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Post by Trent Matsunoshin on Mar 19, 2006 9:56:34 GMT 1
Welcome everybody to the game of competitive banter where politics and pop culture come together for debate. The game goes something like this.. There will be four rounds. At the end of the second and third round, there will be a cuts as we narrow the competitive field down to two. Each round will have a series of questions pertaining to some facet of our global society, and participants arguments will be scored as follows: Great point in debate = 3 points Informational point or intresting opinion= 2pts Valid comment = 1pt Arguments that are deemed to be weak or lacking validity will result in point deductions.
Points can be scored in banter as well, so don't rest on your laurels after you've made your opening argument. Countering the points of others can result in great scores.[/u] Round 1: Question 1Background:
Jay Bennis, a high school social studies teacher at Overland High School in Aurora, CO was suspended by the school board for failing to follow a school policy requring teachers to represent both sides of all debates fair and equally. A student recorded a class lecture, in which the teacher made note that some people compare George Bush to Adolf Hitler.
At this time, I've been unable to find an audio file of the recording, though I will post it as soon as I obtain one. However, if you need further information, this should help.
www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11648765Your question:
Should teachers be allowed to express their own political opinions in the classroom, provided they present both sides of the debate, or does their informing students of what they truely believe lead to an inherently biased classroom discussion? |
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Post by KillerSundin (Formerly HBK) on Mar 20, 2006 0:06:03 GMT 1
I think teachers should be able to express their own opinion but to present an argument for both sides. That way, the class is not biased and the class can learn about how to express their own opinion. I also think that having a teacher express their own political opinion does not lead to a biased classroom because when the teachers express their opinion, the students should learn that having an opinion of their own is okay and it will help them in the future.
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Post by Stare on Mar 20, 2006 2:22:06 GMT 1
Wouldnt it be a bit odd for a country that is based on the belief of free speech to not allow employees of certain jobs to be able to do just that?
I think a teacher should be able to share his/her opinions, but make sure that the class is aware that they are just that, "opinions". If you are going to say that some people compare Bush to Hitler, feel free to go more in depth and explain why you side or disagree with that statement instead of just saying it and leaving it at that. This way, the kids can form their own opinions of the subject.
Don't give your opinions as if they are fact, because that would result in giving the class no alternative than the way you believe.
So, yeah, teachers should be able to, as long as they do it with the approach above.
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Post by brockandsable on Mar 20, 2006 18:57:11 GMT 1
I had a poly-sci professor my junior year at Temple that gave us every reason in the world as to why George W. Bush would ruin this country if he were elected to a second term. I respected his opinion on the matter, but it came up in just about EVERY class. It got to the point where we were sick of hearing about it and just wanted to get on with the agenda on the syllabus. Do I respect free speech? Yes. Should it be allowed in the classroom? No. There are extra-curricular politics activities on just abpout every college campus that would serve as the proper forum. These discussions can take place there, regardless of age, class or gender and they are voluntary; no one sticks a gun to anyone's face and forces their will upon them (unless you're Dick Cheyney  ) Going to class is mandatory. And the last thing any self-loving student wants is to pay on that money and then have your professor spill his biased opinion s on you each and every day. It's like attending the mosque: If I go on my own free will, I can expect to hear about Allah and his saving grace. But when I go to class, I don't expect religious discussions followed by mired opinions. Last I checked, there was separation between church and state. |
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Post by Scream on Mar 20, 2006 19:40:33 GMT 1
Free speech should be allowed in the classroom. If we don't allow it what are we teaching our kids. I do feel there should be restraints. But I don't think a teacher should push their views onto thier students. If you are going to talk politics their should be a side a and a side b. It opens up for debate which kids/young adults should def be apart of. Politics is a tough subject to talk about in schools but could be an awesome forum on debate and opinions.
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Post by Trent Matsunoshin on Apr 3, 2006 0:26:09 GMT 1
OK....no real arguments or back and forth banter, so points will be low....anyway... HBK = 2 Stare = 3 E2 = 3 Scream = 2 OK, next question, please note that anyone who wants to participate is welcome to, even if it is in the middle of the game. Background: The media has been covering a story of an alleged sexual assault involving a black exotic dancer accusing members of Duke University's Lacrosse Team of assaulting her at what was supposed to be a bachelor party with 5 people that turned into a 40+ member bachelor party. A judge ordered the Duke Lacrosse Team's 45 white players (out of 46) to submit DNA samples. In the three weeks since the incident, it took 4 days for police to search the house and two weeks to suspend the team's season, which was in progress at the time.The link is to an Associated Press News Story concerning the Sexual Assault case involving Duke University's Lacrosse Team: news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060402/ap_on_re_us/duke_lacrosse_the_divide;_ylt=An.WT.FAC9NQgg2zF_9hxCys0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA3ODdxdHBhBHNlYwM5NjQ-The story suggests that there are racist and classist overtones in the story, and outlines some of the overtones in the article, suggesting (and possibly impressing) opinions. Your Questions:
1: There are racial overtones suggested throughout the article, now, I found this article in Yahoo's NEWS section, when it clearly plays to an editorial piece, should this kind of an article be moved to an opinion page since it's not by journalist definition a "news" article?
2: Do you think that this case would have been handled differently had it been with the accused being black players from a black university with a white victim? Do you think race and/or class are a determining factor in how crimes are investigated and handled?BATTER UP! |
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Post by KillerSundin (Formerly HBK) on Apr 3, 2006 23:11:46 GMT 1
Racism sadly does play a part. There are a lot of people out there in positions of power (Police etc) that will enforce their belief instead of what's right. Let's face it. If you were in power. Wouldn't you use it to your advantage? Every single human being does that. Everyone get's greedy with the power that they have. It's human nature. But, you can't fire all of them and hire new ones so I guess you can't really do anything about it. To question #1. Yes it should be in opinion page because what if they aren't racist or snobs who think everyone is below them (referring to class).
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) Going to class is mandatory. And the last thing any self-loving student wants is to pay on that money and then have your professor spill his biased opinion s on you each and every day. 
