Lanna Hill: Instead of enforced neutrality, let’s teach kids to disagree

This week WA teachers were reminded to stay neutral when it comes to divisive cultural or political issues in the classroom.

The guidance is clear: controversial topics can be discussed, and multiple perspectives should be presented, but teachers themselves are not to share their own views.

On paper, that sounds straightforward. In practice, it cuts to the heart of what teaching really is.

Education has never been a purely neutral exercise. Every curriculum decision — which texts are studied, which histories are prioritised, which examples are chosen — reflect a lens. Classrooms have always carried values, even when unspoken.

And this guidance didn’t appear out of nowhere. It reflects something we’ve all seen: classrooms becoming the frontline for questions society itself struggles to