Freedom of Speech

I was shocked and fired up by an article in this morning's Chronicle about a teacher in Indiana who was fired for expressing her opinion on the Iraq war in her 4th-6th grade class. (Check it out at http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/05/14/MNG9PPQGVV1.DTL). Yes, I know it was in a more conservative part of the country than the Bay Area and in a classroom of children younger than those we all teach. Still, it is worrisome.

Two quotes from the article were particularly galling:

1. A teacher's speech is "the commodity she sells to an employer in exchange for her salary." So said an appeals court in Chicago ruling in favor of the school district.

2. "Public education is inherently a situation where the government is the speaker, and ... its employees are the mouthpieces of the government." So said a professor of law at UC's Hastings College of Law discussing the issue of a teacher's freedom of speech in the classroom.

Even as we steer close to the state and district standards as we plan and teach, don't we express our opinions in all of our instructional decisions? Just because a text in on the district approved reading list doesn't mean that it teaches itself.

And what are we to do if students ask us our opinion on a "controversial" issue? Demure because we might lose our jobs? Express our opinions with a clear disclaimer (as NPR does: "The views expressed are those of the speaker and not those of this radio station, National Public Radio or its funder.")? Answer with a question and ask them what they think?

And just where is the line between a safe and a controversial issue? Is the enviroment controversial? Homelessness? Government funding for education? And do districts really have policies on each of these issues? If so, I'm in trouble because I'm honestly in the dark.

If we are trying to teach students to be independent thinkers (and dare I say it, a bit open minded) and evaluate different points of view on issues in order for them to learn how to make up their own minds, isn't it enough that we provide opportunities for them to interact with texts whose authors present a variety of opinions?

I firmly believe that we have NO right to to use our position as teachers as a bully pulpit, but isn't there a middle ground between being the mouthpiece for the government (yikes!) and being irresponsible and unprofessional?