Religion in Schools

Religion in public schools is a controversial topic because many believe that prayer and religion should be featured in schools. However, the Supreme Court has ruled that schools cannot require that students participate in a school-led prayer and teachers cannot advocate for a specific religion. Students are allowed to have religious clubs or groups, and they may leave school for religious instruction. Students may also reference their religion in their homework, artwork, and projects, but it is important for teachers to remain neutral with regards to religion in the classroom.

As a public school teacher, I know I will encounter many different types of religion. In fact, I already have experienced this in a few instances. When I was substitute teaching for a second grade class last year, one of the students had not made a lunch choice for the day. When I asked him about it, he said "I'm not eating lunch today." I asked him why because all children need to eat lunch. He explained that he was fasting because of the Muslim holiday Ramadan. In my future classroom, I may encounter various fasting holidays like this or I may have students absent to observe special holidays in their religion. Because the calendar is centered around Christian holidays, students with other religions may have to miss school days in order to observe. It will be my job to accommodate students with these needs.

It will also be important to create an accepting and welcoming environment for all students. No matter what their religion, it is important that I make all students feel accepted in the classroom. They should not be afraid that they will be bullied or ostracized for having a different religion than their peers, and they should especially feel safe with their teacher. I will not discuss my personal religious beliefs, and I will not allow negative conversations about certain religions to occur in my classroom.