Pro/Con: Freedom of political expression
By: Jordan Coburn
The subject of politics in the classroom is a taboo, to say the least. The mere discussion on whether or not politics should be dis- cussed in the classroom has been debated. It is a sad day when the discussion about a potential discussion is being discouraged.
If this were the case for everything, new ideas would never be passed around and added to, leading to a stagnant educational environment. The possibility of political views being allowed in the classroom should be made acceptable.
“I would not mind if we talked about political views if it fostered discussion,” Senior Kevin Tamadonfar said. “I think that would be better because you could bounce ideas off of each other.”
A lot of teens are considered to be very opinionated. Teachers and other students should encourage their students and other peers to share their views, including those that are political.
“After you go through the year, you’ve had many discussions and you get an idea of what political party your teacher is a part of,” Tomadon far said. “Understanding that does not take away from the discussion. If you have an opposing opinion in comparison to your teacher, you can have a good conversation. You can also have a good discussion with them if you belong to the same party by understanding the different nuances between those ideas.”
Junior Sami Ma also sees the importance of political views being discussed in school.
“Discussing political views in class gives everyone an equal opportunity to voice their opinions and it gives students different views that they might not have considered before,” Ma said. “It should be about hearing other people’s voices and allowing students to voice opinions, but should not cause conflict between students out- side of the classroom.”
If open discussion exists, however, students must have a certain level of maturity and respect for one another in order for a productive exchanging of ideas to take place.
“There has to be some level of maturity in students,” government teacher Demetrius Beam said. “I have had problems with students in the past when it becomes too personal. You can attack the idea, not the person.”
The goal of a teacher allowing personal political views in the classroom would be, according to Beam, to help students create their own identity as a pupil and, ultimately, as a person.
“I want to create an environment where students can figure out who they are,” Beam said. “I don’t want to taint their search by wanting to identify with a teacher, or vice versa.”
The subject of politics is ineffably complex, and hearing other students speak about politics during discussion is a good way for peers to get a better understanding of the subject. “Freedom of speech in education is extremely important. The moment you say, ‘you can’t say this,’ you immediately get into the slippery slope of what is okay and what is not okay,” Tamadonfar said. “I would rather have teachers talking about their opinions than teachers being restricted.”
This does not mean, however, that teachers or students should “preach” their views. They should be cautious in voicing their opinion, because the goal of allowing views in discussion is to enlighten, not antagonize.
“There should be some kind of committee to review a teacher and how he/she teaches their class, and if we can de- fine the concept of ‘preaching’ in this situation, they should be punished,” Tamadonfar said.
All imperfections aside, the freedom of speech is some- thing that should be exercised and encouraged in the class- room. A 1984-esque society is the result of being told what to believe, what not to believe, and to never question. Is this what we want to turn into?
“If there are some cons that come along with open speech, I still think the pros of possbility would outweigh them,” Tamadonfar said.“You’d start only learning things that people want you to learn, and that’s a problem.”
