Hypocrites?

Just found more numbers from the survey I mentioned last post, in which students said they don't care about the First Amendment. The teachers and principals who are so worried about this should take a look at themselves: While 70% of students felt that "musicians should be allowed to sing songs with lyrics which others may find offensive,” only 58% of teachers and 43% of principals agreed. And while 58% of students said that "students should be allowed to report controversial issues in their student newspapers without the approval of school authorities," only 39% of teachers and a measly 25% of principals concurred. Yes, among these kids there are some dunces--like the 17% who don't agree that "people should be allowed to express unpopular opinions"--but what kind of example is being set for them when the same authority figures who profess fervent belief in the First Amendment--and shock that their feeling is not shared by their students--want to censor the music those students can hear--and, worse, the words they can write for their fellow students? Maybe these teachers and administrators are part of the problem?

Or maybe they give these answers because they know that foul rap lyrics and controversial stories in the student newspaper only make their already difficult jobs more difficult. Maybe they'd be able to handle such concerns if they weren't forever teaching to a test or dealing with the unique problems that arise when classes are too large and students too poorly equipped for even the "rigors" of a high school education. Maybe this survey, in all its glory, is just a symptom of a far bigger problem with education in this country.