Two Saratoga Springs moms are all in a tizzy because they think their children are being indoctrinated into a liberal agenda through a discussion about liberal media bias. Yeah, you read that right. Read that sentence carefully. Their teenage children are being taught that liberal media bias exists. Therefore, they are being indoctrinated into liberalism? If anything, referring to the liberal media bias is a CONSERVATIVE strategy.
Here’s where it all started:
The 10th grade Social Studies students were learning about fascism. During the discussion, the teens were shown a political cartoon that compared President Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini. The question that accompanied the cartoon was “Do you believe this is fair and/or accurate?”. The teacher then let the students debate it themselves in groups.
How, exactly, is that indoctrination? Introducing the fact that liberal media bias exists? Acknowledging that is not pushing a liberal anything, it’s opening up a discussion that SHOULD be had. The teacher was not calling Trump a fascist, nor putting him on the same level as Hitler or Mussolini. The teacher was showing students how the media is portraying our President, and asking them if they thought that was fair or accurate.
Now, had the lesson been strictly on fascism and President Trump was included in that lesson, that would NOT be okay. The day after election day, my 12 year old’s teacher came into the classroom and declared “This is the worst day EVER. Donald Trump won the election.” That is NOT okay. Telling a child how to feel or what to believe is not the role of a teacher. However, introducing a high school student to a concept, and letting them decide how to think or feel about it, is.
Was I in the classroom? No. All I know is what these women claim, and what the superintendent says the lesson was. Were these moms in the classroom? No, all they know is what their teen came home and told them and what the superintendent says the lesson was. I’m sure the truth is somewhere in the middle.
And in the middle is right where a good teacher should be.