The topic of Republican presidential nominee John McCain came up in my American studies class today. I found it amazing that in a class with absolutely no political background my teacher still found it appropriate to reserve the last half-hour to explain to us why McCain’s vice presidential pick of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin was racist, and why her supporters were chasing a dream of white, 1950s America. She also implied that because Palin is proud of her small town roots, she is trying to say she is better than the people of the inner city.

I understand that a certain amount of political discussion is healthy and should be encouraged in the classroom. However, using the last half-hour of your class to give a blatant endorsement of your preferred candidate is inappropriate. Furthermore, it is unfair to the students who do not agree with the teacher, considering that arguing their point could likely have a negative effect on their grade. And when there are no comments from the students who disagree, it really isn’t a discussion. It basically becomes the students who agree with the teacher rallying around her comments to preach their own opinion to the class.