Teaching vs. Promoting an Agenda

                            Teaching vs. Promoting an Agenda


Teach: to show, to instruct, to impart the knowledge of

Agenda: a list, a plan, an outline, matters to be acted or voted upon




           When promoting "critical thinking" is tied to promoting the instructors'
 agenda, then it shortchanges the student, and cannot be called good teaching
 practice. Too often it seems, teachers fall into promoting an agenda of their own beliefs regarding politics, religion, gender issues or other "hot button" topics of the day. We are all tempted to do this in our daily life in encounters with friends, neighbors, or even with strangers. The classroom, however, is sacred space, where in order to facilitate growth and learning, one's personal agendas need to be shelved.
           As a student, I don't need, or want to know the personal viewpoints of the instructor. I want to learn the course content, whether it be philosophy, art history, or composition theory. In fact, when teachers use the classroom as a soapbox for disseminating their viewpoints, there is much that is lost in terms of good teaching and maximum student learning. 
           Another educational casualty that occurs when teaching takes a backseat to a personal agenda is a very un-level playing field. Instead of all students being valued equally by the instructor, some students become favored because they agree with the instructor on certain issues. This unequal treatment is felt, and is often displayed in critical ways towards students who hold viewpoints that differ from those of the instructor. This negativity reverberates within the confines of the classroom setting, and can grow over time, causing a decrease in certain students being interested, engaged and motivated to learn from this particular instructor. 
           Our educational system is not well served in divisive classroom environments. Even more sadly, students are not being served in these types of polarized classroom environments, where they are not valued by their instructors as unique individuals, and treated with the respect that they deserve.

~Kathy~