When it comes to Obama and race, even students are sensitive

Cast

Amanda and Sarah (white)

Tatiyana and Keisha (black)

Teacher

Scene: an urban high school, upperclassmen, English class!  Students are told to create a written response about Barack Obama winning the Nobel Peace Prize.  The class is 80% black, 19% white, 1% other.  Though the class normally has few problems as it relates to race, the subject of Obama and why he won the Nobel Prize quickly tears apart the fabric of class unity.

Tatiyana:  I didn’t know that Obama got the Nobel Prize.  Well, I knew he got it, but I don’t really even know what the prize is.  Is this extra credit?

Keisha: which one did he win?

Teacher: Yes it is extra-credit; you don’t have to write about it if you don’t want to.  He won the Nobel Prize, the Peace Prize for his diplomacy; he won it for promoting peace between the major nations in the world.

Tatiyana: what do you mean which one?  How many they got?

Keisha: She just said it!

The class laughs. Sara and Amanda exchange glances.  Amanda is visibly upset, and as the class lauds Obama, she speaks.

Amanda: They have them for science, literature, peace and a couple others, I think.

Tatiyana and Keisha exchange glances.  Amanda’s English skills far exceed those of most (not all) in the class, and her responses tend to trigger contempt.

Amanda: They gave him the Nobel Prize for being the first black president, not because he did anything spectacular.  He hasn’t been president for a year even!

Teacher: Amanda, you really think so?

Tatiyana: how you gone say that?  Who you vote for?

Amanda: Yea I think so!  I voted for Obama, and so did my parents, but that doesn’t mean that I think he should get a prize that it usually takes years of dedication toward advancing peace to get.

Teacher: Ok, that’s a good point.

(the class snickers.  But Amanda continues to assert herself.)

No,no!  He won the award because Bush was such an awful president.  The rest of the world is rewarding him for doing what a good president should do.

Tatiyana:  (aside to Keisha) What the fuck did she just say?

Amanda and Sarah exchange glances.  As the tensions rise, the teacher tries to move the class on to the next assignment.

Teacher:  Ok.   We are all aloud to have our opinion here.   Variety of thought is a good thing.  We also can’t spend all of our time on Mr. Obama, we have to focus on poetry!  Please take a few more minutes to finish your freewrite.

Tatiyana: Yea but white people are always puttin Obama down.  He did deserve it!

Teacher:  He did deserve it–in your opinoin.  It’s ok if other people think different–that’s why we live in a country where people can voice their opinion.  The Obama’s are planing to donate the money to charity; all 1.4 million!

Keisha: He needs to donate the money to education!

Teacher: I’ll second that!

Tatiyana: Well, I need to go for a walk cause it’s bout to be on up in here. (Tatiyana leaves the room, glaring at Amanda.  As she returns, so does the emotional tension)

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Teaching our young people to be freethinkers requires more than just telling them it’s the right thing to do.  We must teach our young people to question their ethical and moral traditions; otherwise they may fall victim to dogmatic viewpoints.

We should also encourage those adults in our their lives (teachers specifically) question those in power–even if they love them!

If we don’t, then our country becomes a dictatorship; and benevolent or not, a dictatorship is by definition a close-minded society.

In dictatorships:

* the voice of the minority is silenced

* dissent (the foundation of our country) is met with violence

The minority in this case was the white student, and she disagreed with the (overwhelming) majority.  Her voice deserved attention, and even though this short skit doesn’t do the situation justice, the teacher tried to be objective.

The next conversation that should take place in this class (and will in any class that I teach!) would be to discuss the proper way to disagree.  Ad hominem attacks and other personal jabs only divide students, adults, and society.

Can you apologize…to a kid?

Today was a great first day back to school.  Yea, it had it’s bumps: the students sat for an extra 15 minutes in the auditorium, distribution rooms were a nightmare, and I almost ended up teaching a class I hadn’t prepared for!

For the most part, it was a normal first day of school.  I came home tired, agitated, and in real need of alone time.   But I have kids; no alone time.  I also had to drive across town (in rotten, unusually difficult) traffic to grab my niece from daycare–I was late.  Wendy’s on the way home–no way was I in a mood to sweat in the kitchen.  So what happens?

My kids acted like…kids.

“There’s mustard on my burger!  I don’t want any mustard on my burger!  I can’t eat the burger” This was screamed through tears and wails.

“I spent money on that burger and you’re gonna eat it!”

“Mom, can I grab the pops out of the car?  Mom.  Mom. Mom can I grab the drinks out of the car?”  This said of course while I was yelling at the other one.

“This is not a problem that you need to come to me for!  There are some things that you don’t have to ask me for!”

“Okay.”  Her voice let me know I’d hurt her feelings.  I just wanted to be alone.

Ten minutes later, I’m realizing that I was a complete asshole to my kids, and I owed them an apology.  So I went downstairs.   I walked up to my nine year old and without hesitation I said, “I’m sorry I yelled at you earlier.  I had a pretty ok day at work, but now I’m tired and cranky and I shouldn’t have yelled at you.”

“I’m not mad at you mom.  Thanks for the Wendy’s.”  She rarely gets fast food, and she’s quite appreciative when it happens.  Now it was time to apologize to the five year old.  “I’m sorry I yelled at you,” I said, looking her in eye.

“I love you” was her only response.

I felt so much better.  I felt like a responsible parent again.  Kids deserve respect, and yes, kids are kids.  But that doesn’t give us the right to take our grown up crap out on them.

Yes, put the Bible back in school–but only in English class!

It’s so nice to be back at home with The Secular Parent!  I somehow don’t have the refreshed feeling a vacation normally brings…but I’ll fill you in on my vacation in the posts to come.

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Today however brings me to a well-written article by By Drew Zahn, “Charter school’s use of Bible ignites public firestorm.”It seems another school’s planning to use the Bible in English class, as literature.  As an English teacher, I ate this story up!  I have my own views on the subject, but Zahn did a wonderful job laying out the basic argument.

So, a charter school in Idaho has decided to use excerpts from the King James and the New International Bibles as literary texts when the fall school year arrives.  ACLU rep. Monica Hopkins was quoted as saying, “Our main concern is the separation of church and state and that the state is not funding or endorsing a specific religion.”

So, if the Bible is taught as literature (in a secular fashion), does it violate the separation of church and state?

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First, I want to go on record as saying I think the Bible is excellent literature and excerpts of it should definitely be taught in school; 12th Grade AP prep books actually list the Bible as a book that should be studied and analyzed as part of the AP exam!  There is absolutely no doubt that the Bible is one of the most influential books ever written—–> so why can’t we bring it into the classroom?

Blame the teachers on this one!

Yep, teachers (like me) have difficulty being unbiased.  We have no problem teaching Brave New World without berating students with our opinions: we discuss style, tone, diction, theme and all the other English words most of us have blocked from memory.

But when it comes to the Bible, religion, politics, and issues of morality and ethics, teachers really ruin the pie.  We slant things, we use our intelligence to bend the truth in a direction we feel is right.  Why?  Well, who wants to be wrong about anything?!

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The only way to teach the Bible in class, as literature, is to take our experiences as teachers out of it.  It’s also telling that most (American) students don’t know the difference between a theist and an atheist, an agnostic and a deist.  These are basic terms that are used to describe the philosophies of billions of people–and our students don’t have a clue what they mean.

That’s pathetic, and as a nation we should be ashamed.  We’ve become so obsessed with separation of church and state that we’ve forgotten to make our young ones religiously literate.  How can they make an informed decision about their worldview if they don’t have the words to express their philosophy?

But back to the Bible in school.  Two rules must apply for the Bible to be successfully, and taught in a secular fashion:

1.  The teacher must remain objective.  It does students no good to sit in Bible class instead of English.  If the Bible is truly taught in secular fashion, then the people in the Bible aren’t ‘real’, they are characters like the other books we read.  Students are allowed to disagree with the basic  pretense, God’s motives and actions, and whether or not the ‘good book’ is a good book at all.

2.  All viewpoints must be acknowledge equally, and upheld by the teacher–no viewpoint should be discouraged, disrespected, or subjected to intolerant actions.  Period.  Though we don’t read the Bible in my class, we do read books with religious overtones (of course!).  My students know from the first day of class, no matter their background, all thoughts are welcome and respected.  No religion in my class–including the absence of religion, Atheism–is put above another.

