EDU: Oct 4 SpiderWeb by

Kaylee

2024-10-04 15:18:40 UTC

What laws or rules from politicians do you think hurt our schools?

Bri

blpanosh — 2024-10-04 15:18:53 UTC

Agreed with Mik. This happens in many scenarios where higher-ups in admin or the government have no clue what is actually going on and make inconvenient and poor decisions for people on the ground level.

Niaja

2024-10-04 15:19:57 UTC

I agree with Deja when she said unless you are witnessing what's actually happening in a classroom you really don't understand their needs and wants as educators and students

Candise W

2024-10-04 15:20:05 UTC

I agree most people don't understand how a classroom is ran. everyone is entitled to their own opinion but they shouldn't be allowed to have the final say on things being taught

Ashlynne

2024-10-04 15:20:10 UTC

I completely agree with all of this, we need someone to talk to teachers or have a background. The issue is just saying they need to talk to teachers is not going to influence these politicians who very clearly do not care about the students, educators, or the general public of the area they influence

Kaylee

2024-10-04 15:20:26 UTC

I agree with Deja and Ash about the higher-ups not being in a classroom and not being around students, which makes this hard because they may not know what the students need.

Paige

2024-10-04 15:20:38 UTC

Lawmakers may have biases that are being put into policies that are harmful and are not allowing teachers to provide the students the best education possible.

Avery H

2024-10-04 15:21:04 UTC

I agree that the people who are not in the classrooms just hear something and are like oh that isn't good but they don't understand the context

Candise W

2024-10-04 15:21:27 UTC

I agree i feel that it isn't right to take away from someone history I understand not wanting to hurt someone feelings but I feel that it should be still taught

Cade W

2024-10-04 15:21:43 UTC

One thing from the readings that I had some thoughts on, I think that it's one thing to make laws separating church and state, but I feel a lot of laws are made in bad faith. The way that legislators can say "this law is not made for a religious purpose" but the law can still affect different religions disproportionately. Like in the readings how they claimed saying "in God we trust" isn't actually christian but just acknowledges a higher power, while technically true is an intentional misunderstanding of the law.

Megan

2024-10-04 15:21:44 UTC

I agree with Deja. A teacher not being able to and not wanting to talk about a certain part is very demeaning. Students should be able to learn about black culture, Asian culture, etc.

Kaylee

2024-10-04 15:21:54 UTC

What steps can everyday people take to voice their concerns about education policies?

Ashlynne

2024-10-04 15:22:13 UTC

What Mik said is exact. There is zero effort to understand what is needed for the betterment of the schools. How can we influence these people who have the resources to ask but just simply do not care enough to reach out?

Paige

2024-10-04 15:22:17 UTC

Going off of what Minor was saying is it is important for the students to learn about who they are and who others are. These subjects can be neutral and helpful.

Avery H

2024-10-04 15:22:56 UTC

going off the holocaust comment i am currently taking a Holocaust/genocide class here at kirkwood and the things we are learning are different from what we thought happened

Victoria

2024-10-04 15:23:20 UTC

Why do you think the policies made about what should be taught in school (LGBTQ+, race, etc.) and the inclusion of religion in schools is viewed as a political issue? Similarly, why is the inclusion of religion in a classroom viewed as a conservative perspective?

Cade W

2024-10-04 15:23:22 UTC

Agreeing with Dejha, public education is harmed by patriotism. It doesn't benefit us to ignore unsavory parts of our past, and the only way we can make a better future for our whole world is to acknowledge what we have done wrong and can improve on.

Candise W

2024-10-04 15:23:29 UTC

Also I feel that if parents don't want their child learning about black history then teachers should do permission slips on who can learn about it and who cant and I feel like hiding history from children only make them less knowledgeable.

Alexis

2024-10-04 15:24:32 UTC

I think shielding students of important or uncomfortable topics can be dangerous for them in the future.

Paige

2024-10-04 15:24:37 UTC

I agree with Cade's comment about ignorance towards the past. In order to not repeat history is to learn and change from what happened. That can't happen if students aren't taught what happened.

