I say something similar but graduation day instead of last day of class. Same response though. I also had a kid who wanted to add me on XBOX Live to play me in Madden. I had him for a few of my courses over the years and he must have asked over a dozen times. I told him the same thing. Graduation day came and after all that he never bothered to follow up…I’m convinced he wanted to save himself the embarrassment.
My teacher was the same way. I actually had one of those "email your future self" things set up to arrive on graduation day, and in it I reminded myself to ask the teacher. And I did. She seemed pretty surprised, but to her credit she kept her word and answered. I would never have guessed her answer; she did an excellent job of remaining impartial in front of all her current students.
I had a kid add me so he could play against me in Halo. He's actually quite good but cocky. I haven't heard from him in a few years until he randomly sent me a message on Xbox talking smack and asking me how I'm doing.
When kids asked me who I support, or who I voted for as a social studies teacher, I would almost always say it doesn’t matter what I think. I just want YOU to think for yourselves.
I used to be a solid conservative. Over time I have become progressive. I think listening to my kids with an open mind contributed.
I work in a school where most of the children are the children of immigrants or immigrants themselves. Since I’m an English teacher and a democrat anyway I feel a certain responsibility to tell them that, to let them know I support them, whilst acknowledging border problems.
Here’s the part we always forget. If the kids’ parents are citizens, first gen Americans, many times the kids are very strongly FOR immigration control.
Lumping people together on any issue has never worked out well for me. I have soo many pro-life teenagers, it breaks my heart a little. They just can’t seem to see the positives of a pro-choice government in a poverty stricken neighberhood.
I was pro-life as a teenager because I saw things in very black-and-white terms and went to a religious school and had a religious upbringing. I was a virgin and had very little knowledge of the world. I could not conceive of being in a situation where I would need or want an abortion, so I judged others for wanting or needing one. Once I went to university I learned a lot and became pro-choice, and that's been my stance ever since. Don't worry too much about them, their brains aren't fully developed yet.
Pretty much the exact same for me, but it was the military.
When talking about pro life vs pro choice, I've always said that being pro-comprehensive sex education will get rid of 99% of the problem, but the government will never allow that to happen.
Had my POLISCI professor do this in college, he actually kept his word.
I Thought it would be fun to take it during the 2016 election. He was mostly blue with a hint of moderate, but no one could really tell from teaching. No one even could guess his stances on everything correctly
We ended up not having a final though since he bet us, if trump won, we all get a 100. (A response on his views on the presidential candidates)
I show them the political compass, tack myself in the center of the axis and say I have the politics of milk or beige. Sometimes I pick the one with a third axis with the guy grilling at the top where it says “ascended” and say that’s me. I’m also good enough at taking opposing points to help students think about what they believe and challenges their own preconceptions no matter what that most can’t pin me down.
When I teach politics to my seniors, I do eventually reveal my views so I can give them a frame of reference for what they’re learning, but multiple years I’ve had students confirm they respect it because I don’t push my beliefs on them and above all respect what they believe.
Yup- my answer to that and any time a student’s looking for teacher gossip is “that’s a conversation for after you graduate”. Only one kid has taken me up on it but then forgot all the questions they wanted to ask
Every gov teacher ive ever had has kept this to themselves but I can usually suss it out by the end.
To those who do teach it: I do not envy you teaching right now while our system is being made a mockery of, but maybe it’s an opportunity to discuss loopholes and amendments more vigorously. Things have gotta change and you’re teaching those who’ll bring the change. It’s even heavier a responsibility than ever before.
Thanks, we always need more education on the government. Thanks for what you all do.
I usually say “it doesn’t matter in the context of this class and since I’m
Mature, I can handle people disagreeing. I will encourage students to vote, because young people are the least represented but as long as we all do what we really think is best, it will
Eventually work out.” I don’t always believe that, but that’s what I typically say.
I had a student ask me if I would smoke a blunt with him, I said ask again when you turn 21. unfortunately he remembered several years later- I was really expecting him to forget. And in case you’re curious, no, I did not smoke that blunt with him
I had one ask me during summer school. I asked her who she thought I voted for. I confirmed and she was happy with my choice.
My response during school is just ‘the person I thought was best for the job’ and they roll their eyes which fuels me.
I tell them I voted for both parties candidates. I just don't feel right leaving anyone out.
I often tell my kids to 'Vote Early, Vote Often' meaning vote in every election, not literally more than once.
Yeah, I have a similar approach. I tell them they can come after school if they want to know and I'll answer truthfully. Almost none actually do it. One student did come to ask me, tho.
AP US Government and Politics teacher here.
They ask me about my personal beliefs a lot. Fortunately, I am able to stick with the College Board standards and that’s enough. Plus, we used to have this crazy rabid anti Obama Gov teacher that taught a government class. My Econ students would constantly complain that all he did was rant about his anti Obama opinions. That’s just as wrong as me ranting about Trump. However… it’s nearly impossible not to laugh at some of the stuff that my kids say about him.
This is pretty much me. I'm not a gov teacher, but kids will see what jokes I laugh at (or try to cover up laughing at) and it's pretty clear where I stand on things.
Same. I teach earth science and physics, and there's a lot of stuff about climate change and optimal energy sources, so the kids know well where I stand despite never bringing up anything that should be political in the first place.
Sort of funny is that they think that I’m a major conservative. I guess because I’m a middle aged white guy. I am very much not “conservative.” Especially with social issues.
I think there is a difference between ranting about BS ("HE WORE A MUSTARD SUIT! HE'S A MUSLIM!") and actually discussing policies that can inflict very real harm, especially in a government class.
You could completely omit Trump's name and have students discuss what the trickle-down effects of any given section of any given paragraph published by Project 2025. The book gives their reasoning for almost all of their proposed changes, and it always boils down to "woke" or "abortion", but nobody thinks about *what that actually means*. Like, what exactly IS "woke" and why is it bad secular policy? What would happen *in reality* if the NWS and the NOAA were dismantled and the responsibility for emergency alerts was turned over to private industry and states were left to fund research and stations? What would happen to the integrity of an organization like the CDC if they were only permitted to publish studies supporting already decided moral conclusions about abortion? What is the actual impact of requiring the USDA to stop focusing on 'equity' and shift all of its efforts on increasing the 'efficiency' of food production and what do they think that language actually means?
At this point, ignoring this stuff in order to not offend people is civilly irresponsible.
My hs AP government teacher was very nonchalant and passive. He would straight up tell us he was liberal and what that meant for his beliefs. He had another student who was conservative that he would bring up his views. He never sounded angry or biased. He would just say "now being liberal, I believe ______". Then he would say "[student] is conservative, so [they] believe ________". I actually thought it was well done and nice. I was able to put a name and entire person to these ideas rather than just arbitrarily consider them. I thought he was a great teacher and I never once felt swayed to follow him; however, I'm not much of a follower by default.
Super interesting! I am not American, but I am interested in the election. Why do people vote for him with such enthusiasm? I understand that some people don’t support mainstream media, and want somebody that more out there (personality wise). But beyond that, why do people support him?
You know what’s funny? You get Canadians, or Australians, or Europeans who are here and their visas have expired?
“No, I mean the illegals who come across the border from Mexico and Guatemala.”
So it’s racism, not having to do anything with illegals.
Grew up in rural Alabama (very rural, very conservative, very religious area). Raised conservative. Still live here.
Most Americans are politically illiterate, and I mean that with utmost sincerity. Their idea of politics mostly boils down to "my party good because other party bad", and they lack the critical thinking skills to even understand their own beliefs. Most voters (ESPECIALLY conservative voters) don't even *have* any actual beliefs; they just blindly parrot whatever they see on TV or Facebook to feel smarter and better than others, and to feel like they've got shit figured out (when in reality they're all just scared and extremely insecure).
Conservatives as a voting group are also just blanketly not exposed to external opinions and beliefs. Most are raised protestant, in rural or suburban areas, and go their whole lives being told that liberals, gays, Jews, and other people are evil, morally reprehensible, Satanic, etc. etc. and most have never even *met* someone from these groups so they don't ever get a chance to have their indoctrination challenged.
It's extremely common here to see former conservatives here become staunch liberals or even leftists (American conservatives don't understand the difference between the two groups btw 💀) after moving to a more demographically diverse area, or after attending college. Conversely, it is ***extremely*** rare to see a former conservative ever go back to being a conservative. When you understand how absolutely fundamentally wrong ***everything*** you were taught growing up is, it's hard to go back.
So when a charismatic guy shows up claiming to be anti-establishment (which you don't even know what the fuck that means), against 'big gov' (you don't know what that means either, except gov = bad), for lowering taxes (for the rich only), and for the 'little people' (despite being a stupidly wealthy billionaire and repeat client of Jeffrey Epstein), all of your boxes are basically checked right then and there. You don't have any actual beliefs, you just blindly believe whatever you were told by your parents, pastors, etc. (Who were told what to believe by decades of propaganda from conservative Think-Tanks like the Heritage Foundation)
Donald Trump is a magnetic personality - or at least that's how he portrays himself. He's gained a massive cult of personality, and has literally became ***THE*** Republican Party (neo-cons hardly exist anymore). He's basically a default vote for most conservatives.
Oh yeah, and most conservatives have it drilled into their heads that Democrats and leftists are greedy, godless, corrupt, incompetent, degenerate, pedophiles that want to groom your children into the "woke Jewish LGBT agenda". This is ***ALL*** projection from the right; I was raised conservative, in a conservative area and state, and I grew up surrounded by nothing but conservatives until I was 15. I can't count the amount of horrible, terrible, awful fucking evil pieces of shit conservatives I've known. I've known so many hard-line conservatives who spout off about evil pedophile Jews and gay groomers while simultaneously beating and/or correctively raping their gay kids. Half of my friends when I was a teen had parents like that :/
1. Outsourcing and illegal immigration destroyed the economies of many of these people’s towns. Many lost their livelihoods. Trump was the first politician I’ve heard speak candidly about this from a populist standpoint.
2. His supporters fully understand the contempt most Democrats have for them (see this sub), even though they are the ones who do the work that keeps the country running. Trump made them feel heard in politics for the first time in a long time.
3. There was limited foreign conflict while he was in office because people know he’s slightly crazy. Keep in mind many of his supporters are veterans or serve in the military.
4. There is a strong anti-American undercurrent among the progressive wing of the Democratic party, and they are fairly loud. Trump supporters are patriotic and don’t like this.
I have others, but those are the top ones that come to mind.
Batya Ungar-Sargon has done a lot of interviews on this issue and wrote a book about it.
I have never voted for Trump, but am politically independent, and I’m able to understand this POV.
It’s my belief we all need to listen to one another and quit the shouting and name calling. We’ve turned into a rude, self centered society and I don’t like it! Trying to practice what I preach.
I make these points as well. I have not voted for Trump and I won't in the coming election. But it's clear the vitiol that many of you have for Trump voters. This lack of understanding will allow this brand of politics to continue.
If the progressive Democrats are the "anti-American" ones, why is the heritage foundation through project 2025 literally declaring war on American citizens and trying to gut the constitution and all the rights and freedoms that Americans enjoy?
A lot of us Americans have been asking ourselves the very same question. Why do women vote for a man who has admitted he has assaulted a woman w no repercussions? Why would minorities vote for him when he is clearly doing everything he can to deny them access to the us? Why would lgbtq people vote for him when his goal is to eliminate them as members of mainstream communities??
And so many of the women who support him aren't even holding their noses. I remember seeing a woman with a shirt that said, "Trump can grab me by the ⬇️" in 2016.
I think it has a lot to do with the rise of Christian Nationalism and points raised in the documentary Bad Faith https://www.documentary.org/project/bad\_faith\_cnwod. America has always had an element that liked the KKK and who would support an authoritarian autocrat if it means taking pride in a way of life they feel is under attack.
Rural, especially (but not exclusively) white rural Americans have had a lot of resentment building up for a long time. Policies like affirmative action, gradually increasing acceptance of lgbtq+ people, changing demographics and decreasing religiosity have them believing that the country is changing under their feet and they are not happy about it. Angry people are willing to suffer in order to hurt others.
Information sources and opinions about what America, as a country, is and represents seem to be the strongest factors linked to whether or not an individual supports Trump. The division between narratives is impossible to bridge for the average person. In America, your moderate position is not a reasonable one, but it is safe. I don't blame you for cloaking yourself in it. Trump is a villain, even by political standards, and his cause is self-aggrandisation. The ideologues who back him are zealots. There is no equivalency on the left. That is the reality of our present situation.
>"tells it like it is"
Absolute nonsense. He tells lies, constantly, promoting stochastic terrorism. There's nothing moderate about giving that felon conman predator any credibility.
