Urgent questions for these times, Sonni, but so difficult to answer. When I taught you in the Pitt College in High School Argumentation and Communications class, my favorite years were election years. I would videotape presidential debates, and we’d use a chart to evaluate and discuss the candidates’ positions, and there was never one moment of tension among us. People were CIVIL. I recoil at the idea of not being able to express myself on social media because I am a teacher, but I also see why it is not appropriate. For now, I hope that the organizations who are firing people for speaking up at least had a policy in place that was violated. If not, employees shouldn’t be punished. The problem is really that people are being fired for stating opinions, not for abhorrent speech.
I love your perspective on this. I'd imagine it's difficult to leave open a space for honest debate and discussion while also encouraging the basic ethics that teachers are expected to uphold. I think that's where the confusion comes in for me, and I try to think about how I'd feel as a student in a classroom these days. For example, how would I feel if a teacher told me his/her opinion on a popular political figure? In a way, the best skill I gleaned from working in journalism (local news) when it was still relatively objective is that my own intuition, research skills and critical thinking skills were sharpened because no one told me how to feel. I literally waded through lots of personal emotions every day as I interviewed and/or reported on "hot topic" issues. And I feel we are taking away the ability of these students to develop their own critical thinking skills when teachers/professors are even hinting at their own belief system. It's robbing them, I think, of the one skill that's needed in this modern world more than ever.
Urgent questions for these times, Sonni, but so difficult to answer. When I taught you in the Pitt College in High School Argumentation and Communications class, my favorite years were election years. I would videotape presidential debates, and we’d use a chart to evaluate and discuss the candidates’ positions, and there was never one moment of tension among us. People were CIVIL. I recoil at the idea of not being able to express myself on social media because I am a teacher, but I also see why it is not appropriate. For now, I hope that the organizations who are firing people for speaking up at least had a policy in place that was violated. If not, employees shouldn’t be punished. The problem is really that people are being fired for stating opinions, not for abhorrent speech.
I love your perspective on this. I'd imagine it's difficult to leave open a space for honest debate and discussion while also encouraging the basic ethics that teachers are expected to uphold. I think that's where the confusion comes in for me, and I try to think about how I'd feel as a student in a classroom these days. For example, how would I feel if a teacher told me his/her opinion on a popular political figure? In a way, the best skill I gleaned from working in journalism (local news) when it was still relatively objective is that my own intuition, research skills and critical thinking skills were sharpened because no one told me how to feel. I literally waded through lots of personal emotions every day as I interviewed and/or reported on "hot topic" issues. And I feel we are taking away the ability of these students to develop their own critical thinking skills when teachers/professors are even hinting at their own belief system. It's robbing them, I think, of the one skill that's needed in this modern world more than ever.