Bri

blpanosh — 2024-10-04 15:24:51 UTC

Separation of church and state are written into our country's laws. Public schools ultimately are represented by state, so it's important that religion is kept out of school for the most part

Candise W

2024-10-04 15:24:54 UTC

I don't like the idea of pray about and sweep it under the rug that could affect kids or people in general mental

Avery H

2024-10-04 15:25:12 UTC

One of the main reasons for suicide are depression so not having someone a safe place/person to talk to isnt a good idea

Kaylee

2024-10-04 15:25:46 UTC

I agree with Deja when she said there are teachers that teach with "blind mind", there are things that teachers do not want to teach because it may be against their own beliefs or what they view, or maybe it is because they feel like they might offend someone.

Kendall

2024-10-04 15:26:00 UTC

I agree with Mik that there does need to be inclusion in schools because if we are a free country then that needs to happen in schools.

Alexis

2024-10-04 15:26:34 UTC

I think that students have the right to learn about these topics and I think its the teacher's responsibility to teach them in a mindful and respectful way.

Cade W

2024-10-04 15:26:49 UTC

Public education is a political tool that is used to shape the future generation of citizens from an early age. Ideally it shapes our future generations to be free-thinkers, and people that will make the world a better place, but many politicians are short-sighted and want the young generation to have their beliefs.

Paige

2024-10-04 15:26:53 UTC

I do believe that there is an age limit and when some of these topics should be introduced and discussed. What are your thoughts on talking about sexual orientation and gender orientation in elementary tary level?

Audrey

2024-10-04 15:27:46 UTC

What age ranges should we talk with students about politics and current world issues? Is it dangerous to expose kids at a young age to things happening?

Kendall

2024-10-04 15:28:46 UTC

Should teachers teach about politics and religion in schools?

Megan

2024-10-04 15:29:50 UTC

If u you are teaching students they should be able to learn about everything and everyone, which includes the learning about African American and Asians. Whether you want to learn about Africans Americans etc or even if you don’t want to. That is okay. Learning about other people backgrounds can really help with understand where they are coming and how they came from it.

Audrey

2024-10-04 15:30:05 UTC

I think that politics/religion should be mentioned, but teachers shouldn't share bias because that is for the students to find their own path and themselves.

Candise W

2024-10-04 15:30:11 UTC

I agree with Mik just because your born in a family that believe in something it doesn't mean you have to believe in that and also I agree they should be able to freely believe what they want

Ashlynne

2024-10-04 15:30:30 UTC

A lot of people think that the raise that Kim Reynolds gave to all Iowa teachers was a great thing, but if you know anything about Reynolds' policies, she loves private schools and would get rid of public schools if she could. This raise helps a lot of individual teachers, but think of the small and underfunded public schools who have to give a decently large raise to all of their teachers. It can tank some public schools who are already struggling and have many lower class and minority students.

Victoria

2024-10-04 15:30:37 UTC

Going back to the comments that Arianna and Dejah made about putting students into the world "blindly" (in the sense that they are not educated about historical events) I think it is important to compare how other countries tackle the education of tragic history. For example, in Germany, it is mandatory that students learn about the holocaust. However, in the United States, 31 states do not mandate holocaust education. How are societies not expected to repeat their past mistakes if their populations are not educated on them?

Cade W

2024-10-04 15:31:08 UTC

One of the readings talked about how teachers can be fired for "speak[ing] about the pledge of allegiance in any manner in which the student or students in the classroom may reasonably understand the teacher’s speech to be any of the following: an unpatriotic commentary on the United States, an attempt to politically influence the student or students." How is that fair? Additionally, I feel that the language of this makes it easy to intentionally misinterpret any commentary on the pledge of allegiance as "unpatriotic," and easy to threaten teachers jobs if they don't teach students the same beliefs you have.

Audrey

2024-10-04 15:31:10 UTC

I agree with Mik. Students should have a variety of things to learn about, so they can learn for themselves and grow in their learning.

Nevaeh G

2024-10-04 15:31:31 UTC

Who or what group of people do you believe should decide what topics are being taught in schools or even taught at all? Should the public decide?

Bri

blpanosh — 2024-10-04 15:31:35 UTC

How do we make sure that our political teaching has an impact? U.S. government is a required class in order to graduate high schools in Iowa but I know many of the students just go through the motions to pass the class rather than actually learning. As adults, they still don't care for politics and don't see them as their civic duty.

