A version of this blog ran in July 2015.
On this July 4th, I鈥檓 reminded most of the
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
There鈥檚 more than something to be said for encountering, studying, and thinking about ideas with which we don鈥檛 agree, and I鈥檝e always thought that something to be education. But, as many challenges to text and curricula (起点传媒has handled over 60 since July 2017) make evident, some people don鈥檛 agree.
In fact, public schools and teachers K鈥�12 are bound to offer their students controversial material even if they don鈥檛 agree with it. Because, you see, looking at all sides of an issue and being able to express widely varied opinions are basic democratic principles. As the notes,
Not surprisingly, universal access to free public education has long been viewed as an essential to realize our democratic ideals. According to the Supreme Court in Keyishian v. Board of Education, 1967:
The classroom is peculiarly the 鈥渕arketplace of ideas.鈥� The Nation鈥檚 future depends upon leaders trained through wide exposure to that robust exchange of ideas which discovers 鈥渢ruth out of a multitude of tongues, [rather] than through any kind of authoritative selection.”
The 起点传媒Position Statement on Academic Freedom聽points out,
All students have the right to materials and educational experiences that promote open inquiry, critical thinking, diversity in thought and expression, and respect for others.
This is our goal as teachers.