Will this get me fired?

[Skirita]

As you may know, I teach evening college prep and writing courses at a snooty private educational center. Today, the Center Director interrupted my class to "make an announcement". She then proceeded to read a ruthless Bush-bashing email to my students, hand out copies for them to take home to their parents, and conclude with "This isn't about being a Democrat or Republican; this is about facts. If any of you are 18, I hope you think about this when you vote."

I was fucking stunned! Even in college, I had never seen such blatant partisanship in the classroom. I was so upset by her egregious breach of ethics that I drafted the following letter, and now I'm debating whether or not I should give it to her (she's a hardcore Democrat). What do you guys think?


Dear [hardcore Democrat boss],

Let me begin this request by saying that I am not a Republican, nor am I particularly enamored of the Bush administration. Still, I was extremely upset that you interrupted my lesson on Tuesday to read a partisan rant against the Bush family. Your speech made me very uncomfortable because I do not normally allow political debate in my class under any circumstances. Allow me to explain why:

Foremost, it is painfully obvious from the essays I grade and conversations I overhear that the vast majority of our students have only a superficial understanding of the issues; instead of thinking for themselves, they tend to regurgitate what they hear from their parents, the news, etc. Very few have a deep enough grasp of economics, international affairs, social issues, etc. to think critically about the election. I must remind you that regardless of exact age, these are children, and children are by nature extremely impressionable; it is, in my opinion, morally reprehensible to indoctrinate children into any belief system, political or otherwise, until they are mature enough to make an informed decision. Maturity does not automatically come at the age of 18, and persuading immature 18-year-olds to cast uninformed votes is unethical, Machiavellian, and an abuse of authority. I did not expect that from someone of your stature.

Second, many of our students come from conservative families and are embarrassed or intimidated when teachers and other authority figures spew anti-Bush rhetoric. Oftentimes, the parents find out. I have already had one family assume that I did not allow their daughter to go off on a pro-Bush diatribe several weeks ago because I was "attempting to silence her political views" (I was simply trying to stay on topic), and I certainly do not want to have to explain to angry parents why their children were given handouts today alleging that the Republican party is morally bankrupt.

Finally, I categorically reject the simplistic reasoning in the message you read. It argued that, solely because no Iraqi hijackers participated in the 9/11 attacks, the Iraq War was unjustified. Using that logic, the War in Afghanistan that Senator Kerry touts as the "real War on Terror" was also unjustified; out of the 19 hijackers,15 were Saudis, one was Egyptian, one was Lebanese, and two were from the United Arab Emirates. None were from Afghanistan. Were we wrong to attack Afghanistan? Should I begin my next class with an equally scathing indictment of Senator Kerry? No. That is not critical thinking. It is poorly conceived partisan mudslinging, and it has absolutely no place in an educational environment.

Please do not take this the wrong way. I am not challenging your political views. But I know that as an active member of the Democratic party, you feel very strongly about the forthcoming election, and unfortunately, emotion tends to cloud good judgment. Knowing this, as a responsible educator, I have made a concerted effort to maintain absolute political neutrality during class time. It is my moral responsibility to continue to do so. Thus, I must ask that you refrain from bringing politics into my classroom. I hope that you can understand the reasoning behind my objection and respect my request. Thank you.

Sincerely,

[Skiritai]

[SRR]

You are fully within your right to complain formally about that sort of thing in a classroom; furthermore, I've never really heard of a school superior interrupting a class for partisan propaganda. At least, not in the past few decades in the free world. This seems like an exceptional circumstance that you should use as an example of poor judgement.

I would back off on your third comment though, you are instigating a political debate with your superior. Stick to why it was inappropriate within the context of the institution.

[kilroy]

a good letter, i would give it to her, but maybe proofread it to change any speech that could be taken as combative.

[Skirita]

Yes, I agree. It was just such a moronic argument that I couldn't help myself... Still, probably best if I cut it out.

[Big Duke 6]

I'd imagine if it's a snooty private school that some of, if not the majority, of the parents are educated as well and will also be taking offense and drafting letters of their own. Hell, you could even write an anonymous letter to the local newspaper.

Keep us posted. I'm really curious as to how this all pans out. I find it disgusting that someone in a leadership role is so blatantly abusing power (I know..it happens all the time).

[Ebby]

Skiritai,

I think your letter is really well done. Not sure whether or not it will get you fired, but I'll bet it probably made you feel better just writing it and posting it here. ....[mental note: to someday post my road rage story, which is really about how writing can release emotions and pain].

I'd suggest you hold off from sending it and see what happens. I think that woman just dug her own grave. Sounds like she might be in for a shit storm of her own making.

E

[Skirita]

Here's a revision:

Dear [hardcore Democrat boss],

Let me begin this request by saying that I am not a Republican, nor am I particularly enamored of the Bush administration. Still, I was extremely upset that you interrupted my lesson on Tuesday to read a partisan rant against the Bush family. Your speech made me very uncomfortable because I do not normally allow political debate in my class under any circumstances. Allow me to explain why:

Foremost, it is painfully obvious from the essays I grade and conversations I overhear that the vast majority of our students have only a superficial understanding of the issues; instead of thinking for themselves, they tend to regurgitate what they hear from their parents, the news, etc. Very few have a strong enough grasp of economics, international affairs, social issues, etc. to think critically about the election. I must remind you that regardless of exact age, these are children, and children are by nature extremely impressionable; it is, in my opinion, morally reprehensible to indoctrinate children into any belief system, political or otherwise, until they are mature enough to make an informed decision. Maturity does not automatically come at the age of 18, and persuading immature 18-year-olds to cast uninformed votes is unethical, Machiavellian, and an abuse of authority. I did not expect that from someone of your stature.

