Censorship in the classroom

Now I may have the idea of censorship wrong but I don't think I do. Maybe this isn't built for SD, but the nature of what happened today is kinda iffy so I put it here.

Today in social class, we were going through the paper talking about events and ideological perspectives and came across an article about ultrasounds. Apparently the government is moving for doctors not to give the sex of a child to the parents until after how ever long it is for an abortion not to take place. This is because in some cultures it is believed that a male needs to be first born so that they can carry on the family name and legacy. And if they have the ultrasound and find that it is a girl, then they abort the fetus.

Now when asked about it and we were discussing it, I said that it is a restriction of individual rights of the parents, and they they should be able to abort if they choose. I was promptly cut off by the teacher, who asked me if I was serious and said yes, and I started to explain my point further, but was cut off again before I could because he asked if I thought the parents had the right to kill a child just based on the gender alone, and I said a fetus isn't a child and he went on a rant about how those types of things need to be defined and I again tried to give my reasoning, but he ignored and cut me out and continued to a new story. And then something about rights came up and he took a direct shot at me saying that "unless you're Patrick, who thinks that children are owned slaves of their parents who get no free choice in anything in their lives" which is as far from the truth as one could get. And Again before I could defend myself he carried on.

I don't think this should happen, as a social teacher in a public school I am pretty sure he is not sposed to voice his beliefs that way and I don't think that he should have taken that shot, nor not allowed me to speak with my evidence, as it made me out as a villain and made him come to a conclusion about me that is the polar opposite of my beliefs. I understand that the topic of abortion is iffy, so he could have said that it was for another time or not in school instead of cutting me off and creating a villainous feel to be opinion on a topic.

You could potentially take it up with a higher authority, because you're right, a teacher isn't supposed to act that way. Unfortunately said higher authority is probably going to take it the same way, considering theirs is popular opinion, so you're more than likely out of luck.

Honestly, I could be studying for a political career had I not been stepped all over by my Humanities teacher who consistently and completely deflated my interest in politics by being like your guy. Teachers aren't infallible, and sometimes far less intelligent as they like to communicate. Don't let it drag you down too much.

Although I see the point the argument, I don't necessarily agree with it. (The abortion bit.) However, I am all for 1st Amendment rights and you should have been able to voice your concerns. However, I think as it is right now students pretty much give up their freedom to the 1st Amendment once they walk through the school doors, so you are pretty much out of luck.

I'm Canadian so I don't actually know or live under a first amendment. We have the charter of rights and freedoms tho, but I don't remember reading anywhere that we were to lose our rights inside an public school. We all have rights to our opinions, unless of course it is hate speech or infringment on someone elses rights in someway. I thought that this could possibly be that, because it was in direct corrolation with my position, that he villified my opinion.

Although I disagree with your views on abortion, I think that the teacher should not have acted such a way in a public school, and I think this teacher was kind of talking you down. Which I find rather unprofessional.

Originally Posted by Tacoman

I'm Canadian so I don't actually know or live under a first amendment. We have the charter of rights and freedoms tho, but I don't remember reading anywhere that we were to lose our rights inside an public school. We all have rights to our opinions, unless of course it is hate speech or infringment on someone elses rights in someway. I thought that this could possibly be that, because it was in direct corrolation with my position, that he villified my opinion.

Whoops, sorry about that.

Well, I don't know how the Canadian judicial system works but the latest American Supreme Court case that I know of that addresses this issue basically says students lose their rights once entering the school.

Either way, its wrong. But like I said, there really isn't much you can do about it. You are a "kid" and your teacher is an "adult." As if that makes your opinions any less worthwhile. It's unfair.

Wow and here I was understanding America as a liberal state. That's a horrible thing. Students should totally have rights, and they should also be subject to laws. I've had many conversations likening school to prisons, in that gangs of sorts form, laws aren't nessisarily taken to the full of regular society.

I guess school is a different place tho in the eyes of some, it isn't a coherent part of society. And in my case especially it bothers me as I am 18, legally an adult. I can buy alcohol, tobacco, vote and pay taxes, of all types of people my age group should not be subject to the limiting of rights.

I'd take that up with someone higher up, seems like your teacher was baiting you and only letting you get enough of your opinion out to hang you with. And regarding US 1st ammendment rights in school, there was a case, Tinker vs DesMoines boadr of education, that ruled that studens did NOT relenquish their rights in school, as long as it does not jepoardize the school or make the teachers look like the imperfect humans they are instead of the gods they want people to think. I don't agree with abortion, but withholding medical knowledge is terrible, suppose there is a gender-specific hereditary disease that parents are trying to spare their child from?

