<p>Thanks in advance, please scale me 2-12 based on how well you think this is written. Please tell me where I can improve as well!</p>
<p>Prompt: Should teachers be able to voice their opinions on society and politics in a classroom setting?</p>
<pre><code> I believe that teachers should be able to voice their opinions about society and politics because their standpoint makes way for a discussion. This allows the listeners to get involved and be subjected to issues that they may not hear about elsewhere. I do, however, believe that concerns may arise out of this form of exposure, but in my experience I have found that the positives outweigh the negatives.
My Government teacher, Ms. Padgett, freely expresses her opinions about society as well as politics in a way that “opens the floor” in a sense, for a classroom discussion. By voicing her thoughts on universal matters, students are subjected to issues that they would otherwise not recognize. In terms of politics, I feel that as long as a teacher notes her stance in an unbiased way, the students are able to decide for themselves whether they support a particular standpoint or not.
On one occasion in particular I found that my teacher was able to reach out to her students and positively influence our class. The assignment was to watch and take detailed notes and questions about an upcoming Republican and Democratic debate and come to class prepared for a discussion. By having her students watch the separate debates, they were able to listen to the current opinions our officials take on certain issues, and be able to have an interesting- class wide- debate. Ms. Padgett had played a large role in the debate as she brought up certain topics discussed the night before, and although certain students didn’t fully agree with her stances, her experienced mindset was greatly appreciated as it allowed the students to hear how these issues affected her in the past. As J.K. Rowling once said, “sometimes you must hear a thought of another person before you can think of one yourself.”
Opponents of a teacher’s right to voice their opinion believe that their opinion will cloud the minds of his or her students. Though this is a valid argument, the potential for a student to gain experience proves to be more important. Many students are preparing to vote upon their legal age of voting, which is why subjection to society and politics proves to be essential in order for them to have opinions of their own. The first amendment to the Constitution states that everyone is entitled to voice their own opinion. Even though a teacher only offers one viewpoint on any given issue, they should still be given the right to bring up certain issues to spark the young minds of their students, as granted by our forefathers.
In a classroom, students should be provided with topics about society and politics because it allows them to take sides on important issues. Teachers should be able to discuss nation-wide issues, despite the concern about one-sided information, because it may be the only exposure a student may receive. Teachers like Ms. Padgett have allowed me to come to my own conclusions after hearing her own opinions which will prepare me as I approach the legal age to vote for what I feel is right. Fears of potential hazards are minimal as a student ultimately has the ability to accept or reject a teacher’s opinions, and as J.F.K. once said, “the only thing to fear is fear itself.”
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