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- EDU 308 Summer 09 Syllabus
- EDU 308 Summer 09 Group Members and Groups
- EDU 308 Summer 09 Video 2
- EDU 308 Summer 09 Video 1
- EDU 308 Summer 09 Class Vote
- EDU 308 Summer 09 Book Ad Book Choices
- EDU 308 Summer 09 Ch. 14
- EDU 308 Summer 09 Ch. 13
- EDU 308 Summer 09 Ch. 12
- EDU 308 Summer 09 Ch. 11
- EDU 308 Summer 09 Ch. 10
- EDU 308 Summer 09 Ch. 9
- EDU 308 Summer 09 Ch. 8
- EDU 308 Summer 09 Ch. 7
- EDU 308 Summer 09 Ch. 6
- EDU 308 Summer 09 Ch. 5
- EDU 308 Summer 09 Ch. 4
- EDU 308 Summer 09 Ch. 3
- EDU 308 Summer 09 Ch. 2
- EDU 308 Summer 09 Ch. 1
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May
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Remember to go back to each chapter to read my comments and questions and let me know you saw those. Comment about those in some form or include those in your future posts here.
ReplyDeleteQuote- "In spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart." Anne Frank (p. 139
ReplyDeleteFact- Henry Ford traveled to Germany to accept a medal from Adolf Hitler in honor of his anti-Sematic actions.
Question- Many rural schools still allow Christmas decorations and sing Christmas carols. Do you think this should be allowed?
Question-What would you do if in your elementary classroom there was a catholic student making fun of a Jewish boy becuase of his religion? How would you make it a teachable moment for the entire class?
ReplyDeleteFact: Agnostic is the beleif that human beings cannot prove or disprove the existence of God.
In responce to Heidi's queston; As a believer of Christmas I love the idea of sharing Christmas decorations in the classroom. However not everyone believes in Christmas and therefore I believe that the Christmas party should be change to a "Holiday party" where all december holidays in every religion is celebrated.
Question ~ Did Americans encourage the views of Hitler and his Nazi Germany by having anti-semtitism views ourselves? By limiting the power of Jewish people, excluding them from certain clubs, etc... well into the late 1930s?
ReplyDeleteQuote ~ "We often make assumptions about an individual's religion based on their ethnicity." (pg. 153)
Fact ~ About 20% of students in Americas' schools identify themselves as "religious minorities".
Teaching ABOUT religions has now been incorporated in to the state and national standards.
Question: Many schools across America celebrate or have parties in their classroom in honor of Halloween, Christmas, Valentine's Day, etc. Should this still be aloud considering the number of diverse students in classrooms now?
ReplyDeleteQuote: "We have just enough religion to make us hate. But not enough to make us love one another."
Fact: Although schools cannot force students to pray, schools cannot prevent a student from praying, as long as the prayer does not create a disruption. If students are representing a religious group and want to use school facilities, they have the same right of access as any community group.
To answer Brittany's question, I think anti-semitism did occur during this time. It still goes on today.
ReplyDeleteQuestion: The text shows that teaching ABOUT religions has now been incorporated in national and state standards for teachers. If parents of your students complain about you teaching about religion, how do you approach the problem?
ReplyDeleteQuote: "As students learn about diverse religions they may also come to appreciate why religion freedom was guaranteed in the Bill of Rights, and why it has been so difficult to achieve that ideal.
Fact: Sectarian is a prespective on diverse Christian churches or sects in which an individual regards his or her own sect as the "true faith"
Great questions here! First and foremost, you must know the cultures of your students and community and know what are the "norms" there. You should also realize the significance of diversity and the fact that the schools which are the least diverse need it to be taught even more because students will not have that exposure. If you teach about religion, you must do so to be informative and to be fair about each one in a public school. See Teaching Tolerance about their articles/lessons on religion. Last summer, they covered this topic in their magazine. You should think carefully and critically about these issues. If you do not recognize a student's religion but you do others, that sends a message.
ReplyDeleteYou may not preach in a public school or push your beliefs off on your students. Students may lead prayers in public schools, but they have to be student initiated.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Dr. Hendrix, I hear a lot of classes don't really have holiday parties anymore for Christmas and holidays like that. Would it be acceptable to find out the religion of every student in your classroom and celebrate every holiday that is involved with that religion? That way students can learn about other cultures and have a good time as well.
ReplyDeleteQuote: "In the popular mind, the Jew is never judged as an individual, but as a specimen of a whole race whose members are identically of the same kind."
ReplyDeleteQuestion: If a child prays during class/in the classroom (the book said that was acceptable as long as it does not cause a disruption), what do you do if it does cause a disruption? Or if other students ridicule this child? Freedom of religion is not for a teacher to take away, right?
Fact: By 1775, more that 150 years since the first colonists arrived, approximately 10% of Americans were church members.
Brooke had a great idea. What an opportunity to incorporate the study of other cultures. There are so many subjects that could be incorporated in the study as well.
ReplyDeleteWhy as there so little reference to religion in the original consitution?
