How to deal with my non-ethical communist history teacher?

Question

I'm a junior in HS, my history teacher wanted to start a COMMUNISM CLUB! I am a staunch conservative unlike most of my peers I can tell when my teacher is stressing her political views and twisting facts to put down not only conservatives but democracy in general, what should be done?

Forgot to say I have spoken up about her views and given her facts about how what she is saying is incorrect, ever since then my grades have dropped from a 99% to an 88%.

I may be 17 but I'm willing to bet I know more about politics than most adults twice my age...

She has said "Supposedly this country has a democracy," We have had to do a worksheet titled The Fall of The United States... She has made us watch "fair & balanced" documentaries the list goes on people....

Answer 1

You should ask for a transfer. Wow, COMMUNIST CLUB????? That's the most left I've ever heard anyone go.

Answer 2

The ideals of everyone being equal sound very pleasing to the ear, but in general Communism doesnt work. It leads to corruption and surpluses/deficits in what the country produces since it is a centrally planned government. And in a country with unstable supply, you also have unstable prices. Also since the goverment is centrally planned, and they say how much is to be produced, your workers have no incentive to work harder, so the country loses producivity. Look at Russia, oh look how they have flourished, not! Look at China, still dealing with some problems that Russia did back then, and even know it's economy looks more capitalist, which the Chinese deny' and just call it "Communism with Class." Also many of the Communist countries have had there high share of humans right violations, but I wont get into that, I enjoy the economics side. Now go out there, and bite some Commies!

Answer 3

The "Communism Club" is rad and she would have to get school board approval to start an after-school club of any kind. You forgot to mention that she was unsuccessful (hey, guess what, I already figured that one out).

You blame your poor grades on your teacher. You say your teacher is twisting facts. It's possible that she is, but it's also possible that she is stating facts and that you don't happen to like them! To be clear - a lot of history did have to be re-written because historical texts were factually skewed, leaving out entire chapters of essential learning. For example, you probably thought the British Raj was mainly benign. That is because the history of the British in India was written by British authors, many of them British civil servants in India. They conveniently neglected to mention many dozens of atrocities, including but not limited to the practice of shooting Indian POWs from cannons (for fun) and the entirely British-made Guntur and Bengal famines.

America, too, had to re-write much of its history through evidence which only came to light in the 20th Century. The Freedom of Information Act and the practice of putting Presidential papers into the public domain after 20 years has broadened our knowledge of the workings of government and how they impact history. A lot is still classified, and so history books will have to be updated when new information becomes known to us.

If you want to give me some examples of her alleged errors, I'd be happy to give you the known facts. It is absolutely essential at your age to know the truth (or as close to the truth as is within our field of knowledge). Whether history jives with your personal politics is completely irrelevant.

Just picked up on your comments that you "know more about politics...". I thought this was a history class, not poli-sci?

The United States is what I call a quasi-democracy. It is a Republic with democratic institutions and representative government. It has never existed as a "pure" or "direct" democracy, although some individual states (the one that immediately springs to mind is California) do practice direct democracy. The system of electing the Executive is non-democratic (appointed "electors", not voters, choose the President of the United States). The U.S. ranks 17th in the Economist's "Democracy Index" because the majority of us have no say in our country's affairs. In countries which rank higher, like Sweden and The Netherlands, the citizens actually get to vote on whether to, say, go to war or raise taxes and actually choose how taxes are spent.

However, where else on earth (apart from maybe Switzerland) do individual states have so much power and the federal government have so little? That's one of the most intriguing aspects of the American political system.

You might impress your teacher with a discussion on the autonomy of states, and remind her that state officials (governors, senators) are elected on a one-man, one-vote basis - and therefore "democracy" is more real than she might think.

Answer 4

Communism is an economic model -- it has nothing to do with politcs. Maybe if you paid attention in history, you'd learn this.

Communism says only that the community (govt) should own property and that private individuals do not need to own property. Which works perfectly well if it's voluntary. Which also means it could work perfectly well in a democracy.

You're confusing the few countries, which are dicatatorships, that tried to impose a mix of communism and socialism by force. That failed, because communism doesn't work if its forced. It's like trying to force religion or charity. Doesn't work.

So, try actually learning what words mean, and learning from history, rather than attacking things that you don't understand.

Answer 5

What your history teacher is trying to do is to encourage you to THINK. And to think for yourself. That is what she is supposed to do.

You are way too young to be so closeminded and so sure of yourself. At 17, you can barely find your butt with both hands and don't have near enough life-experience to KNOW much. You may have OPINIONS about everything but you don't have the knowledge.

Stay in school, listen, do your homework...You just might learn something.

Answer 6

learn the definition of democracy first. and how can you tell? is it your magical conservative powers? you are 16, maybe 17. you have alot to learn.

edit:
i highly doubt that.

and if you knew what a democracy is supposed to be, and what we actually have, you would realize that we indeed do not have a democracy, and that a true democracy has never truly existed.

Answer 7

You can ask her why your grades have fallen and she is supposed to explain to you exactly why. Challenge is good.

Also, no offence but if you are a junior you are 16-17 at most, so whether or not you agree with her you still don't know everything.

Answer 8

What have your parents said? Have you talked to them? They can go with you to your counselor and get removed from that class. Your history teacher is there to teach history per the book, not her political beliefs. So you need to talk to your parents, your guidance counselor, your principal, the school superintendent, and the press if you have to. In the meantime tell the teacher you would appreciate keeping to the assigned curriculum.

Answer 9

what exactly did she say that was "wrong"?

and most teachers don't like being called wrong, especially over a matter of opinion, which most likely this is... conservatives have a lot of trouble telling the difference between "fact" and "opinion"... maybe that's why your grades are slipping?

Answer 10

Just wait until college. There you will find nothing but more of the same. They all want to teach you that crap, stand up for yourself, and tell her you are a anti-feminist. That will boil her blood. Teachers that tell you their ideas aren't teaching, they are professing. Ask her who pays her checks? The public, right? You in a small sense her boss, kinda.

Answer 11

Go tell Bill Oreilly he'll probably stand up for you and tell the teacher off! That would be great!