NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. (AP) — Teaching current events in the age of Donald Trump has become fraught with peril for some educators who have interjected their personal political beliefs into the classroom.
A New York City teacher was warned over a homework question critical of Trump. An Alabama district fielded complaints for a teacher’s “Obama, you’re fired!” caption under a Trump display. And video caught a Texas art teacher shooting a squirt gun at an image of Trump, and yelling, “die!”
Is it ever OK for teachers to offer up their viewpoints?
It’s become a debate among educators at a time when students have become energized by classroom discussions of such hot-button issues as immigration and racial justice.
Education experts say teachers should be careful not to shape their students’ beliefs for them.