ReplyDelete"A believer is a bird in a cage;a freethinker is an eagel parting the clouds with tireless wing"
"In 1870 American public school textbooks referred to Jews as "a race" with traditiona sterotypes of Jews as greedy, selfish and manipulating."
In regards to this fact this shows how we teach our children to be raciest. Why do we care what someone else believes? Not saying everyone needs to agree with their beliefs but why can't we accept that everyone is not the same? As teachers I think we need to spread our horizon and learn more about others to be well rounded educaters.
In response to Brooke...I think that is great idea. We do this in our preschool program and not only do the children like, I do too. It interesting to learn what others celebrate and why they celebrate it. But in the classroom we are not actually celebrating the "Holiday" but are educating the children about the "Holiday". Which can be done in a variety of ways whether it be a class party, tasting different foods, showing traditions of the holiday and many other ways. Parents that don't celebrate the Christian Holidays usually let their children stay because we are not celebrating but educating. It's also a great time for the children to share their family traditions too.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Jane's question/comment about why we care what someone else believes and why can't we accept that everyone is not the same...this is funny because in the reading when people were asked about individualism most people said they valued uniqueness and differences in people; yet most people don't show these words in their actions. Kinda sad!!!
ReplyDeleteIn response to Brooke's question...
ReplyDeleteFreedom of religion is not for teachers to take away however "not causing a disruption" has to be honored. If it does constantly cause a disruption in the child's seat possibly have a designated area for the child to go as to not disrupt other students or make anyone feel uncomfortable.
Fact...
ReplyDeleteAlthough the freedom to worship according to one's personal religious beliefs was guaranteed in the Bill of Rights, it is guaranteed in principle more than in practice.
Quote...
ReplyDeleteWe have just enough religion to make us hate. but not enough to make us love one another. Jonathan Swift
Question...
ReplyDeleteIs it now unacceptable to celebrate Christmas in the classroom?
Quote: "A believe is a bird in a cage: a freethinker is an eagle parting clouds with tireless wing." -Robert Ingerstoll
ReplyDeleteFact: After the Holocaust, in America the doors started to open to many Jews. Although, people still discriminated against them.
Question: Will other religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam ever be excepted in the Christian groups in America? Or will schools ever be able to express religion of any kind?
Question: Many schools across America celebrate or have parties in their classroom in honor of Halloween, Christmas, Valentine's Day, etc. Should this still be aloud in the classroom considering the number of diverse students?
ReplyDeleteQuote: "We have just enough religion to make us hate. But not enough to make us love one another."
Fact: Although schools cannot force students to pray, schools cannot prevent a student from praying, as long as the prayer does not create a disruption. If students are representing a religious group and want to use school facilities, they have the same right of access as any community group.
Question: If the religion of one group conflicts with the freedoms of another, how or what role can legislation play? Isn't it true that some legislation is required, in certain circumstances, to ensure the freedoms of another?
ReplyDeleteQuote: "We have just enough religion to make us hate, but not enough to make us love one another." Jonathan Swift
Fact: Religious freedom was violently denied to the followers of Mormonism. p 145
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Sierrah's question I had a similar situation occur this past Christmas at the program where I work. I have three children from two households that do not celebrate Christmas. One of the boys is a Kindergartener who is very vocal about his religious beliefs. He told some other boys his age something about Jesus that really upset them and they came running to me and were extremely distraught from his comments. I thought for a moment and realized that I had to be very careful when approaching this issue. I had the young boy briefly explain what he meant, and tell the boys a little about his religion. They then told him about their religion, and we discussed that each of them were very unique in their own way and that it was okay to be different and disagree on certain issues in this case.
ReplyDeleteThe young man went home that night and told his mother what happened (remember, they ALWAYS repeat what we say) and she came back the next day and thanked me for not punishing her son or singling him out for having different beliefs than most of the students, and my own.
Quote: "We have just enough religion to make us hate. But not enough to make us love one another."~Jonathan Swift
ReplyDeleteFact: Agnostic is a belief that human beings cannot prove or disprove the existence of God.
Question: Is it safe to say that what is taught at most common Sunday Schools has mainly been regarded as off limits for topics of discussion at Monday-Friday Schools for quite a while in our public education system?
ReplyDeleteQuote: "The First Ammedment has errected a wall between church and state. That wall must be kept high and impregnable." pg. 154
Fact: In 1847 there were only 25 official states in the U.S.A. with record numbers of imigrants coming every day.
In response to Heidi's question about Christmas in rural schools. If the author is true to his convictions about teaching all religions in some unbiased form or another why not incorporate Christmas back into all schools? I have agreed with the courts decisions made years ago to refer to celebrations as Holiday Partys, Holiday Peagents, Holiday Vacation, etc. Our courts took the term Chritmas out of public schools. In small rural districts where the tax-paying parents are mainly Christian I see no foul in that the same way I would see no foul in a district that was predominently Jewish or Muslim incorporate their most holiest of events into their children's schools. The main thing to recognize is the NEED for diversity when the diversity exists or will present itself down the road later in life for most students.
First of all any reason for cupcakes is ok with me Children love parties and its the prefect teaching moment for us to open their eyes to different cultures and respect their own. Trust me prayer is in school go there on test day.
