Is It Really Brainwashing?

First, I agree with Emily. Teachers who favor students to the point of allowing those students to get away with shorter assignments and less work are abusing their authority. Every student should be held to the same standard. A student should not have to agree with a teacher to get a good grade.

But is Hairston really saying that because teachers push their political agendas the students who disagree get a bad grade? Is there an argument that a student must agree with a professor to get a good grade? Just because a professor is teaching a course where he or she pushes an ideology of socialism, or feudalism does not mean that the teacher will punish the students for disagreeing. And won't a class where a different viewpoint is taught open up a students' eyes? Students may or may not learn different viewpoints as they grow up. Isn't our job to help them see some of these viewpoints because isn't going to school part of the growing up process? If they don't learn it in class where else are they going to learn it?

I don't think English instructors should teach classes on social justice, poverty, or policitcal science. They don't have the degrees in that, and if they do then they should apply to teach those courses. I do think that teachers can be a good influence on student views. Teachers can use some of the assigned readings to help students see different viewpoints. This does not mean that the teacher has to push a political ideology, but a teacher is allowed an opinion and I think it does the students good to see some of that opinion and why it has been formed. The classroom should still be an open forum where students feel comfortable sharing their opinions, but shouldn't those opinions be challenged? How will students grow if their viewpoints are never challenged?

Hairston states we should focus on the students' own writing and I disagree with that. Too many students would write about their own experiences without ever exploring something new. We need assigned readings, but not all on the same topic. The readings should be on a variety of topics that will get the students to explore different ideas and realize there are different viewpoints. If the instructor has an opinion, that's great. Just don't give a bad grade because the student disagrees with your opinion.