Should elementary schools be allowed to teach children about controversial political issues?

Essay by BenzarHigh School, 12th gradeA, July 2006

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Elementary schools should not be allowed to teach children about controversial political issues. When children are in their preteen years they are the most vulnerable in believing the information that is provided to them. In addition, children get into conflicts with parents over the issue that has been thought to them in school. As well it gives the children long-term political ideology, that their side is always superior to the other.

When children are in their younger years they are vulnerable to many controversial political issues that the educators may tell them to affect their minds and emotions because they tend to absorb the most information (including secondhand information, hearsay, rumors, and unverifiable information), are compelled to have an opinion on matters of the day and thus expose themselves more to others' opinions and political campaigns; and thereby making themselves more susceptible to the controversial political issues that may present only one opinion of the issue.

It creates "true believes" with which they are ideologically committed to the political progress and are ideologically committed to its control, making them believe that there are no other sides. For example, there was this book published only for Québécois on the "Quebec Sovereignty" it was distributed in Quebec elementary schools, to be used by students as young as kindergarten. The text was shocking; it had only one prospective on the issue, through a Quebecer's eyes.

The other problem that the studies in school about controversial political issues reveal when kids come home and talk to their parents, the parents often have a different view on the issue then the school educators. The parents may start arguing and that makes younger kids usually feel upset when they see or hear parents arguing with them. It's hard to hear the yelling and the...