justplainbil

Just Plain Bill

Teachers – Primarily Liberal, or Not

For my readers interested in an extremely well-written New York Times essay on a topic that impacts anyone who “teaches”, I highly recommend Among the Disrupted, an article by Leon Wieseltier.

Mr. Wieseltier uses exquisite vocabulary, and posits an interesting conundrum for those presently engaged in their educational preparation, and for those deeply engaged in the alternative communication medium – the Internet – and its close relative, social media.

One particular passage resonated with me big time: “Why are liberals so afraid of their own philosophy?” As a self-proclaimed liberal, and a lifelong educator, I’ve occasionally wondered if my “liberalness” was at the core of my teaching.

While starting my teaching preparation during the late 60s, I was immersed in the revolutionary aspect of the “school is dead” movement, with some of its incredible writings such as Summerhill, by Alexander Sutherland Neill, and Teacher, by Sylvia Ashton-Warner. I believe some of those radical positions have not survived with the passage of time -  except for occasional highlights from the charter school movement.

Since we’ve all been students in our early lives, I am really looking forward to hearing from you to learn how you feel your education has been impacted by the relative philosophy of one or more of your teachers.