It's off so I turn it on.....and just walk away!

Starting back in 10th grade government class I realized my political preferences were a bit different from my fellow students. My teacher, Mr. Moser had us each take a test to assess where we fell politically. I along with 1 other student tested as conservative, with EVERYONE else Liberal. (the other conservative student never identified themselves to the class)
Ultimately the class proved to be a bad fit and I transferred to a wonderfully intelligent capitalist teacher who (rumor had it) only taught for the fun of it cause he had already made a lifelong killing in the stock market. He and I got along, and I survived 10th grade government.

Last Thursday I had something similar to this happen to me again. In a class on Treatment Planning for children and adolescents my professor launched into a discussion of ecological perspective of global issues that may be part of our client's lives. The conversation was 99% liberal, and I had no desire to make any comments because there would be little point. After an hour into the conversation my professor attempted to switch the discussion to cover a Conservative point of view--she however did not comprehend how frightfully unprepared the class was for such a thing. She asked "How many of you watch Fox News?" and "How many of you have relatives that are conservative?" I wasn't sure why she was asking this but quickly realized that she whole-heartedly believed there were NO conservatives in the class, and was hoping someone in the class watched fox, or knew an "actual" conservative so that they would be able to make some semblance of a conversation about the things we'd already talked about (Globalization, War, political Storms, Health care) but from a conservative point of view. The discussion was pathetic. People started their responses with, "well I guess they would think this.." or "my neighbor is conservative and one time he said this..." I was furious!

I felt the need to stand up and say "what is wrong with you people!" If you don't know a point of view don't pretend that you do. And to my professor "Why haven't you assigned readings to prepare us for this discussion?" What kind of teacher allows a class to have a theoretical discussion of topics we don't understand. A class room full of liberals discussing conservative views in a joke, and not only that, but it perpetuates stereo-types and confusion about something that doesn't need to be so.

Well similar to my experience in Mr. Moser's class I decided to leave. I have a lot of things I will fight for in life. My religion, my family, my poor mis-guided teenagers and their precious children, but I refuse to fight for my politics. I refuse to waste energy trying to change beliefs that will not change. I refuse to argue with people who just want to make others look stupid. Frankly I refuse to perpetuate something that has never given me anything back.

For a long time I thought this was a weakness in me. But I'm realizing instead that it's a strength to pick your battles, and it's the gift of discernment that allows me to determine what matters to me, and what will bring me happiness, and what will only bring me down.

After I left class I guess some other folks became upset as well and informed the teacher she had created an unsafe learning environment. I also heard that she started crying.

I defend my classmates who took a stand, but also am glad that I left. If I had stayed I would have said hurtful thing, I might have aided in hurting my teacher, and to do something like that is, again, something that would only bring me down.

Once I cooled off I sent my teacher several articles that I'm hoping she will add to the class resource list, so that next time we have a discussion like this we can be prepared, and we can learn.