As a Teacher Assistant I see firsthand how religion and lack of religion affect our classrooms. Every day, I see children choose to participate and not participate in the Moment of Silence and/or the Pledge of Allegiance. After participating in this assignment I now wonder if their choice to participate or not to participate is driven by a religious decision or by the lack of knowledge about why we have the Moment of Silence or recite the Pledge of Allegiance. Religion is not a major part of our school but every now and then a child will say a prayer at lunch, bring a bible to read from for independent reading, or write something in a writing prompt about their religion. We as adults want to vision and accept things as black and white with no gray in the middle when in reality life is just not that simple. A child is curious and excited about religion no matter if it is their own or not. We as adults mold religion in the eyes of the child. If they are scared it is because of how it was taught or perceived by that child. I feel that if we open up schools to the possibility of religious history in our great nation’s past and parents use their knowledge of their personal religion to guide the child, then that child will find their own way through the controversial issues.
Religion has a tendency to strike fear in people and confusion in younger children because of personal preferences. Everyone has their own opinion about different religions and what should and should not be a part of a child’s school day or what holidays we should take or rename. If our children are to know and understand our countries’ history and those of our neighbors, then the student need to not only to learn these differences, but learn values so tolerance can develop. Religion is Social Studies and Social Studies is a part of history and it should be acknowledged. Religious holidays should be embraced as a way to open up the history book and teach about the history in the different religious cultures. For a student to understand current events, whether they are focused overseas or within their own country, they need to know the history of that country, the history of the belief, and the foundation of what fuels the current event. Especially with our neighboring countries and those overseas where the religion is the bases for their lifestyle and everyday choices. If a religion is shared in the classroom as a part of a history lesson or learned for a current event that is happening, a parent should be knowledgeable enough or at the least, have enough insight as to where he/she can find information to be able to compare and contrast the difference from their religion to the one that is being questioned by the student. As a teacher I can incorporate this topic into Social Studies through current events, holidays, and global/international studies.
On a personal level I realized that Religion is more of a sensitive topic than I first perceived. As an individual, a parent, and a future teacher I have learned just how messy religion can be in the school system. There are fine lines that government and administrators have put into place to ensure that religious freedoms are not infringed upon. No matter what personal opinion I or anyone may have regarding religion, religion will be an on-going issue for the school system.