Response to "Discussion in a Democratic Society

Why is it that teachers act surprised when there students do something that shouldn't be unexpected? This teacher acts with incredulity when his students begin an open debate over the rights of the parents and the rights of the school. why would this be surprising? if anything, this should be a cause for joy! I have been in classrooms before, throughout my education, in which the teacher decided what was right and what was wrong. I did poorly in those classes. The fact that these students feel comfortable enough to discuss this issue with their peers and teacher shows that he facilitates a classroom in which truly progressive learning can take place. It is my belief that democratic discussion should always be a part of any and all English classes. Defending a subject or topic can give a student much deeper appreciation for what they believe than what they find written in a textbook. This type of discussion also allows students to explore their own beliefs and experiences which can be invaluable to their critical thinking skills. This type of discussion should always be a part of student learning if we ever want students to truly think for themselves. Conversations provide students with an opportunity to learn empathy as well. Too often media (headphones, cellphones, ipads, etc.) take our students out of their surroundings and isolate their minds from any and all outside thought. Even in the classroom, most conversations are led by the teacher and the students provide very little response. When students are engaged in conversation with one another, they begin to have their ideals challenged. This can be good or bad depending on the subject and the “heatedness” of the debate. But by allowing this to take place in a classroom we, as teachers, have the ability to steer these conversations in a direction that is beneficial for all parties concerned.