Professors and politix
so i survey my students each week through the semester. i pose questions about the previous week’s work (e.g., how difficult, how long did it take) and i ask about the technology students use as well as what they liked and didn’t like. i even get a few questions in that get to the heart of the previous week’s objectives (sort of like a quiz that isn’t graded). well, on my last survey i asked how my students viewed me politically. i try and teach from a Devil’s advocate-type perspective and make sure many sides of various issues are discussed/debated, etc. here’s the results:
if that’s all it was i might draw certain conclusions and not know whether my conclusions are accurate or not. so, my next question asks, “Was there anything specific that lead you to respond the way you did on that last question?” and most students left this blank. however, the most commonly cited reason for choosing “liberal” was that i am an education professor and that i use a Macintosh computer. even those these results are skewed, nobody really had anything substantive for why they chose the response they did. i think most students selected the option that represents their own thinking. i also noted that nobody chose “strongly liberal” or “strongly conservative.”
i guess that means i do a good job of staying neutral. my question to myself is this . . . is that a good thing? should i stay neutral or should i come out with a position and say that i try and teach from a neutral perspective, but my actual position on issues may seep into discussions from time to time? i know i have colleagues who tell their students right up front. hmmm.