a ridiculous, but true, thought.
This is totally unrelated, but I've seen so many people spell the word "ridiculous" with an "e" that I just wanted to commend you.
“I hope the departure is joyful and I hope never to return.” - Frida Kahlo
I'm gonna betch slap the dumb outta you
Thank you, I hate when people spell words wrong also!
I don't think Beck is full of propaganda though... He's a breath of fresh air to the news stations. Newspapers, news channels, and other broadcast communications seem to be liberal, and Beck does not conform and speaks his mind.
I don't know if my teacher is going to grade me fairly or not because we haven't received our grades, so I'll see how she grades this...
Tegan.
I guess it's all how you look at it. Usually liberals think all news is conservative, and conservatives think all news is liberal. We're probably focusing our attention on different things.
Hope everything goes well. I haven't had a teacher grade me unfairly because of political views, but I have had teachers grade me unfairly (even fail me on an assignment) because of different ideas about creativity/artistry. Grades on assignments like that are pretty hard to challenge since none of it's based on fact.
“I hope the departure is joyful and I hope never to return.” - Frida Kahlo
I'm gonna betch slap the dumb outta you
True, that's pretty much how it is always going to be.
Yeah, I don't see how you can be wrong with creativity because it's based off of what you see. Sounds pretty stupid.
Tegan.
I once wrote a paper in college about a book I hadn't read. It was a big semester credit-wise, and work, and track, and...life. I didn't read the book. The night before the paper was due I wrote what I thought was sure to be a D paper at best. But I formulated a thesis statement, pulled quotes, and wrote the thing, taking care to set up the quote and explicate afterward.
The professor gave me an A- and wrote at the bottom, "While your thesis relies on a flawed premise, you argued the point very well." (I re-read the paper later on, after I actually read the book, and was quite embarrassed at how badly I missed the boat).
So if you do your job, you can get a good grade, regardless of which side of the fence you're on. Just support, support, support. And that means double checking the integrity of your sources, and sometimes, rejecting the questionable ones, even if you like them.
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/ediblewoman
I understand the sentiment that conservatives can be squashed by popular opinion. It's ironic to note that liberals throughout history have stood up against "the man," but now that they're mainstream, they themselves are forcing conformity upon those who do not lean left.
I think, and please correct me if I'm wrong, that the majority of public school teachers are liberal because the "tax and spend" financial credo of liberals in the government is how they get paid.
I have one particular teacher who is unapologetically conservative. I appreciate him because he can treat us high school seniors as adults, and not be afraid to share his personal opinions with us. There have been heated arguments in our class, but fortunately we're all mature enough to handle debate and discourse, despite being in a suffocatingly oppressive climate of "political correctness."
No I think I completely agree with what you've said.
I think school teachers are liberal for that reason also, but I'm not 100% sure..
I'd love to be treated as an adult in class. It seems like you have a great class where you can express what you think.
Tegan.
I think, and please correct me if I'm wrong, that the majority of public school teachers are liberal because the "tax and spend" financial credo of liberals in the government is how they get paid.
I don't really think that's accurate reasoning. What about liberal people who just love to teach, like myself. It has nothing to do with how teachers get paid.
“I hope the departure is joyful and I hope never to return.” - Frida Kahlo
I'm gonna betch slap the dumb outta you
Well then, why do you suppose that most public school teachers are liberal if its not because of this?
Tegan.
You don't become a teacher because you care about money. Although a paycheck is an absolute necessity, and of course I care about getting one and where it comes from, my "liberalism" has nothing to do with who forks out the funds to pay me. And you were saying something about biased opinions...?
I consider myself a liberal, and I do my very best to not shove my personal opinions on my students. I DO try to open their minds to other ways of thinking about things, but I ALSO support their opinions and research topics IF they can provide accurate data. If they want to write a paper about why abortion is not okay, or why the death penalty should be legal, or whatever, as long as they are providing factual research to back it up, all I can do is teach them to THINK. I'm sure there are lots of conservative teachers who feel the same way. Personally, I don't think it really matters what a teacher's political tendencies are.
My point is, the reasons I am a "liberal" - or the reasons I think the way that I do - have more to do with the political and social issues that I find most important and the ways that certain leaders deal with those issues. I also went to a liberal arts college. But the education system is suffering under both liberal and conservative leadership, so that is not something that can be labeled very well anyway. And frankly, the government should be forking out more money for education - not so much to add more to my paycheck, but to provide more services for students. But I'm sure that there are conservative teachers who agree with me there.
I hope you never say a line like that to any of your teachers - doubtless they will find it rather offensive, as I did. Teachers are sensitive creatures when it comes to their job (most of them, at least the ones who care most about it). So don't just go throwing out generalized opinions and false stereotypes.
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/kariskoett
"All things appear and disappear because of the concurrence of causes and conditions. Nothing ever exists entirely alone; everything is in relation to everything else."
-Buddha
I don't know anyone who goes into teaching for the money.