Furthermore, many of our students come from conservative families, and having been raised according to those beliefs, some feel embarrassed or intimidated by anti-Bush rhetoric. I would not be surprised if some of my students complain to their parents about this incident. I have already had one family assume that I did not allow their daughter to go off on a pro-Bush diatribe several weeks ago because I was "attempting to silence her political views" (I was simply trying to stay on topic), and I certainly do not look forward to explaining to angry parents why their children were given handouts today that claim the Republican party is morally bankrupt.

Please do not take this the wrong way. I am not challenging your political views. But I know that as an active member of the Democratic party, you feel very strongly about the forthcoming election, and unfortunately, emotion tends to cloud good judgment. Knowing this, as an educator, I have made a concerted effort to maintain absolute political neutrality during class time. It is my moral responsibility to continue to do so. Thus, I must ask that you refrain from bringing politics into my classroom. I hope that you can understand the reasoning behind my objection and respect my request. Thank you.

Sincerely,

[Skiritai]

[Dim]

I'd send a letter - but I wouldn't send that letter.

I think the best approach is to ask her how she would react if she discovered her children were at a school in which pro-Bush propaganda was disseminated and advise her that that is roughly how at least 1/2 of the parents of her students will be feeling about their children recieving anti-Bush material from their teachers.

I think that denigrating your students understanding of the issues is a real bad way to go since it can (a) be seen as a more general attack on the standards of the school and (b) be turned against you ('if your students can't think for themselves isn't it YOUR job to make sure they can, ect').

I think the best way to establish your bi-partisan credentials is merely to explain that you would be equally concerned by Republican party material being distributed to the students.

It's also worth pointing out that this is the kind of story the media could have a field day with (School Brainwashes Kids!!!) and might also be grounds for a lawsuit from litigiously minded parents.

If the last two factors don't make her shit her pants then she's probably not long for the job anyway . . .

While any letter you send will probably incur the displeasure of your boss they would be insane to fire you under these circumstances.

You could just skip the whole letter and call your local newspaper and let the good people of the media do the rest. They'll call your boss for comment, then her boss, then the local GOP office for a balancing comment. Watch the sparks fly!

[DawnC71]

I dont think they ccan fire you for that sort of thing and if they do I would say you would have one hell of a case for a good lawsuit.
Partisanship in the classroom is not only going to piss you off but I bet tomorrow, after these kids have gone and told their parents what went down today, alot of bush supporting parents are going to be OUTRAGED.
I dont think you coming down on her is going to be nearly as bad as when the parents start calling asking for her resignation, or maybe even her heart on a platter.
Send the letter....then if they fire you get a great civil litigator.
you will win in court I would think.
Cheers,
dawn

[Prodigal Son]

Skiritai,

If you don't have tenure or are looking to get hired full-time there then don't send the letter unless you want to be fired. As an evening instructor you are a dime-a-dozen and easily replaced. I would simply explain to the class your view that her diatribe doesn't represent you and that you apologize for partisan politics disturbing their class time. If you want to use that as a bridge to talk about these issues a bit more openly then do so...but challenging your superior -- especially calling her views "simplistic" is a kiss of death.

I teach political science at Univ. of Il. as a grad student and in Pol Sci. 100 I avoid talking about the war or the election for the simple fact I'm scared of being painted as biased one way or the other. If you happen to disagree with the administration or argue about the war in Iraq people are quick to condemn you as a radical leftist out-of-touch elitist academic.

[Jimbo]

Skiritai- First, It's a well pointed letter, hold on to it. Second, do not submit it to whoever you were planning to, wait. Use this woman's rant to your advantage. Sometimes a conspiracy of silence is the best weapon.

[Yusuf]

I'm going to go with the "Do what's right" school of thought. Send the letter (or a letter) informing her of your... discomfort... with the event.

I totally agree with everyone here who said that if she fires you, you can easily just file a complaint. Unlawful dismissal.

Good luck.

[Prodigal Son]

Don't forget that she can probablly find a half-dozen nit-picky things to fire you for...make it look like something else. Depends how much you need the job.

[Yusuf]

Don't forget that she can probablly find a half-dozen nit-picky things to fire you for...make it look like something else. Depends how much you need the job.

Good point, good point.

If the parents do enough complaining, then the message is out and you don't have to be the messenger. However, if nobody (parents/students/etc) complains, then she will think that she can continue spewing propaganda in school. And that really isn't cool.

[Kurt]

I don't like Bush (don't like Kerry either) But I'd never cut in on someone elses time to make my opinions known.

You might get fired, which would suck.

A High school teacher of mine whom I admired alot once told off our vice princepal because he came in and tried to take a student out of class for the offense of not showing up to other classes. My teacher said "Bob, you should really interupt the classes he is too bored to attend and not the one he does attend, now go away"

He wasn't fired at all thanks to the fact that he was right (and I suppose the teachers union) and is now retired and duck hunting with his grandkids in the boonies of Northern Wisconsin.

I have found lately that if you can piss people off more by agreeing with them than by disagreeing with them, then that means you are likely right.

Good letter by the way...