Originally Posted by Igos Du Ikana

I'd take that up with someone higher up, seems like your teacher was baiting you and only letting you get enough of your opinion out to hang you with. And regarding US 1st ammendment rights in school, there was a case, Tinker vs DesMoines boadr of education, that ruled that studens did NOT relenquish their rights in school, as long as it does not jepoardize the school or make the teachers look like the imperfect humans they are instead of the gods they want people to think. I don't agree with abortion, but withholding medical knowledge is terrible, suppose there is a gender-specific hereditary disease that parents are trying to spare their child from?

Yes, I know. But there was another case later on (I can't remember the name and it bothers me to no end) that basically said students basically gave up 1st Amendment rights upon entering the school.

Anyways, the repression of the 1st Amendment in this case was more towards the student journalists and media.

I just learned about this last semester, why can't I remember this?

Would losing the amendment be for public or private schools?

Originally Posted by Tacoman

Would losing the amendment be for public or private schools?

Private mostly because they really can't do much about it because the government doesn't give them money. For public schools if a student wants they can challenge it in court.

Of course that rarely happens because they don't really have the time or the money to do it and in the meantime their time at school can be a living hell even if they have a legit case.

Your teacher should be fired on the spot, thats the problem with allowing Christians to teach in public school, they don't allow people to share differing opinions yet they can spout there hate without reprimand. He should be allowed to have his opinion but him not even letting you speak is just wrong, and the fact that he is referring to a fetus as a child in a classroom is upsetting as well, the average American high schooler is statistically an idiot on a global scale and take whatever a teacher says as fact. This teacher is using his religious biases to poison and brainwash these childrens thoughts.

Originally Posted by Grooston

Your teacher should be fired on the spot, thats the problem with allowing Christians to teach in public school, they don't allow people to share differing opinions yet they can spout there hate without reprimand. He should be allowed to have his opinion but him not even letting you speak is just wrong, and the fact that he is referring to a fetus as a child in a classroom is upsetting as well, the average American high schooler is statistically an idiot on a global scale and take whatever a teacher says as fact. This teacher is using his religious biases to poison and brainwash these childrens thoughts.

WOAH WOAH WOAH! Mate, back up. Not once was it said this bloke is a Christian.

THe teacher isn't a Christian.

Originally Posted by Tacoman

THe teacher isn't a Christian.

Sorry, I just assumed because he didn't sound like a very intelligent guy. Despite that, if you ignore my comments about him being a christian the rest of my post still stands.

Originally Posted by Grooston

Sorry, I just assumed because he didn't sound like a very intelligent guy. Despite that, if you ignore my comments about him being a christian the rest of my post still stands.

*insulted look* Mate, just because a person is a Christian doesn't mean they aren't intelligent. Being religious has nothing to do with intellect.

Originally Posted by Grooston

Sorry, I just assumed because he didn't sound like a very intelligent guy. Despite that, if you ignore my comments about him being a christian the rest of my post still stands.

I'm not a Christian, but I found that to be sort of offensive.

Anyway, I agree with you, about the whole abortion bit and the whole teacher thing. My religion teacher constantly talks about how you're a terrible person if you get an abortion and worse if you help a friend get one, so I can see where you're coming from. It's frustrating but in the end, you just have to let it go.

Originally Posted by Grooston

Sorry, I just assumed because he didn't sound like a very intelligent guy. Despite that, if you ignore my comments about him being a christian the rest of my post still stands.

If you take everything about being Christian out of your post your post is just nonsense, since your entire argument is based on teachers forcing religious views down the throats of idiot high schoolers that aren't nearly as widespread as you'd like to believe. With the comments on Christianity, it just showcases how little you get out, and how few people you actually know outside of your own comfort zone. If you met any Christians at all you'd realize that on a very basic level, it makes them more moral people than most, since they abide by a set of stricter morals than usual. Don't highlight extremists and use them as the standard

Originally Posted by Gouyoku no Greed

If you take everything about being Christian out of your post your post is just nonsense, since your entire argument is based on teachers forcing religious views down the throats of idiot high schoolers that aren't nearly as widespread as you'd like to believe. With the comments on Christianity, it just showcases how little you get out, and how few people you actually know outside of your own comfort zone. If you met any Christians at all you'd realize that on a very basic level, it makes them more moral people than most, since they abide by a set of stricter morals than usual. Don't highlight extremists and use them as the standard

If a Christian believes what is written in the bible then I question their "morals"

Anyways this isn't the place to discuss the evils of christianity.

But my post isn't nonsense. I was stating that the majority of US Teens are bluntly stupid on a global scale, almost every other major country that competes with America as a world power has children that are clearly much smarter then they are here. Our beyond flawed education system is one of the main causes of that, and so for a teacher to only teach children biases instead of multiple viewpoints in an unbiased way is simply making these stupid kids even stupider as they expect the teacher to be TEACHING THEM.