Teacher Sued For Bashing Christianity -- Will Others Be Censored?

[darkendless]

You believe that the place to challenge a child's religion is in a classroom? I send my children to school to learn the curriculum that the school provides. They will have plenty of chances of having their faith challenge outside of a classroom. I just don't believe a class should be used for that purpose.

Not even my faith was questioned in my Physical Anthropology class. And I did not keep my faith a secret, although I did not talk of it during class time or even outside it during breaks- except for little snippets of exchanged information between classmates.

Well i wouldn't want to enforce it, rather not prevent people expressing their opinions. Thats just stupid.

 

[dawny0826]

Well i wouldn't want to enforce it, rather not prevent people expressing their opinions. Thats just stupid.

There's a difference between expressing your opinions and using your opinions to belittle.

I think that religion should be left out of the public school systems.

If a religious topic is a relevant part of a study, then the topic should be tactfully examined and discussed, without the infusion of personal opinion.

If an opinion aids a discussion or study, it can be expressed in a tactful, non-offensive manner.

 

[AxisMundi]

Your education system and current problems are evidence enough that kids are protected far too much by political correctness and lack of life experience within the school system.

People can and will say what they want in the real world, so why stop teachers and students doing so in the classroom? Sure, i'd be angry if a christian fundie taught my kids, but it would give me an oppurtunity to teach them why he's an idiot and how they can challenge him.

Indeed, our problems arose when Political Correctness began oozing it's way into the system.

I have noted that several times before.

However, before that time, in the 1960's and 70's when I went to school, one learned by rote. It was indeed dull at tiems, but you LEARNED.

Debate was reserved for college and universety, AFTER one learned the basics.

 

[AxisMundi]

Well i wouldn't want to enforce it, rather not prevent people expressing their opinions. Thats just stupid.

An educator's right to self expression and opinion, whether religious or political, is perfectly preserved.

OUTSIDE the classroom.

 

[Copernicus]

Indeed, our problems arose when Political Correctness began oozing it's way into the system.

In fact, I think rather the opposite. Political correctness has always been a part of the educational system. It is when teachers and students openly challenge prevailing PC that we get the controversy.

However, before that time, in the 1960's and 70's when I went to school, one learned by rote. It was indeed dull at tiems, but you LEARNED.

I'm a bit older than you, and I would disagree. Grade school and high school always contained a mixture of rote learning and learning by explanation. The so-called "New Math" movement started in the 1960s just after I had gone on to college. The whole point of that movement was to move away from rote learning by teaching students the basics of set theory. (It was an educational experiment that failed miserably.)

Debate was reserved for college and universety, AFTER one learned the basics.

So, basically, you are saying that your high school had no debate club. That's a pity. Debate was strong and healthy in my high school classes in the early 1960's. I was even "outed" as an atheist by my English teacher, but that's another story.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

Why bother bashing something which is doing a fine job of discrediting itself on its own?

 

[tarasan]

Why bother bashing something which is doing a fine job of discrediting itself on its own?

because how else do you expect theolgians to get famous, i mean if athiests are just sitting there being annoying it sould be out right to annoy them.:angel2:

 

[AxisMundi]

In fact, I think rather the opposite. Political correctness has always been a part of the educational system. It is when teachers and students openly challenge prevailing PC that we get the controversy.

Then we ahve diferent definitions of PC.

I'm a bit older than you, and I would disagree. Grade school and high school always contained a mixture of rote learning and learning by explanation. The so-called "New Math" movement started in the 1960s just after I had gone on to college. The whole point of that movement was to move away from rote learning by teaching students the basics of set theory. (It was an educational experiment that failed miserably.)

I am, in fact, a victim of the New Math. And please expand on what you consider "learning by explination".

So, basically, you are saying that your high school had no debate club. That's a pity. Debate was strong and healthy in my high school classes in the early 1960's. I was even "outed" as an atheist by my English teacher, but that's another story.

Different school systems result in different experiences.
And I've been speaking of basic curriculum, not extra-curricular activities.

 

[Copernicus]

Then we ahve diferent definitions of PC.

I'm not so sure that we have different definitions--probably just different judgments about when it applies.

I am, in fact, a victim of the New Math. And please expand on what you consider "learning by explination".

I was in the generation just before you, and you have my sympathies. The New Math was an attempt to teach by explaining the "underlying principles" of mathematics--set theory. The worst implementations tried to introduce axiomatic principles of math early on. What happened was that teachers didn't really know what they were teaching, and students weren't taught the skills that they needed in order to perform well on math calculations. In general, they were trying to teach abstract principles well before the age when children were capable of using those principles to gain more insight into math. It was a fad that caused more damage than good.

Different school systems result in different experiences. And I've been speaking of basic curriculum, not extra-curricular activities.

You are right that different schools gave different experiences. I still feel that you have overgeneralized education system back in those days. I would describe the atmosphere in my high school as stimulating. It was during the Kennedy years (Kennedy was assassinated while I sat in a high school Latin class--I'll never forget hearing the announcement over the PA system), and controversy was no stranger to the classroom. We discussed and debated everything, even in the classroom. This was not true of all classes, of course, but we were encouraged to think about controversial issues.

 

[Riverwolf]

Thats why examples and debate is required. If children don't challenge these facts with the ideas they've theorized (no matter how old they are), they won't understand why these facts are indeed facts.

Simply babbling information is no use to anyone, kids need to be involved, they need to develop their ideas as a group as multiple minds theorize better than a single one.

The teacher doesn't have to get involved, though. In high school civics class, our teacher gave us several mock trial cases, and told the students that they had to pick a side, and that side may not necessarily have been their own: forcing them to really understand the opposing side. It was brilliant. (And, me being a procrastinating idealist at the time, when I was called to the "stand", I had to wing it, and made a case that the military should give a good chunk of its money to schools in charity... yeah, I failed the project and the class lol... and yet still graduated.) The class was a Senior class, though; I do agree that such classes should be introduced earlier on. But the students should debate amongst themselves; the teacher should not get involved.

 

[Riverwolf]

PC = Political Correctness.

It also means personal computer, so you can't really fault my mistake.

That does make a lot more sense, though. Thanks for correcting me.

Texting could account for the decline in proper grammar though.

Definitely. :yes: