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Teachers support Obama in classroom
Filed under: In The News, Day Care & Education
Teachers Unions are passing out thousands of Obama buttons and encouraging their members to wear them in school despite being told not to by the Department of Education. While teachers continue to wear their buttons, unions are fighting back on the grounds of free speech.
"It's not teaching kids to vote for Obama; rather, it's showing them the democratic process in action," says a button-wearing Brooklyn social-studies teacher.
In Virginia, the Teachers Union sent its members an e-mail encouraging them to wear "blue" to show support for Barack Obama. The e-mail reads:
"Let's make Obama Blue Day a day of Action! Barack the vote! There are people out there not yet registered. You teach some of them. Others, including our members, remain on the fence!"
To be clear, the e-mail asks that teachers wear blue shirts, not campaign shirts or any shirt containing candidate names or slogans. In response to criticism from both the state Republican Party and school parents, the president of the VEA said:
"The e-mail did not encourage teachers to talk with students about voting for any specific candidate, although it did suggest that teachers can encourage eligible students to register to vote. There is nothing wrong with encouraging students who are 18 years of age or older to register to vote."
As a parent, I am very concerned about this kind of activism in schools. There is a place for political discussions and even spirited debate in the classroom, but any debating and persuading should be between students, not students and teachers. The job of the teacher is to be an impartial moderator who is sensitive to young and impressionable pupils. Unfortunately,I have seen first hand the intimidation and even ridicule that students have endured at the hands of overtly partisan teachers.
Teachers Unions should not use our publicly funded schools or their position of authority for political activism of any kind. Parents, regardless of political affiliation, should be outraged and vigilant.
For more on Rachel Campos-Duffy visit her website at www.rachelcamposduffy.com.
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ReaderComments (Page 2 of 2)
10-07-2008 @ 10:41AM
JoAnn said...I take issue with being labeled as a "wrong doer" for simply making a statement of observation. Do note that I did not issue a respnse denouncing or supporting the decision of the school district in question. Though, I will admit that there should not be encouragement within the school district that children lean to one side or another.
Those from the right side of the spectrum are so quick to assign demoralizing qualities to those who might have a tendency toward liberalism. But then- this is why the right is so chock full of evangelical zealots and bigots. Or closeted deviants and greedy executives.
10-03-2008 @ 3:00PM
SKL said...It is absolutely appropriate for teachers to encourage older students to understand and participate in the democratic process.
It is absolutely wrong for the teacher's union to promote one candidate over another. (Of course, it's gonna be Obama, but I'd say the same if it were McCain.)
The union should lose its tax-exempt status for handing out Obama buttons and encouraging the wearing of the color of one party only.
Besides that, there are Republican teachers out there, albeit a minority. This is totally unfair to them.
There was a first-grade teacher, who was known by her colleagues to be a Republican, who was disciplined because she refused to take down a photo of the then-current president!! and because she had a stuffed toy elephant in her classroom. The union didn't back her, of course. Not surprisingly, they apply different rules when it comes to their own favorite candidate.
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10-03-2008 @ 6:31PM
Chris said...A lot of teachers in my life have shaped my political views, and not always that I wound up agreeing with them. (I can't imagine the nuns who taught me for grades 1-5 wearing anything but the then traditional habits). School should be a place for an exchange of ideas, a place to challenge things a student inherently feels wrong about, and try to bridge differences.
And Rachel, on an unrelated note, wish your hubby a Happy Birthday!
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10-03-2008 @ 7:34PM
Katherine Noles said...As a parent of 3, I would be furious if a teacher was sharing her political views with my children AND giving them pins so MY kids can join them in their presidential choice. It's MY choice who I tell my children they should vote for (if they were old enough) NOT their teacher. NO OBAMA FOR THIS MOMMA. JUST SAY NO TO B.O.!
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10-04-2008 @ 4:55AM
Jay said...Just an Idea why dont we put together a students for McCain/Palin red shirt day. I talked to my daughter about it and am more then willing to buy a bunch of inexpensive red shirts for her to hand out and I am sure many others of us could do the same. It would have been great to have done this the same day the teachers put on Blue.
