You’re sitting in your English class while your teacher explains Chapter 3 of “The Glass Castle,” listing key points before posing an open discussion question to the class about welfare distribution. But before anyone can do so much as raise their hand, your teacher recites that same longstanding phrase — “Don’t get political.”
Many schools think the best way to address politics is to avoid discussion of it — but that logic doesn’t prepare students for the political climate as they grow older. Politics is one of our nation’s most heated topics, and students deserve to express their opinions in a non-judgemental environment where they can gain respect for other perspectives and make their opinion known without getting hate. Discouraging students from developing their opinions through classroom discussion only hurts them — and our country — in the long run because it doesn’t allow students to hear other points of view or participate in peaceful discussions.
SMSD’s policy states that teachers can’t merge their political beliefs with the things they teach, try to persuade students to believe a certain way or directly support one politician or party over the other within the classroom. The teacher wants to avoid creating arguments about criminal justice reform in the classroom that may lead to upset students, or straying away from the genetics lesson that they have planned as students debate an off topic (but likely important) issue.
Teachers may think that stopping political discussions is helping their students, that the way to avoid political discussion is to not even discuss it in the first place.
But encouraging political discussion in a classroom environment could lead to more respect towards other people’s opinions and a better understanding of opposing views. If students are able to have respectful debates in a classroom environment, it would help teach them that it’s okay to have different opinions on political parties, and it’s not something to end relationships or create fights over.
Talking about politics in a classroom creates standards of respect that would otherwise be learned in a public setting. If a student says something offensive or politically incorrect in a classroom, it’s a better learning environment to understand than a public setting in which more people may be offended and there won’t be someone to help them understand what they did wrong.
Sure, AP Government allows for discussions of the last presidential debate, but the class is only available for seniors to take. If freshmen are being impacted by political policies, they should be able to express their opinions, and hear what others have to say.
Politics amongst teens has become not only controversial, but divisional. Students’ Instagram stories making declarations like, “If you support Trump, don’t talk to me” and, “If you don’t agree with me, you can’t be my friend” create a sense of fear in students about expressing how they feel politically. And this doesn’t gather any more support for either person’s views, it merely shuts out discussion and furthers the division between the two.
Classrooms are a good setting for teachers to bridge the gap between students with different views, where they are able to act as mediators. This gives students the opportunity to discuss peacefully, rather than yell at each other saying things like, “You’re wrong” and, “How can you vote for him!” in the hostile way that has become so common. We already give differing interpretations of passages involving pride and prejudice, causing the same heated discussion, so schools shouldn’t shy away from applying those analytical skills to politics and global issues.
With the upcoming election, these political and global issues should be talked about because they apply to students. Any senior in high school born before Nov. 3 is legally able to vote, and they should be educated about each candidate’s policies before entering the ballot stall. If properly utilized, classrooms can be a vital root of political exposure — hearing other students’ perspectives opens their eyes to more than just their parents’ ideas and what they learned from their Instagram feed that day.
According to Time Magazine, almost 80% of Americans live under a one-party roof. The country is more politically divided now than ever, making it more important that students learn how to calmly discuss their views, without being worried about what other people will say or think.
When most students talk about politics, they sound like a copy-and-paste version of a CNN blog or Fox podcast. When asked follow-up questions, many go silent — are they supposed to know the answer to a political question that their parents haven’t told them about?
With the lack of political education schools provide, many students take on the same beliefs as their parents. They haven’t done their own research and don’t know where to start because they’re discouraged to in school so they stick with what’s the easiest — following the same political morals that they’ve heard their whole life. Students need to fully understand both sides and form their own opinion, and it’s up to schools to encourage them to do so.
If teachers used even a bit of their class time to educate their students about policies such as the death penalty and immigration, and what it truly means to be “left” or “right,” students would be able to form opinions through a variety of sources — not just their family and go-to morning news channel. Topics like gun control and abortion take research to understand, so it’s important for students to have the opportunity to research and discuss it in a neutral setting.
In a poll by Harvard University, 75% of young Americans feel the results of this year’s presidential election will make a large impact on their lives. Bans on arbotion affect every woman, and changes to the education system affect students. So, schools should take more steps to educate them on each side and allow them to form opinions by asking political questions to encourage dialogue. Class discussions are supposed to equip students with the proper ways to build and share different ideas, so this should be applied to politics.
Some could argue that not all students need to be educated because they can’t vote. But even if they can’t vote, they still have a voice. High school students can volunteer as poll workers and speak out through social media. It’s important that they know what they are actually speaking out about, and this extra class time can allow them to be informed.
So the next time racial inequality comes up while discussing “To Kill a Mockingbird,” instead of immediately shutting down the discussion, teachers should foster a safe environment to educate students on the topic.