Teachers and Politics: Best Friends or Enemies?

As November 5 gets closer, political opinions spread far and wide through various mediums—including the classroom. Despite the Chancellor’s Regulation D-130 explicitly stating that “while on duty or in contact with students, all school personnel shall maintain a posture of complete neutrality with respect to all candidates,” teachers often unconsciously share their beliefs in class. Students, in a myriad of subjects, have had encounters with teachers implementing their political opinions into their lessons. While some students and teachers think that politics should stay outside of school, others believe that sharing a variety of viewpoints about our current political climate in school is vital to staying informed.  

Many history teachers are incorporating information about the upcoming election in their classes, though not specifying their own opinions on each candidate. “If it means raising political awareness about, for instance, like, how the Electoral College works, why it was set up that way, why some people want to reform it, or just encouraging people to vote […] I think it’s important,” said social studies teacher David Hanna. 

Though biased discussions of politics or controversial topics during class can be harmful, objectively raising political awareness is not. “We should encourage students to be active participants in their democracy, because if they’re not, you can lose it,” Hanna added. Students should be aware about current events so they can form their own judgments and be in a well-informed position to propel change. Judging from the preregistration drives and other voting initiatives students have spearheaded, teachers have been successful in encouraging students to be more involved in our nation’s democratic process.

Yet, some students such as senior Muhib Muhib acknowledge that discussing political opinions in the classroom for the upcoming election and beyond may be beneficial. “I feel that teachers should talk about politics where it’s necessary, because [...] while trying to remain politically neutral is a good aim, politics is going to affect issues talked about in class,” Muhib explained.

“I feel leaving [politics] out sort of contributes to political apathy, to an extent—especially when teachers are sort of role models for us: how to think, [and] even if we don’t share the opinions, we can learn from them,” Muhib said. Preventing teachers from talking about political views may lead to less overall discussion about the current political landscape, which leaves many students disinterested in current politics even if they’re learning about the general civic structure as a whole.

Expressing political opinions can be beneficial since they provide opportunities for multiple viewpoints to be shared. “I think the value [of expressing political opinions] really comes from being accepting of the fact that not everyone might share the same stances,” mathematics teacher Ashvin Jaishankar stated. Sharing different perspectives encourages students to keep an open mind, and to analyze their beliefs and ideals when challenged.

However, some students feel that this difference in political opinions is the reason teachers should not be sharing their views. Anonymous Senior A recounted, “[My former history teacher has] gone on tangents a lot, just about Republicans […] he kind of implies that they’re stupid; they don’t really know much.” 

Anonymous senior A spoke to the possible consequences of this: “Teachers should be open to both sides because they don’t know what families each student comes from. Someone can come from a Republican family. They might not feel welcome or comfortable being in a class where a teacher is constantly hating on Republicans [...] I feel like most politics, like personal politics, should be kept personal just because people have different views.” 

Students also point out that there are certain topics that should not be presented with an attached political opinion at all. Anonymous Junior B stated: “Once it gets to some topics that [...] make certain people uncomfortable; [...] when it’s clear that it’s such a complicated situation; I don’t think those topics should be discussed publicly, especially with strong political views.” For more controversial issues, promoting a strong view may cause nuances and opposing points to be overlooked. 

When teachers make a clear indication of their political biases in the classroom, this may cause tension and discourage students who hold different views from sharing their opinions in class. Therefore, teachers recognize the significance of having a policy on political neutrality in place. English teacher Annie Thoms reflected, “I think that it is good to have a sort of an official political separation [...] I don’t think it would be productive for students to be in a classroom where a teacher espouses particular political beliefs, because I think that that can lead to a kind of a chilling effect.” 

Thoms tries to cultivate a receptive environment in her own classroom: “What I try to do is to provide an atmosphere where students can share their own beliefs and their own issues that really matter to them and to provide general support for ideals that I think we can all get behind, no matter what our individual political beliefs are.”

Creating such conditions for political awareness allows students to develop their own beliefs on political issues without influencing them. “I think that we need to show restraint, because students need to think for themselves,” Hanna said, “And, you know, our students are [...] pretty sharp. I think as long as you’re getting them to engage, they’ll figure it out for themselves.” Challenging students to form their own opinions rather than soaking up the opinions of others is a goal for teachers.

Anonymous Senior A mentions a similar idea: “The teacher should provide the resources for us to learn and, like, get our own opinions. But they shouldn’t force their hand onto us by showing us biased media.” Offering the materials for students to formulate their own stances while holding back from endorsing their own beliefs can allow for a more valuable learning experience. 

As the election draws near, it is essential that both students and teachers maintain awareness of the unfolding political events. Often, teachers and students find merit in maintaining neutrality in the classroom, but whether or not its benefits outweigh its disadvantages remains a debated issue. Generally, teachers try to provide a space for students to feel comfortable discussing and formulating their own position, but there are times where a teacher may push a specific political direction. Regardless of how much of their own political views they infuse into class discussions, teachers urge their students to stay aware. Hanna said, “Get involved. Be aware, participate and also, you know, be mature. You’re not always going to have the option to, in a democracy, vote for some pure ideal all the time.”