I can have compassion for those brought up in the cultural norms that he exemplifies, that's a circumstance of birth and luck to a huge degree. The false equivalency of those seeking to protect all of us from the violent rhetoric and sadistic fantasies his supporters promote, to those very threats is also hardly moderate.
I have kids come in the library crowing about how much they love trump, kind of randomly to the point of where it'sreally uncomfortable. I can't tell if they actually feel that way or trying to do a shock value kind of things (they're middle schoolers)I keep wanting to ask why, but I was taught to keep my mouth shut and not show bias and I 100% would show bias depending on how they answer.
They also keep asking about books on him when doing biography projects (we had one, but it didn't get returned before I even came to the school. We just don't really have biographies on presidents.)
My students ask me all the time.
I tell them that my job is to teach them and not push any sort of political agenda. They seem to respect that for the most part.
Somewhat different approach because I'm in a Catholic school, but we're going to be doing a lot with Catholic Social teaching this year as an increased focus on making sure we take care of our fellow people.The sneaky behind this is that once you dive into social teaching, you realize that pretty much every pope mandated position is a very liberal one. Kids are shocked because they've been fed a very different version of Catholicism.
I normally keep my politics out of the classroom (although most people can tell by the way i dress who i vote for) but i think approaching it from a "this is the right thing to do to be a decent human" or "this is what the primary source/historical record" actually says can be surprisingly effective and it covers your butt.
I’m retired but I taught in a Catholic HS for 42 years. I’m personally very liberal and that wasn’t a problem until the Catholic Church made abortion THE only issue. After that, I kept my political views pretty much to myself for fear of being called in like one of my liberal colleagues. The last few years of my career, I decided that I didn’t give a damn anymore and became more outspoken in class. I might add that 2 of my conservative colleagues used to rant every day about how evil Bill Clinton was and of course nothing ever happened to them. Fortunately, I retired before the Trump era but I’m sure if I was still teaching I believe I would have been warned and possibly even fired.
I am VERY careful on how i approach things, hahah. we're close to the bible belt so a lot of our kids theology is mixed with some Protestant stuff. It's annoying but sort of fun to mess with their conceptions.
Oh hey fellow Catholic school teacher!
I also do a LOT of social doctrine, and even though some parents don’t like it, they can’t argue with their own catechism, lol
YUP. I also teach science and sixth grade is all climate science...i have the "pope says we need to protect the environment" encyclical in my back pocket. It's exhausting but i enjoy watching the cognitive dissonance.
Legit, my favorite part of the year is when my sixth graders (their religion curriculum is the bible, full stop- they read through the whole thing) discover the song of songs and the ensuing fallout from that.
I went to a Catholic school (it's where I was introduced to Catholic anarchists like Ammon Hennacy and Dorothy Day), and it always bothered me how we were supposed to be pro-life, but so many of my classmates cheered on the death penalty.
Biden attends mass nearly every Sunday and has his entire political career. He is probably the most empathetic president ever and is regarded by everyone who knows him personally as a kind man.
Meanwhile, the other guy never goes to church, is an unapologetic adulterer, will sell you a Bible for $60 rather than give you one, and is pretty much the antithesis of all “Christian” values with no effort to be otherwise.
>Meanwhile, the other guy never goes to church, is an unapologetic adulterer, will sell you a Bible for $60 rather than give you one, and is pretty much the antithesis of all “Christian” values with no effort to be otherwise.
And then church-going, flag-waving conservatives look at him (Trump) and be all like, "Yep, he's our guy!"
Yeah, that's where i'm at- i think that we are in a very evangelical area and there's a lot of theology that gets blended together. Also when you reduce a nuanced faith down to abortion being the only topic it's really hard- a lot of our school population belives biden isnt "catholic enough" despite all evidence to the contrary...
I think social media is a huge contributor of why so many people are falling down the rabbit holes of anti-logic. I mean, I don't know what else to call it at this point other than anti-logic.
Catholic school teacher here also. I’m nervous how to talk about -all this-. I’d like to bring up Biden’s Catholicism in a way that doesn’t make me look like I’m praising that but simply pointing it out. Helps that I teach middle elementary where kids pick up less on tone and deeper meaning (although, I should be ENCOURAGING them to be deeper thinkers!). I need to practice my objectivity.
We also focus a lot on a catholic SEL curriculum that our school has fully bought into, as have many of the other catholic schools under our archdiocese (very blue state but obv the church overall is regressing). It’s a great program that takes the political aspects* out of SEL and focuses on the bare bones of kindness, empathy, feelings, acceptance (aka equality but sadly that word has been politicized), etc.
*= no mention of any gender stuff which I don’t totally agree with- I feel kids should be open to asking questions and accepting others but the church isn’t there yet. However, the one time I heard a kid say something was “so gay” as an insult, I swiftly shut that down explaining that “gay” is not an insult and we love all people. Let them come for me, IDC.
One particular funny conversation from last year that I overheard:
Kid 1: “my dad says Trump is about to be re-elected” kid 2: “gross. My mom says he puts kids in cages”
Kid 3: “they’re both super old, guys. WAAAAY too old”
I quietly smiled as I made a mental note that kid 2’s mom and I would prob get along pretty well and kid 3 is just overall correct.
Kid 1’s dad: at conferences, questioned why we teach any black history at all. He’s a walking stereotype.
Yeah i haven't found a decent way to address gender beyond beginning the year with the "the church says we're created in God's image so what does that mean about how we're supposed to treat each other?" When i taught older kids in our morals and ethics unit we'd actually talk about the dominican nuns that have a missionary house dedicated to trans people, what doctrine says about lgbtq people specifically etc.
Unfortunately where i'm at now i can't really do that...but maybe some day!
While I’d disagree with your labeling of the pope’s positions as “liberal” (that’s a term that doesn’t necessarily apply to terms of morality that the church teaches, but could for practices), I agreed that CST is a great way to teach both Social Studies and Religion (two of my main subjects)! I hope that people of faith can continue to have constructive political debates from a place of shared humanity and morality. I am a tried-and-true moderate (very into politics but not parties), and I’ve taught kids with homemade Trump shirts and Obama-Biden buttons on their backpacks. Kids are very impressionable, and I always stress that they need to do their own research and not just listen to what their parents and social media tells them. It seems to be working, because two of my former students are now going into public policy to improve the world around them, and I couldn’t be more proud!
I absolutely do not share my politics or personal thoughts with students. When they ask, I tell them that my job is sacred and that it’s important for me not to share my personal beliefs, as it’s not my place to influence their opinions. My role is to provide them with information and let them make their own decisions. This approach resonates with parents, and they appreciate it.
Throughout the year, I teach my lessons from a global perspective rather than a “US is #1” viewpoint. By the end of the year, student essays are exploring large concepts, and they are thinking outside the box. But, this transformation is evident in only about 20 percent of the students. The remaining 80 percent are merely guests in my classroom for ten months.
I never tell my kids my opinions or affiliation, but the assumption of "vocally inclusive of LGBTQ kids and zero tolerance for hate speech means he's liberal" is common and spot on. Not much I can do about that without staying silent on issues of social justice, and that's something I can't ethically do.
> vocally inclusive of LGBTQ kids and zero tolerance for hate speech
It's mind-boggling that this is political or even controversial. Seriously. What would Jesus do?
There's plenty of people that, even with teaching politics, go along to get along and don't want to rock the boat. Though I had a coworker looking for signatures for his spouse running in the state election, and I had to tell him I wasn't the valid political party. Still totally professional, I feel like most teachers keep it civil to stay above and hope their students take the same tact, at least professionally. Personal level, I encourage my students to know their rights and protest when necessary.
Right there with you. Never felt that I had to give my political opinions as an AP Gov teacher, nor do I go out of the way to hide who I am, but the way I shut down hate speech speaks for itself.
I've only been teaching 6 years and teaching government for 5 of those years.
Because I, as a government teacher, have been clearly told that I *must* not have an opinion, I do not. What do I do now that I will teach through two presidential elections.
Like many, I have my students fill out a "getting to know you" survey at the beginning of the year. I also have them fill out a values profile. That profile asks students about their beliefs, values, ethics, morals, and principles. Most of the profile deals with issues (immigration, banning books, school prayer, LGBTQ rights, foreign aid, military spending, selling weapons to foreign nations, women's reproductive rights, POC rights, etc., etc., etc.) but I also ask questions about honesty, stealing, lying (white lies?), "Miss Manners" questions, and the like.
We then make a long list of all the issues that matter to them, the state, the nation, and the world. This they do on paper. I make copies of it for them because they will update this through the year. Then I ask them to post where each political party (DEM, GOP, IND, Green, Socialist, Libertarian) line up on the issues.
As the year progresses and issues come up, I ask the students to decide where THEIR values, THEIR faith (many don't have one), THEIR morals, THEIR ethics, line up on the issues. Finally, I ask them; to decide for themselves which party most closely aligns on each issue with their views.
I tell them in each election, they must repeat this process because that is how they should vote, not on polls, not on emotions, not on image (like bad debate performances), but on the facts and their own views.
So that's what I'm doing this fall. We spend a week to a week and a half on this. Discussions in class and in Canvas are ... interesting.
To further all this, every Friday students have to bring in two articles of their choice, we randomly select students until we find an article we want to discuss in class. Then we breakdown bias, sourcing, etc.,
As someone who also despises both candidates it's tough but that can work to your advantage. I find it's easier to present policy ideas, arguments, and getting students to look at current events from different angles this way. That being said there are lines. I do not entertain "both siding" when it comes to students identities that gets shit down.
One thing I've been noticing though from the anti-Biden students sometimes is that they will try to make fun of him using physical things (stuttering.) That I shut down as well. You can make fun of politicians however you want but you don't attack physical stuff. I'd imagine with the age stuff becoming more prevalent that will be a thing to watch out for more
> *I find it's easier to present policy ideas, arguments, and getting students to look at current events from different angles this way.*
Obviously this is the ideal.
>*One thing I've been noticing though from the anti-Biden students sometimes is that they will try to make fun of him using physical things (stuttering.) That I shut down as well.*
# 🎯 💯
As someone who had a stutter as a kid, it hurts me to see how quickly people bash on him like he’s dumb for it. Good on teachers shutting that shit down, because if I had been a student and heard this, it would have destroyed me. I worked really, really hard to get rid of mine for the most part, but it’s always there in the back of my mind, and why I over prepare for speeches and the like.
I distract those questions by talking about how my politics change every year I teach AP Gov. I like modeling how looking at issues with fresh eyes is healthy and should be normal.
(And I’m not lying to them — I go farther and farther left every year)
I keep my politics and opinions out of it. I let them think and form their own opinions. It’s hard sometimes.
The lady next to me hates Trump. It’s a borderline obsession. She spends a lot of class time ranting about him. Her audience dosen’t care a lot about Biden or Trump. They are 15. Don’t get me wrong. A few are knowledgeable but most are not invested either way. The kids have tuned her out. They also don’t like this woman much. I think if anything, she may be making the kids like Trump more. Also, she is a math teacher.
I was an extremely politically aware and involved teenager, and I would not have wanted to listen to my math teachers rant about politics, even if I agreed with them. Yikes.
So, this might be my last year teaching government, depending on how the election shakes out. I like government a lot but I'm more of a history guy anyway, so I won't be too sad to let it go. It's becoming harder and harder for me to sing the praises of this supposed liberal democracy when it is crumbling before our eyes. I'm not going to maintain some political impartiality in an environment where democracy and basic decency has been destroyed. I can't do it. So, here's to hoping Biden or whoever may replace him beats Trump.
When the gop plan is to abolish the department of education, unions and long established rights and freedoms it becomes very difficult to stay quiet and warn people because the media will not do it
I grew up in a very conservative environment. I now know my US history and US government teacher is a complete socialist.
I really wish he had spoken up when I was growing up. I didn’t know I *could* be liberal and have these beliefs. I mean, he doesn’t need to press his beliefs, but there’s a point where you can’t even take Trump seriously as a candidate. Like… why are we even entertaining this monster?
8th grade US history (colonization to reconstruction) I refuse to let any of my political views find their way into the classroom. Even if my students agreed with me, it would skew their perspective of the history. One of my main goals through out the year is to teach students to think for themselves, so I bring up the good and bad of the parties throughout the year. Even if they ask my political opinion on something in modern politics, I tell them what I previously mentioned about not wanting to potentially skew their views.
I teach the same general course. Personally, I let my view that "slavery is a heinous crime, no matter how the enslavers try to justify it" shine through pretty often.
As a teacher, it's not my job to tell the students what to think, but ~how~ to think. Under no circumstances should teachers influence students by discussing their own political learnings. As teachers we should be instructing students on how to analyze arguments from multiple viewpoints and how to check sources for legitimacy. Regardless of the political outcome of the election, those are the skills I'll be teaching my students.
I'm not a government teacher but the teacher that is taking over government this year is a big Trump supporter and is very loud and proud about it and I am absolutely afraid what he is going to tell his kids.
I definitely don’t talk politics with my students (am liberal). As far as my co workers I’ll talk about it with some of them. The ones who are liberal like me at Least.
Am planning on taking the day after the election off from work because it’s going to be a mess. Also my best friend is getting married that weekend after the election so that’s my excuse for not going to work 😂😈
I care more about my job than expressing my own personal opinions. I made the mistake several years ago of sharing and was labeled the “liberal teacher.” I didn’t get a job I wanted because I was considered “too liberal.” Kids talk, parents talk- don’t make the mistake of thinking things won’t follow you.
I’m keeping my mouth shut from now on.
I let slip once that I think Trump deserves jail for the Jan 6th business and the classified files stuff. They asked me to clarify, and I did as impartially as I could - that any person who did those things would likely go to jail. The kids seemed to handle it fairly since I placed it as a legal issue, not just a Trump one.
But really, ugh, what a monstrous pig of a man. How did we get here? How is he the representative of the common man? Its going to be hard to hold my tongue this election season.
I don't specifically go on any personal opinion-based diatribes, but I don't specifically hide my politics either. If students ask who I voted for or under what party did I register to vote -- especially since I actively encourage my 18s and soon to be 18s to register -- I answer honestly.
When critiquing government positions and policy I take a both sides approach. What is the conservative position and what is the liberal position. As mentioned, if students ask how I feel I'll answer honestly but I make it clear my opinion is that and they are certainly free to feel otherwise.
I think the “keep neutral” comments in this are wild, when presenting Trump and Biden as a both sides things is inherently pro Trump. You can’t neutrally present a fascist who attempted to overthrow a legal election and has said he will imprison his political opponents if he wins again.
The difference I’d make is to teach *facts*. When I taught government in 2020 I shut down stolen election conspiracies and showed how they were baseless. I emphasized that informed voting is vital, meaning to know the policy stances of the different parties and candidates and actual research it. I pointed out the arguments for and against different judicial philosophies and trusted them to figure out what they thought. Teaching facts that can be backed up with evidence protects the teacher and let’s be real, facts are anathema to the MAGA agenda.
I think it worked pretty well regardless. When I got to the rise of fascism in WH and used Eco’s 14 points of fascism, a kid piped up to say it sounded like Trump, and that’s one from a very conservative family.
Yeah, pretty hard for me to keep quiet about a guy who announced he was running by saying Mexico sends drug dealers and rapists, when 99% of my students are first gen Mexican Americans. I teach fourth grade so they don't usually ask, but if they do I will show them a photo of myself dressed as the Statue of Liberty at a pro-immigration protest.
100%. Hell, id argue a good portion of the reason we’re in this situation is because too much of the American media establishment both sides-ed their way through the last 8-10 years.
According to a [2023 survey](https://thelibreinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Hispanic-National-Survey-Interview-Schedule-for-Release.pdf), 65% of Latinos agreed that we need to stop the flow of illegal immigrants into this country.
What we need to do is streamline the process of coming to this country legally, and increase the number of people allowed to.
Immigrants are the backbone of this country, and are doing the tough jobs. I live in California, and see that every day.
[immigration](https://www.bushcenter.org/catalyst/north-american-century/benefits-of-immigration-outweigh-costs) is a net positive to this country.
I'm a science teacher. I always redirect their questions about politics to their social studies teacher. "This is a science class, not a social studies class. Ask your social studies teacher." Occasionally, I answer questions about climate change and environmental laws that relate to what we're studying.
I teach environmental science. Unfortunately politics comes up a lot. I try to keep it very fact driven as in “this administration enacted this act, which covers this and this” but when we talk about protecting the environment it’s clear which side recently has sided with the environment and which has not.
I agree, but I like to see it as a vivid, real-life illustration of that trope in which a "villain" goes and does a good deed, showing that no villain is 100% bad, and no hero is 100% good (with the possible exception of the MCU's Captain America).
But there is so much science misinformation being spread. Things like abortion in the 9th month, "legitimate rape", climate change being a hoax, contraception, etc. A lot of this could be an information literacy issue that has its place in a science class.
I disagree here. I tell my students that all the disciplines overlap. We read and do math in science as well; why not discuss social studies? Some of the most interesting conversations come from their political questions.
I also teach science. If politics come up in relation to climate change for example, I'll I say is things like, "Look at what party is passing legislation to protect the environment, and look at which ones are blocking it, then make up your own mind about that issue."
Not a social studies or government teacher, but the first time they ask, I say 'I teach science, not social studies.'
Second time or if they push it, I just tell them, 'I vote for whoever is going to make the world better than they found it.'
They make their own assumptions from there.
I’m genuinely curious as to how and why any teachers, especially those in public school systems, could continue to support/vote for Trump when his political platform is literally seeking to dismantle the Department of Education entirely.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this whether it applies to you or not, perhaps even more so if you personally know a teacher/teachers who fall into this category, and can provide some insight as to why/how you think they’re justifying it to themselves.
People MARRIED to undocumented immigrants voted for Trump in 2016. Education doesn't equal wisdom. The teachers I know who are rapidly proTrump (including, distressingly, my father in law) believe that by "abolish DoE" he means "get rid of random government mandates," in the same way that they think "start detention camps for the vermin illegals" means "common sense immigration reform" and "punishment for women who have abortions" means "an end to those terrible 40-week-pregnancy dismemberments of living infants that my pastor tells me happen DAILY in EVERY Planned Parenthood."
The horrible genius of Trump is that he never fucking SAYS anything and so everyone just fills in his word salad with whatever they want to hear.
I expect it to be similar to 2017…judicious use of words like “typically”, “traditionally,” “historically”, etc. you have to avoid value judgements, but it’s not a value judgement to say a conservative-controlled SCOTUS has ruled contrary to longstanding precedent on a number of issues, for example
The whole reason I became a teacher was my high school teacher telling the class “if you know my political views, then I did something wrong teaching you.” So, I’m keeping my personal views out of the classroom and will just keep focus on curriculum and current events that pertain to what my students like (think sports, musicals, etc.). If they wish to talk politics, we can do so in a respectful way to everyone, but it wont be the entire lesson or week we spend on it.
> anti abortion
He allegedly, after forcibly raping a 13 year old girl at Epstein's mansion, who tied up pleaded him to use a condom.... who took out his wallet and threw money at her saying "if you get pregnant get an abortion"
Political science grad, elementary teacher checking in.
It’s in our school board bylaws that we can only teach the curriculum and cannot share our personal beliefs.
Instead I teach them how to vet sources and information and that helps them form opinions for themselves.
The only time my students ever pressed me on my politics was after the 2016 election, and when I realised they thought I might be a secret Trump supporter rather than just a person who felt it was my duty to keep my politics private, I told them I had voted for Bernie Sanders in the primary (to literal cheers) and left it at that - it never came up again.
My canned response for general inquiries is "I'm an immigrant so the entire US political scene seems insane to me" and that usually works just fine.
I'm not a k-12 social studies teacher, I do Fine Art and Art History in higher ed (not currently teaching while I work on a terminal degree). It is important to make students look at their personal views and consider what they believe, why they believe it, and how that compares to the views of others. When teaching about other cultures, I use an assignment that asks students 3 questions and they respond with a 1-2 sentence response to each question, and then I repeat it for each culture and they need to do it twice for each culture:
1. What is that culture's view/belief?
2. What is my (the student's) view/belief and how does that compare with that culture's view and why?
3. What is the evidence that shows that's culture's view/belief? (I am asking for a high level analysis of an artwork)
This could be reused in your case by looking at candidate's and parties platforms.
That being said, taking a non-biased approach to folks like trump and extremism like Project 2025 is what has gotten us in this situation in the first place. We have a duty to teach information literacy, and as part of that we cannot treat factually incorrect information (like abortions in the 9th month being real or climate change being a hoax) as valid points of view nor the dismantling of our systems of checks and balances.
I’ve taught middle school government for years — the key is to simply ALWAYS present things as objectively as possible, and stick with events & actions, not beliefs….sometimes, you do need to include beliefs when discussing why an action was taken, but I always include both sides — “This was Side A’s reasoning behind Policy 1. Side B is critical because they would instead do Policy 2. There are potential weaknesses for both options, such as…”
I ALWAYS include how incredibly complicated the policy process is, and in general, how “messy” human problems are. Very few problems are clear-cut, and instead have multitudes of causes and associated issues.
You’re a teacher and need to be their voice of reason. They can learn from you how to think critically about what’s happening in the election. Most homes are FULL of crazy rhetoric and extremely uninformed perspectives. Be that person who is providing both sides (to the best of your ability) and teaching them how to think.
This is how you don’t get fired 😆
Source: Government teacher + PhD, Policy
I teach the constitution and the foundations of our government. I’m not here to tell students what to believe or to tell them who they should or shouldn’t support. Many of my students are conservative and Trump supporters. Those same students are shocked when they read and interpret what the constitution says.
The narrative here that fits in a class and applies to both parties is that political parties have lost the ability to drive politics. No political insiders wanted Trump in 2016, yet he was able to take control of the party and remake it into something that would have Reagan rolling over in his grave. Similarly, Democratic insiders know Biden ought to be replaced on the ticket but lack the political power to make it happen.
This is wholly different from the central role of the political party that’s traditionally been taught.
Just so we can stymie the downvotes, I didn't vote for Trump either of the last two times and I don't intend to vote for him this time.
> I understand he supports a few key issues (anti-abortion) that make single issue voters support him
The polls are currently 42 Trump, 39 Biden. Everything is thrown off because Kennedy. But before Kennedy, it was 48 Trump, 46 Biden.
[https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/polls/president-general/2024/national/](https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/polls/president-general/2024/national/)
People who think abortion should be generally legal, 63% - people who think it should be generally illegal, 36%.
[https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/fact-sheet/public-opinion-on-abortion/](https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/fact-sheet/public-opinion-on-abortion/)
Again - this is all thrown off because Kennedy, but if you look at pre-Kennedy polls - Trump 48, and people who dislike abortion, 36 - there are a lot of Americans who believe in legal abortion \*and\* vote for Trump.
You have made this a one-issue race. The people voting for Trump haven't made it that. Look deeper into what they want, and why.
The cop-out button would be "racism and they want to destroy our country". But they wouldn't say that - what do \*they\* say?
The media is 100% coastal - they literally \*all\* live in blue bubbles. No one is covering the red majority of the country, and the actual people who live on 80% of our land are sick of it.
Neither Biden nor Trump have any sort of campaign platform. They are both running on "I'm not the other guy". Why not teach the historical significance of that?
Land doesn't vote.
Which is an important thing to teach the kids when I'm doing my "how the election works unit". It's cool that Oklahoma is pretty big when it gets colored in red on the map, but more people live in the Detroit metro, or Bay Area.
Trump’s political platform is Project 2025. I would encourage you to read it. Biden also has his platform available on his website.
The vast majority of the population lives on the coasts, of course the vast majority of news coverage comes from there.
No one in the middle of the country has been able to provide a decent answer as to why they are voting for Trump, that doesn’t boil down to racism, so of course the news can’t cover it.
Respectfully disagree, …
I see a lot on this page besides “I’m not the other guy”: Inflation Reduction Act, protect ACA, student debt relief,…
https://joebiden.com/accomplishments/
I keep my politics pretty well to myself but I have occasionally taught a class called Law and Society in which we explore American history through the courts -- specifically SCOTUS decisions. I've always been reverential.of the Court. I had a poster of Thurgood Marshall on my wall as a kid.
After this last session, I don't know what I'll do if I have to teach it again.
I also don't know how I'm going to teach Balance of Powers.
Chevron was a large part of it, but Chevron was a relatively recent (40 yr) precedent, so even though it is absolutely awful and will have massive ramifications for everything from the FAA to the EPA to the FDA to the Dep of Ed, it's a return to a shitty baseline. Trump, however, is absolutely an unequivocal messy stinky turd deposited directly on our most fundamental constitutional principals.
Kids ask me to weigh in on politics sometimes for some unusual reason. I tell them I can’t tell them that or I’ll go to jail. They generally nod and the lab go back to whatever it was they were doing. These kids will believe anything lol.