Audrey

2024-10-04 15:32:30 UTC

Should schools include religious clubs or clubs in general to find a students identity or beliefs?

Candise W

2024-10-04 15:33:03 UTC

Do you guys think that they would choose a religion if they had a chose to believe what they want? I also saw a student from the school that I attended choose not to believe in anything.

Kendall

2024-10-04 15:33:45 UTC

I also learned about religion in a class where we were told like the history behind the certain religion. This opened my eyes.

Megan

2024-10-04 15:34:35 UTC

I agree with Mik. You should want to learn about you religion but you don’t have to continue learning about it in the near future. For me I was baptized Christian, my mom was catholic and dad was not religion based but I haven’t learned much about my religion. Not because I didn’t want to learn about but some of the stuff that I was learning about my religion was not always correct and wasn’t sure if I still wanted to continue learning about it.

Ashlynne

2024-10-04 15:35:09 UTC

Talking about what Ash said, how can those teachers face little to no consequences but the teachers that decide to teach the truth about black history can be very easily terminated?

Avery H

2024-10-04 15:35:20 UTC

I feel like students should be able to have their own thoughts and feel safe for thinking those thoughts

Bri

blpanosh — 2024-10-04 15:35:58 UTC

I feel like religion has its place in English classes as well, though. Not in the way that Ash was describing, but if you're going to teach classics of any kind, finding good classics that don't include any reference to catholicism or christianity is incredibly difficult.

Audrey

2024-10-04 15:36:30 UTC

Teachers need to educate students about certain topics, but bias should not be apart of it. It is totally okay to have an opinion, but it is the students choice to find their beliefs for themselves.

Kaylee

2024-10-04 15:36:37 UTC

I agree with Mik because as a teacher you should provide the tools and resources for the students and let them have a choice about what they want to research about so that the unconscious bias coming from the teacher or even other students is avoided. This also avoids the feeling of being forced and you are not pushing anything on the students.

Cade W

2024-10-04 15:37:08 UTC

Do you think that it is possible to write laws about the role of religion in education that cannot be used in bad faith by those who want to only promote their own religion?

Paige

2024-10-04 15:37:25 UTC

Should their be a class just for Culture and Religion in middle school or high school?

Candise W

2024-10-04 15:37:58 UTC

I agree my sister in law went to a private school for that reason because of their parents believes

Audrey

2024-10-04 15:38:04 UTC

I think that things could be open to talk about. Students can learn about new topics that they might not have heard of before and it makes the classroom more diverse. Do you think that non-bias conversations should be incorporated within the classroom more?

Avery H

2024-10-04 15:39:59 UTC

Teachers need to respect their students even when they don't like it

Bri

blpanosh — 2024-10-04 15:40:04 UTC

What about on social media? Is it okay to make political or religious posts? Only in private? Is it okay to attend protests and rallies as a teacher outside of school time?

Audrey

2024-10-04 15:40:09 UTC

Should students in choir be singing religious songs? Should it be more diverse?

Kendall

2024-10-04 15:40:13 UTC

What do you guys think about teachers who openly say what political party they support?

Kaylee

2024-10-04 15:40:33 UTC

I agree with Jayden about if you do teach about religions in a classroom keep it factual. But I also agree with Ash that it is very easy to slip up and give your own unconscious bias.

Nevaeh G

2024-10-04 15:40:42 UTC

I believe teachers salaries play a big role in your education system. Because of the low pay a lot of people steer away from this career path causing unqualified "educators" to become hired, but since our demand for teachers are so high schools tend to hire individuals without enough background knowledge.

Cade W

2024-10-04 15:41:10 UTC

Off of what Ash said, it is very easy to slip up and reveal your own beliefs, but those beliefs are treated differently. If you accidentally reveal your beliefs as a Christian, you are less likely to be punished than if you were Jewish or Muslim. As it stands right now, we live in a predominately Christian society, and many people take non-Christian to mean Anti-Christian, and treat it as a personal attack

Victoria

2024-10-04 15:41:30 UTC

The governor of Louisiana passed a law in June, which requires that every public classroom (kindergarten through state-funded universities) must display large signs of the 10 Commandments. Proponents of this argue that it is not solely religious, but it also has historical significance, being; "fundamental documents of our state and national government". If you're following the logic that fundamental representations of our past should be displayed, then why isn't it mandatory to display the essay written by Fredrick Douglas "What to the Slave is the 4th of July", which explores America's founding principles and the institution of slavery in America. (As an example).

