right here in our own school but then when helen brought that notebook all and there it was written not just a plain well i didn't know what you think or would like to know just exactly what did happen if you'll start at the beginning i can assure you that these vicious ears put within the reach of our young children and i busy working to pay our monstrous taxes  proof of what i am say mistaken sure they much you showed me this is my daughter's notebook you can see for yourself the kind of stuff they're handing out to these kids and listen to this theory of communism w controversial stuff she just stirring up trouble talk but we want to question that teacher and if you don't have room there so that we can get at the facts then we'll take it to the  board has been charged mrs r and that students in your classes are getting un american ideas and that you are responsible do you recognize this as the notebook of one of your students find out everything which affects their lives and i think you can all agree that communism has affected each and every one of us if we don't understand all the facts about communism how can we know how to fight you do teach communism that of course i teach about communism i'm not afraid of the word and i think you will all agree that it is one of the most disturbing influences in the world today why is it muscles aren't these controversial subjects seem to come up in your classes if you could all be with me in a twelfth grade classroom try and remember how interesting and you every thing is that that is how exciting every idea as if no one had ever thought of it but ourselves there is always a kind of anticipation before class we have our regular assignment of course but you never know how these fresh young minds will grapple with it get to me take the situation that came up just last week there was howard line and joe candy they're both smart boy howard's father is an accountant for a local company by mr kendricks is very active in the union there it was an economic all right joe law supply and demand means that in a free economy the supply of good the demand for those goods will automatically set the price but the people who work in factories are selling their work and sometimes there are more people willing to work than there are jobs and that if you look at wages beset by the law of supply and demand the workers would make enough money to live on that's why they organize there we have a typical situation what would you have a good teacher do how would you have heard you this review interest to help students learn how right workers would be better off without a union every employer wants his workers to be satisfied union bosses just keep things stirred up enough so they can get their union jobs now i knew that those howard in general were expressing attitudes they learned from their parents and certainly not the teacher's place to say that one is right and the other wrong but you do want them to learn and to think this is the purpose of all our teaching well joe agreed to report on management viewpoint and howard to report on union all the rest of the crap decided to find out what management and the workers had in common information with the first being the class some could be gained from books used papers given visited and taught to some of the local factory managers and howard visited union headquarter a discussion a week later you know had a much better understanding of management problems and howard had actually talked with the union by gathering and evaluating information they learned to make  sound judgement i think that every member of the crust sees that both labor and management have much to gain under our competitive free enterprise economy  right but it seems to me misses are in the perhaps you have a particular liking for the well controversy old subject is true that in the social studies such as history economics religion when fully understood strengthen each other partaking of drove into class in the american history the states joined together voluntarily and i don't think the federal government has any right to pass laws telling them what to do well how about flight control and electric power projects river electric lines go right across state lines some states have more money than others i think the federal government should use some of that money in the states that don't have so much they can use it for schools all are in the federal government now these are real issues the kinds of issues they will soon be called on to help decide their school life they have been learning to study evaluate and then take action based upon intelligent decision students must be allowed a chance to study and learn about these issues if our democracy is going to survive but muscles are and how can we be sure that the teacher's thinking on all these things is right right what do you mean by right these are controversial subjects and the teacher's job is not to decide that is a job for all  russia the united states somehow i can't fit our country into that pattern we are a nation of free individuals we have always had  but let's get down to brass tacks do you or do you not teach communism in your classes i teach about communism i do not advocate i am not afraid of our citizens decision on communism if all the people could know all the truth about  real dangers it presents to our free and democratic way of life let's not quibble teach communism teach about communism we want to know what you teach what books you you how you teach the debate develop at this point would not help the students learn they would only be arguing exchanging ignorance the first thing we might do is to get all the information we can begin by finding out something of the russian people and their history the poverty and ignorance under those are which made any change seem one for the better from current news and magazine we can follow the words in the activities of the present day communist government and see that where hunger poverty and ignorance of communism can seem a change for the better we can study the theory of communism and learn how its present masters have used the ingredients of terror and obliterated the most elementary rights of free men we can use the works of communists themselves knowing the source of the material and see the distortions which the communist with syllabuses and textbooks in american schools are imbued with greece's ideology and teach hatred to everything outstanding and advanced the word peace is forbidden in and finally we can intelligently compare communism with our own form of government that's right jane in a democracy we have freedom of religion  and democracy we have trial by jury but under communism the people have no protection against a secret police in our country we have a secret ballot under communism the voter doesn't have any choice yet to vote for the communist party which is the only one on the ballot we have freedom of speech or free press communist newspapers and radio are all controlled and they don't dare say anything against a communist party under communism the teachers can only teach what conforms to the communist ideology now we have freedom to learn all sides of the question is this the kind of ninety teaching we want for our children or do we want our children to know how to get at the facts and think for the sale of the very first grade teachers tried to give students respect for truth a feeling that they are free to question to speak their thought our young people have the same right and freedom of thought that all of us enjoy right on to us by our forefathers my own class studies its heritage first visits to the nation's capit they learn that the man who signed the declaration of independence that we might fear no tire they learn that the victories of freedom were no easily won this is our problem today we are still fighting tyranny over the mind of men how many of my senior boys will be wearing uniforms  will not be the wonderful and take their free my free mind learning to get at the facts to analyze and make intelligent decisions and then take constructive action free free country in the world