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If teachers respect the rights and religions of all people, while reading the Bible in the same way as, say, Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, the controversy surrounding the Bible should diminish.

Of course, there are those who view the reading of the Bible in this fashion as blasphemous.  Teachers should be prepared address the issue with parents, and have alternative lessons available.

You can read Zahn’s full article by clicking here.

23 minutes in Hell…………

I first came across the CD version of Bill Wiese’s 23 minutes in hell via–you guessed it–a student!  The young man said after class one day, that he was aware of my Atheism, that it hurt him, and that he wanted to guide me to God.  He offered me the CD as a gift; God’s way of communicating with me (through him) that I was placing my mortal soul in danger with my Atheism.

What am I supposed to do when a student gives me a gift, in earnest–say no?  That’s not what a teacher does.  Unless it’s a dead baby bird, or some sort or rancid food, I will never turn a gift from a student down.

“But God made me this way, didn’t he?”  I questioned.  “God’s plan is that I’m an Atheist, isn’t it?”

“Please take the CD.” he motioned.  “Listen to it, and then we can talk later.” His tone was serious and there was no smile present on his face.

“I’m not supposed to discuss religion with students, if it doesn’t relate to curriculum needs.  I will take the CD, thank you for the nice offer.”

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Bill Wiese has made a living off of Hell.  Not only has he been there and back (with his wife as living proof), but he doesn’t want anyone to go through the horrible pain that he felt. Mr. Wiese, I believe, is sincere when he says that he went to Hell one night in a dream.   It is not my job to tell someone that the experiences they’ve had aren’t real , I will never do that.

Here’s what Mr. Wiese details in his experiences:

1.  While asleep one normal night, Mr. Wiese’s soul was transported to Hell.  He felt the pain, the unquantifiable heat; he smelled burning flesh.  Mr. Wiese heard the pain and screams of those who had chosen to disobey God.  These things were as real to him as the air going in and out of your lungs right now.

2.  It was God who would deliver Mr. Wiese from Hell.  God (or an Angel) spirited him back to the confines of our Earth, safely into his body.  His wife would find him on the floor, sopping with sweat.  He would recant his journey, and God bid them to tell all who listened of the pain and suffering that awaits should you not choose God.

3.  Mr. Wiese has spent everyday since selling his book, audio CD and lectures (all with the same 23 Minutes in Hell title).  It is given away and sold at churches, versions have popped up from other author’s that detail the experiences of teens–and even little children–that have gone to hell and back.

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As I said before,  I will never say that Mr. Wiese did not go to hell.  His mind and his body tell him that his experiences were real, for him.  Does that mean that Hell is real?

No.  It means that Hell is something he has experienced, and it is real for him.

But we have no proof of hell.  No tangible proof of a place called Hell has ever been proven, and unfortunately, Mr. Wiese’s experiences do not corroborate its existence.  Hell, like Heaven, is something that requires a strong act of faith; if you have that faith, good for you.  If you don’t, that’s ok too.

What I will do is reject the reality of something simply because someone else said they experienced it.   Saying 23 Minutes in Hell is factual truth is false advertisement.

Where do we go from here?

“I’m here to save your soul”– a student preaches

I heard him running up the stairs, and by the time he got to my room he was panting.  “I’m here to save your soul,”  spewed from his lips–along with a bunch spit flecks.

He’d come into my room while I was eating lunch (typically, I lock the door).  I was in the middle of a killer salad when he’d taken my mind into a world of emotions.  Who the hell was he to save my soul?  What gave him the authority to ’save me?’  I respect his boundaries–I don’t come into class decrying Atheism the only way, so why was he blurting out religious vernacular?

Inside I was on the verge of a laughing meltdown–”really,” I thought.  “You’re here to save me—Haaaaaahaaahaahaha!!!”  But I would never do that to the student’s face.  So, I calmly said, “Why do you want to do that?” I asked him instead.

“Because my religion commands me to tell people about God, and you’re an Atheist.  Do you really believe that Jesus isn’t the Son of God?  I’ve felt in my heart and I know that he’s real.”