Kaylee

2024-10-04 15:41:34 UTC

How does a politician’s lack of teaching experience affect their decisions about schools?

Kaylee

2024-10-04 15:44:17 UTC

How can politicians balance their own agendas with the needs and wants of their communities?

Cade W

2024-10-04 15:46:11 UTC

Dejha is right, the pledge of allegiance is totally a form of political indoctrination

Victoria

2024-10-04 15:46:44 UTC

Going back to what Dejah said about attending private schools, how do you feel about the tax voucher policies that have been passed by Governor Kim Reynolds which provide tax cuts (funded by state taxes) to families who enroll their children in private schools? Is this a way for the government/politicians to push students into religious education because they are prevented from pushing religion in public schools?

Niaja

2024-10-04 15:49:43 UTC

Clock it Deja!!!

Ashlynne

2024-10-04 15:50:25 UTC

We did the Pledge of Allegiance in elementary school every day. I remember being in the elementary "student government" and we would get to do the announcements. It was exciting to get to do the Pledge of Allegiance because it was something we did every day and I of course didn't understand fully the systematic issues in the United States. I remember doing the Pledge of Allegiance in High School and standing but not saying it. The difference in the "excitement" is something crazy to think about. Growing up and becoming aware is a good thing, but can be a scary thing to think about.

Avery H

2024-10-04 15:51:40 UTC

I feel like over the past few years there have way to many school shootings and there needs to be rules for sure

Victoria

2024-10-04 15:53:02 UTC

The Supreme Court developed the "Lemon Test" which shows that a law does not violate the Establishment Clause in the Constitution (which mandates separation of church and state) if...

It has a non-religious purpose
Its main effect neither helps nor hurts a religion
Government and religion are not mixed too much

However, this test hasn't been used since 1997, so how do you think the Supreme Court currently views the Establishment Clause? Does hanging the 10 Commandments in classrooms violate the Lemon Test?

Avery H

2024-10-04 15:53:08 UTC

I know a lot of schools have school officers at the schools during the day but one isn't enough espcially in the bigger schools

Niaja

2024-10-04 15:53:09 UTC

Teachers shouldn't be able to have guns in schools because students can manipulate a teacher out of the gun which puts students in harms way especially if you on that students bad side.

Cade W

2024-10-04 15:53:11 UTC

Teachers having guns, even in an attempt to prevent violence, is just introducing more avenues for violence. More opportunities to hurt people is not the solution to people being hurt.

Megan

2024-10-04 15:53:24 UTC

I agree with both minor and Deja. If you are going to talk about history than you should able to talk about gun laws. Teachers are talking about history and giving some facts that are not ture but the schools can’t talk about gun violence or gun laws but they are feeding nonfactual things about history.

Ashlynne

2024-10-04 15:53:39 UTC

That is so right! Shouldn't we do this to every person who wants to purchase a gun? Or just teachers?

Kendall

2024-10-04 15:53:43 UTC

If you allow teachers to have guns in schools it's just another way students can access guns.

Niaja

2024-10-04 15:53:57 UTC

If you make your school safe you won't need guns. Simple.

Victoria

2024-10-04 15:54:05 UTC

If teachers shouldn't have guns in schools, what are other safety measures that teachers and schools can take to protect students?

Kaylee

2024-10-04 15:54:56 UTC

I feel like if a teacher does have a gun, they need to have the training and also the firearm needs to be locked up. I also agree with Deja that there should be a mental check up first.

Alexis

2024-10-04 15:56:10 UTC

I think teachers should be able to have a choice if they want to have a gun in school, however I think they need training, a safe, and they should never disclose to any coworkers or students that they have it. The gun is locked up and should only be unlocked when in a serious life threatening situation. During the Robb elementary school shooting, police waited outside for 77 minutes.

Victoria

2024-10-04 15:57:17 UTC

I think even if teachers had mental checks before getting guns, there is still no way to predict how they would react in an emergency situation