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Hillmen Messenger

The School Newspaper of Placer High School

Hillmen Messenger

The School Newspaper of Placer High School

Hillmen Messenger

Are student opinions being influenced by teachers beliefs?

From the time a child enters pre-school, the influence of a teacher becomes a major factor in their life. Love their teaching style or hate it, students have to deal with teachers for a majority of their day, their week, their whole entire year.  For some kids, they see their teachers more than they see their family. However, this amount of contact may be influencing kids more than grades in a classroom. They very well may be influencing personal opinions as well.

In classes such as English where debate may be taught or in clubs such as Political Forum where they openly discuss varying view points, having your own opinion is often open and welcome, even encouraged. But in more serious classes such as Science and History, so much relies on the opinion of the teacher; enough that our own generation is now failing to think for themselves.

Back in the ‘good old days,’ it was often considered a scandal to openly voice your opinion to someone of authority. But now that our generation has more freedoms than ever, we take them for granted.

Freshman Aaron Bivians said, “Students should have the right to talk about and discuss what they are learning [at school]. If a teacher doesn’t let them do it, then students probably aren’t learning all that they can learn.”

Our generation has gotten into the habit of doing the bare minimum to get by, doing the homework and going through the motions without really doing any research or further digging for themselves. It’s all about walking in the cap and gown and getting the diploma.

This is all fine and dandy to get through high school, but what happens when graduation day comes and goes and the only opinion that’s present is the one from the classroom?

Because students have gotten into this mind set, we are sending an entire generation off to become future leaders of this country with the same basic opinions: that of their teachers all through school, whether or not the opinion is right.

Sometimes, the pure intensity of a teacher is enough to influence students in a class.

Senior Brooke Berger feels that the intensity of retired History teacher, Mr. Underwood, was highly influential to her opinion on certain matters of the past, present and future.

“Mr. Underwood was totally inspirational,” she said, “I wish I could be as dedicated as he is with his opinions someday.”

While there are students that do go above and beyond, researching their topics in school and really putting forth an effort to make their opinions heard, they are unfortunately the minority in the high school hierarchy.

There are too many students now-a-days that have become apathetic and lethargic in their schooling and education; not a good way to describe our nations’ future leaders.

And what’s even worse, is that teachers have followed suit in this ‘just get it over with’ mind set.

 By only teaching one way, teachers are not being flexible and are not holding the all too important class discussions students need to develop their own opinions.

Berger said, “Students have as much right to voice their opinions as the teachers do.”

But where is the line drawn? When do teachers make the switch from calling it a simple debate in class to defiance?

This is unfortunately another task set upon the opinion of the teacher. Depending upon the class, the subject, or even the overall mood of the teacher, really any ‘talking out of turn’ can be considered ‘defiance’ and land a student with a one way ticket to the office, suspension pending.

Junior Sydney Briggs feels that this is not defiance, merely students expressing their rights as American citizens. “[Teachers] should let students have their own opinions, even if they don’t agree with them and even if they’re not 100% right. It’s like the ‘I heart boobies’ bracelets. Every one can have their own opinion on them, but students should still be allowed to wear them.”

And Berger agrees. “Students have the right to their opinion, even if the teacher doesn’t agree with it. If the teachers don’t give students that right, then they aren’t teaching. They’re manipulating.”

This only encourages students to keep their opinions quiet while they quietly suffer through unknowing brainwash through the day until they finally have no opinion but that of their teacher.

More should be done to encourage students to find that one thing that they are passionate about and help them form that strong opinion. Whether it’s about the freedom of expression or something bigger in politics all together, students should not be deterred by teachers or the school system where their opinions are concerned.

It is part of being an American citizen to have the right to your opinion, just as it is our right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

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