God made Spring
Just ask my five year old. Where’d she hear that gem? At school and it’s the truth because her teacher said so.
We should have known that something like this was bound to happen sooner or later. The teacher has made it extremely obvious she’s one of those Christians who assumes everyone else is also.
For example, we recently watched in shock as she led the students in two god soaked pledges and a god soaked song which she followed up by telling the children to bow their heads and say their prayers.
I’ve been hoping that we wouldn’t have to deal with this until our daughter was older and more capable of understanding what’s going on, but it appears that’s not going to be possible.
What’s gets me though is that I feel like the bad guy for even considering making a complaint about this.
I’m also quite worried about what will happen to our daughter if we do. A lot of Christians simply can’t handle not being allowed to use their official positions to promote their personal beliefs. They tend to turn into vicious bullies who make life hell for the only party can reasonably get to - the kid(s).
Our daughter is just coming out her shell and I’m afraid that if there is a backlash, she’ll retreat back into it - permanently.
What’s a parent to do?
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Perhaps the state ACLU could be of assistance. Many times it doesn’t have to escalate beyond a letter from them to the school administration, which might not need to include your identity.
Oh, I feel for you. My kids are in K and 1rst grade in a public school. So far, nothing has been as blatant as your situation. But, there have been a couple of touchy issues. Every situation is different and it is so hard to know what to do. This is so over the line though…if it were me I would speak to the teacher about it.
If your teacher is going to promote prayer and the administration is (probably) going to condone it, insist that all major religions be represented. This way, your child can learn about respecting different cultures and the inherent worth of all others.
And make your request with sincerity.
Bet that’ll make it stop.
Sorry, KC, but I’m not really offering any help. I would go with them and suggest this problem to a higher authority. I’m just here to say that this is really sad. First off, this probably shouldn’t be happening under that “separation of church and state” law. Second, everybody’s thinking it, I’m just saying it: That CRAP (pardon my French) belongs in Sunday school and not in the classroom, where everything should at least attempt to be fair. This is why I don’t like the idea of the “UNDER GOD” phrase in the Pledge of Allegiance. Not everybody is Christian. Yet those nutjob Christian conservatives seem to think that it’s FINE to have an extremely thinly veiled reference to religion in something that obviously is PATRIOTIC and not RELIGIOUS. I think the fact that these people are trying to force their ways onto kids who don’t know any better just makes it sound wrong.
I’m going to become a teacher, take up the wiccan religion, and see how much hypocracy I can stir up telling children about my faith as fact in the classroom. Wonder if they’ll teach prayer in class by day, and demand religions out of schools by night.
This might be a great opportunity to teach your daughter a valuable lesson: how to dissent with respect. In other words, you begin teaching her that it’s okay to think that something her teachers say might not be right, but that she should still always respect them.
I do understand and sympathise with your position. If it’s any reassurance, I was brought up in the UK where a great number of non-fee-paying schools are run by the Church of England. I was in these schools from age 3 to 16 - prayers and hymns in assembly, RE that only really covered Christianity in any detail at all - and it didn’t do me any harm. The only influence all that had over me is that I am now a fully-rounded rationalist/atheist/humanist … with a good understanding of Christianity. What a combo! But then my teachers all seemed to be able to teach religion and science competently and even-handedly without ever seeing a conflict. Sorry for the essay, but my point is this: if you think it’s the right thing to do to lodge a complaint, then go for it - but be reassured that kids mind’s aren’t necessarily as easy to indoctrinate as we sometimes worry they are.
If I were you I would ask them to spend a few days covering all of the religions of the world that way your daughter can decide what religion, if any, suits her best. I’m sure the teacher would love to spend some quality time talking about allah, sheeva, buddha and the others.
I would ask to sit in on occasion too. Knowing the teacher, having a religion bias like that she would not be likely to give each religion a fair shake. I personally am an atheist but I think if we are going to teach/practice religion in schools we should have a non-biased person come in for a week that does not subscribe to any religion and treat them all with the same respect. Tell kids about the worlds beliefs. It might help them to understand cultural differences. It might help kids who have not been forced into a religion to see whats there and if they want to take one up fine.
It might help Christians to understand why there is no place for it in schools when their kid comes home asking about shiva and buddha… Of course this would cause a public outcry from the Christians because they practice the only “true” religion and it’s not cool to have their kids learn about all the other “true” religions.
In all seriousness, this is what I would ask for first from the school. Find someone from a local college who is unbiased, well versed in religion and have them come spend a day talking to the kids and teachers.
I wish they would do this in school period, just cover them all so the kids can see that there are all of these people throughout the world that all believe different things while every one of them thinks their religion is the only one to have it “right”. I think it would be an eye opener for for the kids.
If the school can’t have an unbiased discussion about them all then they certainly can’t have someone practicing one now can they? If they refuse bring out the guns ACLU, lawyers, etc.
