The Authority Parents Give to Teachers

With the media circling like vultures to report the goriest of details of the next shocking news break, it's no wonder we are cautious and weary of others. Teachers with authority over our children? No thank you. How do you know who to trust? How do you know what they are teaching?

Teachers teach their bias. Whether they should or not, they do. I've been a substitute teacher in public and private schools in more than six different school districts. Teachers are required to teach state standards, they work with approved curriculum, students are free to share their experiences with their parents, but teachers do have freedom and opportunity to teach their opinions as they teach their content. I've noticed this in government classes, language classes, writing classes, and in science classes. I believe evolution (the way it is taught in most high school biology classes today) is theory, but over and over again I find that it is taught as truth and fact. History is skewed and selected based on publishers/writers of textbooks used and those in the curriculum selection teams. Stories are selected that work on emotions of very emotionally vulnerable kids. Biases are taught in every school in almost every subject.

Don't get me wrong, I believe the majority of teachers I've met are trying to teach their students for the sake of learning and to encourage students to think for themselves. However, it would take a very special individual to be able to be so subjective that they are able to not communicate their values and things they are passionate about to students they spend hours every week with throughout a year or term.

I know from what I've experienced I want my child to be brought up to learn the truths that I believe in and that I have found so far in my lifelong learning journey. Maybe that's controlling. Maybe it's over-protective. Maybe it's the best gift I can give my children.