I’m a conservative libertarian, and my students have no idea. They do ask about my politics (often) but I always give the same stock reply. “My job is to teach you how to think not what to think.” I was teaching middle school civics during the 2020 election, and one tool I really liked for the debates was a skills rubric a colleague shared with me. We watched about 20 minutes of one of the debates, and while we watched, my students took notes on their rubrics. Then they shared some of their “noticings” using the rubrics. I also provided a few sentence starters on the board to frame the discussion around skills and substance (not whose parent thinks which candidate is a moron). I also have found it helpful to focus on one particular aspect of our election process. Back in 2020, it was the electoral college. We studied the history, looked at a few elections where the popular vote and electoral vote didn’t line up, and the used an iCivics module to write an essay on the efficacy of our current system.
Also, side note, for all the middle school teachers out there, I cannot recommend iCivics enough. They have great, free materials and the kids love the games.
As I a am from a very blue state, guaranteed to go Biden, and Dems in House and Senate, I am going to Wisconsin to work with my alma mater's Young Democrats for the week leading up to election day.
Look at your state curriculum. Is that politically biased in any way?
Teach the subject, not your politics. Take it from an unbiased standpoint. The social studies department in my school has teachers from many different political and ideological backgrounds, but we leave that at the door when we walk in the building.
With the parent groups of both sides eyeing teachers like we have a target on our backs, we need to be careful. So, my advice to you is to teach the material, not your politics. When I was a younger teacher in another district, I tended to slant my teaching a bit with ideology.
However, I had a mentor who, although his ideology was the same as mine, convinced me that it's for the best to keep your politics at the door and let students decide with who they choose to side with. Just make sure to present both sides. I've followed that rule since my third year of teaching and it's worked out much better.
i think trying to present as unbiased is good, as long as you’re not so impartial that you push aside students who will inevitably have strong emotions about the election results. i was taking US history during the 2016 election and my teacher (who was very good at being impartial) wanted to have a discussion about it the next day, but she got upset with anyone who wasn’t engaged. a lot of us were still in shock and i don’t think that was a good way to handle it.
Your job isn't to talk politics with your students. The job is to explain the political process. The way you've been the past two decades is the way you should be this year. If you can't then that is a major problem.
I'd vote for a jar of spoiled mayonnaise before I voted for a serial rapist, 30+ time felon, compulsive liar with no moral compass.
I'd approach this as a lesson on what he says and does vs how conservative media reports or overlooks it. There is nothing about all the Trump / Epstein stuff coming out right now on conservative media.
I live in Massachusetts and I tell them that I hate trump. I can’t hide it and I explain why. I teach us history not government but fuck it this is an emergency and if I get fired fine
Trump is " trying my patience"...
If he doesn't offend your sensibilities as a human being , you're basically a supporter. You'll be safe when the start lining is up.
I don't discuss domestic or international politics with my students. I tell them I'm not here to share my opinions, I'm here to teach them how to form their own.
Present both sides, discuss only the issues, don't address concerns of character or ability. If students bring them up, remind them that while there may be other considerations that guide one's vote, that is not currently the topic at hand.
Keep neutral. No student should know where you stand on any issue.
This is the time when I'm so, so glad that I teach math. I tell them it isn't a part of my curriculum and move right back to my math lesson. A good portion of my students come from affluent and influential families with the district. I toe a tight line making sure I don't cause any undue attention or give off too strong an opinion on politics.
I just present the facts, arguments made on both sides, and tell them to decide what they believe. Most of the time they are very empathetic. I do live in Southern CA which is very liberal in general though.
My one exception is letting them know that I support immigrants. As most of my students are immigrants or children of immigrants I do tell them I support them because we need to have trust to have authentic conversations.
Have kids take isidewith quiz for parties and elections. Teach them about electoral college and how it works and its problems.Help register students to vote without telling them who to vote for. Have them make electoral college predictions based on polls, history, and demographics. Have them read the news every week leading up and after the election (2 articles a week, summarize in 1 paragraph, opinion in 1 paragraph, cite the article)
I'm a centrist. Democrat by affiliation, but I voted R in 2004, 2008, and 2012. I struggle with maintaining professional neutrality since 2016. I remember laughing when Trump declared his candidacy in 2015 and told the students this is the exactly wrong person to hold the power of the President because of the narcissism, the vindictiveness, and the divisiveness. Then he won and did all the harm he did with the bumpers of establishment government to limit him. He lost 2020 and undermined the elections and confidence in them to soothe his ego and fomented an attack on Congress. Now with Project 2025 and the SCOTUS rulings that just came through the table is set for the end of Democracy as we know it in the US. I teach in a very MAGA area and it hurts. I did subscribe to Ground News and we do a lot of fact checking and blindspot checks when we do current events. I have gotten several complaints about me because I said Biden won the 2020 election. Trump has a cult that sends him money and feeds his ego. If the cult gets him back into office...I think Democracy as we know it is over.
I requested to change from Civics to World History. I couldn’t think of anything worse than to pretend this is a normal election when it clearly isn’t at all.
Just my opinion but there’s literally no point in revealing your political leanings, no matter how bipartisan or harmless they may be. Even if you loath trump to the point where you believe he’s going to ruin the entire country it’s not your place as an educator to sway the opinions of your students. No matter how bad of a teacher you are, there’s always one student that puts you on a pedestal, don’t brainwash them, let them make their own critical decisions.
As a history teacher I believe it's important to teach kids to think critically.
Show them the many sides to the issues and the candidates. Challenge them to understand someone else's point of view.
Teach bias in the media. Teach media literacy. Teach them to think.
Should also teach perspective. The perspective that, no, the country is not on the verge of collapse or Civil War. We've actually been through that in the past and things are very good comparatively.
We should not be pushing an agenda or fear mongering.
Challenge them to think. No matter what their views are, it's our job to get them to understand their own views and the views of others.
Face it head on. That’s the best we can do. I too pride myself on my students not knowing which party I lean towards. The biggest thing is to be honest with your students about the shitty things both candidates have done. Don’t try to say “well Trump might have done XYZ which means Biden is better because ABC”. Also, I am planning to do a school wide election (we are 6-12 so this is a big undertaking but I have nothing but good hope for it), and in order to vote, those in the government class (sophomores in my case) are required to do research beforehand. They don’t ever have to tell me who they vote for, but they will submit a research sheet with where each candidate stands on different views. The most important thing we can do in our jobs is teach them the importance of independent research on different candidates in ALL elections.
I’ll be teaching US history to fifth graders in Florida this year — so my hands will be full! Between DeSantis and the former guy I explained shitshow in class. But I plan to stay neutral and tell kids (if asked) that I vote gray. Gray as in the middle because the truth is rarely found in one extreme or the other, but somewhere in the middle where you have to find the best person for the job.
VOTE KODOS OR KANG!
Ex-GOP, left the party in 2015 because I couldn’t abide Trump and time has only reinforced it.
I work hard so that my students would have to guess at my political affiliation. I joke that they can guess at the end of the year.
It’s easy for them to assume I’m a conservative Trump fan because most of the adults in their lives are. I’m retired military too, so students with little complexity likely assume my political and party preference.
I don’t avoid facts. In a supremely conservative Southern district, I am not hesitant to say slavery was wrong and the Civil War was fought over it. I say that our political system doesn’t allow attacking the Capitol if you disagree with election results.
The closest thing to an opinion I’ve ever stated was during our lesson which includes NATO. I do tell them that it is my opinion that NATO has been the centerpiece of our national security policy, that I was in a NATO command in Afghanistan and I know it works, and that anyone who wants to end our participation in it is making a decision that helps a authoritarian Russian dictator.
Few actually try to guess at the end of the year.
Be honest. Yes, these two candidates aren’t great let’s analyze what about the system provided us these two less than stellar candidates for the nation’s highest office?
Republican social studies teacher here as well. Also not a Trump fan (but I will be voting for him because my other option sucks too). It is NOT your job to teach the students YOUR opinions. ANYONE who approaches this job with the intent of trying to sway a kid’s future vote is violating ethical codes of conduct and violating the rights of kids. You should ABSOLUTELY take pride that they don’t know what you are. I do too.
You SHOULD be teaching them how best to form their opinions. If they say “well Trump is bad and a nazi” you need to hammer that. If they can’t (like many adults) give you policy criticism…you need to teach them that. If they say “Biden is too old” then you need to ask them about their policy criticism too. A lot of adults (even here) can’t manage to handle that. Going further? You need to hammer them when they are “pro” someone. Ask them “why?” But make them state it. Point out any logical fallacies they are making in all of that of course. That’s really your only job.
I’m in a mostly conservative district and so I’d be safe to attack Biden, but I absolutely refuse. I also question my students any do not allow “he fell down” criticism. I also direct them away from discussing politics outside of a vacuum because I teach them “how it is supposed to work.”
Side note: my favorite history teacher was a democrat. Big time. We were in a mostly republican school too. But it was a small town so it was hard to hide political affiliation. But he NEVER made me or anyone else feel guilty or dumb for wanting to be a republican. But he sure as heck made us figure out our positions by asking us “why.” Talk about infuriating for 8th-12th graders (small school).
I taught civics during the Trump presidency. This is a tough question and dilemma to be sure. Personally, I never said who I voted for or who I supported. I'm a patriot and I support the American system of government as it was designed (and improved).
I think you can avoid bringing your voting into the conversation and just stick to the facts and topics. Discuss climate change, discuss immigration, examine policies (or efforts that have been made to avoid them). Lay it out and let your students make conclusions on their own.
I also think creating space for students to reflect on WHY they support a particular position is important. Are they opposed to illegal immigration because they are worried about crime? Loss of jobs? Okay... that's where their emotions are at, now their assignment is to find facts. Does illegal immigration lead to an increase in crime? If so, what crime? If not, why is that the narrative and who is promoting that narrative? Does illegal immigration negatively impact the job market? If so, how? Who is hurt? If not, then why is that the narrative and who is promoting that narrative? Why are they promoting it?
For the presidency... maybe an assignment where the students are the "Founders" (or "Reformers"), and they get to create the requirements and limitations of who can be president. They can each come up with a list of things, then debate and compromise to come up with what the requirements/limitations should be. Then... which presidential candidate meets those?
I tell them my class is US Government, not politics, and stick to the mechanisms of how the govt is supposed to run. Three branches, electoral college, etc. I do a small unit on voting, and have them do a political inventory but don’t look at their scores, just completion. If they ask, I tell them my opinion isn’t as important as their own educated opinion and to do research on both sides of the issue. Avoidance at all costs.
If my students ask my politics, I tell 'em I'll answer that question on the last day of class. Literally no student has ever come back to me to ask.
I say something similar but graduation day instead of last day of class. Same response though. I also had a kid who wanted to add me on XBOX Live to play me in Madden. I had him for a few of my courses over the years and he must have asked over a dozen times. I told him the same thing. Graduation day came and after all that he never bothered to follow up…I’m convinced he wanted to save himself the embarrassment.
My teacher was the same way. I actually had one of those "email your future self" things set up to arrive on graduation day, and in it I reminded myself to ask the teacher. And I did. She seemed pretty surprised, but to her credit she kept her word and answered. I would never have guessed her answer; she did an excellent job of remaining impartial in front of all her current students.
That’s awesome. I wish more people heard about those kinds of teachers. Would be nice for people to realize that’s what happens in most classrooms
I had a kid add me so he could play against me in Halo. He's actually quite good but cocky. I haven't heard from him in a few years until he randomly sent me a message on Xbox talking smack and asking me how I'm doing.
I don’t teach gov, but I love this approach.
When kids asked me who I support, or who I voted for as a social studies teacher, I would almost always say it doesn’t matter what I think. I just want YOU to think for yourselves. I used to be a solid conservative. Over time I have become progressive. I think listening to my kids with an open mind contributed.
I work in a school where most of the children are the children of immigrants or immigrants themselves. Since I’m an English teacher and a democrat anyway I feel a certain responsibility to tell them that, to let them know I support them, whilst acknowledging border problems. Here’s the part we always forget. If the kids’ parents are citizens, first gen Americans, many times the kids are very strongly FOR immigration control. Lumping people together on any issue has never worked out well for me. I have soo many pro-life teenagers, it breaks my heart a little. They just can’t seem to see the positives of a pro-choice government in a poverty stricken neighberhood.
I was pro-life as a teenager because I saw things in very black-and-white terms and went to a religious school and had a religious upbringing. I was a virgin and had very little knowledge of the world. I could not conceive of being in a situation where I would need or want an abortion, so I judged others for wanting or needing one. Once I went to university I learned a lot and became pro-choice, and that's been my stance ever since. Don't worry too much about them, their brains aren't fully developed yet.
