EDG4376 Reflection #14

Jay Bennish was a Social Studies and American History teacher at Overland High School in Aurora, Colorado. In 2006, one of his students, Sean Allen, recorded Bennish’s lecture, which ultimately became national news. Bennish had held a class discussion about Bush’s State of the Union Address, in which he compared Bush to Hitler and suggested that capitalism should be criticized. He talked about how many nations see the United States as the “single most violent nation on planet Earth.” It seems pretty obvious why many students, teachers, and administrators saw this lecture as a problem. Yes, the subject matter Jay Bennish lectured about was controversial, but the fact of the matter is, he neglected to present varying viewpoints to his students. Although Bennish saw his freedom of speech as being jeopardized, as an educator, he had a responsibility to his students to present a neutral standpoint, stating facts alone.
The Task Force for Standards and Board of Directors of the National Council for Social Studies (NCSS) wrote a position statement in 1992, which emphasized how to build social understanding and civic efficacy in schools across America. The statement directly affirmed the fact that the entire purpose of Social Studies in schools is to assist young people in making informed decisions as citizens of the United States. I could see how people may have thought Bennish was, if anything, endangering social understanding and civic efficacy. Most young people regard their teachers as role models and mentors and believe whatever they say with ease. That is why it is imperative for educators to encourage critical thinking and questioning in children and teens. Although Bennish followed NCSS’s statement that teachers should discuss current events and relate them to curriculum content, he may have been a little too lax with his words. Granted, his students loved his class discussions and lectures, and Bennish was able to return to his work as a teacher. But in the future, he needs to make sure that he presents subject matter with an entirely neutral standpoint. You never know how strongly your words may impact others, especially when it comes to your students.