Submitted by Diana Combs,Ph.D., May 3, 2007 17:17

John Leo's sententious essay offers yet further examples of what has been in place far too long. The ease with which many students accept --and indeed participate in -- these deplorable instances of denying others their First Amendment rights,however, has its origins amidst many complex factors that have been responsible for the shaping of such habits of mind. Certainly one of the most pervasive factors,and readily documented in numerous examples,has been the primary and secondary educational system in America. ( Thomas Sowell, among others,has waged an admirable war on the assault on truth in our schools.) The mindset of censorship has long held sway in our public schools. As a teacher of many years standing in both public and private schools, I observed with increasing concern the restrictions placed on the classroom teacher. For example,it was made very clear by more than one principal that any discussion of Christianity, regardless of its revelance to the work of literature being studied,must be circumvented,otherwise there would be complaints from parents about "the teacher expressing her personal opinions in class." (!) Nor were things any better when one tried to encourage students to strive beyond past performance. This became an opportunity for a parent or two through the administration to attempt to still the teacher's voice by complaining that such encouragement was deleterious to-- you guessed it-- their self-esteem. At no time in my experience in recent years has it been assumed by the administration that the teacher had the students' interests at heart: intent on developing critical skills in thinking, reading,and writing that would enable them to enter university with an armour that would help to shield them from participating in college activities that John Leo has so cogently cited in countless articles.

at heart, that aspiration on behalf of the student was the highest complimlent that could be paid: broadening the realm of possibilities in enabling them to avoid the

t doesn't take students long to discover that they have the upper hand regarding what goes on in the classroom, what is taught and what is said. Under such circumstances the teacher is no longer respected, and perhaps even more significant the world of adult authority is called into question. If something is said that you don't like, you complain and it is all taken care of.

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