Vent: Parents, be careful what you say...
I played hooky last week. In the middle of the day, I had an email from a coworker: "Wait until you hear the political discussion that took place with fourth grade." Being that it is election season, I immediately knew what it was. Unfortunately, it wasn't the first time I have run into this issue...
The next day, I went to school and talked to my sub to get the whole story. It seems that the students were working and a table of girls at the front of the room got into a political discussion - not really on topic with the almanac activity that they were doing, but they were working at the same time, so my sub just kind of listened in to see what might happen. These are all well-behaved, intelligent, likable kids, so she was a little shocked at the turn that the conversation took. One girl said "What's a democrat?" Another girl at the table replied "They're people who kill babies."
I am so thankful for the sub that I have. She handled this situation FAR BETTER than I would have. She stepped right in and told the students at the table that families have different views about politics and that they should go home and ask their parents what THEY believed about the various political parties. I'm not sure that I could have been that together, so I'm glad she was there.
My own politics aside, I have a real problem with parents using this kind of language in front of their children. Kids aren't going to understand what "Republicans believe in less government involvement, while Democrats believe that the government should provide aid to social causes." But a kid can understand "baby killer." Besides, if this were true, then why are there groups such as The Republican Majority for Choice, or Democrats for Life of America ? In the US, we've turned this into a political issue, when really it is more of a religious or even human rights kind of issue.
I was incredibly fortunate to grow up in a home where I was free to explore religion and politics. In fact, I had no idea which way my mother voted until I was well into my twenties. I have a very vivid memory of going with her to vote when I was young. She sat me outside the voting booth while she closed the curtain and pulled her levers. After she walked out, I asked my mom who she voted for and she told me "That's none of your business. You never ask a person how they voted." My mother let me make up my own mind about issues. Since I've learned of her political leanings, we've debated these issues as adults - which is JUST AS IT SHOULD BE.
Politics has no place in childhood. It is one thing for parents to be politically active and a totally different thing for them to force these politics on young children who don't know enough to be able to explore the issues and make up their minds. Parents should be teaching their older children to research, not just to blindly follow. They may find that their kids will come to the same conclusions on their own, but at least they built that foundation within themselves and can really believe in it, rather than doing it because "that's how it should be."
The next day, I went to school and talked to my sub to get the whole story. It seems that the students were working and a table of girls at the front of the room got into a political discussion - not really on topic with the almanac activity that they were doing, but they were working at the same time, so my sub just kind of listened in to see what might happen. These are all well-behaved, intelligent, likable kids, so she was a little shocked at the turn that the conversation took. One girl said "What's a democrat?" Another girl at the table replied "They're people who kill babies."
I am so thankful for the sub that I have. She handled this situation FAR BETTER than I would have. She stepped right in and told the students at the table that families have different views about politics and that they should go home and ask their parents what THEY believed about the various political parties. I'm not sure that I could have been that together, so I'm glad she was there.
My own politics aside, I have a real problem with parents using this kind of language in front of their children. Kids aren't going to understand what "Republicans believe in less government involvement, while Democrats believe that the government should provide aid to social causes." But a kid can understand "baby killer." Besides, if this were true, then why are there groups such as The Republican Majority for Choice, or Democrats for Life of America ? In the US, we've turned this into a political issue, when really it is more of a religious or even human rights kind of issue.
I was incredibly fortunate to grow up in a home where I was free to explore religion and politics. In fact, I had no idea which way my mother voted until I was well into my twenties. I have a very vivid memory of going with her to vote when I was young. She sat me outside the voting booth while she closed the curtain and pulled her levers. After she walked out, I asked my mom who she voted for and she told me "That's none of your business. You never ask a person how they voted." My mother let me make up my own mind about issues. Since I've learned of her political leanings, we've debated these issues as adults - which is JUST AS IT SHOULD BE.
Politics has no place in childhood. It is one thing for parents to be politically active and a totally different thing for them to force these politics on young children who don't know enough to be able to explore the issues and make up their minds. Parents should be teaching their older children to research, not just to blindly follow. They may find that their kids will come to the same conclusions on their own, but at least they built that foundation within themselves and can really believe in it, rather than doing it because "that's how it should be."