by Coleman Armes
Staff Writer

Everyone has been there; you are sitting in class, and the teacher is teaching a lesson, their bias completely showing through.

Usually when this happens there are four possible things that go through the students’ minds at that time. One: they don’t even notice the bias. Two: they notice but don’t care about the topic. Three: they care about the topic but agree with the teacher’s view, so they don’t mind and actually like listening to the bias.

Last but not least, there is the fourth option where the student sees the bias, disagrees with the teacher’s opinion and gets mad.

I have been in Case One, and I know for a fact that I have been in Cases Two through Four. For me options One through Three are usually not an issue, but when a teacher is being biased, and I disagree; it can really make me angry. But I have learned something very important through all this, and it will help me beyond the high school classroom.

My solution, you may ask? Deal with it. We are all human and all entitled to our opinion. Asking a teacher to not let their bias show through at some point is asking them not to be a human. We all have opinions, and at some point, whether we know it or not, they will slip out. This is true for teachers too.

I have learned that it is fine if I disagree. A lot of times I speak up and voice my opinions to make sure others hear my views. If the teacher can voice their views, I can too. They would be in the wrong if they did not let my views be voiced too, leaving the topic one-sided. I have never known a teacher that did not let students share their view, but I have to make sure I stand up for what I believe, because I doubt the teacher is going to ask me for my opinion.

If we allow this to go on and learn to deal with it, it can help us in ways outside of high school. For instance, in college there will be many biased professors voicing their usually political views. In the work force and when you watch the news there will always be opinions, whether they are said blatantly or subtly. If we learn to deal with others’ views now and pick apart arguments and bias, it will help a lot down the road in life.

I encourage you to not be afraid the next time something like this happens; just stand up and voice your opinion, so both sides are laid out. Hey, you might just gain some respect from your classmates for standing up for what you believe in, whether people agree with you or not.