.6 Religious Diversity

It used to be a well-known saying that you should never discuss religion or politics in polite company. There is a good reason for that. One of the most intimate aspects of human nature is one's religious orientation. For many of us, our beliefs are the compass by which we navigate our lives, our connection to our past, parents and ancestors, as well as to our future, in this life or the next. Because of the great psychological importance of religion or spirituality, educators play an extremely significant role in protecting our students' rights to belief.

It may seem hypocritical to discuss religion in public schools, because of the separation of church and state. However, how do we effectively teach children without regard to their belief system when we have already said that we can not divorce the child from his / her context. Simply, we cannot. However, I do not have to be white to teach white students. I do not have to be male to teach male students. Similarly, I can be Christian and teach Hindu, Muslim, Jewish or Buddhist children.

I am a staunch supporter of separation of church and state. It is absolutely fundamental to public education that we do not have one mandated religion. It is that ery separation that demands a pluralistic view of religion in the classroom. To that end, educators need to be sensitive to the fact that there is more than one moral code in the world. I am not advocating teaching religion. It is the responsibility of the home to provide thatfor their children. However, as a public institution, supported by tax dollars, it is our responsibility to prevent discrimination or harm to come to any child who is of a minority religion. Some of the discrimination and harm can be limited by educating yourself.

The first thing you can do to be supportive of your students is to understand their history and basic tenets of their religion. Careful research in the library or internet can provide good basic summaries. Though it is not part of their religion, the Holocaust is an important part of Jewish and World history and there are wonderful sites to help you teach about the Holocaust or religious tolerance. If you choose to use the internet, be very wary of the sources. Be sure to turn to large well known organizations, like the United Jewish Federation, Teaching Tolerance or American Civil Liberties Union. There are fraudulent sites that claim to be Zionist only to discredit the Jewish people.

If you have a cadre of students from a local Temple or Mosque, contact their rabbi or leader. Most religious leaders are happy to assist you in making their children more comfortable. Do not be concerned about being approached to join. If you are clear about your intents, as a merely academic exercise, most leaders will respect that.

Understand that there are differences in calendars. There are differences in years, months and even what day begins the week. Middle Easterncalendars begin the day at sundown with night preceding day. Therefore what Christians consider Friday night, Jews, Arabs and Baha'is call Saturday night. Though many of us overlook it, the use of the terms BC and AD are Christian terms, referring to "Before Christ" and "In the Year of Our Lord." A less loaded terminology, often used by historians, is BCE (Before Common Era) and CE(Common Era). The time frames are analogous to the BC/AD years.

The holidays are also vastly different. There are some historical connections between Passover and Easter, because Christians believe that Jesus of Nazareth was celebrating Passover Seder at the Last Supper. However, there is no connection between Christmas and Chanukah. They have been connected because they usually fall in the same month. Chanukah is a secular holiday celebrating the Macabees victory over persecution. It is celebrated differently throughout the world, but most American Synagogues uphold the religious tolerance it signifies. The High Holy days change from year to year and are in the fall, with Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, being the most widely known.

It is not suggested or advisable to teach any of this, but merely be aware, when it comes up. Minority children are made to feel more at home when they do not have to explain themselves wherever they go. Also, understand when making assignments that we should no more expect a Baptist child to come to school on Easter Sunday to make a presentation than we should expect a Jewish child to come to attend school on Yom Kippur. The Jewish child should not be punished, because the school calendar is inherently rigged for Christian children.

With the exception of some Catholics who still abstain for Lent and meatless Fridays, fasting for religious purposes is not something that is a common for Christians. It is often difficult for Christians to understand the profound spiritual aspects of fasting. Most other world religions have some form of fasting and dietary restrictions.

For instance, Jews and Muslims often abstain from pork and pork products. Though many Jews choose not to keep Kosher (which is much more complex than not eating pork), many Jews practice without exception. Just like there are Christians who would never consider taking Communion with grape juice, others would be horrified to use real wine. As with every other community we have studied, there is vast diversity within the religious community.

Where most Jews only fast for short periods, like during Yom Kippur, Baha'is fast for 19 days and Muslims fast for forty days (both during daylight hours.) Most small children do not participate, but it is possible that you would have teenage students who choose to fast. This is a profound spiritual commitment and should not be made light of. There are medical reasons to break fast, but it is not something done easily. It may seem that diet should not be an important to the classroom. However, if you choose to have food in the classroom, you should surreptitiously ask the student about possible dietary restrictions. It is always a good idea to be aware for health reasons, as well. Particularly in lower grades, you should make a point of knowing about dietary restrictions, whether for religious or health reasons.

Finally, tolerance, either religious or racial, is not limited to certain groups. It is common myth that our nation was founded on the right to practice religious freedom and further that all men were created equally. History has proven that the theory was imperfectly practiced. The Puritans demanded religious freedom for themselves, but tolerated little variation from others. Though all men and women were "created equal," they were not legally equal for over two hundred years later. However, that is part of the strength of our system. As imperfect as it is, we continue to strive to achieve those ideals of equality and religious tolerance. The public school classroom is the appropriate and ideal place to bequeath our nation's legacy of equality and respect.

All of this may seem like a great deal of work. Here's a news flash: Good teaching is a lot of work. To do it responsibly, you must work constantly, to learn about your students, their needs, their values and their goals. If you can tap into that you can change their world and maybe the world they grow up to create.

	No Parrot Question
	Mr. Palmer teaches high school in a nice suburban school. There is a very diverse population in this community. Mr. Palmer also coaches baseball at the school. He feels that the team should have a moment of silence or prayer beforeeach game. How could Mr. Palmer do this without offending anyone on his team or their families?	Answer Here