Rationale: Teachers should develop, in themselves and their students, the skills and understanding needed to live in a democratic society. Philosopher of education Nel Noddings observes that students learn critical thinking by thinking about issues that are critical to them and learning to express their concerns in an open, safe forum. Such topics will often be controversial in nature, ranging from issues of human rights and hotly contested social issues to existential questions about life’s meaning and purpose. Teachers need to develop both judgment and skill in helping students engage in controversial discussions. Teachers should pay special heed to the exercise and denial of human rights in schools and in the society, as public schools have an obligation to provide equal educational access and opportunity to all children regardless of their race, national origin, gender, religion, or special needs. Teachers should know when and how to foster open discussion of controversial issues and when and how to create opportunities for students to explore them in other ways. Further, teachers should not stand apart from this process of engaging with controversial issues. Students will profit not only from teachers’ encouragement to think through and take stands on issues, but also from observing teachers’ willingness to do the same. To do so effectively, teachers need to have a clearly-defined philosophy of education that enables them to balance the pedagogical challenge of expressing their convictions while providing appropriate space for students to develop their own.