Classrooms Aren’t Podiums: Keep Teaching Neutral

Time for New Laws: Why Teachers Must Stay Neutral in the Classroom

In light of what’s unfolding in schools and universities across the Western world today, I’m reminded of a pivotal moment from my own high school years, an experience that shaped my views on education, bias, and the critical role of neutrality in teaching.

I was just starting high school when this happened, during an election year in the Netherlands. I came from a family with a center-right political leaning, and I was excited to engage in what I thought would be a balanced discussion in class. Social studies was taught by the same teacher who handled history, my favorite subject at the time.

But when I entered the classroom that Monday morning, my enthusiasm turned to disbelief. The classroom was plastered with a large, glowing campaign poster from an ultra-left-wing political party. Just one party. Just one voice. No context, no debate, no balance.

Something snapped in me. Maybe it was a budding sense of justice or a healthy dose of rebellion, but I knew this wasn’t right. The next day, I came to school prepared. I brought posters from various right-leaning and Christian parties, nothing extremist, just different perspectives. I hung them beside the teacher’s poster before class started.

Her reaction was swift and furious. She stormed in, saw the posters, and screamed at me to leave the room. As she ripped down my posters, I walked straight to the vice principal’s office. When he asked why I’d been kicked out, I explained exactly what I had done and why. I remember saying, “This is brainwashing. We have over 15 political parties in this country, and we’re only being shown one perspective.”

To his credit, he was a fair-minded man. After hearing me out, he simply said, “You have a point. I’ll handle it.” And he did. The next day, all the posters were gone. The message was clear: the classroom should not be a political billboard.

That experience stayed with me. It’s the reason I believe and now more than eve, that we need new laws holding educators to a standard of neutrality, especially when dealing with politics, religion, and international conflicts.

Why is this important?

Because what’s happening now is dangerous. In places like Gaza, Mein Kampf is found in school libraries. Children are shown posters glorifying terrorists who murdered Israeli civilians, while history lessons exclude any mention of the Holocaust or the true story of Israel. This isn’t just propaganda, it’s indoctrination.

But it doesn’t stop at Gaza. Even here in the Netherlands, many teachers are afraid to teach about the Holocaust. Why? Because the growing sentiment among students—fueled by social media, peer pressure, and sometimes even community, leans toward hostility against Israel. Teachers, scared of backlash, choose silence. And in that silence, ignorance and hatred grow.

It becomes a vicious cycle: teachers avoid the truth, students don’t learn the facts, and misinformation festers. And before long, a new generation is raised not on critical thinking, but on filtered narratives and political bias.

We must demand better.

Teachers, like doctors and journalists, have a responsibility to present facts—not personal agendas. Yes, everyone has opinions, and that’s fine. But in a classroom, especially one filled with children from different backgrounds, those opinions must take a back seat to objectivity.

This is not a left versus right issue. This is about protecting education from becoming a political tool. It’s about ensuring every student, regardless of background, has access to the full picture, to history that includes all sides, not just the convenient ones.

If we want a more just and informed society, we must begin with education. That’s why I believe we need clear laws: laws that ensure teachers stay neutral, that curricula include all historical truths, including those about Israel, and that facts, not fear, guide what our children learn.

Because the future deserves the truth.