Sadly, many of them won’t be going to college, but they will be engaging in unsafe sex.
Even if they don't go to college, they will still gain life experience.
Pretty much the exact same for me, but it was the military. When talking about pro life vs pro choice, I've always said that being pro-comprehensive sex education will get rid of 99% of the problem, but the government will never allow that to happen.
I've found that people like that suddenly become pro-choice when they need an abortion.
I just hope they are always able to change their minds whenever they want.
Literally the meaning of choice yet so many can't see it.
Had my POLISCI professor do this in college, he actually kept his word. I Thought it would be fun to take it during the 2016 election. He was mostly blue with a hint of moderate, but no one could really tell from teaching. No one even could guess his stances on everything correctly We ended up not having a final though since he bet us, if trump won, we all get a 100. (A response on his views on the presidential candidates)
I show them the political compass, tack myself in the center of the axis and say I have the politics of milk or beige. Sometimes I pick the one with a third axis with the guy grilling at the top where it says “ascended” and say that’s me. I’m also good enough at taking opposing points to help students think about what they believe and challenges their own preconceptions no matter what that most can’t pin me down. When I teach politics to my seniors, I do eventually reveal my views so I can give them a frame of reference for what they’re learning, but multiple years I’ve had students confirm they respect it because I don’t push my beliefs on them and above all respect what they believe.
Yup- my answer to that and any time a student’s looking for teacher gossip is “that’s a conversation for after you graduate”. Only one kid has taken me up on it but then forgot all the questions they wanted to ask
Every gov teacher ive ever had has kept this to themselves but I can usually suss it out by the end. To those who do teach it: I do not envy you teaching right now while our system is being made a mockery of, but maybe it’s an opportunity to discuss loopholes and amendments more vigorously. Things have gotta change and you’re teaching those who’ll bring the change. It’s even heavier a responsibility than ever before. Thanks, we always need more education on the government. Thanks for what you all do.
I usually say “it doesn’t matter in the context of this class and since I’m Mature, I can handle people disagreeing. I will encourage students to vote, because young people are the least represented but as long as we all do what we really think is best, it will Eventually work out.” I don’t always believe that, but that’s what I typically say.
I do the same, but since I teach middle school I tell them once they graduate high school to come back and I'll tell them. Only one has
I had a student ask me if I would smoke a blunt with him, I said ask again when you turn 21. unfortunately he remembered several years later- I was really expecting him to forget. And in case you’re curious, no, I did not smoke that blunt with him
I had one ask me during summer school. I asked her who she thought I voted for. I confirmed and she was happy with my choice. My response during school is just ‘the person I thought was best for the job’ and they roll their eyes which fuels me.
I tell them I voted for both parties candidates. I just don't feel right leaving anyone out. I often tell my kids to 'Vote Early, Vote Often' meaning vote in every election, not literally more than once.
Yeah, I have a similar approach. I tell them they can come after school if they want to know and I'll answer truthfully. Almost none actually do it. One student did come to ask me, tho.
I've used this for 9 years. Only one has followed up to know.
However, kids who would come back to ask on the last day would also spill the beans to your future students. I'd keep my mouth shut, regardless.
I told a kid he could ask me the last time he ever saw me and he got expelled a week later. That’s the only time a kids ever cashed in on it.
AP US Government and Politics teacher here. They ask me about my personal beliefs a lot. Fortunately, I am able to stick with the College Board standards and that’s enough. Plus, we used to have this crazy rabid anti Obama Gov teacher that taught a government class. My Econ students would constantly complain that all he did was rant about his anti Obama opinions. That’s just as wrong as me ranting about Trump. However… it’s nearly impossible not to laugh at some of the stuff that my kids say about him.
This is pretty much me. I'm not a gov teacher, but kids will see what jokes I laugh at (or try to cover up laughing at) and it's pretty clear where I stand on things.
Same. I teach earth science and physics, and there's a lot of stuff about climate change and optimal energy sources, so the kids know well where I stand despite never bringing up anything that should be political in the first place.
Sort of funny is that they think that I’m a major conservative. I guess because I’m a middle aged white guy. I am very much not “conservative.” Especially with social issues.
I think there is a difference between ranting about BS ("HE WORE A MUSTARD SUIT! HE'S A MUSLIM!") and actually discussing policies that can inflict very real harm, especially in a government class. You could completely omit Trump's name and have students discuss what the trickle-down effects of any given section of any given paragraph published by Project 2025. The book gives their reasoning for almost all of their proposed changes, and it always boils down to "woke" or "abortion", but nobody thinks about *what that actually means*. Like, what exactly IS "woke" and why is it bad secular policy? What would happen *in reality* if the NWS and the NOAA were dismantled and the responsibility for emergency alerts was turned over to private industry and states were left to fund research and stations? What would happen to the integrity of an organization like the CDC if they were only permitted to publish studies supporting already decided moral conclusions about abortion? What is the actual impact of requiring the USDA to stop focusing on 'equity' and shift all of its efforts on increasing the 'efficiency' of food production and what do they think that language actually means? At this point, ignoring this stuff in order to not offend people is civilly irresponsible.
> That’s just as wrong as me ranting about Trump. I disagree. One is a confirmed rapist. The other wore a tan suit once.
My hs AP government teacher was very nonchalant and passive. He would straight up tell us he was liberal and what that meant for his beliefs. He had another student who was conservative that he would bring up his views. He never sounded angry or biased. He would just say "now being liberal, I believe ______". Then he would say "[student] is conservative, so [they] believe ________". I actually thought it was well done and nice. I was able to put a name and entire person to these ideas rather than just arbitrarily consider them. I thought he was a great teacher and I never once felt swayed to follow him; however, I'm not much of a follower by default.
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Super interesting! I am not American, but I am interested in the election. Why do people vote for him with such enthusiasm? I understand that some people don’t support mainstream media, and want somebody that more out there (personality wise). But beyond that, why do people support him?
He makes them feel good about hating the people they hate.
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You know what’s funny? You get Canadians, or Australians, or Europeans who are here and their visas have expired? “No, I mean the illegals who come across the border from Mexico and Guatemala.” So it’s racism, not having to do anything with illegals.
Hatred and fear-mongering are good business (which is ironic because he’s a terrible businessman)
Grew up in rural Alabama (very rural, very conservative, very religious area). Raised conservative. Still live here. Most Americans are politically illiterate, and I mean that with utmost sincerity. Their idea of politics mostly boils down to "my party good because other party bad", and they lack the critical thinking skills to even understand their own beliefs. Most voters (ESPECIALLY conservative voters) don't even *have* any actual beliefs; they just blindly parrot whatever they see on TV or Facebook to feel smarter and better than others, and to feel like they've got shit figured out (when in reality they're all just scared and extremely insecure). Conservatives as a voting group are also just blanketly not exposed to external opinions and beliefs. Most are raised protestant, in rural or suburban areas, and go their whole lives being told that liberals, gays, Jews, and other people are evil, morally reprehensible, Satanic, etc. etc. and most have never even *met* someone from these groups so they don't ever get a chance to have their indoctrination challenged. It's extremely common here to see former conservatives here become staunch liberals or even leftists (American conservatives don't understand the difference between the two groups btw 💀) after moving to a more demographically diverse area, or after attending college. Conversely, it is ***extremely*** rare to see a former conservative ever go back to being a conservative. When you understand how absolutely fundamentally wrong ***everything*** you were taught growing up is, it's hard to go back. So when a charismatic guy shows up claiming to be anti-establishment (which you don't even know what the fuck that means), against 'big gov' (you don't know what that means either, except gov = bad), for lowering taxes (for the rich only), and for the 'little people' (despite being a stupidly wealthy billionaire and repeat client of Jeffrey Epstein), all of your boxes are basically checked right then and there. You don't have any actual beliefs, you just blindly believe whatever you were told by your parents, pastors, etc. (Who were told what to believe by decades of propaganda from conservative Think-Tanks like the Heritage Foundation) Donald Trump is a magnetic personality - or at least that's how he portrays himself. He's gained a massive cult of personality, and has literally became ***THE*** Republican Party (neo-cons hardly exist anymore). He's basically a default vote for most conservatives. Oh yeah, and most conservatives have it drilled into their heads that Democrats and leftists are greedy, godless, corrupt, incompetent, degenerate, pedophiles that want to groom your children into the "woke Jewish LGBT agenda". This is ***ALL*** projection from the right; I was raised conservative, in a conservative area and state, and I grew up surrounded by nothing but conservatives until I was 15. I can't count the amount of horrible, terrible, awful fucking evil pieces of shit conservatives I've known. I've known so many hard-line conservatives who spout off about evil pedophile Jews and gay groomers while simultaneously beating and/or correctively raping their gay kids. Half of my friends when I was a teen had parents like that :/
Man this is a great analysis.
You’re so on point here.
1. Outsourcing and illegal immigration destroyed the economies of many of these people’s towns. Many lost their livelihoods. Trump was the first politician I’ve heard speak candidly about this from a populist standpoint. 2. His supporters fully understand the contempt most Democrats have for them (see this sub), even though they are the ones who do the work that keeps the country running. Trump made them feel heard in politics for the first time in a long time. 3. There was limited foreign conflict while he was in office because people know he’s slightly crazy. Keep in mind many of his supporters are veterans or serve in the military. 4. There is a strong anti-American undercurrent among the progressive wing of the Democratic party, and they are fairly loud. Trump supporters are patriotic and don’t like this. I have others, but those are the top ones that come to mind. Batya Ungar-Sargon has done a lot of interviews on this issue and wrote a book about it. I have never voted for Trump, but am politically independent, and I’m able to understand this POV.
Thank you for this explanation. I have never understood the obsession with Trump, but this explains a lot!
Thank you for listening and being willing to engage. 🙂
It’s my belief we all need to listen to one another and quit the shouting and name calling. We’ve turned into a rude, self centered society and I don’t like it! Trying to practice what I preach.
I make these points as well. I have not voted for Trump and I won't in the coming election. But it's clear the vitiol that many of you have for Trump voters. This lack of understanding will allow this brand of politics to continue.
I don't think people being mean to you is a good reason to vote for a fascist.
If the progressive Democrats are the "anti-American" ones, why is the heritage foundation through project 2025 literally declaring war on American citizens and trying to gut the constitution and all the rights and freedoms that Americans enjoy?
Great write up
Thank you! I’m so encouraged when people on social media - especially Reddit - are at least open to hearing this point of view.
A lot of us Americans have been asking ourselves the very same question. Why do women vote for a man who has admitted he has assaulted a woman w no repercussions? Why would minorities vote for him when he is clearly doing everything he can to deny them access to the us? Why would lgbtq people vote for him when his goal is to eliminate them as members of mainstream communities??
And so many of the women who support him aren't even holding their noses. I remember seeing a woman with a shirt that said, "Trump can grab me by the ⬇️" in 2016.
No self respect. So sad.
ewww
I think it has a lot to do with the rise of Christian Nationalism and points raised in the documentary Bad Faith https://www.documentary.org/project/bad\_faith\_cnwod. America has always had an element that liked the KKK and who would support an authoritarian autocrat if it means taking pride in a way of life they feel is under attack.
Rural, especially (but not exclusively) white rural Americans have had a lot of resentment building up for a long time. Policies like affirmative action, gradually increasing acceptance of lgbtq+ people, changing demographics and decreasing religiosity have them believing that the country is changing under their feet and they are not happy about it. Angry people are willing to suffer in order to hurt others.
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Information sources and opinions about what America, as a country, is and represents seem to be the strongest factors linked to whether or not an individual supports Trump. The division between narratives is impossible to bridge for the average person. In America, your moderate position is not a reasonable one, but it is safe. I don't blame you for cloaking yourself in it. Trump is a villain, even by political standards, and his cause is self-aggrandisation. The ideologues who back him are zealots. There is no equivalency on the left. That is the reality of our present situation.
>"tells it like it is" Absolute nonsense. He tells lies, constantly, promoting stochastic terrorism. There's nothing moderate about giving that felon conman predator any credibility. I can have compassion for those brought up in the cultural norms that he exemplifies, that's a circumstance of birth and luck to a huge degree. The false equivalency of those seeking to protect all of us from the violent rhetoric and sadistic fantasies his supporters promote, to those very threats is also hardly moderate.
I have kids come in the library crowing about how much they love trump, kind of randomly to the point of where it'sreally uncomfortable. I can't tell if they actually feel that way or trying to do a shock value kind of things (they're middle schoolers)I keep wanting to ask why, but I was taught to keep my mouth shut and not show bias and I 100% would show bias depending on how they answer. They also keep asking about books on him when doing biography projects (we had one, but it didn't get returned before I even came to the school. We just don't really have biographies on presidents.)
