And I appreciate how you didn't make this about the particular teachers in this case, because this is happening in so many places and is a broader issue. I've observed (through teaching alongside them) that most teachers really do believe they have children's best interests at heart. Even those who I feel …
And I appreciate how you didn't make this about the particular teachers in this case, because this is happening in so many places and is a broader issue. I've observed (through teaching alongside them) that most teachers really do believe they have children's best interests at heart. Even those who I feel are misguided are passionate and believe they are doing the right thing. The simple fact is that even if they are correct, this is not how we behave with other people's children while they are in our public schools. My fellow teacher who is a born-again Christian would NEVER secretly proselytize to children, and that's not because she doesn't think they need to be saved. And I would never tell the transgender child in my daughter's third grade class what I taught my own child about human biology, even though I believe that child's parents may be damaging their future mental and physical health.
In other words, we all have passionate beliefs, and we all believe we are very right about them, but unless we have expressly and explicitly been hired to promote these, our job is to teach children how to think critically and possess enough knowledge to have confidence in themselves as they go forth in the world. (Sorry, this got long. Anyway, I'm passionate about you, Ms. Shrier! Keep up the great work!)
Whoa! That was FAST! Great work.
And I appreciate how you didn't make this about the particular teachers in this case, because this is happening in so many places and is a broader issue. I've observed (through teaching alongside them) that most teachers really do believe they have children's best interests at heart. Even those who I feel are misguided are passionate and believe they are doing the right thing. The simple fact is that even if they are correct, this is not how we behave with other people's children while they are in our public schools. My fellow teacher who is a born-again Christian would NEVER secretly proselytize to children, and that's not because she doesn't think they need to be saved. And I would never tell the transgender child in my daughter's third grade class what I taught my own child about human biology, even though I believe that child's parents may be damaging their future mental and physical health.
In other words, we all have passionate beliefs, and we all believe we are very right about them, but unless we have expressly and explicitly been hired to promote these, our job is to teach children how to think critically and possess enough knowledge to have confidence in themselves as they go forth in the world. (Sorry, this got long. Anyway, I'm passionate about you, Ms. Shrier! Keep up the great work!)