I understand your desire to be discreet (thereby protecting your daughter from vindictive retaliation), but this teacher’s teaching practices are illegal. Write an anonymous letter or e-mail to the school or district administration exposing her. Hopefully, you’ll get somebody open-minded enough to intervene.
Having lived in Texas, I fear that you won’t.
While it’s ridiculous that this sort of thing goes on, and technically it really should be taken up with school administration, in the interest of your daughter I wouldn’t do it. Do your best to explain to her yourself that there are different religions in the world that believe different things, and many people who don’t believe in any god at all. It’s a pain to do this sort of thing to a kid at this young an age but, it has to happen sometime.
The reason I say this is that chances are most of the kids ARE christian and you’d be the blasphemous mother ruining things for everyone. While her classmates wouldn’t know exactly what’s going on they’d still pick up that something was wrong, and kids can be annoyingly cruel.
Just my 2 cents, good luck with the situation.
So yeah…you COULD try forcing them to have some kind of “talk about all religions” thing in class, but if her same stupid teacher is going to be putting it on, it’ll probably just end up being something about how all the people from these other faiths are going to hell. Unfortunately this will most likely end with either the school siding with the teacher and a huge legal battle, or the lady quitting/getting fired and going all martyr on your ass and organizing some kind of huge movement in your town….
Don’t complain. Just urge that if faith is going to be taught insist that all faiths should be given equal time. That will stop it. Read the letter to the school board at the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster website. This would give you a very good idea of what to write. Good luck.
I think you should report this woman and explain to your kid to make up her own mind. If you’re as militant as your blog subtitle portends, than you’re doing as much damage to your kid as this teacher.
Don’t let someone brainwash your kids, but don’t in turn brainwash them with your own agenda. If your kid makes a rational decision to explore faith based believes, it should be encouraged, or at least accepted. Despite what other commenters have said, your kid might not be the only non-Christian in the class. And you might be the only parent with the drive to do anything.
IMO it’s as big a leap of faith for someone to say there is no god as it is for someone to say there is a god.
I would request a meeting with both the principal and the teacher present. Simply state that your family is not Christian, but do not elaborate on your beliefs. Ask for the kids to be given a 1-day lesson on different beliefs (and a non belief) around the world (for the purposes of tolerance and respect) and that in the future the teacher keep her private beliefs PRIVATE. Take notes while you are there.
If the situation is not worked out to your satisfaction, your child either needs a different teacher or a different school. And get the advice of a lawyer.
I had a similar experience on my son’s first day of first grade. He returned home with a colorful yellow flyer entitled “First Grade News”. It was mostly a standard welcome letter, enthusiastically describing the general curriculum, required school supplies and acceptable snacks. In the midst of this however, the following paragraph loomed:
“Our class will say the Pledge of Allegiance each morning. If you do not wish your child to participate in this, please send me a brief note. He/she can stand quietly during this time.”
This was my “brief note” (I cc’d the principal and BoE:
———
Dear Mrs. Singerman,
This note is regarding your First Grade News flyer sent home with Liam yesterday, specifically the paragraph regarding the Pledge of Allegiance.
I was very surprised to see that the students will have a daily recitation of the Pledge. As someone who attended Shaker schools from kindergarten through twelfth grade, I do not recall ever having such a requirement.
As non-believers, the problem our family faces is not that our son is forced to recite the Pledge. The problem is that due to our core beliefs he is *prevented* from reciting it.
Clearly, the language in the Pledge speaks to the majority, however it is exclusionary to those members of other religious communities or none at all, and as such effectively bars those outside the “Judeo-Christian” tradition from pledging allegiance to their country. The value of their citizenship, whether as Americans or simply of the classroom, is degraded. The Pledge therefore defines them as outside of the community, as people who cannot express their patriotism without violating their most profound beliefs.
Although a student’s option to “stand quietly during this time” certainly appears reasonable on the surface, I would ask you to please step back and consider this exclusion in light of the core American principles on which the Pledge is constructed. If we are truly to be “one nation, indivisible,” we must carefully consider the impact of our edicts on minorities. To do otherwise creates a religious requirement for loyalty and tells non-believers that they cannot be fully American.
Our history is one of broadening the definitions of Americanism and historically the Shaker Heights School System has been a pioneer in matters of integration and inclusion. I’m sure you can see how our ongoing commitment to the these principles is tested when we are dismissive of students who, though not like ourselves, share in the American experience.
——-
The result was, in place of the pledge, the class had a non-religious flag ceremony every morning. Voila!
Sometimes if you make enough sense, they have to listen. 
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KC, public or private school?
In either case, I’d begin lining up a lawyer, immediate elevate to the schools administration. The longer such habits are in place the more difficult it will be to correct them.