English teachers may well have influenced student thinking prior to the Tiananmen Square crackdown, according to an American professor.
'We are not only teachers of language, but of thinking too,' said Professor H. Douglas Brown, director of the American Language Institute at San Francisco State University.
During a lecture given to Chinese University of Hong Kong English professors and teachers, the professor discussed whether English language teachers should bring moral, ethical and political issues into lessons.
He said the debate had been growing over how to deal with global political issues including human rights, religious beliefs, media control and women's issues.
Professor Brown offered guidelines to teachers dealing with 'hot topics'.
'Teachers should allow students to express themselves openly and respect their views, encourage both - or many - sides of an issue, and not force them to think like their teachers,' he said.
