Politics and school

While I can't comment on public school politics, I would hazzard a guess that there is just as much politics and personal agenda clashes at my school- it's something that one has to get used to as a teacher no matter where you go. And while I hate to say it, while we like to admit it or not, teaching is by nature a position of power and influence, and as such it is a political positon in terms of the fact that we are educating and shaping the way students look at the world- that's why the conservatives are so frightened about teachers that actually encourage students to develop their critical approaches to life through education- the dumbing down of america makes the population easier to control and more accepting of reality shows, replacing discourse about national issues with who got kicked off of "the apprentice" last night and how childish the people are acting...