I am so fed up with public schools. This is just the last in a long line of major complaints. I had my two daughters in Private schhol for the last two years but as my terminaly Ill wife has goten to a point I cant woirk and care for her I had to put my daughters in Public schools this year. Its insain that the public schools get 10,000+ $ per Child. Yet every month they have to pay for items like spirit shirts (no dont have to pay but if they dont wear on friday their class loisses out on a party), New choir dresses 65$ that at the end the school keeps, PTA fund raisers like the carnival this month 1$ per ticket (many things take multy tickets to do) the same price as the tickets for the state fair. The list goes on and on thats just the first 2 weeks of this month. Yet when my daughters where in private school it was only 2,500 a year per child with better teaching and not hit up every month of extra costs, and the fair was free for the kids to come and have fun. I just dont understand how the public schools can wiast so much mony then come begging off the parents. The first PTA meeting was held it was to go over the years bugget and how it was to me riased and spent, no one could hear and no hand outs where given but we where expectewd to approve it with a vote at the end. I about lost it talked to the principle about it he said that "we are all the agreeable kind here". What the and then we wounder why people sign contracts with out reading or why congress signs bills with out knowing what all is in it. Go save this country your our last hope.
The other day my 2nd grader came home telling me how the war lasting so long was all Pres. Bushes fault. I about lost it. My 8th grader tells me how her teachers preach up Obama to them in class time.
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10-04-2008 @ 10:16AM
Jenni said...I'll tell you where that money is going...to pay the HIGH salaries to the administration. Did you know that, in a public school, they aren't supposed to require you to purchase ANYTHING!!! That's what the PUBLIC money is supposed to do. They are supposed to provide the books, pencils, paper, and ALL supplies the children will need.
Hm, what should it take to run a school:
Children, learning supplies (books, paper, pencils, etc...)
Teachers
Principals
Secretary
That's it! Maybe the problem is that the school districts need to be cut down. Then there would be more money in our classrooms.
10-04-2008 @ 11:29AM
Sifrina said...I disagree with the teachers union, and I'm both a union (overall - there are certain unions I don't support) and a strong Obama/Biden supporter. Proselytizing by teachers (on politics OR religion) in the public schools is inappropriate. There is a way to excite and educate students about politics and the political process, but teachers have to be careful (and professional) in how they do this. There are first amendment rights, but this is a public school classroom, not a pulpit.
Having said that, I strongly suspect that you would not be as offended if it had been a red shirt OR if a teacher was preaching on god or religion to his students. I, on the other hand, am offended either way as I'm "true to my school" when it comes to these things. For example, I would be offended if an atheist teacher was discouraging students from their faith just as I would be if a teacher was proselytizing religion.
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10-04-2008 @ 5:20PM
Midwestern mom in socal said...This issue went to the supreme court way back in the 70's (James vs. the Board of Education of Addison). Teachers have a right to engage in political expression such as wearing shirts, buttons, and arm bands. You may not like it, but it is protected under the first amendment. I felt your post was rather incomplete without this key point as it gives people the idea that this teacher union was doing something against the law when in fact it is protected by the law.
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10-04-2008 @ 11:36PM
SKL said...It may be legal for an individual teacher to express his/her personal views, but it is illegal for a tax-exempt organization such as a teacher's union to use its resources or its forums to support one candidate over another. If the organization chooses to do so, they must pay taxes on every dollar of union dues and other revenue they collect. So when are they writing the check? Failure to do so is tax fraud, a crime.
Furthermore, teachers ought to have some professional ethics. Illegal or not, it is unprofessional to present only one biased side of a political argument. Teachers are in a unique position of influence and trust. I have no respect for a teacher who would take advantage of this to sway young voters.
10-06-2008 @ 7:30AM
jen said...If it is true the Supreme Ct concluded ruled teachers have a right to political expression (and I'm not going to take the time to look it up) then I don't see how they can be denied the right to wear their buttons/shirts in support of either candidate. Regarding use of Union funds - the buttons were probably given to them, emails cost nothing, and most teachers have a blue (or red) T-shirt, so the arguement that they are using tax-exempt dollars for this doesn't hold water.
BTW - I live in a VERY conservative area, and I am concerned that teachers here are swaying my children to the "evils" of the extreme right!!! There's always 2 sides to everything!
10-06-2008 @ 12:11PM
Jenni said...Just because they have the right to do it doesn't make it professionally/ethically right to do so.
I have the right to have an opinion. My opinion could be that you are not raising your child in an environment that is conducive to making him the most succesful he could be. However, my Code of Ethics dictates that I "appreciate and support the bond between the child and family". I would never go against that because it would be professional suicide.
And that, it what they are doing. By standing up to their personal rights, they are breaching their professional code of conduct.