And my classmates in my education classes seem to run about 50/50. But it doesn't matter, because whatever our political biases (and EVERYONE has biases), we are all united in one goal, which is to teach students how to think critically. That means teaching them not to blindly follow any ideology, but to dig deeper and analyze the motivations, conflicts, weaknesses, and strengths of the source.
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/ediblewoman
I would obviously never say that to my teacher because it would be rude. That's why I posted what I think on here because its my blog.
Tegan.
I regret that you took offense to my comment. It was, and I knew this when I wrote it, a gross exaggeration, the purpose of which was to make a forceful point. Perhaps too forceful, then? Regardless of the strong language I used, I think my point stands. My wording, not my meaning, was harsh.
As you yourself presented, public educators are liberal because left-leaning legislative spenders pour money into our education system, which is not necessarily a bad thing at all. As a side effect of that, this is how teachers are paid. Again, the point was, this is why many teachers are liberal. They don't simply want the money for themselves, but for the improvement of their schools and the jobs which they are so passionate about.
While I do respect my teachers and wouldn't say that to them myself, that statement was in fact an adaptation of something my government teacher said.
Who knows? I don't think most are liberal, but then again, it's how we perceive people. I can only say why I want to teach. Basically I want people to succeed in life, and I think a good education is fundamental to success in this society. And encouraging teachers really boost a student's self-esteem in my experience. Also, younger people(like students) tend to have more liberal views than older people, so maybe liberals are just attracted to environments where people are more likely to hold their views. That's the best i can think of anyway.
“I hope the departure is joyful and I hope never to return.” - Frida Kahlo
I'm gonna betch slap the dumb outta you
We also have to remember that teachers are also PEOPLE. Teaching is their career, and certainly that's a big part of who they are, but that's not the ONLY part of who they are. Teachers are liberals or conservatives for the same reasons that anyone else is.
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/kariskoett
"All things appear and disappear because of the concurrence of causes and conditions. Nothing ever exists entirely alone; everything is in relation to everything else."
-Buddha
Glenn Beck's show is propaganda. So is Bill O'Reilly's and Sean Hannity's. My main issue with Glenn Beck is when he tries to pretend he's an expert on sex education. The only thing Glenn Beck is an expert on is alcoholism.
Common sense is as rare as genius. ~Emerson
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I'm pretty sure nothing you've said here is intelligent so please stop.
Beck covers stories others don't. Just because you watch CNN all the time doesn't give you the right to bash other news networks because they're not left-winged.
Tegan.
Just because you watch CNN all the time doesn't give you the right to bash other news networks because they're not left-winged.
You're right. The constitution gives her that right. She's spot on about Beck.
“I hope the departure is joyful and I hope never to return.” - Frida Kahlo
I'm gonna betch slap the dumb outta you
And I have the right to say that's wrong.
I don't agree that he's all propaganda and never will. Sure, he does say biased things, but who doesn't? Even "reliable" news sources are biased.
Tegan.
I don't appreciate you insulting my intelligence. Please don't insult me again.
Glenn Beck has the same slant on a story as the Christian Broadcasting Network and he's incredibly mean-spirited. That's why I don't like him. Same goes for Hannity and O'Reilly.
Common sense is as rare as genius. ~Emerson
My Latest Blog Posts
Please don't post pointless comments about Glenn Beck on my page. This blog isn't even about him.
I'd like to know how he is mean-spirited...
Tegan.
I think it'd be best to end this conversation before someone starts violating the Terms of Use.
“I hope the departure is joyful and I hope never to return.” - Frida Kahlo
I'm gonna betch slap the dumb outta you
I'm with you on that one.
Common sense is as rare as genius. ~Emerson
My Latest Blog Posts
Politics at my high school were rather interesting. Most of the Liberal Arts teachers leaned left while the math, science, and PE teachers leaned right. You can't really have an unbiased education.
Your teacher can't fail your assignment just because of the topic (I pushed that boundary with my speech on ridding the country of Canada Geese, which surprised my prof on how well researched it was). Sure, a bunch of people won't agree with you, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't be afraid to write or talk about what you want just because someone disagrees with you. Hell, that's why we're here.
I can't remember who said it, but some famous guy said, "It's not the speech we want to hear that we must protect but the speech we don't want to hear."
"If it looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, we have at least to consider the possibility that we have a small aquatic bird of the family anatidae on our hands."
~~Douglas Adams
I want to add this:
When I wrote this, I was mad at one of my teachers. I don't think she likes me very much..
Anyways, I'm not saying all liberal teachers are horrible. In fact, I like most of my teachers who are. I just don't agree with some things they do.
dún do bheal
I'm not following.
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/ediblewoman
I'm just adding this because I don't want to appear to hate my high school. I like it actually.
dún do bheal
Because you have FoxNoise listed under your personal news sources, I will not comment on what is and what is not propaganda.
You mentioned Beck's ideals. I'm curious as to what those are. I've only seen him speak once...
Earth First: we'll destroy the other planets later.