ReplyDeleteQuote We have just enough religion to make us hate but not enough to make us love one another
ReplyDeleteJohnathan Swift (1667-1745)
Fix a Fact: P-145 Joseph Smith was not a polygamist and polygamy wasnt part of the church until the split when Brigham Young took his followers west. The others stayed in Missouri with Smith (I believe he was killed in Liberty or Far West I forgot some of my history Iwas raised RLDS )
I forgot my question How can we be sure we are teaching the right things when or books dont always get it right
ReplyDeleteIn response to johnandlennie, I think we should be able to "celebrate" Christmas in the classroom, but maybe we shouldn't call it "celebrate." I think it should be allowed as long as we can incorporate how other cultures "celebrate" Christmas.
ReplyDeleteIn response to everyone...
ReplyDeleteAll of these questions are really tough... I can't find an answer to most of them that I am completely satisfied with. Holidays such as Christmas have become part of American tradition and culture. However, if we chose to celebrate Christmas we should also celebrate the holidays of other religions. Because schools are government operated maybe we should avoid celebrating religious holidays all together. Instead of having Christmas break, maybe it should be called Winter break.
As Dr. Hendrix mentioned, it is important that we understand the "norms" of the society in which we are teaching. What if the "norm" is a Christian religion and they expect their children to be brought up in that manner. It isn't fair for these parents to have to pay school taxes in addition to tuition for a private school, is it? But it also wouldn't be fair to the parents that may have a different religion for their students to be brought up in a Christian school.
Overall I think I am going to settle with not celebrating religious holidays in school and sticking with separation of church and state. It seems to me that this is the only safe route.
In response to gkmckinley... Maybe we could have a day where we celebrate many different religions and talk about what is out there. Then again, this is a touchy subject because I have been in classrooms where teachers try to educate about multiple religions and I was offended when she spoke incorrectly about my own religion.
Sarah has a point about teaching other religions. I personally would not want someone to teach about my faith incorrectly. I think allowing children to share about their faith and holidays would be a safe bet. I think what a teacher can do is point out that it is okay to have different faiths and to respect each others beliefs.
ReplyDeleteQuote- "Edwards argued that we can be told honey is sweet, bu to taste honey results in a knowledge that is "direct, intuitive, certain, and rests upon experience that can be neither doubted or denied." (page 141)
ReplyDeleteQuestion- Puritans came to the New World to practice their religion freely, why did they think it would be fair and/or right to deny the same freedom to other?
Fact- More than three decades after the Constitution was approved, Maryland was the only state where Jews could vote or hold public office.
Response- I think everyone has good ideas and points about teaching religion. It seems to me that the children leading the discussion and sharing about their would be fair to everyone involved. It also seems like the most fun to me also eating traditional foods, making something, singing songs, sharing stories, and learing as well.
Question: Is it possible to have a complete separation of church and state?
ReplyDeleteQuote: Whitefield insisted that being a Christian was not about belonging to a particular church, but being committed to faith and demonstrating that commitment in everyday life.
Fact: The Articles of Confederation had continued that tradition by referring to “ the Great Governor of the World” ( Jacoby, 2005, p. 30), but the authors of the U. S. Constitution cited “ We the People” as the source of the government’s power and authority, deliberately excluding any reference to God. When challenged to explain this omission, Alexander Hamilton’s tongue- in- cheek response was “ We forgot” ( Chernow, 2004, p. 235). *How eloquent our forefathers were...*
In response to James: I think that is absolutely safe to say. I grew up in the type of family where the only logical reason you were not present at church Sunday morning was because you were lying in a coma somewhere, or severely beaten and bleeding on the side of the road. Given that, I can honestly say that what I have learned in Sunday School and what I have learned in public school have never mingled. The 7 days of creation, Noah's Ark, Moses, and the 12 Disciples are easy subjects to discuss in the midst of your Darwinism lecture...
In response to Heidi's first question, I think that Christmas decorations may still be allowed in a school setting...but sense we are trying to make well rounded educated students, as Dr. Hendrix mentioned, we need to teach about all religions. At that time of year we should go over Judism and other religious holidays celebrated. We as teachers should have our students also decorate the class room with symbols from these religions holidays.
ReplyDeleteFact: talking about the increased Asian population..." They increased the religious diversity within and outside Christianity; among them were 4 million Buddists and enough Christians to form 2,000 congrgations. (pg.149)
I think that says a lot about our modern society. I believe this shows that no matter ones race, or ethnicity that indiviuals can choose what and how they believe.
Quote: " A believer is a bird in a cage: a freethinker is an eagle parting the clouds with tireless wing."
I look at this quote two ways. First I see a believer in a religion that keeps to them self and never expands their relion with others.Then I also invision on that is stuck in their religion and isn't open to others and someone else that is open to all thinkings and is finding what they belive in.
Question: I'm not sure if there is a complete seperation of church and state and I do believe you should allow those to pray silently in your classroom? What are other ways you are going to be sensitive to the variety of religions you may encounter as you teach? Are you going to research their religion as not to offend them?