The topic of this chapter is always a struggle for me personally as an educator; and judging by the video module and the information within, I can see I'm definitely not alone. It is so difficult to balance the issue of political correctness considering that you will most likely not be able to please everyone. However, I enjoyed learning some ways of teaching healthy spiritual/basic human values to students and not risking a major problem amongst different religious family in the classroom. I really liked the piece discussing Character Education as a way of including important values and morals to teach children essential parts of growing into a well-rounded human beings.
It was also very interesting for me to see the statistical breakdown of diversity on pg. 248. As a teacher in a fairly homogenous school and community, I don't see this much religious diversity; but it is pretty clear that if I would travel outside the community into another school, I would see these figures better represented. I also was made much more aware of the major current religious issues in the public schools on page 249--I never realized that all of the religious holidays schools release for are of the Christian faith. That would pose a challenge for other religions celebrating.
One struggle I have as a teacher in this regard is the idea of holding true to my own faith but teaching in a religiously diverse classroom. I am a Christian and I do not feel comfortable celebrating other religious holidays as I want to be faithful to Jesus. This issue causes a major wrestle in my conscience. My question is: As an educator, how do you handle celebrating other holidays/religious practices in your classroom that aren't your own?
Other cultures' celebrations usually are built around their religious beliefs. I focus on the celebrations and not on the religion. Usually we will read a story that focuses on the celebration or watch a video of it. Follow up will be to create a craft or something else associated with the holiday. We do not focus on the religion but the holiday and the fact that they do it as a family and celebrate with presents, fireworks, food, and many of the similar things that we do when we celebrate. I focus on it being a family practice. This introduces the name of the religion and give some facts without preaching the tenants of the religion.
ReplyDeleteI think it's fantastic to respect another religion's holidays and celebrations. I have never "celebrated" anything other than Christian holidays, but it fascinates me to learn about them. I don't see the struggle here. By partaking in a celebration, you're not betraying your faith. In fact, I see it as quite the opposite. You are accepting others'. Would you go to a Jewish or Muslim wedding? (provided non-Jews or non-Muslims are allowed to attend...I know that only Mormons are allowed to be present at a Mormon wedding) I attended a Purim party hosted by a Jewish couple we were friends with. It was so interesting to learn about this holiday I had never heard of. Not once did I feel that I was betraying my God by learning about another holiday. Perhaps looking at the experience as respecting it rather than celebrating it would help. I know when my husband attends a wedding in a Catholic church, he is very respectful, quiet, and reflective. However he does not join in the prayers nor the Communion. We have that right. However, he IS there to celebrate. Just my two cents. No disrespect intended.
ReplyDeleteBecause I teach in a public school, we do not directly celebrate religious holidays or follow particular religious practices. However, that does not mean that I do not discuss them. I think it is absolutely necessary for students to understand rituals and holidays of religions. I in no way want to influence any student towards one or another, but I fully believe that knowledge is key. People make fun or discriminate most of the time because they do not have the facts, they have made their own assumptions. This aggravates me to no end. Which is why I would not hesitate answering any question related to any religion. The one piece of literature in my curriculum, that could be seen as controversial, because of it's religious implication is "A Christmas Carol". Although religion is not really discussed, I can see how this may seem that I am favoring one religion over the other. Which is simply not true. This play, based on the novel written by Charles Dickens, is a classic and that is how I present it.
ReplyDelete