10-06-2008 @ 3:01PM
jen said...Jenni - HUH?! Not sure how your personal opinion of how I am raising my child has anything to do with a teachers right to express their political opinion in a generally accepted manner (i.e. buttons, t-shirts, bumperstickers, yardsigns, etc). I'm not saying they should try to sway the kids one way or the other, but since they are free to support either candidate of their choosing, this right should not be denied them just b/c more teachers happen to be democrat than republican. (which doesn't happen to be true at my child's school). Why is simply wearing a button/t-shirt a breach of professional conduct? Every other profession allows for such an expression - why should only teachers be denied this basic civil liberty?
10-07-2008 @ 12:58AM
Midwestern mom in socal said...Sorry SKL, but not all tax exempt organizations are created equal. You need to check the IRS tax code as there are many different types of tax exempt organizations that fall under different categories. Some tax exempt organizations are actually political organizations! (I believe they are referred to as 527's.) It is not illegal nor is it tax fraud for a teachers union to engage in political action. You may want to consult a CPA or IRS agent for more information on that as tax code can be rather complicated and daunting! Also, you need to reread the post. The teachers have not been encouraged to talk to students only to wear buttons or colored shirts which I was pointing out was decided by the supreme court over 30 years ago to be a lawful exercise under the first amendment. Certainly, teachers need to exercise restraint and professionalism when controversial subjects pop up in the class room as they inevitably do especially at the high school level, but they also have a responsibility to teach basic civics. It is most definately a fine line.
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10-07-2008 @ 12:09PM
SKL said...Wow, I am a tax lawyer and CPA and treasurer of several nonprofits, so I know there are different tax-exempt organizations and I know what unions are not allowed to do. Perhaps teachers are allowed to individually express their views (though some have been disciplined for this as noted earlier), but that does not mean the unions are allowed to suggest, recommend, or support this. It's a completely different thing.
10-07-2008 @ 11:43AM
Michelle said...I couldn't agree more.
I am also from Wisconsin, Rachel. Although I'm from a very liberal enclave of the state to the south of the more peaceful setting of Northern WI's border counties. I'm sure you're very familiar with Madison & its 70 square miles surrounded by reality. ;)
My coworker has taken to showing his middle schoolers information from the Republican National Convention, etc. to let his kids see "both sides" in response to the teachers are bombarding the kids with Obama info. This, once again, illustrates how families are an important part of the education process. And further provides his kids with the info they need to be objective thinkers in our democracy. I love that.
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10-08-2008 @ 12:52PM
kathy said...My child is in a classroom with a republican who constantly talks about McCain and encouraging the children to talk to their children about the bad aspects of Obama. The school board does nothing about it. Rotten eggs are everywhere, and Rachel, you are biased in your reporting only on the school district that is giving out Obama buttons. Shame on you.
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10-10-2008 @ 6:55PM
Corey said...why shouldn't the teacher's union members show their support for a candidate that has consistently supported them? Isn't that exactly what freedom of speech ensures? Why teach about the consitution, if we aren't supposed to show our contitutional rights in action?
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10-18-2008 @ 1:02PM
gichi said...First, we all know how much of a Republican you are so quit being so disengenuous. Second, you send your kids to private Catholic schools; you do not associate with the public schools and therefore are really uninformed on this subject. Third, in many states like Texas, teachers' unions are actually ILLEGAL. That would be thanks to your ignorant Repub friends. There is so much partisanship in these non-union schools it is ridiculous. Christian prayers, repub politics abound. Whatever is sanctioned by the local school board or principals. The State Board of Education just fired the Director of Science Ed because she believed Creationism should not be taught as a scientific alternative to evolution and other actual theories. Yes, Creationism will soon be mandatory teaching in public school-but you probably like that. If a teacher wore an Obama button in school her contract would not be renewed the following year because there is no tenure or job protection. So, quit bashing teachers' unions when you have no clue of what it's like to live without them.
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11-04-2008 @ 12:25AM
Christine said...I love your blog, Rachel, and I've been a fan of yours for years! It's interesting that I stumbled on it today after having just read an article in the NY Times regarding this very issue. It turns out that professors/teachers have almost no influence over how their students vote; it's the parents and peers who influence them. Check out the study here: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/03/books/03infl.html?_r=1&em&oref=slogin
I do think that teachers need to be aware of their influence, but I think the fact that you discuss politics so openly with your children will have a much larger influence on them in the long run. Having those discussions about politics doesn't just stir up interest in presidential campaigns for them; it also teaches your children civic responsibility and a sense of pride in our American culture.
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