‘Glad I am not teaching in Clovis!’
The Clovis Unified School District decision is interesting. My, my – neutrality in the classroom? If David Roberts had had a “Support Your Local Police” button on the other lapel, would that have balanced out his “Black Lives Matter” button? Or maybe the issue is not worth discussing with students in a system that regards critical thinking as a luxury.
If he had been wearing a “Democracy Now” button, would that be considered a political statement? A peace sign? A “Support our Troops” ribbon? A Christian cross? A Muslim crescent and star? An American flag? A “Say no to drugs” button? A “ Make America Great Again” button? Where do we draw the line?
My experience in teaching history for 30 years has shown that if 95 percent of the people believe a lie and a classroom teacher mentions that there may be another view, he or she is censored for not “giving both sides.”
Glad I am not teaching in Clovis!
Bill Warner, Porterville
This story was originally published December 26, 2016 at 1:45 PM with the headline "‘Glad I am not teaching in Clovis!’."