“Yep.”  I said.  “And, I’m perfectly fine with you believing in Jesus.  For you, he is the son of God, and that’s ok.  For me, he’s not.  All viewpoints are respected at school.”  I always end things this way because I never want students to get the impression that I dislike them because of their faith.  I want my students to be proud of their beliefs, to stand up to them, even to adults and people in positions of power–like a teacher.

But this student was preaching to me–without provocation.  And he

wasn’t finished yet.

“Actually, it’s not ok.  Well, Jesus and the Bible are real.  God loves you and wants you to come back to him,” he proclaimed.  I know that you were once a Christian, and whatever made you turn from God is wrong.  I know you’re a nice person, but Heaven only accepts those who believe.”

“Really?”  I questioned.

“Well, I’ve done my part.  If you choose not to believe now, it’s your fault, not mine.  Good bye and God bless you.”

He walked out as quickly as he came in.

What should I do when a student preaches to me?

Do schools need a moment of prayer?

As a teacher, I can tell you that public education has enough problems without adding prayer to the mix.  Still, many people think that if students are allowed to pray, something grand will happen.

While chit-chatting with my dad the other day, he said  “well , maybe prayer should be put back in school.  Things have gone crazy since they took it out.  These kids need something to give them discipline.”

What many people– including my good ol pappy–fail to realize is a known truth: most children attend Church services outside of school already.  In my school and in the district I work in, 80-90% of the kids attend church services of some kind at least once a week.

Does prayer stop my students from spewing vulgarities, wearing slutty clothes, or constantly abusing teachers for trying to teach them?  Does prayer improve study skills?

The sad truth is, prayer won’t help public education; competent teachers, willing (or, at least compliant) students, and involved parents are the only REAL solutions to the sad debacle that is public education.

Prayer will only add more problems, more lawsuits, and more frustration.  Religion breeds intolerance.  It doesn’t mean to, but that is an unintended consequence.  “You pray to our God, or you’re bad,” seems to be call kids really get from religion.  Besides, a school is a representation of the community.  This means, yea, most students will believe in God.  However, all students are welcome, and to keep that way, prayer needs to stay in the church, not on the school steps and in the classroom, where learning is supposed to take place!

Why is Jonathan important?

http://www.d3graphics.com/shirts/hardcore.jpg

I’m sitting at my desk eating lunch at school one day, when I notice a lengthy figure at my door.   He has platinum blond hair, pale skin, and a shirt that says  * HARDCORE  CHRISTIAN * in block letters.  We’ll call him Jonathan.  I’d seen Jonathan around school, and I know that he certain has no qualms about wearing his religion on his sleeve.  I knew it was only a matter of time before he ended up in my doorway.  He had a friend next to him who happens to be one of my students.  As she walks away, I hear her say “That’s her.”

As Jonathan walks in, my heart begins to race.  He is a ‘hardcore Christian’ according to his shirt; I’m a Heartland Atheist.  He speaks:

“Hullo.”

” Can I help you?”

“Well, I wanted to let you know that my name is Jonathan; and I’ll probably be in your class next year.  I know that you’re an Atheist and Atheists hate God, but I hope that if I have you…” I stop him.

“Oh, you’ve been misinformed!  Atheists don’t hate God, they just don’t believe he exists.”  I say this in a cherry tone, non-confrontational? The next moments were critical; I needed Jonathan to realize that I was not his enemy, even though I was certain this was his perception.  “I would be happy to have you in my class next year.”

“Well, I want you to know that I DO believe in God, and I am steadfast in my faith.”  Jonathan was aware of the new Atheist revolt spreading in school; once I came out as an Atheist, quite a few students have shown their open skepticism of faith.

“Excellent!” I told him.   “I’m glad you believe.  I don’t believe in God at all.  But it’s ok, all people and all faiths are welcome in my class.”

I don’t know what he was expecting, but interpreting his disposition was difficult.  I got the sense that he had wanted to stand his ground–and he did.  But I don’t know what he was expecting from me, and after I finished talking, his “ok, bye,” was much too general for me to read.

Why is Jonathan important?—->why should it matter if a ‘hardcore Christian’ kid gets a good impression of me?

