The author contends that any type of indoctrination in the classroom, be it political, moral, or religious in nature, is inappropriate because it flies in the face of students' academic freedom, which should be carefully nurtured and rigorously defended. However, as he has continued ruminating about these matters, it has occurred to him that simply focusing on academic freedom does not do justice to the full range of issues that come into play, particularly with respect to political activism. In this article, the author addresses some of these issues. He argues that a demarcation line should be drawn separating political (and religious) activism from teachers' professional responsibilities, which include an obligation to maintain a nonthreatening environment in the classroom where students are free to give expression to their views on matters of controversy, even if those views are at odds with ones they hold.