Should elementary school teachers use the classroom to indoctrinate students into Liberal philosophy?

Answer 1

Nope.

Answer 2

No, of course not. They should use the classroom to indoctrinate students into Conservative philosophy, or maybe Religion, oh boy, which religion? This isn't a request for information; it's a political statement disguised as one. It doesn't deserve a serious answer.

Answer 3

Well, I dunno - what do you mean by "liberal philosophy?"

I suppose basic philosophic concepts could be introduced that early. Most kids already wonder about the big questions ("Who am I?" "Why am I here?" "What is the meaning of life?") pretty young, although they might not have the vocabulary to express the concepts.

The word itself, "liberal," really means generous. Kind, open-hearted. The idea of a "liberal education" recognizes the value of producing a well-rounded, educated person with a passing familiarity with many kinds of information and human experience. What was once called "the renaissance man (or woman." All of this is hard to argue against.

"Indoctrinate" carries the connotation of "propaganda." I'd be against indoctrination of children (although vaccination's often a good idea) with either "conservative" or "liberal" principles. The words themselves are rapidly losing meaning. If you mean them in a political sense, well, we've got a self-avowed "conservative" president who's spending us into the poorhouse, hardly a conservative position.

School, ideally, is about the presentation of facts and teaching children how to gather, and evaluate, information, how to use what they learn. It's ideally about preparing them to think for themselves for the rest of their lives, and to tell verifiable, factual information from opinion, and how to evaluate the source of the information they get.

Answer 4

What is it with you people? liberal this, conservatives that, anyone who can identify his philosophy with one word, is by definition a narrow minded individual.

Being handed a prepackaged set of values and beliefs shared by the group must be comforting.

It's easy to let Rush or Hillary do your thinking for you, but we know what they think, so quit wasting the time of the people who use this forum for constructive purposes.

Thumbs down me all you want, I LOVE IT!

Answer 5

No. But, they shouldn't use it to indoctrinate children into the Conservative or religious or whatever philosophy.

Answer 6

no