At the core of every extreme belief, there is misunderstanding; false-truths.  My hope was that I had caused Jonathan’s mind to stir; he certainly did that to my brain.  At first, I found myself dreading the thought of Jonathan in my class for a whole school year–would I be in meeting after meeting with fundamentalist parents?  My liberal attitude would be completely offensive to them.  Would Jonathan make class unbearable, with his constant religious references?

Since all voices and all perspectives are welcome in my classroom, and should be in any publicly-funded class, I found myself agreeing with my sister’s attitude after I explained the situation to her: “you will teach him the truth about Atheists.  He will learn who they are thr0ugh you, and that’s a good thing.”

I hope she’s right.  I want Jonathan to be successful in life; I also want him to see people for who they really are, not who others claim them to be.  For me to do that however, I’d have to drop the labels: Jonathan is not his *HARDCORE CHRISTIAN* shirt.  Jonathan is an American teenager trying to figure out how to maneuver through this thing called life.

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Update:

Based on some of the comments that I’ve received recently, I think some clarification on Jonathan is needed.  First, I hope all the readers were able to deduce that Jonathan is not the young man’s name in question: not even close.  As a teacher, I must make sure that the privacy of my students are taken seriously, and I do.  Second, discussing a conversation that I had with a student, particularly for the benefit of parents and educators alike–and as long as the student’s privacy is in tact–is something that all educators are encouraged to do!

Columbine, Jeremy and the inclusive school

Two lines: one for the boys, and one for the girls.  Bags must be placed on the table-all items will be checked.  School ID badges must be worn at all times.  This is how a growing number of middle and high school students greet their school day.  They are all but frisked, and still, school violence is a fear for most principals.  While its easy to throw the blame on our young adults, I prefer to balance things a bit.  Yes, when we look at Columbine, we realize that Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold had a choice in their behavior; you don’t have to hurt others to get your own feelings out.

And what about those students who hurt no one but themselves?  When Pearl Jam chose to release the video for their song Jeremy in 1992, both the song and the images of a skinny kid spiraling into mental anguish and despair tore us apart.  Pearl Jam won awards (rightfully so, the link to the video is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNO6pAJBCs4 ), and 7 years later two young men changed how Americans viewed public school safety by killing 12 students and teachers, before committing suicide.

A few months ago in my AP English class, we analyzed the video for Jeremy.  My goal was to discuss with students the possible causes of student violence, either directed at themselves, or teachers and students.  Most students said what we’ve trained them to say: Jeremy was bullied.  No one liked him.

Now, when you ask a teacher why a student would commit such acts of violence, they revert to the same answer, with a slight addition: he had a bad homelife, obviously.  Kids taunted him.  He wasn’t socially adjusted.

I’d like to offer an approach that encompasses the school’s culpability as well.   As a school, the culture should be one of inclusion.  So, are American schools inclusive?  Consider that in the news yesterday there was a gay student who went online at school looking for GLBT scholarships, only to find out that over 100 schools in Tennessee are illegally censoring websites that are not sexually explicit in content.  At the same time, anti-gay websites (that openly promote ‘de-gaying’) were not blocked.  His lawyer is considering a lawsuit.

Schools have an obligation to make sure that all students feel respected, and protected.  The fact is however, many teachers (unfortunately) allow their personal viewpoints on race, sexual orientation, and religion to skew their duty to teach in an ethical way.  In addition, we must create a culture of respect in the schools.  For example, students consistently use the word ‘gay’ to describe things they abhor.  That word is strictly forbidden in my classroom.  If you don’t like something, you don’t have the right to condemn a minority group in the country.

To ANY teacher, “gay” should be synonymous with “nigger.”  Not because all students to be pro-gay: students have a constitutional right to disagree with that.  The reason is because during middle and high school, confusion about sexuality and race are common.  If a student feels that no one (not even a teacher) will stand up for the rights of those in the minority, and they have to be at school for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, who can they turn to?

And it’s not just gay students who feel excluded: atheist students, rural students, urban-turned-suburban students, white students, and most notably of late, Muslim students.  Our schools are not creating a culture of mutual respect.

Each week, I’m going to give tips and advice for helping schools become more inclusive, because given the enormous amount of stress teenagers are under, no student walk through a school door with hundreds of people, yet feel like there’s no one there but them.