As you all are aware,

Submitted by Stephen Treacy (not verified) on April 12, 2007 - 19:07.

As you all are aware, the first amendment right of free speech is not a carte blanche
endorsement of "any words" said at "any time." As educators and citizens, we have a responsibility attached to the freedom. Educators are in a somewhat unique position to influence attitudes and thoughts. We are disseminators of information and "truths" to our students. Expectations are that teachers will guide the student in a non-biased manner to discover their own truths. I believe the classroom as a forum for new and/or controversial ideas increases in importance as you progress up the educational ladder, i.e. a high school classroom is more appropriate than a gradeschool classroom. This said, I am not sure why an educator would need to try and sway a student's opinion to match his own. To answer the question posed, yes, educators must place a stricter limit on the expression of their own opinions in the classroom of their workplace.

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