My students ask me all the time. I tell them that my job is to teach them and not push any sort of political agenda. They seem to respect that for the most part.
Somewhat different approach because I'm in a Catholic school, but we're going to be doing a lot with Catholic Social teaching this year as an increased focus on making sure we take care of our fellow people.The sneaky behind this is that once you dive into social teaching, you realize that pretty much every pope mandated position is a very liberal one. Kids are shocked because they've been fed a very different version of Catholicism. I normally keep my politics out of the classroom (although most people can tell by the way i dress who i vote for) but i think approaching it from a "this is the right thing to do to be a decent human" or "this is what the primary source/historical record" actually says can be surprisingly effective and it covers your butt.
I’m retired but I taught in a Catholic HS for 42 years. I’m personally very liberal and that wasn’t a problem until the Catholic Church made abortion THE only issue. After that, I kept my political views pretty much to myself for fear of being called in like one of my liberal colleagues. The last few years of my career, I decided that I didn’t give a damn anymore and became more outspoken in class. I might add that 2 of my conservative colleagues used to rant every day about how evil Bill Clinton was and of course nothing ever happened to them. Fortunately, I retired before the Trump era but I’m sure if I was still teaching I believe I would have been warned and possibly even fired.
I am VERY careful on how i approach things, hahah. we're close to the bible belt so a lot of our kids theology is mixed with some Protestant stuff. It's annoying but sort of fun to mess with their conceptions.
Oh hey fellow Catholic school teacher! I also do a LOT of social doctrine, and even though some parents don’t like it, they can’t argue with their own catechism, lol
YUP. I also teach science and sixth grade is all climate science...i have the "pope says we need to protect the environment" encyclical in my back pocket. It's exhausting but i enjoy watching the cognitive dissonance.
I really hope the Oklahoma teachers who have Bible study mandated as part of history hit the Beatitudes hard.
Legit, my favorite part of the year is when my sixth graders (their religion curriculum is the bible, full stop- they read through the whole thing) discover the song of songs and the ensuing fallout from that.
I went to a Catholic school (it's where I was introduced to Catholic anarchists like Ammon Hennacy and Dorothy Day), and it always bothered me how we were supposed to be pro-life, but so many of my classmates cheered on the death penalty.
Biden attends mass nearly every Sunday and has his entire political career. He is probably the most empathetic president ever and is regarded by everyone who knows him personally as a kind man. Meanwhile, the other guy never goes to church, is an unapologetic adulterer, will sell you a Bible for $60 rather than give you one, and is pretty much the antithesis of all “Christian” values with no effort to be otherwise.
>Meanwhile, the other guy never goes to church, is an unapologetic adulterer, will sell you a Bible for $60 rather than give you one, and is pretty much the antithesis of all “Christian” values with no effort to be otherwise. And then church-going, flag-waving conservatives look at him (Trump) and be all like, "Yep, he's our guy!"
Yeah, that's where i'm at- i think that we are in a very evangelical area and there's a lot of theology that gets blended together. Also when you reduce a nuanced faith down to abortion being the only topic it's really hard- a lot of our school population belives biden isnt "catholic enough" despite all evidence to the contrary...
I think social media is a huge contributor of why so many people are falling down the rabbit holes of anti-logic. I mean, I don't know what else to call it at this point other than anti-logic.
But don’t forget: he held a Bible once.
Upside down.
>Upside down. Hmm...what does it usually mean when a religious icon, like a crucifix or a Bible, is flipped upside down?
That a fire alt rock punk show is about to start. So get in the pit and show some love.
Catholic school teacher here also. I’m nervous how to talk about -all this-. I’d like to bring up Biden’s Catholicism in a way that doesn’t make me look like I’m praising that but simply pointing it out. Helps that I teach middle elementary where kids pick up less on tone and deeper meaning (although, I should be ENCOURAGING them to be deeper thinkers!). I need to practice my objectivity. We also focus a lot on a catholic SEL curriculum that our school has fully bought into, as have many of the other catholic schools under our archdiocese (very blue state but obv the church overall is regressing). It’s a great program that takes the political aspects* out of SEL and focuses on the bare bones of kindness, empathy, feelings, acceptance (aka equality but sadly that word has been politicized), etc. *= no mention of any gender stuff which I don’t totally agree with- I feel kids should be open to asking questions and accepting others but the church isn’t there yet. However, the one time I heard a kid say something was “so gay” as an insult, I swiftly shut that down explaining that “gay” is not an insult and we love all people. Let them come for me, IDC. One particular funny conversation from last year that I overheard: Kid 1: “my dad says Trump is about to be re-elected” kid 2: “gross. My mom says he puts kids in cages” Kid 3: “they’re both super old, guys. WAAAAY too old” I quietly smiled as I made a mental note that kid 2’s mom and I would prob get along pretty well and kid 3 is just overall correct. Kid 1’s dad: at conferences, questioned why we teach any black history at all. He’s a walking stereotype.
Yeah i haven't found a decent way to address gender beyond beginning the year with the "the church says we're created in God's image so what does that mean about how we're supposed to treat each other?" When i taught older kids in our morals and ethics unit we'd actually talk about the dominican nuns that have a missionary house dedicated to trans people, what doctrine says about lgbtq people specifically etc. Unfortunately where i'm at now i can't really do that...but maybe some day!
While I’d disagree with your labeling of the pope’s positions as “liberal” (that’s a term that doesn’t necessarily apply to terms of morality that the church teaches, but could for practices), I agreed that CST is a great way to teach both Social Studies and Religion (two of my main subjects)! I hope that people of faith can continue to have constructive political debates from a place of shared humanity and morality. I am a tried-and-true moderate (very into politics but not parties), and I’ve taught kids with homemade Trump shirts and Obama-Biden buttons on their backpacks. Kids are very impressionable, and I always stress that they need to do their own research and not just listen to what their parents and social media tells them. It seems to be working, because two of my former students are now going into public policy to improve the world around them, and I couldn’t be more proud!
I absolutely do not share my politics or personal thoughts with students. When they ask, I tell them that my job is sacred and that it’s important for me not to share my personal beliefs, as it’s not my place to influence their opinions. My role is to provide them with information and let them make their own decisions. This approach resonates with parents, and they appreciate it. Throughout the year, I teach my lessons from a global perspective rather than a “US is #1” viewpoint. By the end of the year, student essays are exploring large concepts, and they are thinking outside the box. But, this transformation is evident in only about 20 percent of the students. The remaining 80 percent are merely guests in my classroom for ten months.
So true 😂 and as a SPED inclusion regular ed high school history teacher, I wish only 80% were merely guests 😂🤦♂️😔
I never tell my kids my opinions or affiliation, but the assumption of "vocally inclusive of LGBTQ kids and zero tolerance for hate speech means he's liberal" is common and spot on. Not much I can do about that without staying silent on issues of social justice, and that's something I can't ethically do.
> vocally inclusive of LGBTQ kids and zero tolerance for hate speech It's mind-boggling that this is political or even controversial. Seriously. What would Jesus do?
Flip tables and hang out with prostitutes probably…
I couldn't have said that better. My classroom policy as well....
honestly though I believe there are a significant number of teachers who are closet trumpees
There's plenty of people that, even with teaching politics, go along to get along and don't want to rock the boat. Though I had a coworker looking for signatures for his spouse running in the state election, and I had to tell him I wasn't the valid political party. Still totally professional, I feel like most teachers keep it civil to stay above and hope their students take the same tact, at least professionally. Personal level, I encourage my students to know their rights and protest when necessary.
Right there with you. Never felt that I had to give my political opinions as an AP Gov teacher, nor do I go out of the way to hide who I am, but the way I shut down hate speech speaks for itself.
I've only been teaching 6 years and teaching government for 5 of those years. Because I, as a government teacher, have been clearly told that I *must* not have an opinion, I do not. What do I do now that I will teach through two presidential elections. Like many, I have my students fill out a "getting to know you" survey at the beginning of the year. I also have them fill out a values profile. That profile asks students about their beliefs, values, ethics, morals, and principles. Most of the profile deals with issues (immigration, banning books, school prayer, LGBTQ rights, foreign aid, military spending, selling weapons to foreign nations, women's reproductive rights, POC rights, etc., etc., etc.) but I also ask questions about honesty, stealing, lying (white lies?), "Miss Manners" questions, and the like. We then make a long list of all the issues that matter to them, the state, the nation, and the world. This they do on paper. I make copies of it for them because they will update this through the year. Then I ask them to post where each political party (DEM, GOP, IND, Green, Socialist, Libertarian) line up on the issues. As the year progresses and issues come up, I ask the students to decide where THEIR values, THEIR faith (many don't have one), THEIR morals, THEIR ethics, line up on the issues. Finally, I ask them; to decide for themselves which party most closely aligns on each issue with their views. I tell them in each election, they must repeat this process because that is how they should vote, not on polls, not on emotions, not on image (like bad debate performances), but on the facts and their own views. So that's what I'm doing this fall. We spend a week to a week and a half on this. Discussions in class and in Canvas are ... interesting. To further all this, every Friday students have to bring in two articles of their choice, we randomly select students until we find an article we want to discuss in class. Then we breakdown bias, sourcing, etc.,
can you please drop the link for this “getting to know you” survey? thanks in advance :)
Idk if this is the one they use, but the [8 values](https://8values.github.io/quiz.html) quiz is pretty good
As someone who also despises both candidates it's tough but that can work to your advantage. I find it's easier to present policy ideas, arguments, and getting students to look at current events from different angles this way. That being said there are lines. I do not entertain "both siding" when it comes to students identities that gets shit down. One thing I've been noticing though from the anti-Biden students sometimes is that they will try to make fun of him using physical things (stuttering.) That I shut down as well. You can make fun of politicians however you want but you don't attack physical stuff. I'd imagine with the age stuff becoming more prevalent that will be a thing to watch out for more
> *I find it's easier to present policy ideas, arguments, and getting students to look at current events from different angles this way.* Obviously this is the ideal. >*One thing I've been noticing though from the anti-Biden students sometimes is that they will try to make fun of him using physical things (stuttering.) That I shut down as well.* # 🎯 💯
And that can be shut down for a variety of non-political reasons, which is helpful on our end.
it’s ableist asf
As someone who had a stutter as a kid, it hurts me to see how quickly people bash on him like he’s dumb for it. Good on teachers shutting that shit down, because if I had been a student and heard this, it would have destroyed me. I worked really, really hard to get rid of mine for the most part, but it’s always there in the back of my mind, and why I over prepare for speeches and the like.
I distract those questions by talking about how my politics change every year I teach AP Gov. I like modeling how looking at issues with fresh eyes is healthy and should be normal. (And I’m not lying to them — I go farther and farther left every year)
I keep my politics and opinions out of it. I let them think and form their own opinions. It’s hard sometimes. The lady next to me hates Trump. It’s a borderline obsession. She spends a lot of class time ranting about him. Her audience dosen’t care a lot about Biden or Trump. They are 15. Don’t get me wrong. A few are knowledgeable but most are not invested either way. The kids have tuned her out. They also don’t like this woman much. I think if anything, she may be making the kids like Trump more. Also, she is a math teacher.
If what you say is true she is simply not doing her job. You would hope this behavior would be observed by administration. (Former principal here)
I was an extremely politically aware and involved teenager, and I would not have wanted to listen to my math teachers rant about politics, even if I agreed with them. Yikes.
So, this might be my last year teaching government, depending on how the election shakes out. I like government a lot but I'm more of a history guy anyway, so I won't be too sad to let it go. It's becoming harder and harder for me to sing the praises of this supposed liberal democracy when it is crumbling before our eyes. I'm not going to maintain some political impartiality in an environment where democracy and basic decency has been destroyed. I can't do it. So, here's to hoping Biden or whoever may replace him beats Trump.
Project 2025 One of their goals is to eliminate the department of education. How do you feel about that. It could have some effect on our jobs?
When the gop plan is to abolish the department of education, unions and long established rights and freedoms it becomes very difficult to stay quiet and warn people because the media will not do it
I grew up in a very conservative environment. I now know my US history and US government teacher is a complete socialist. I really wish he had spoken up when I was growing up. I didn’t know I *could* be liberal and have these beliefs. I mean, he doesn’t need to press his beliefs, but there’s a point where you can’t even take Trump seriously as a candidate. Like… why are we even entertaining this monster?
This is how I feel. If you like your job, be vocal about keeping it.
I don’t teach U.S. Government, but I’ve learned that it’s always best to keep my personal beliefs personal.
Teach the curriculum, not personal beliefs. If you’re asked an uncomfortable question, simply say “no.”
