In
today’s society, schools seem to be so careful about what they chose to teach
to the children in the classrooms. Religion is a major no, politics are a
sensitive area, and sex education is barely touched upon. Teachers have to so
closely watch what words come out of their mouth or next thing you know parents
are calling into the school to complain about what their children are learning.
This point brings me to a lingering question that I’ve been thinking about for
a while now. Is it the school curriculum that is the problem, or is it the over
protective parents that feel the need to interfere in every aspect of their
child’s life?
Initially,
I thought that it had a lot to do with the fact that we live in such a
sheltered society that everything has to be politically correct. Growing up in
this type of society I have always felt as though I have had to walk on
eggshells when speaking not just in class, but in general as well, to make sure
I don’t accidentally offend anyone. I think it is really tough to have a
discussion in class when you have to monitor yourself so frequently to ensure
that it is “school appropriate.” What is the point of having the conversation
when you aren’t allowed to say what you actually feel?
After
mulling it over some more, it occurred to me that part of the reason why
schools are so subject sensitive is because of parents. As a child, you tend to
see nothing wrong with your parents wanting to protect you from the words of
others. However, as I grew older, I personally felt like I wanted to hear what
others had to say, offensive or not. At the high school and college level,
students know what hurts their feelings and what doesn’t. There is no need for
parental intervention at the high school or even middle school level when it
comes to touchy subject.
At this point I’m still unsure if the reasoning leans more towards putting blame on society or on the parents. It might even be a combination of the both. Either way, I disagree with schools monitoring every single thing that is discussed in the classroom, whether everyone likes it or not.
"I’m still unsure if the reasoning leans more towards putting blame on society or on the parents."
ReplyDeleteFalse dichotomy. When you aggregate enough parents, they become society.
I understood your topic until you stated, "At the high school and college level, students know what hurts their feelings and what doesn’t. There is no need for parental intervention at the high school or even middle school level when it comes to touchy subject." Are you aiming to direct this towards all grade levels or specifically college, high school, or middle school? Ideally, you offered both perspectives which was helpful for me to understand both sides. I agree that it is both the parents and schools that cause this issue. Also, after listening to your opinion I wanted to ask, although classrooms are a learning environment and students should be exposed to hear all perspectives of a situation, wouldn't you think that not having any rules on how to speak will cause more of an issue in classrooms? Perhaps not everyone is as strong to hearing comments as you are. Ideally, classrooms will be less of a learning environment and more of a debate scene.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with everything you have said. I think that even in college, things are still extremely politically correct when this is the time where we should be able to voice our opinions openly. Book banning is definitely a good example of a form of political correctness in middle/elementary school systems. Students should read books in their original form because once they are censored, it diminishes the authenticity of the book. We need to face history as it is and we need to face current issues without sugarcoating.
ReplyDeleteI think parents and society both have a connection to this dilemma in school systems. When there are enough parents who are concerned about what language or subject matter is being discussed in school, they essentially become the society that collectively clamps down on these societal restrictions in schools.
ReplyDeleteWhen you mention "There is no need for parental intervention at the high school or even middle school level when it comes to touchy subject." I agree with everything except the middle school age range. We often forget that middle school is a rough and emotional time for many pre-teens and a little extra parental intervention is needed more often than not. Although, when students get to high school and even in further education, there is no need to let these helicopter-parents intervene in a situation a student could handle themselves.