Growing up, I heard that my teachers should not be political. They were there to teach us the facts and remain a neutral party. Many curriculums and districts still direct their teachers as such. I fully see and acknowledge the intent of this language. In a world where politics are often a highly charged subject, there are biases associated when opinions get involved. As a teacher, to remove yourself and not discuss politicized topics may allow for a more objective perspective.
However, choosing to talk or not to talk about politics becomes an inherently political point of view whether or not educators want to actively talk about it. Everything about education is political, from the textbooks used to the social contexts schools are situated in. Moreover, it can also become a safety issue for students, particularly students of color. Nevertheless, choosing to express one’s own political views in the classroom or the level to talk about politics is still highly debated among educators.
A part of this controversy revolves around how different groups and individuals define the term political. In this article, I define “political” as information that prepares students to be members of the participatory democracy that we live in.
Student Safety
My initial interest in writing about this topic sparked from my conversation with Clare Dreyfus. I wrote about our conversation on going back to school during COVID-19 last week, but beyond our conversation on the coronavirus we also talked about Black Lives Matter and incorporating current events into the curriculum. One of the first points she made was after President Trump’s election in 2016, she was a brand new teacher, and her fifth grade students asked her who she voted for. “I realized for them it was a matter of safety, and whether they felt safe in my classroom and safe talking to me,” Clare said. “So I did choose to answer and tell them.” As a white teacher in a classroom of mostly minority students, Clare knew that whether or not she said if she had voted for the President would send a message to her students about whether she supports his rhetoric and as an extension, if she thought the same things about them as individuals.
For students who are undocumented or have other pressing concerns, knowing what their teacher believes lets them know whether that classroom is a safe space for them to speak openly and if that teacher is someone they can trust. Choosing not to disclose one’s beliefs and not engage in politics can make that student feel isolated and damage that trust before there is even the opportunity for it to be built. Continuing with the President Trump example, choosing not to talk about how some of his language can be racist or sexist can suggest that it’s unimportant and doesn’t matter. This marginalizes students even if it was done with the intention of neutrality.
Teachers’ Opposition
The movement “education is political” is growing, and has grown since the election of President Trump. But there remain many educators who are uneasy discussing politics and social issues in their classes. One teacher said “‘I always feel nervous explicitly discussing politics in my classroom due to the variety of views of my students’ parents and my own fear that parents will be upset or complain about me if my own views come up explicitly in classroom lessons/discussions.’” Fear of backlash from parents and administrators is real and could hurt a teacher professionally as well as their relationships with colleagues.
Many educators also feel that being political is simply not their place. While they feel they can talk about politics and help facilitate student voices and lead them to their own understanding, it isn’t – and should not be – their place to influence those beliefs by voicing their own opinions.
Social Contexts of School
For the past few months the most pressing issues on nearly everyone’s mind are coronavirus and racial disparities in the United States, specifically relating to Black Lives Matter protests and police brutality. Many students were still in school following the murder of George Floyd that sparked the latter. These conversations, anxiousness, and apprehension over the future don’t leave when children go to school, even if it’s virtual.
Therapists and psychologists have said even young children can – and should – be talking about Black Lives Matter and race. Making blanket statements to children like “treat everyone equal” without providing context can lead children to the idea that racism does not exist–which can be harmful if this continues to be reinforced over time. From many individuals’ perspectives, talking about race and human rights isn’t a political issue, despite that our current political climate seems to make every social issue a political one.
Course Content in Public Schools
If we disregard the idea of talking about elections and potentially controversial current events in class, our education in public schools is still politicized. Politicians determine what is put in the curriculum that states mandate for teachers to follow. And textbook and other academic writing companies need to align with these standards in order for districts to buy their textbooks, so they in turn can make a profit. Two of the largest states, and thus the largest markets for textbooks, are California and Texas. The governors in each state help elect the members of the state boards of education, who select who serves on the panel that reviews and approves textbooks.
For one textbook that at first glance may look the same, it may have different editions for California and Texas that cater to those standards designed by policymakers. Analyzing textbooks in each of these states that credited the same authors and had the same publisher, showed “hundreds of differences, — some subtle, others extensive — emerged in a New York Times analysis of eight commonly used American history textbooks.” For example, for a specific McGraw-Hill history textbook that is widely used, there are two versions for California and Texas: one in line with California standards and one aligned with Texas standards. California’s history textbook discusses redlining and housing discrmination, but since that is not a part of Texas state guidelines, it’s not included in the Texas edition. Other examples include how Reconstruction in the post-Civil War era is discussed, the actual history of lynching, the Harlem Renaissance, and gun regulations.
These different versions of textbooks are not just limited to California and Texas, other versions appear in states across the country tailored to the standards set by policymakers. Our history books are whitewashed to show a particular view of American history and textbooks largely avoid controversy. Textbook writers and schools feel more comfortable teaching historical concepts that have been edited and revised over time and shaped by the “perspective of history.” Thus, Black Lives Matter is not in any history textbook, even ones that have been published since the movement began in 2013. But these current events are a part of students’ histories, and we should make it a priority for them to be included, discussed, and understood in class.
Despite the highly politicized nature of many social issues, teaching, and choosing what to teach, is an inherently political act. Even if these social issues are considered controversial and outside the reach of historical issues that have an established role in the classroom. The role of an educator is to help disseminate information on both historical and current issues while giving students a space to have these difficult discussions. This can and needs to be done by more educators with regards to the current social movements and encouraged by all levels of education.
Reflections
Check out this article in the New York Times that I cited above for page by page comparisons of Texas and California’s textbooks.
Reflect back on your own school experience. If you were in school in 2016, how did your teachers and professors respond following the election? Did they bring it up and discuss it? Or what was avoided? How was racism framed throughout your educational journey?
Even if you don’t believe teachers should voice their political views, is it possible for education as an institution to remain neutral? And should it, when the history of education is so ingrained by being designed for white America. Let us know!
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