8th grade US history (colonization to reconstruction) I refuse to let any of my political views find their way into the classroom. Even if my students agreed with me, it would skew their perspective of the history. One of my main goals through out the year is to teach students to think for themselves, so I bring up the good and bad of the parties throughout the year. Even if they ask my political opinion on something in modern politics, I tell them what I previously mentioned about not wanting to potentially skew their views.
I teach the same general course. Personally, I let my view that "slavery is a heinous crime, no matter how the enslavers try to justify it" shine through pretty often.
As a teacher, it's not my job to tell the students what to think, but ~how~ to think. Under no circumstances should teachers influence students by discussing their own political learnings. As teachers we should be instructing students on how to analyze arguments from multiple viewpoints and how to check sources for legitimacy. Regardless of the political outcome of the election, those are the skills I'll be teaching my students.
I'm not a government teacher but the teacher that is taking over government this year is a big Trump supporter and is very loud and proud about it and I am absolutely afraid what he is going to tell his kids.
I definitely don’t talk politics with my students (am liberal). As far as my co workers I’ll talk about it with some of them. The ones who are liberal like me at Least. Am planning on taking the day after the election off from work because it’s going to be a mess. Also my best friend is getting married that weekend after the election so that’s my excuse for not going to work 😂😈
Taking the day after Election Day off is a great idea! I will probably do the same!
I care more about my job than expressing my own personal opinions. I made the mistake several years ago of sharing and was labeled the “liberal teacher.” I didn’t get a job I wanted because I was considered “too liberal.” Kids talk, parents talk- don’t make the mistake of thinking things won’t follow you. I’m keeping my mouth shut from now on.
I let slip once that I think Trump deserves jail for the Jan 6th business and the classified files stuff. They asked me to clarify, and I did as impartially as I could - that any person who did those things would likely go to jail. The kids seemed to handle it fairly since I placed it as a legal issue, not just a Trump one. But really, ugh, what a monstrous pig of a man. How did we get here? How is he the representative of the common man? Its going to be hard to hold my tongue this election season.
I don't specifically go on any personal opinion-based diatribes, but I don't specifically hide my politics either. If students ask who I voted for or under what party did I register to vote -- especially since I actively encourage my 18s and soon to be 18s to register -- I answer honestly. When critiquing government positions and policy I take a both sides approach. What is the conservative position and what is the liberal position. As mentioned, if students ask how I feel I'll answer honestly but I make it clear my opinion is that and they are certainly free to feel otherwise.
I think the “keep neutral” comments in this are wild, when presenting Trump and Biden as a both sides things is inherently pro Trump. You can’t neutrally present a fascist who attempted to overthrow a legal election and has said he will imprison his political opponents if he wins again.
The difference I’d make is to teach *facts*. When I taught government in 2020 I shut down stolen election conspiracies and showed how they were baseless. I emphasized that informed voting is vital, meaning to know the policy stances of the different parties and candidates and actual research it. I pointed out the arguments for and against different judicial philosophies and trusted them to figure out what they thought. Teaching facts that can be backed up with evidence protects the teacher and let’s be real, facts are anathema to the MAGA agenda.
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I think it worked pretty well regardless. When I got to the rise of fascism in WH and used Eco’s 14 points of fascism, a kid piped up to say it sounded like Trump, and that’s one from a very conservative family.
Yeah, pretty hard for me to keep quiet about a guy who announced he was running by saying Mexico sends drug dealers and rapists, when 99% of my students are first gen Mexican Americans. I teach fourth grade so they don't usually ask, but if they do I will show them a photo of myself dressed as the Statue of Liberty at a pro-immigration protest.
100%. Hell, id argue a good portion of the reason we’re in this situation is because too much of the American media establishment both sides-ed their way through the last 8-10 years.
According to a [2023 survey](https://thelibreinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Hispanic-National-Survey-Interview-Schedule-for-Release.pdf), 65% of Latinos agreed that we need to stop the flow of illegal immigrants into this country.
What we need to do is streamline the process of coming to this country legally, and increase the number of people allowed to. Immigrants are the backbone of this country, and are doing the tough jobs. I live in California, and see that every day. [immigration](https://www.bushcenter.org/catalyst/north-american-century/benefits-of-immigration-outweigh-costs) is a net positive to this country.
So much of America is built around "fuck you, got mine" it's not surprising.
Yeah, it’s insane that we are presenting Trump like he’s an actual candidate instead of screaming about fascism.
I'm a science teacher. I always redirect their questions about politics to their social studies teacher. "This is a science class, not a social studies class. Ask your social studies teacher." Occasionally, I answer questions about climate change and environmental laws that relate to what we're studying.
I teach environmental science. Unfortunately politics comes up a lot. I try to keep it very fact driven as in “this administration enacted this act, which covers this and this” but when we talk about protecting the environment it’s clear which side recently has sided with the environment and which has not.
It’s wild to me that Nixon played such a crucial role in the founding of the EPA.
I agree, but I like to see it as a vivid, real-life illustration of that trope in which a "villain" goes and does a good deed, showing that no villain is 100% bad, and no hero is 100% good (with the possible exception of the MCU's Captain America).
But there is so much science misinformation being spread. Things like abortion in the 9th month, "legitimate rape", climate change being a hoax, contraception, etc. A lot of this could be an information literacy issue that has its place in a science class.
I disagree here. I tell my students that all the disciplines overlap. We read and do math in science as well; why not discuss social studies? Some of the most interesting conversations come from their political questions.
I also teach science. If politics come up in relation to climate change for example, I'll I say is things like, "Look at what party is passing legislation to protect the environment, and look at which ones are blocking it, then make up your own mind about that issue."
Bull Moose Party. Or the Whig Party. Make them learn something.
O tell my students that my personal opinions don’t matter. They need to develop their own Critical skills
Not a social studies or government teacher, but the first time they ask, I say 'I teach science, not social studies.' Second time or if they push it, I just tell them, 'I vote for whoever is going to make the world better than they found it.' They make their own assumptions from there.
I’m genuinely curious as to how and why any teachers, especially those in public school systems, could continue to support/vote for Trump when his political platform is literally seeking to dismantle the Department of Education entirely. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this whether it applies to you or not, perhaps even more so if you personally know a teacher/teachers who fall into this category, and can provide some insight as to why/how you think they’re justifying it to themselves.
People MARRIED to undocumented immigrants voted for Trump in 2016. Education doesn't equal wisdom. The teachers I know who are rapidly proTrump (including, distressingly, my father in law) believe that by "abolish DoE" he means "get rid of random government mandates," in the same way that they think "start detention camps for the vermin illegals" means "common sense immigration reform" and "punishment for women who have abortions" means "an end to those terrible 40-week-pregnancy dismemberments of living infants that my pastor tells me happen DAILY in EVERY Planned Parenthood." The horrible genius of Trump is that he never fucking SAYS anything and so everyone just fills in his word salad with whatever they want to hear.
Very few teachers actually work for the federal Department of Education.
I expect it to be similar to 2017…judicious use of words like “typically”, “traditionally,” “historically”, etc. you have to avoid value judgements, but it’s not a value judgement to say a conservative-controlled SCOTUS has ruled contrary to longstanding precedent on a number of issues, for example
The whole reason I became a teacher was my high school teacher telling the class “if you know my political views, then I did something wrong teaching you.” So, I’m keeping my personal views out of the classroom and will just keep focus on curriculum and current events that pertain to what my students like (think sports, musicals, etc.). If they wish to talk politics, we can do so in a respectful way to everyone, but it wont be the entire lesson or week we spend on it.
> anti abortion He allegedly, after forcibly raping a 13 year old girl at Epstein's mansion, who tied up pleaded him to use a condom.... who took out his wallet and threw money at her saying "if you get pregnant get an abortion"
There’s nothing political about being disgusted by Donald Trump
Political science grad, elementary teacher checking in. It’s in our school board bylaws that we can only teach the curriculum and cannot share our personal beliefs. Instead I teach them how to vet sources and information and that helps them form opinions for themselves.
The only time my students ever pressed me on my politics was after the 2016 election, and when I realised they thought I might be a secret Trump supporter rather than just a person who felt it was my duty to keep my politics private, I told them I had voted for Bernie Sanders in the primary (to literal cheers) and left it at that - it never came up again. My canned response for general inquiries is "I'm an immigrant so the entire US political scene seems insane to me" and that usually works just fine.
I'm not a k-12 social studies teacher, I do Fine Art and Art History in higher ed (not currently teaching while I work on a terminal degree). It is important to make students look at their personal views and consider what they believe, why they believe it, and how that compares to the views of others. When teaching about other cultures, I use an assignment that asks students 3 questions and they respond with a 1-2 sentence response to each question, and then I repeat it for each culture and they need to do it twice for each culture: 1. What is that culture's view/belief? 2. What is my (the student's) view/belief and how does that compare with that culture's view and why? 3. What is the evidence that shows that's culture's view/belief? (I am asking for a high level analysis of an artwork) This could be reused in your case by looking at candidate's and parties platforms. That being said, taking a non-biased approach to folks like trump and extremism like Project 2025 is what has gotten us in this situation in the first place. We have a duty to teach information literacy, and as part of that we cannot treat factually incorrect information (like abortions in the 9th month being real or climate change being a hoax) as valid points of view nor the dismantling of our systems of checks and balances.
I’ve taught middle school government for years — the key is to simply ALWAYS present things as objectively as possible, and stick with events & actions, not beliefs….sometimes, you do need to include beliefs when discussing why an action was taken, but I always include both sides — “This was Side A’s reasoning behind Policy 1. Side B is critical because they would instead do Policy 2. There are potential weaknesses for both options, such as…” I ALWAYS include how incredibly complicated the policy process is, and in general, how “messy” human problems are. Very few problems are clear-cut, and instead have multitudes of causes and associated issues. You’re a teacher and need to be their voice of reason. They can learn from you how to think critically about what’s happening in the election. Most homes are FULL of crazy rhetoric and extremely uninformed perspectives. Be that person who is providing both sides (to the best of your ability) and teaching them how to think. This is how you don’t get fired 😆 Source: Government teacher + PhD, Policy
I teach the constitution and the foundations of our government. I’m not here to tell students what to believe or to tell them who they should or shouldn’t support. Many of my students are conservative and Trump supporters. Those same students are shocked when they read and interpret what the constitution says.
I don't talk politics in class or with co-workers.
The narrative here that fits in a class and applies to both parties is that political parties have lost the ability to drive politics. No political insiders wanted Trump in 2016, yet he was able to take control of the party and remake it into something that would have Reagan rolling over in his grave. Similarly, Democratic insiders know Biden ought to be replaced on the ticket but lack the political power to make it happen. This is wholly different from the central role of the political party that’s traditionally been taught.
Just so we can stymie the downvotes, I didn't vote for Trump either of the last two times and I don't intend to vote for him this time. > I understand he supports a few key issues (anti-abortion) that make single issue voters support him The polls are currently 42 Trump, 39 Biden. Everything is thrown off because Kennedy. But before Kennedy, it was 48 Trump, 46 Biden. [https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/polls/president-general/2024/national/](https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/polls/president-general/2024/national/) People who think abortion should be generally legal, 63% - people who think it should be generally illegal, 36%. [https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/fact-sheet/public-opinion-on-abortion/](https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/fact-sheet/public-opinion-on-abortion/) Again - this is all thrown off because Kennedy, but if you look at pre-Kennedy polls - Trump 48, and people who dislike abortion, 36 - there are a lot of Americans who believe in legal abortion \*and\* vote for Trump. You have made this a one-issue race. The people voting for Trump haven't made it that. Look deeper into what they want, and why. The cop-out button would be "racism and they want to destroy our country". But they wouldn't say that - what do \*they\* say? The media is 100% coastal - they literally \*all\* live in blue bubbles. No one is covering the red majority of the country, and the actual people who live on 80% of our land are sick of it. Neither Biden nor Trump have any sort of campaign platform. They are both running on "I'm not the other guy". Why not teach the historical significance of that?
Land doesn't vote. Which is an important thing to teach the kids when I'm doing my "how the election works unit". It's cool that Oklahoma is pretty big when it gets colored in red on the map, but more people live in the Detroit metro, or Bay Area.
Trump’s political platform is Project 2025. I would encourage you to read it. Biden also has his platform available on his website. The vast majority of the population lives on the coasts, of course the vast majority of news coverage comes from there. No one in the middle of the country has been able to provide a decent answer as to why they are voting for Trump, that doesn’t boil down to racism, so of course the news can’t cover it.
