1st August 2014 14:00
By Blue Tutors
Lots of things have happened in the world of education and politics recently, in additional international events, all of which impact on the lives of our students. The old adage that one should not discuss religion and politics at parties has traditionally also applied to the classroom – unless of course religion and politics are the subjects at hand. However, with the sacking of Michael Gove as education secretary, it seems that students are very keen to express opinions on how their education is run. Minutes after the announcement was made, students took to twitter and various social networking sites to make their views heard. Many of them spoke out in support of their teachers, expressing relief on behalf of their teachers and their own education that Gove had gone.
So should we as tutors be keeping quiet on the subject, especially when our students quite rightly want to express an opinion about their own education? As always, as long as we allow students room to form their own views, we should be encouraging them to express their opinions and take ownership of their education. As private tutors we are in a unique position to have frank discussions with students and their parents about their education. We don’t have to worry that we are expression views contrary to school management, and our responsibility is purely to our students.
However, allowing students to form their own views is harder than it sounds. Remaining completely neutral is not really possible, and students often pick up on the underlying messages that we are sending out with the way in which we talk about things. We are often in a position of trust and respect, and students often take on the views that they think matches those of their tutor. The best way to deal with this is to encourage open dialogue, and to make sure that students feel encouraged to express contrary views if they have them. Treating students with respect and acknowledging that they have a principle interest in the political process which affect their education is the best thing we can do for them.