I wish I'd seen this article when it was written - such a great discussion here too, and I appreciate your point Kathy. I'm also a professor, teaching in a liberal area of the country, and I know I have conservative students (and I was once a conservative student myself). It's so important not to assume everyone in the room agrees - and I think it's much better when they don't! I agree that everyone should feel safe. But I'd like to offer that the goal for me is to try to create spaces safe for all to share their viewpoints and to have a productive discussion without fear of shame or recrimination. That is difficult to do, and does require quite a lot of reading the room, managing time, and allowing for loose ends sometimes (e.g. agree to disagree). It also requires some sensitivity to the political landscape, and which groups of people are being inordinantly persecuted - discussions around these groups should be treated with a great deal of sensitivity and care (especially true during 2016-2020 as brought up by a very insightful article I read at the time - so sad I cannot remember who wrote it).

I also know that I am the one with power in the room (grades and assessement are powerful tools we weild). I would not want students to fear me persecuting them for beliefs different from my own. That said, there's a lot of discussion out there about how students already do suspect their teacher's leanings (as Jennie's article insinuates) and appreciate transparent conversation. The onus falls on those of us who can to model how to have real, critical and constructive dialogue about our stances. If we can't have real discussions in our classrooms that lead to understanding and respecting others' perspectives (even if to not agree) then we've missed one of the biggest goals of education. In today's divided society, this is a space we can create that may provide some healing.

I am absolutely appalled that a teacher would join students in mocking a classmate. This is saddening and disheartening to hear. And that teacher has proven they are not capable or trustworthy enough to create spaces safe enough to heal the divide. Bringing that behavior to light and labeling it for what it is (wrong!), is absoluletly right, and I'm glad you bring both this up, and the caution in this like to take care around bringing up our own politics. I think it's a great point, and certainly got me thinking. And, as an educator, I really value that. Not everyone should bring their politics into the classroom, and those of us who do need to be very reflective about the topics we are dogmatic about, and not open ourselves to discussing openly. Thanks for sharing!