A panel discussion open to the public tonight will focus on what constitutes rigorous and responsible democratic teaching in New Mexico public schools - from kindergarten through the university level - in times of public controversy such as war.
Room 1064 at the Anderson Schools of Management will be the site of what Lois Meyer said she hopes will be a forum for "questioning, promoting and deepening what it means to teach democratically." Meyer is an associate professor in the College of Education and the event's organizer.
The idea for the discussion, which will run from 7-9 p.m., came from a student in one of Meyer's classes who wanted to discuss the recent suspensions of six Albuquerque Public Schools teachers due to their teaching about the war, Meyer said.
"It almost can't not be about that," she said. "But we want to move deeper than that issue."
A diverse group of presenters should bring a diverse set of responses, Meyer said. The presenters are: Joseph Vigil, lead superintendent for APS; Ellen Bernstein, head of the Albuquerque Teachers' Federation; Jane Gagne, co-legal director of New Mexico's American Civil Liberties Union; and Beulah Woodfin, American Association for Universities representative.
Meyer said teachers have rights to express themselves in the classroom, but they also have cultural and societal responsibilities to uphold.
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"I want to learn more about what teaching democratically is all about," she said. "Impartiality - that's part of it, but I'm not sure I know how to totally do that. A thoughtful consideration of diverse views - that's closer to what I think it is."
No issues like the ones reported in the APS cases have arisen in Meyer's classes, she said. But, students told her, UNM professors have made comments in other classes that have forced students to leave the classroom.
Vigil said in a democratic society, everyone should feel free to examine all sides of an issue.
"As educators, we have a responsibility to develop students' critical thinking skills," Vigil said. "There's no better time to engage students in current events than right now."
Democratically teaching in controversial times, Vigil added, is difficult because students and faculty sometimes adopt a shallow view when so much information exists.
"It's easy to just say, 'I'm for the war or I'm against it,' " he said. "But 'why?' is the important question here."
Bernstein said those who teach diverse perspectives might sometimes fall under attack. However, she added, public school teachers do not always have absolute freedom of speech during their work hours.
"Controversial issues are definitely appropriate to teach, but we have a responsibility to present them as balanced," she said.
Meyer said she wants to set a tone in which presenters and others can thoughtfully engage each other.
"I will be disappointed in democratic teaching at UNM if anybody who comes makes it difficult by yelling or any of that," she said. "If we can't pull this off, we've got bigger problems than Iraq."
