No expression of private views as a teacher

[Snowflakewater]

So, I am obviously an over thinker and in a new environment, more so.

Student asks me a question which I knew was loaded. i never express my own opinions. He started giggling then said “ I need to ask you now, do you support Black Lives Matter”

Anyway I turned round and said “don’t ask silly questions” not meaning it that way at all I meant that clearly looking at me given I’m a woman of colour of course I support it. But of course I reckon it wasn’t taken that way.

Anyway I ended up back peddling and saying “as a teacher we can’t really express views but any movement that helps others is of course good ”

At this point they just laughed

Did I mess up. I can already feel them saying “she doesn’t support black lives” to other teachers. When I would never ever express that.

I think your eventual answer was absolutely fine. You're absolutely not obliged to share your political views with students and this is a clear, firm way to tell them why you won't be doing so. Of course teenagers will try and find buttons to push but to be fair, he was entitled to ask, you just don't need to respond. Maybe next time it would be worthwhile to encourage students to share their own opinions if you have time.

They weren’t even listening to the eventual answer and because I’m so new it just worried me, I’d hate anyone to think I don’t support others. I kept expressing we can’t really share political views and I kept hearing “why me or mrs x always does. So you can too”