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The exercise was to " differentiate between fact, common assertion, or opinion. "
The existence of God is at best a faith based opinion. Of course if you ask a group of the Christian faith it would be a common assertion that they will no doubt argue as fact. This argument would go around and around until everyone was red in the face and angry with no resolution which is as good a reason as any to not discuss theology in school. At least not at elementary levels.
It wasn't elementary, it was 7th graders, and it wasn't a discussion, it was one item on a worksheet among many.
It wasn't elementary, it was 7th graders, and it wasn't a discussion, it was one item on a worksheet among many.
There had to be a discussion for the teacher to explain why Opinion and Fact both are wrong.
I know that to many non-religious people God is as fake as the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus. However, the teacher had to know that God is an important personal element of her students' lives. Even if all she said is that 'There is a God' is debatable, a Commonplace Assertion' that is not or cannot be proven, she was wrong to use that statement in the assignment.
There had to be a discussion for the teacher to explain why Opinion and Fact both are wrong.
I know that to many non-religious people God is as fake as the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus. However, the teacher had to know that God is an important personal element of her students' lives. Even if all she said is that 'There is a God' is debatable, a Commonplace Assertion' that is not or cannot be proven, she was wrong to use that statement in the assignment.
How do you know she wasn't going to just mark the papers and hand them back? This student who started it all texted her mom the minute she looked at the paper and saw the question.
ALL 12 years old know some people believe and some don't, they know it's not a proven fact. They know other kids believe other things, other religions. Again there is no evidence whatsoever this teacher isn't devout herself. She never said it was "debatable". PC police strike again.
I must have had a damn good public school system (actually it is a fact that I did) because in all my years of school our curriculum/individual teachers never once touched the subject of God or religion in this way. We learned about religions on a purely objective and educational basis in history classes and such, learning the basic principles and beliefs of the major world religions. We were never asked in any class to judge the validity of the belief in God and discuss whether God is a common assertion, fact, or opinion. Yikes. I feel for some public school children in America today.
This is a subject you just don't touch. Sorry. You just don't ask a kid to define a belief in God as a fact, common assertion, or opinion. Why God? There are so many other things similar to the belief in God the teacher could have chosen. She was stirring the pot and trying to push an agenda IMO.
Couldn't have said it better
Really makes me wonder if some on here defending this teacher, really were taught about God in this depth. Heck, prayer was removed in 1962, so how is God even a subject?
Really makes me wonder if some on here defending this teacher, really were taught about God in this depth. Heck, prayer was removed in 1962, so how is God even a subject?
I was always under the impression that God is not allowed to be discussed in public school - nor is promoting or degrading any religion. It never was for me. I don't understand news stories like this. What goes on in some schools?
I was always under the impression that God is not allowed to be discussed in public school - nor is promoting or degrading any religion. It never was for me. I don't understand news stories like this. What goes on in some schools?
Some on C-D believe God never left the schools and are arguing we can now talk about Allah.....Oh really! Amazing how people flip-flop on their views of God and no god in our schools, but will except any other god.
Some on C-D believe God never left the schools and are arguing we can now talk about Allah.....Oh really! Amazing how people flip-flop on their views of God and no god in our schools, but will except any other god.
Well, I'll be happy to except God from school in terms of any worship, but I think students should learn very basic information about all the world's major religions they may come in contact with in our socioeconomic world; no man is an island.
Some on C-D believe God never left the schools and are arguing we can now talk about Allah.....Oh really! Amazing how people flip-flop on their views of God and no god in our schools, but will except any other god.
Yes that's why I'm so glad I grew up in an excellent district. I don't know if the region or area matters in situations like this, but around here in NJ in general we don't get hung up on religion. If you're religious, you generally go about it quietly. If you're not, you shut up about religion. God and religion aren't discussed or debated in schools or really anywhere else. Perhaps it's all an issue in other areas of the country. Maybe this is one reason why NJ has such excellent public schools.
My town is heavily Irish and Italian Catholic, but also with a good amount of Jews. In high school one home ec teacher had a whole Christmas tree in her classroom and also a Menorah in December. Lights and ornaments and everything. No one complained. No one cared. This may seem the opposite of "no religion in schools" but it's not like we had a debate on the validity of Jesus Christ and the story of his birth or the belief in God. We just worked alongside a Christmas tree and Menorah for a couple weeks because she was a festive lady. It was not a problem. In some places, not even excluding NJ, people would be up in arms about this. I guess my school district was just very relaxed. But seriously - aside from "here are the major world religions and what people believe, and also a little bit of how and why they clash", we did not discuss religion. I'm baffled as to why some teachers decide to get philosophical and holier than thou (excuse the pun) regarding religion, in any direction. That's why we have CCD or Sunday school, Hebrew school, etc, and private churches and other religious institutes and also a home life. It's not a public school teachers job to broach this subject.
Yes that's why I'm so glad I grew up in an excellent district. I don't know if the region or area matters in situations like this, but around here in NJ in general we don't get hung up on religion. If you're religious, you generally go about it quietly. If you're not, you shut up about religion. God and religion aren't discussed or debated in schools or really anywhere else. Perhaps it's all an issue in other areas of the country. Maybe this is one reason why NJ has such excellent public schools.
My town is heavily Irish and Italian Catholic, but also with a good amount of Jews. In high school one home ec teacher had a whole Christmas tree in her classroom and also a Menorah in December. Lights and ornaments and everything. No one complained. No one cared. This may seem the opposite of "no religion in schools" but it's not like we had a debate on the validity of Jesus Christ and the story of his birth or the belief in God. We just worked alongside a Christmas tree and Menorah for a couple weeks because she was a festive lady. It was not a problem. In some places, not even excluding NJ, people would be up in arms about this. I guess my school district was just very relaxed. But seriously - aside from "here are the major world religions and what people believe, and also a little bit of how and why they clash", we did not discuss religion. I'm baffled as to why some teachers decide to get philosophical and holier than thou (excuse the pun) regarding religion, in any direction. That's why we have CCD or Sunday school, Hebrew school, etc, and private churches and other religious institutes and also a home life. It's not a public school teachers job to broach this subject.
Respect for the religious sensibilities of others is about respect for PERSONS, whether one is a religious devotee or not …
The rampant in*your*face individual-ism of our culture is just plain rude and crude ...
How do you know she wasn't going to just mark the papers and hand them back? This student who started it all texted her mom the minute she looked at the paper and saw the question.
ALL 12 years old know some people believe and some don't, they know it's not a proven fact. They know other kids believe other things, other religions. Again there is no evidence whatsoever this teacher isn't devout herself. She never said it was "debatable". PC police strike again.
A teacher is an authority figure, they probably have more impact on a child that year than anyone outside of the child's immediate family. There is a reason there are special laws about teacher/student relationships. Knowing your buddy believes something different is just not the same as your teacher saying something youinterpret as questioning your religion.
Experienced teachers and educators will tell you there are topics you need to avoid unless you have absolutely no choice. Religious beliefs, which is not the same as studying a religion's history or traditions in a Social Studies class, is right up there towards the very top. You certainly don't assure that it comes up by putting an example on an assignment that can even remotely be construed as questioning their beliefs. Especially, when there were an unlimited number of alternate examples that could be used.
If you read the district's response you will note that they made it clear that it was a teacher-created lesson, not part of the district chosen material for the curriculum, and that it was ill-conceived. It was ill-conceived.
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