Respectfully disagree, … I see a lot on this page besides “I’m not the other guy”: Inflation Reduction Act, protect ACA, student debt relief,… https://joebiden.com/accomplishments/
Would you also do that for [https://www.donaldjtrump.com/mission](https://www.donaldjtrump.com/mission) please?
I keep my politics pretty well to myself but I have occasionally taught a class called Law and Society in which we explore American history through the courts -- specifically SCOTUS decisions. I've always been reverential.of the Court. I had a poster of Thurgood Marshall on my wall as a kid. After this last session, I don't know what I'll do if I have to teach it again. I also don't know how I'm going to teach Balance of Powers.
Which one did it for you? Chevron doctrine being destroyed, or the Trump ruling?
Chevron was a large part of it, but Chevron was a relatively recent (40 yr) precedent, so even though it is absolutely awful and will have massive ramifications for everything from the FAA to the EPA to the FDA to the Dep of Ed, it's a return to a shitty baseline. Trump, however, is absolutely an unequivocal messy stinky turd deposited directly on our most fundamental constitutional principals.
Kids ask me to weigh in on politics sometimes for some unusual reason. I tell them I can’t tell them that or I’ll go to jail. They generally nod and the lab go back to whatever it was they were doing. These kids will believe anything lol.
I’m an 11th grade U.S. History teacher. My students often think I’m liberal. I’m not.
I’m a conservative libertarian, and my students have no idea. They do ask about my politics (often) but I always give the same stock reply. “My job is to teach you how to think not what to think.” I was teaching middle school civics during the 2020 election, and one tool I really liked for the debates was a skills rubric a colleague shared with me. We watched about 20 minutes of one of the debates, and while we watched, my students took notes on their rubrics. Then they shared some of their “noticings” using the rubrics. I also provided a few sentence starters on the board to frame the discussion around skills and substance (not whose parent thinks which candidate is a moron). I also have found it helpful to focus on one particular aspect of our election process. Back in 2020, it was the electoral college. We studied the history, looked at a few elections where the popular vote and electoral vote didn’t line up, and the used an iCivics module to write an essay on the efficacy of our current system. Also, side note, for all the middle school teachers out there, I cannot recommend iCivics enough. They have great, free materials and the kids love the games.
I used iCivics when I taught middle school Journalism. It is a fabulous resource!!
As I a am from a very blue state, guaranteed to go Biden, and Dems in House and Senate, I am going to Wisconsin to work with my alma mater's Young Democrats for the week leading up to election day.
Look at your state curriculum. Is that politically biased in any way? Teach the subject, not your politics. Take it from an unbiased standpoint. The social studies department in my school has teachers from many different political and ideological backgrounds, but we leave that at the door when we walk in the building. With the parent groups of both sides eyeing teachers like we have a target on our backs, we need to be careful. So, my advice to you is to teach the material, not your politics. When I was a younger teacher in another district, I tended to slant my teaching a bit with ideology. However, I had a mentor who, although his ideology was the same as mine, convinced me that it's for the best to keep your politics at the door and let students decide with who they choose to side with. Just make sure to present both sides. I've followed that rule since my third year of teaching and it's worked out much better.
i think trying to present as unbiased is good, as long as you’re not so impartial that you push aside students who will inevitably have strong emotions about the election results. i was taking US history during the 2016 election and my teacher (who was very good at being impartial) wanted to have a discussion about it the next day, but she got upset with anyone who wasn’t engaged. a lot of us were still in shock and i don’t think that was a good way to handle it.
I haven’t heard of these “both sides” parents. What parent group is “side eyeing” teachers from the left in your district?
Your job isn't to talk politics with your students. The job is to explain the political process. The way you've been the past two decades is the way you should be this year. If you can't then that is a major problem.
I'd vote for a jar of spoiled mayonnaise before I voted for a serial rapist, 30+ time felon, compulsive liar with no moral compass. I'd approach this as a lesson on what he says and does vs how conservative media reports or overlooks it. There is nothing about all the Trump / Epstein stuff coming out right now on conservative media.
I teach post secodary: "I don't know your politics, and you should never know mine. If I fail you in that... call me out."
Your job is to teach governance, not politics.
I live in Massachusetts and I tell them that I hate trump. I can’t hide it and I explain why. I teach us history not government but fuck it this is an emergency and if I get fired fine
Trump is " trying my patience"... If he doesn't offend your sensibilities as a human being , you're basically a supporter. You'll be safe when the start lining is up.
I don't discuss domestic or international politics with my students. I tell them I'm not here to share my opinions, I'm here to teach them how to form their own.
Present both sides, discuss only the issues, don't address concerns of character or ability. If students bring them up, remind them that while there may be other considerations that guide one's vote, that is not currently the topic at hand. Keep neutral. No student should know where you stand on any issue.
This is the time when I'm so, so glad that I teach math. I tell them it isn't a part of my curriculum and move right back to my math lesson. A good portion of my students come from affluent and influential families with the district. I toe a tight line making sure I don't cause any undue attention or give off too strong an opinion on politics.
I just present the facts, arguments made on both sides, and tell them to decide what they believe. Most of the time they are very empathetic. I do live in Southern CA which is very liberal in general though.
My one exception is letting them know that I support immigrants. As most of my students are immigrants or children of immigrants I do tell them I support them because we need to have trust to have authentic conversations.
I just told our union president, I am not even sure we should pledge?
I teach science and I teach to the standards. It's unlikely that Trump will come up, and if he does, I will deflect and move back to content.
My political views have no place in the classroom. I teach the facts of American Government. Period.
Have kids take isidewith quiz for parties and elections. Teach them about electoral college and how it works and its problems.Help register students to vote without telling them who to vote for. Have them make electoral college predictions based on polls, history, and demographics. Have them read the news every week leading up and after the election (2 articles a week, summarize in 1 paragraph, opinion in 1 paragraph, cite the article)
I'm a centrist. Democrat by affiliation, but I voted R in 2004, 2008, and 2012. I struggle with maintaining professional neutrality since 2016. I remember laughing when Trump declared his candidacy in 2015 and told the students this is the exactly wrong person to hold the power of the President because of the narcissism, the vindictiveness, and the divisiveness. Then he won and did all the harm he did with the bumpers of establishment government to limit him. He lost 2020 and undermined the elections and confidence in them to soothe his ego and fomented an attack on Congress. Now with Project 2025 and the SCOTUS rulings that just came through the table is set for the end of Democracy as we know it in the US. I teach in a very MAGA area and it hurts. I did subscribe to Ground News and we do a lot of fact checking and blindspot checks when we do current events. I have gotten several complaints about me because I said Biden won the 2020 election. Trump has a cult that sends him money and feeds his ego. If the cult gets him back into office...I think Democracy as we know it is over.
My smartest students deduce that I am an anarchist deep in my heart.
I requested to change from Civics to World History. I couldn’t think of anything worse than to pretend this is a normal election when it clearly isn’t at all.
Just my opinion but there’s literally no point in revealing your political leanings, no matter how bipartisan or harmless they may be. Even if you loath trump to the point where you believe he’s going to ruin the entire country it’s not your place as an educator to sway the opinions of your students. No matter how bad of a teacher you are, there’s always one student that puts you on a pedestal, don’t brainwash them, let them make their own critical decisions.
As a history teacher I believe it's important to teach kids to think critically. Show them the many sides to the issues and the candidates. Challenge them to understand someone else's point of view. Teach bias in the media. Teach media literacy. Teach them to think. Should also teach perspective. The perspective that, no, the country is not on the verge of collapse or Civil War. We've actually been through that in the past and things are very good comparatively. We should not be pushing an agenda or fear mongering. Challenge them to think. No matter what their views are, it's our job to get them to understand their own views and the views of others.
Face it head on. That’s the best we can do. I too pride myself on my students not knowing which party I lean towards. The biggest thing is to be honest with your students about the shitty things both candidates have done. Don’t try to say “well Trump might have done XYZ which means Biden is better because ABC”. Also, I am planning to do a school wide election (we are 6-12 so this is a big undertaking but I have nothing but good hope for it), and in order to vote, those in the government class (sophomores in my case) are required to do research beforehand. They don’t ever have to tell me who they vote for, but they will submit a research sheet with where each candidate stands on different views. The most important thing we can do in our jobs is teach them the importance of independent research on different candidates in ALL elections.
Focus on human rights this year. They’ll get it without you having to say directly. It’s pretty obvious when you put it in terms of human rights.
By frantically trying to marry a Canadian. …oh wait. You meant in the classroom?
Thanks for adding some humor to the thread. I’ll run the marriage idea past my wife and see how she feels about it… I’ll keep you posted.
I’ll be teaching US history to fifth graders in Florida this year — so my hands will be full! Between DeSantis and the former guy I explained shitshow in class. But I plan to stay neutral and tell kids (if asked) that I vote gray. Gray as in the middle because the truth is rarely found in one extreme or the other, but somewhere in the middle where you have to find the best person for the job. VOTE KODOS OR KANG!
Ex-GOP, left the party in 2015 because I couldn’t abide Trump and time has only reinforced it. I work hard so that my students would have to guess at my political affiliation. I joke that they can guess at the end of the year. It’s easy for them to assume I’m a conservative Trump fan because most of the adults in their lives are. I’m retired military too, so students with little complexity likely assume my political and party preference. I don’t avoid facts. In a supremely conservative Southern district, I am not hesitant to say slavery was wrong and the Civil War was fought over it. I say that our political system doesn’t allow attacking the Capitol if you disagree with election results. The closest thing to an opinion I’ve ever stated was during our lesson which includes NATO. I do tell them that it is my opinion that NATO has been the centerpiece of our national security policy, that I was in a NATO command in Afghanistan and I know it works, and that anyone who wants to end our participation in it is making a decision that helps a authoritarian Russian dictator. Few actually try to guess at the end of the year.
Be honest. Yes, these two candidates aren’t great let’s analyze what about the system provided us these two less than stellar candidates for the nation’s highest office?
Republican social studies teacher here as well. Also not a Trump fan (but I will be voting for him because my other option sucks too). It is NOT your job to teach the students YOUR opinions. ANYONE who approaches this job with the intent of trying to sway a kid’s future vote is violating ethical codes of conduct and violating the rights of kids. You should ABSOLUTELY take pride that they don’t know what you are. I do too. You SHOULD be teaching them how best to form their opinions. If they say “well Trump is bad and a nazi” you need to hammer that. If they can’t (like many adults) give you policy criticism…you need to teach them that. If they say “Biden is too old” then you need to ask them about their policy criticism too. A lot of adults (even here) can’t manage to handle that. Going further? You need to hammer them when they are “pro” someone. Ask them “why?” But make them state it. Point out any logical fallacies they are making in all of that of course. That’s really your only job. I’m in a mostly conservative district and so I’d be safe to attack Biden, but I absolutely refuse. I also question my students any do not allow “he fell down” criticism. I also direct them away from discussing politics outside of a vacuum because I teach them “how it is supposed to work.” Side note: my favorite history teacher was a democrat. Big time. We were in a mostly republican school too. But it was a small town so it was hard to hide political affiliation. But he NEVER made me or anyone else feel guilty or dumb for wanting to be a republican. But he sure as heck made us figure out our positions by asking us “why.” Talk about infuriating for 8th-12th graders (small school).
I taught civics during the Trump presidency. This is a tough question and dilemma to be sure. Personally, I never said who I voted for or who I supported. I'm a patriot and I support the American system of government as it was designed (and improved). I think you can avoid bringing your voting into the conversation and just stick to the facts and topics. Discuss climate change, discuss immigration, examine policies (or efforts that have been made to avoid them). Lay it out and let your students make conclusions on their own. I also think creating space for students to reflect on WHY they support a particular position is important. Are they opposed to illegal immigration because they are worried about crime? Loss of jobs? Okay... that's where their emotions are at, now their assignment is to find facts. Does illegal immigration lead to an increase in crime? If so, what crime? If not, why is that the narrative and who is promoting that narrative? Does illegal immigration negatively impact the job market? If so, how? Who is hurt? If not, then why is that the narrative and who is promoting that narrative? Why are they promoting it? For the presidency... maybe an assignment where the students are the "Founders" (or "Reformers"), and they get to create the requirements and limitations of who can be president. They can each come up with a list of things, then debate and compromise to come up with what the requirements/limitations should be. Then... which presidential candidate meets those?
I tell them my class is US Government, not politics, and stick to the mechanisms of how the govt is supposed to run. Three branches, electoral college, etc. I do a small unit on voting, and have them do a political inventory but don’t look at their scores, just completion. If they ask, I tell them my opinion isn’t as important as their own educated opinion and to do research on both sides of the issue. Avoidance at all costs.