Bear 1
Cesia Bear
English
7 Nov 2011
Should Teachers Be Allowed to Say Whatever They Want In a Classroom? For years the topic of whether teachers should be allowed to speak their mind in a classroom, has been a constant issue. There are reports being made on a regular basis arguing this subject. We not only see or hear reports about it, however; we experience it first had without realizing that it is in fact a prominent issue. I myself had never had too much of an opinion on this matter but I do believe that teachers should be allowed to speak freely in a classroom. As citizens of the United States we are all entitled to freedom of speech, whether they are teachers or students. With that being said I do believe there is an appropriate type of classroom, meaning: a public or private school. Is it a university, college, or a high school? Is it a type of classroom that would call for a debate or opinion? There are many things to take into consideration when discussing this topic and we will take a look at a few of the reasons I believe it is perfectly acceptable for teachers to be able to speak their minds.
The first thing I want to make note of is The First Amendment, which states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” The information Bear2 presented from The First Amendment, in my opinion, is enough reason to allow teachers their exercise their rights as Americans. Teachers are also protected by the Academic Bill of Rights. In the “mission” it states that the “purposes of a University are the pursuit of truth, the discovery of new knowledge through scholarship and research, the study and reasoned criticism of intellectual and cultural traditions, the teaching and general development of students to help them become creative individuals and productive citizens of a pluralistic democracy, and the transmission of knowledge and learning to society at large.” I agree one-hundred percent with this statement. I do believe that teachers need to speak freely to give us the opportunity to open our eyes to new opinions and possibilities. How will they be able to able to teach students how to think for themselves and participate in a democracy? Higher education should be an arena for opinions both extreme and conservative even if those opinions seem arrogant and one-sided. All possible views must be expresses so students can from their own objective opinions on the topic. If a professor would allow and not take offense to what a student has to say then the professor has done nothing wrong.
Some professors do believe there should be restrictions. One professor said “teaching, yes, it is my job to introduce students to new materials and equip them with new skills. It is decidedly not my job to produce citizens for a pluralistic society or for any other. Citizen building is a legitimate democratic activity but it is not an academic activity (Fish).” Although I think that freedom of speech in the classroom is almost necessary, I don’t think that they should be voiced as their personal opinions; teachers should remain professional, and neutral on such topics. Stating their opinions should be offered as different point of views and students should not be graded depending on difference of opinion. Let’s take for example the article “ACLU Bear 3
Tells Fresno City College that Anti-Gay preaching by Health Professor Doesn’t Fly.” This professor presented slides listing that “homosexuality is a biological misapplication of human sexuality (ACLU).” In this article the professor at this school was presenting his personal bias as fact or fiction. In this sense I do think it’s wrong with what he said, although; he is still entitled to his own opinion. What he didn’t think about was about his students. How many of his students are gay? Why would he not take into consideration that what he was saying may have been rude and his students may have felt disrespected. If he would have stated it as just an opinion I don’t think it would have been a horrible thing for him to say but he presented his information as fact. Because of this article I understand why it may be sometimes necessary to restrict teachers from voicing their opinions, teachers need to be careful not to hurt the feelings of students and create emotional distress and not use their classroom as a platform to spread hate and ignorance. A teacher should not directly attack any individual. I feel that is where the line should be drawn. The difference between fact and opinion is a fine line when it is being presented to young, impressionable students who for the most part wanting to achieve a passing grade in the course more than voice their opinions on such matters.
When discussing this matter we also need to take into consideration is that the topics are appropriate for that particular class setting. Let’s take for example philosophy, sociology, political science, and even history…are classrooms that are appropriate venues for debate. In my opinion a lower math class would not have reason to debate political, racial, or any other sensitive subjects. If a teacher wanted to state his religious beliefs he would not be able to do it in a private school. He would need to stick to the curriculum. A public school would be an appropriate setting educationally and socially. Bear 4
In the end I still believe that teachers should be allowed to say what they want. College is intended for us to be able develop critical thinking skills along with material in our major. Part of critical thinking is asking questions to that material, researching, and forming our own conclusions. Professors should show us how to think not what to think and just because we don't agree with everything professors are saying doesn't mean they shouldn't teach it. Why does everything have to be so sensitive? Are we brought up to be so weak minded that we can't form your own opinion on things? What is so sad to me about this whole thing is that while some teachers are trying to teach or discover ideas or facts that are delicate to certain political groups or to authorities, they may end up being targeted for public slander, receive death threats, some may lose their jobs, or even be imprisoned. Those things seem to be very extreme, however; it does happen. It is unfortunate that teachers have to be careful of what they say and not to step on toes. As stated before I do understand in some way that it is important sometimes but not all of the time. I guess I just can’t fully understand the need to restrict teachers because when I go to school I want to be able to learn as much as I can. I like to hear different opinions. I feel like I need to educate myself on such things. When I hear new theories I am disappointed that I was walking around before so close minded. I can’t believe that some of those things never crossed my mind. I like to be informed on things as much as I possibly can. Hopefully one of these days we will learn to not be so sensitive to every little thing and actually take what people have to say as a tool for learning and not take offense to everything someone says, especially in a country where freedom of speech is celebrated. If I wanted to be limited to what I was taught I would go live in a communist country.

Works Cited

“Academic Bill of Rights.” AAUP.org. 2003. Web. 27 Nov. 2011.

“ACLU Tells Fresno City College That Anti-Gay Preaching By Health Professor Doesn’t Fly.”
ACLU.org8 Feb. Web. 28 Nov., 2011

“First Amendment.” Firstamendment.com. Web. 27 Nov. 2011.

Fish, Stanley. “Intellectual Diversity: the Trojan Horse of Dark Design.” The Chronicle Review.
13 Feb. Web. 27 Nov., 2011

Cesia Bear
English 100
7 Dec 2011
Rhetorical Analysis

Teachers Limitations in Classrooms

When I first started writing this paper on teachers’ limitations in a classroom, I had my mind set and knew that it could not be changed. In my opinion teachers should not have restrictions. But as I did a little reading, and I informed myself a little more on this, I realized that maybe sometimes teachers do need limitations. Well maybe certain limitations. If I teacher is speaking to help us see a different point of view in hopes to open our eyes, then I do not believe there is anything wrong with them saying what they feel, on the other hand I do not think they should let those opinions be known to be their personal opinions. I also don’t think that they should just say whatever they want just to be hateful. If they want to preach about something they are against then they need to talk about that in an appropriate venue. Trying to get students to see a different view is one thing but using it as a fact is not the way to voice their opinion. A teacher should remember if they are going to say anything they want, students should also be entitled to speak freely. Although I did try to understand this from a different view, as in restricting teachers, I came to the same conclusion; I still believe teachers should be entitled to speak their minds to help their students learn.