Discussing Right-wing Politics in the Classroom Right

Every few years, mock elections show that Stuyvesant’s political demographics sway liberal. However, conservative voices exist at Stuyvesant, and many of them participate in debate, activism, and other political student organizations. Due to Stuyvesant’s liberal sway, however, political discussions in the classroom—which are inevitable due to political themes in both history and literature—leave some conservative students feeling repressed and ignored. 

Junior Jia-Niu Zhuo felt ostracized for openly sharing his conservative views in his Freshman Composition class. During a discussion of Angie Thomas’ The Hate U Give, Zhou expressed, “The message of police brutality paints a bad picture of the police in general, and their interactions with the African-American community is not really representative of the majority of police interactions.” After sharing his viewpoint, Zhuo stated, “I received a decent amount of pushback from my peers, but I was able to defend my position.” 

Though political ideologies can emerge in the books students analyze, political discourse is not intended to be the primary focus of English classes. “English class is not meant to be about political advocacy because politics is ingrained in everyday life, just like families and sex and mental health issues, all kinds of things,” Assistant Principal of English Eric Grossman explained. Thus, he believes in keeping his civic engagement and political beliefs separate from his class agenda. “I tend not to want to teach books that are pedantic or message books. That’s not what I value in literature. I’m much more interested in questions and exploration than a particular point of view shoved down my throat,” Grossman said. 

The current political climate has only made teachers more wary about political discourse. “You know, I plan to vote on November 5th, but it is certainly not something I bring to my freshman class,” Grossman said. “I was much more aware of teaching [a book with political undertones] this time around because of the resonances of what was going on,” he added. 

In contrast to Zhuo’s claim, however, Grossman added that the content of Stuyvesant’s English classes rarely receives complaints. “Honestly, no students have emailed or approached me with concerns. No parents have emailed or approached me to say that they get to complain about the tenor of an English class in that way,” he said. 

Social studies is also highly intertwined with politics, but many history teachers explained that political discussions are not used to peddle their personal beliefs; instead, these discussions can be an effective tool for the development of critical thinking skills, allowing students to draw connections from the past. “It is very important for students to learn what respected historians have to say about the past and how it informs the present, not for me to indoctrinate students into an ideological framework which I believe is ‘correct,’” social studies teacher Dr. Lisa Greenwald stated.

In fact, humanities teachers work to make students comfortable with sensitive and controversial topics, which can be an inherent aspect of their classes. “It is one of my core values as a teacher to create a classroom space where students can ask uncomfortable questions in a way that is respectful and generates information,” Dr. Greenwald explained.

Fellow social studies teacher Mordecai Moore concurred. “I think that starts on day one,” he said. “If that safe space is created where students feel comfortable in saying, ‘I disagree with you,’ then I think that in of itself takes care of the issue.” 

Junior and Young Americans for Freedom co-founder Amrit Das supported this, finding that his English teachers were open to conservative views in class. “Teachers recognized that most of Stuyvesant is liberal, but they encouraged me to speak at certain times to share my opinion in a positive way,” Das recounted. 

Sometimes, creating this comfortable and open environment encourages open communication between teachers and students. “I have received comments of gratitude for including in my discussion of history valuable information about conservative positions that are often ignored,” Dr. Greenwald described.  

Moore recounted a similar experience. “Students have come up to me and said that there was an issue regarding the politics of Israel and Palestine and to present a more nuanced view,” Moore recalled. “I did follow it up the day later by adding a more substantial explanation.”

 However, Grossman noted that it’s natural for teachers’ political views to become somewhat clear, even if one isn’t outwardly stating them. “After spending a year with an English teacher you get a sense of who they are,” he said.

Moore echoed this sentiment. “My political views definitely do come across. I wouldn't say I intentionally present or promote my point of view, but I think that if you are passionate about teaching history, it is hard to completely stay apolitical,” he explained. 

Nevertheless, the lack of representation of the conservative minority at Stuyvesant inspired Zhou and Das to found the Young Americans for Freedom (YAF), a club dedicated to sharing and discussing conservative values at Stuyvesant. “Since [conservatives] are already the minority, not giving them representation is actually harmful to conservatives,” Zhuo said. The club intends to provide a student-led safe place for both conservatives and liberals to debate politics. “We talk about Adam Smith, Karl Marx from both sides,” Zhuo explained.

The club also plans on addressing a variety of topics, such as immigration, economics, LGBTQ identities, and abortion. “Our first few meetings will focus on a round table discussion understanding different policies and perspectives,” Das continued.

 While individual political views may come to light in English and history classes, teachers attempt to utilize political discussions in a different manner. “I teach what needs to be taught; what historians believe is important to understanding our past and how some of these interpretations. This work is vital for our democracy,” Dr. Greenwald stated.