Teaching in Class versus Free Expression

What is it about?

Terry Heinrichs’s rejoinder (in this issue, 169) criticizes me and the Canadian boards of education for firing Malcolm Ross and Paul Fromm. In essence, Heinrichs agrees that the firing of James Keegstra was justified, as Keegstra brought his hatred into his classroom. Heinrichs thinks the case is very different when hate mongers preach hatred only outside of the classroom. Then their position as “educators” should remain intact. In essence, while I think that you can either be a hate monger or a teacher, Heinrichs thinks there is no inner contradiction between the two. You can spew your venom in all public places, but as long as you refrain from explicitly bringing it to the classroom, that’s fine. Well, I remain convinced that it is not. I explained my case thoroughly in “Hate in the Classroom” (Cohen-Almagor 2008) and do not intend to repeat myself. Let me add the following reflections on this quite puzzling rejoinder. It is puzzling because Heinrichs failed to understand that my article deals with education and the role of the teacher. Heinrichs instead interprets my article as a restrictive thesis of free expression. It is also puzzling because of its particularly harsh and inflamed tone. And it is puzzling because it is marred with inaccuracies as well as sweeping and sometimes demagogic assertions. Let me explicate.

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Why is it important?

It is about limits of academic freedom

Perspectives