TPO 22 – task 2: Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?Teachers should not make their social or political views known to students in the classroom.

Students spend a significant portion of their life with their teachers; hence, they can have a strong effect on the students' thoughts and viewpoints, especially social and political points of view. Some people agree that teachers should not reveal their social or political views to students in the classroom; some others, however, disagree. From my perspective, I agree with the statement based on the following significant reasons.

First and foremost, the students might be negatively affected by the teachers’ viewpoints. Maybe the teacher is biased towards a specific social or political issue and the student irrationally follow up the teacher, since the teachers have a high influence on the students. Moreover, this might lead to discrimination between students. The teacher might favor the students who have similar views and spend more time for them or give them higher scores. For example, the teacher might hate the president and spread propaganda about the president; and the students might start to believe that the president is not an honest person. In summary, the students can be negatively affected by the teachers' viewpoints.

Second, this could affect the teachers' performance at school. For example, in Iran, the majority of people are Muslims; and if it is revealed that a teacher is atheist, no one would respect the teacher anymore. Indeed, he would be a stereotype and the students will not take any of the teacher’s courses. To be more impartial, some insightful researchers asserts that sharing social or political views with the student can help the teacher to relate well with the students and teach them more effectively. By giving practical example and speaking about his or her life experiences, the students can understand the concepts better. Nevertheless, its trivial advantages can be overlooked by its substantial drawbacks.

Last but not least, I believe that it is entirely unnecessary to speak about our own views in the classroom. The students attend their classes to study and increase their knowledge; and it would be superior to spend most of their time on learning the concepts and comprehending the facts rather than sharing personal viewpoints. Actually, it is a waste of time, in my opinion, to speak about our own thoughts and believes in the classrooms.

All in all, although some sophisticated people may disagree with the statement, I still approve it, because the disadvantages far outweigh the benefits.