Ethical Dilemma #1

Everyone has a viewpoint. Everyone. On everything. We all have values, beliefs, biases. You name it, we've got it. They shape the way that we see the world, interpret current events and most importantly, they determine how we interact with each other. But, should a teacher disclose his or her values to their students?

Here's the issue. In teaching Social Studies, there's a lot of controversy. Should we have dropped the Atomic Bomb? Was Roe v. Wade a good decision? Does Reaganomics work? Is George Bush a bad president? In the past, I've tried to always keep a certain neutrality in my teaching. The educational theory goes like this...you should never disclose your views to your students, for it will shape how they view the issue. You might have students try to get a good grade by adopting your opinion. Or, you might have a student accuse you of harshly grading them because they disagreed with your views. I see those points, but I have my doubts.

Would it be better to disclose my views and biases to my students? I mean, listen, I'm a pretty political person. I'm seriously addicted to the news. If I could mainline The Drudgereport, I probably would. Don't my students have a right to know where I stand? Should they know that because I'm a liberal / moderate / conservative, I see things a certain way? At least then, they could say, "well, he's a typical ________, so forget what he said!"

Your thoughts?

First Post!

I am so excited that I'll have the opportunity to teach Political Science this year! I have only been teaching high school for a few years, but writing and teaching this class has always been one of my goals. As of right now, I have about 50 kids signed up. Its a great feeling to have the course go through with not just one, but two sections. I just hope that I can deliver a rewarding, challenging course for them.

In writing this course, I've tried to model it after a Political Science class that I had in high school. See...I had this great teacher, Maureen Startzel. Man, she was just amazing! I have never met someone so energetic, enthusiastic and dedicated. The way that she conducted that class really changed me as person. Not only did we learn the civics, but we learned to form our own opinions and engage in the political process. We met every politician possible...from the mayor to the sheriff to our Congressmen. It was great...here we were in high school having policy discussions with really important people. Words can't do justice to how great that class was, and to what a great teacher she was.

So, I've spent my entire summer trying to make this class really special. I took some courses at nearby Rutgers University to brush up on my background knowledge. I reached out to some other teachers, including Mrs. Startzel. And, I've invited everyone that I can imagine to come speak to my students. So far, we have a great group of guest speakers from the mayor, to State Senators, to Congressmen to Political Scientists from Rutgers. We'll see who I can get!