Abusing the Bully Pulpit

Teaching is more difficult than learning because what teaching calls for is this: to let learn. The real teacher, in fact, lets nothing else be learned than learning. His conduct, therefore, often produces the impression that we properly learn nothing from him, if by “learning” we now suddenly understand merely the procurement of useful information.
Martin Heidegger - Was heisst Denken

When I was in college, I attended a government class and the teacher, one who had taught at my little directional school long enough to earn tenure, told the class that conservatives were suspicious of the people and used government to control them and liberals were more trusting of individuals. At the time, I was a bit of a political neophyte but I was learned enough to know this man was horribly mistaken and likely purposefully so. Therefore, to the groan of some of my classmates (it is so cool to make an entire class moan or hush). I suggested he had it backwards. Conservative political philosophy demands that government back off the individual – as Thomas Jefferson said, the government which governs best, governs least. The teacher maintained his position and I was left with two prevailing thoughts; one, this man offered a disservice to government education and two, I would never project my own political opinions in my classroom.

I’ve taught for sixteen years and I’ve been quite proud of the fact that I’ve never projected a personal opinion that would allow students to ascertain my political beliefs. Upon the graduation of one student whom I taught three years in a row, she came by my room to thank me and said, “You know, in three years, I cannot figure you out politically.” I told her if she wanted to know badly enough, in a couple of years, I would buy her a beer and tell her all about it. Sadly, many in my profession see the lectern as a bully pulpit. I find it outrageous and distasteful anytime I hear a teacher express political viewpoints as facts in front of students still developing their own ideas. As a conservative, I’m particularly annoyed that many tend to be liberals (though there are a number from my side of the political spectrum just as guilty).

I teach history and government – two subjects that are probably the most susceptible to the opining of biased professors and teachers. My role in both classes is to allow the students to pontificate, elaborate, explore their ideas and solidify their belief system. I play the role of devil’s advocate. Whether a student agrees or disagrees with my own personal system, I challenge everything they say and push them to develop their rationale. As the adult in the room, I should not need my opinions validated by how many of my students agree with me. I’m not that insecure.

In my government class, I use Supreme Court cases to engender arguments among my students, prodded along by me. I require, in addition to their personal point of view on a particular subject, that they provide constitutional proof for their argument. One might suggest this is leading the students in one direction or another but in our society, its laws governed as they are by the Constitution, my students need to know how to express their thoughts from a constitutional point of view. In history, I challenge my students to consider divergent view points on historical issues. There are some great books that provide primary sources that allow students to consider more than one perspective. Again, the goal is to have the students explore learning and not to learn information through me.

In the classroom, the teacher’s role is to allow the student to pursue knowledge, not to have it filtered through the opinions of the instructor. This year, my seniors will continue to ask me, “Can we know now your political opinion?” I will continue to resist and in doing so, perhaps my students will be allowed to learn.