It does happen, if it didn’t you wouldn’t have so many conservative students saying they “self Censor” to protect grades. Even students who identify as independents say they “self censor” to protect their grades.
Do you think these students especially those that identify as independent are all lying? You don’t consider this alarming and a form of academic discrimination that should stop in institutions that exist partially to encourage the free exchange of ideas? Here is an extract from one of the surveys from a student asked why the student self censored…
“Indiana-based DePauw University ranked last in the survey, with the highest percentage (71 percent) of students who said they have self-censored out of fear of retaliation. “A professor was making a comment on how all Republicans are racist and selfish,” a DePauw student told surveyors. “As a Republican, I felt that I could not speak up and defend myself because of the position of power the professor was in.”
It is true, that another study of conservative vs liberal students actual grades showed only a small but statistically significant “real” reduction in grades. But, it should be noted that the difference expressed itself over all courses including those not particularly subject to lowering grades based on opinions (like math and science) and one needs to consider that the difference emerged even as most independent and conservative students admit to self censoring to protect grades.
So you saying, it isn’t real… does not fit the research or the experience of my bi racial children and grandchildren… the kind of discrimination I am talking about does…
That is the reason I jumped into the “conversation” on racism and teachers. We need to focus on the broader issue of discrimination no matter what forms it takes especially in the classroom… or we are simply teaching a different form of discrimination which is equally destructive and polarizing to our society. Do we really want to simply trade one form of intolerance for another… in today’s cancel culture, that seems to be trend.
As mentioned some of my children are biracial and most of my grandchildren (five are African American) are. They have never complained about teachers being racists. I am sure it happens but it never has in the collective decades my children and grandchildren have attended public schools. But they have all complained about not being able to say what they really think on a range of social issues.
Conservatives help to fund public schools and public universities and their children should not feel uncomfortable going to them or feel the need to “self Censor” to protect their grades. I shouldn’t have to have “the talk” conservative have with their children warning them about the dangers of saying how they feel on issues in schools.
