There is a careful balance in the classroom when it comes to ideology. Like many of my colleagues have stated in their blog posts, I have struggled with my own ideology and how that comes through in the classroom. How can we, as instructors, keep our own ideas about ‘hot topics’ like HIV/AIDS and LGBT issues out of the classroom? It’s something I’ve really struggled with. In Addy’s class, her students suggested the government implement a system in which people who are HIV positive get tattoos to show their status. Another student suggested the status be placed on the drivers license of HIV positive individuals. How can we keep our own opinions out of the classroom when students have these kinds of ideas? I would hardly be able to keep my mouth shut.
So what can be done? In the classroom, I stuck to what the text said and referred to it. I had students speak to each other about their opinions but they had to refer to the text to support their point. That is something I have learned when teaching—always refer to the text directly.