Below are two responses on teachers sharing their political opinions in school. Opinion Editor Gabe Krantz believes that teachers should not mention their political beliefs. His opinion is located on the top of the page. Features Editor Izzy Friedland argues that teachers should feel free to share their political beliefs. His opinion is located on the bottom of the page.

No, teachers should not share their political beliefs

Teachers’ political beliefs and opinions should never be present in school. While teachers should always stay neutral in the classroom, it is especially important now, as we are in the midst of one of the most important elections in American history. In many liberal arts classes, the core learning of the class comes in the form of a discussion rather than from a lecture or through a textbook. In these cases, it is critical that the conversation remain neutral from the teacher’s end.

There have been times when knowing a teacher’s stance on an issue kept me from sharing my opposing ideas. Maybe it was a fear of being unfairly graded or simply being looked at differently by the teacher that kept me from contributing to the discussion. In many of these cases, I know that I would have otherwise jumped at the opportunity to share my ideas.

“It’s a practical issue of whether a teacher can share about which candidate or political party they support, without having it be misinterpreted that they are trying to influence their students or that the environment feels like it is not a fair environment to all the different opinions,” Head of School Rabbi Mitchel Malkus said.

CESJDS is not like most other high schools in that it spans from pre-K to senior year. Although all teachers should remain objective, it is even more vital that teachers of younger grades avoid sharing political beliefs.

Elementary school and middle school students are very influenced by those around them to the point that a teacher sharing a political view in front of them can shape the way they look at an issue and create a permanent bias. This must be avoided at all costs as students should be encouraged to shape their own belief system free of outside influence, not be guided to take on the beliefs of their teachers. In a country where people are easily swayed by those around them when it comes to political beliefs, a classroom free of political opinions from an authority figure is a necessity.

As students age, however, the importance of remaining neutral becomes less about hindering the development of students’ personal beliefs, and more about bias in many different aspects of the learning experience.

Teachers’ political views do not only reach students when teachers express them in the classroom. In one case, I read a tweet written by my teacher that was retweeted by a JDS alum whom I follow on Twitter. After reading the tweet, I was no longer comfortable sharing my beliefs on certain issues in class since I knew that my teacher did not agree with my beliefs.

It is for this reason that Malkus stressed to teachers that, even outside the classroom, they should not be sharing their political opinions with students.

“I feel the tension in that I want teachers to be able to share openly, but I do not know how to practically do that without it feeling like an unfair environment,” Malkus said.

Teachers obviously have a life outside of school in which they, like all Americans, are allowed to express their political views. The role of a teacher, however, is to provide students with the best education possible, and being biased when doing so does not create the healthy environment necessary to achieve this goal.

Yes, teachers should share their political beliefs

Unless you live under a rock or, even worse, don’t read the news, you’re aware that 2016 has been a year of unusually high political tensions, chiefly because of the particularly charged and contentious election.

What you may be less aware of is that CESJDS faculty is going to particular efforts this election year to maintain political neutrality. Teachers have been asked to avoid sharing their personal political beliefs with students, particularly with regards to specific candidates, even outside of the classroom.

This is not the first year that the school has adopted this approach, but it is the first time that the guideline has become a de facto policy instead of an implied one.

While I understand and even approve of the rationale that led to this approach, I can’t help but feel that restricting teachers from sharing their opinions might be damaging to students’ education. I also fear that the sensitivity afforded to this one year may become the norm for all sensitive subjects going forward.

My best friend is a hard-core Trump supporter. My other best friend is a sworn socialist and would, if he could, leave the country under a Trump presidency. The three of us talk about politics all the time, and I understand as well as anybody the necessity to make space for people, in this case students, to share their opinions without making them feel as though they are somehow wrong or even immoral for holding them.

It is impossible to completely divorce personal opinion with the teaching of a subject that is close to a teacher’s heart, and what good teacher is not passionate about their subject? The solution to this problem isn’t to have a teacher feign indifference because bias is present everywhere, whether intended or accidental.

What’s needed to create a safe intellectual space isn’t necessarily the removal of opinions, but an agreement and ability to treat opinions as equal, to identify personal biases and to examine ideas rather than the people who suggest them.

That ability is not only useful in class discussions, but crucial for “real-world” political discussions. Outside school, people who disagree with us often don’t feel the need to feign neutrality, and academic conversations revolve around disagreement and civil discussion.

I’m not arguing that every teacher should share their opinion, but rather that teachers should decide for themselves what is best to foster the conversations in their classes. I would be surprised if my math instructor felt the need to weigh in on the presidential election, but I would be somewhat annoyed if I didn’t know how my Contemporary Issues teacher felt.

This is not only because of the importance of considering whose perspective I’m being taught from, but because if they disagree with me, I want to be confronted with a dissenting opinion and understand the reasoning behind their ideas.

At the risk of sounding like a teacher, confronting and challenging our own viewpoints is how we grow, not just as students, but as understanding and open-minded human beings. Teachers have a full understanding of how they teach, and if they think that sharing their opinion is harmful to a class conversation, they absolutely should feel free to leave their views at home. If they feel they can challenge students in a way that benefits them, they should feel free to do that, too.

I trust my teachers to make the right choice.