Beliefs in the Classroom
I recently went to an Easter christian church service with my mother. I haven't been to church since I left for college because organized religion terrifies me and tends to rub me the wrong way. Now, as a disclaimer, I'm not an atheist nor am I insulting Christianity, I merely want to touch on it's relevance to my life.
I use to go to church a lot. In fact, it's where I received a lot of my volunteer experience to enter the Education program at my university. I was probably at that church more than the pastor. I liked the idea that my particular church preached. I liked the inclusiveness and the acceptance. I eventually discovered that dedication only goes so far with the broken, sometimes, there are too many especially when you are broken yourself.
Religion has since then been a touchy topic for me. I have taken so many literary classes, that my view of the bible is different. The bible ranks high on the lists of religious texts, but it isn't the oldest. I listened to various lectures on the Poetic Edda, the Volsung Saga, the Illiad, and even Mesopotamian stories on Beowulf and Gilgamesh. I have explored Greek mythology, Hindu and Norse creationism, and now I can't help but find the bible to be very similar. It is poetic and beautifully written in places, but so many churches pull passages to suit their needs without looking for the story.
During this Easter service, I had the impulse to raise my hand more than once. I wanted to show the pastor the same things that were said in other religions and I wanted to ask more about the history he referred to.
Then I thought, as a teacher, at what point do beliefs infiltrate the classroom? Are we aloud to tell students what we believe? Will we be in trouble with parents and administration for looking at texts like the bible clinically? I don't know.
Do we, as teachers, get to teach belief in our class even if it offends? I think it's a valid question. I'll get back to you when I find out.
