Religion classes in school - Megathread

I don't really know where to start with this one—it’s kind of a mess in my head—but I just felt like I had to get it out there. It’s funny how some things just hit you out of nowhere, right? Like, you’re just going about your day, maybe grabbing a coffee at Starbucks or something, and suddenly you're thinking about these deep, complicated stuff that you probably shouldn't be worrying about at 10:00 AM. Anyway... it's all just a bit much sometimes. Just a bit much. kaže:
I guess I should probably start by saying... well, I don't really know where to begin, honestly—it’s one of those things that feels a bit overwhelming when you actually sit down to type it out—but I figured I’d just jump in and try to share what's on my mind. It’s kind of funny, actually, how these things work—how you just sort of find yourself staring at a blinking cursor for ten minutes before realizing you have something to say—anyway, here goes nothing. I mean, honestly... isn't this just a massive overreaction? It feels like everyone is just totally blowing things way out of proportion—it’s actually kind of wild if you think about it.
I mean, honestly—stuff like that probably only happens during the Dark Ages... or maybe just when everyone’s gone back to believing in alchemy and magic instead of actual science.🙄 That’s exactly why it matters so much—you really need to know the specifics. Like, how many kids from class A, B, or C are actually heading off to religion class at any given moment? And you have to account for where everyone is—like if the librarian is tied up, or what the teacher is actually working on right then. It gets so messy. Plus, there's the whole issue of why certain kids aren't getting extra help or tutoring sessions—or why some *are* getting them at that exact time, which honestly feels like it’s just picking favorites and leaving the rest of the class in the dust. It’s all about those little details that make everything feel unfair.🤦
Hey, everyone—just take a breath and relax for a second. Seriously.☕

I mean, honestly—aside from when they’re off at religious studies or whatever—there aren't many times where you see little kids just wandering the hallways for forty-five minutes straight without a single adult keeping an eye on them. It’s one of those things that really sticks in my mind... just sitting there in the hall, totally unsupervised.

Sarah Hall53 said:

I don't really know where to start with this one—it’s kind of a mess in my head—but I just felt like I had to get it out there. It’s funny how some things just hit you out of nowhere, right? Like, you’re just going about your day, maybe grabbing a coffee at Starbucks or something, and suddenly you're thinking about these deep, complicated stuff that you probably shouldn't be worrying about at 10:00 AM. Anyway... it's all just a bit much sometimes. Just a bit much. kaže:
I guess I should probably start by saying... well, I don't really know where to begin, honestly—it’s one of those things that feels a bit overwhelming when you actually sit down to type it out—but I figured I’d just jump in and try to share what's on my mind. It’s kind of funny, actually, how these things work—how you just sort of find yourself staring at a blinking cursor for ten minutes before realizing you have something to say—anyway, here goes nothing. I mean, honestly... isn't this just a massive overreaction? It feels like everyone is just totally blowing things way out of proportion—it’s actually kind of wild if you think about it.
I mean, honestly—stuff like that probably only happens during the Dark Ages... or maybe just when everyone’s gone back to believing in alchemy and magic instead of actual science.🙄 That’s exactly why it matters so much—you really need to know the specifics. Like, how many kids from class A, B, or C are actually heading off to religion class at any given moment? And you have to account for where everyone is—like if the librarian is tied up, or what the teacher is actually working on right then. It gets so messy. Plus, there's the whole issue of why certain kids aren't getting extra help or tutoring sessions—or why some *are* getting them at that exact time, which honestly feels like it’s just picking favorites and leaving the rest of the class in the dust. It’s all about those little details that make everything feel unfair.🤦
Hey, everyone—just take a breath and relax for a second. Seriously.☕

I mean, honestly—aside from when they’re off at religious studies or whatever—there aren't many times where you see little kids just wandering the hallways for forty-five minutes straight without a single adult keeping an eye on them. It’s one of those things that really sticks in my mind... just sitting there in the hall, totally unsupervised.

....didn't realize school was such a death trap.
Whoever survives the first four years will let us know.

Give me a break, stop overreacting.

🤦
Look, I’m just pointing out how that religious studies hour for non-religious kids stands apart from the rest of their school day—but hey, feel free to twist my words however you want if it makes you feel better.

Sarah Hall53 said:

I don't really know where to start with this one—it’s kind of a mess in my head—but I just felt like I had to get it out there. It’s funny how some things just hit you out of nowhere, right? Like, you’re just going about your day, maybe grabbing a coffee at Starbucks or something, and suddenly you're thinking about these deep, complicated stuff that you probably shouldn't be worrying about at 10:00 AM. Anyway... it's all just a bit much sometimes. Just a bit much. kaže:
I guess I should probably start by saying... well, I don't really know where to begin, honestly—it’s one of those things that feels a bit overwhelming when you actually sit down to type it out—but I figured I’d just jump in and try to share what's on my mind. It’s kind of funny, actually, how these things work—how you just sort of find yourself staring at a blinking cursor for ten minutes before realizing you have something to say—anyway, here goes nothing. I mean, honestly... isn't this just a massive overreaction? It feels like everyone is just totally blowing things way out of proportion—it’s actually kind of wild if you think about it.
I mean, honestly—stuff like that probably only happens during the Dark Ages... or maybe just when everyone’s gone back to believing in alchemy and magic instead of actual science.🙄 That’s exactly why it matters so much—you really need to know the specifics. Like, how many kids from class A, B, or C are actually heading off to religion class at any given moment? And you have to account for where everyone is—like if the librarian is tied up, or what the teacher is actually working on right then. It gets so messy. Plus, there's the whole issue of why certain kids aren't getting extra help or tutoring sessions—or why some *are* getting them at that exact time, which honestly feels like it’s just picking favorites and leaving the rest of the class in the dust. It’s all about those little details that make everything feel unfair.🤦
Hey, everyone—just take a breath and relax for a second. Seriously.☕

I mean, honestly—aside from when they’re off at religious studies or whatever—there aren't many times where you see little kids just wandering the hallways for forty-five minutes straight without a single adult keeping an eye on them. It’s one of those things that really sticks in my mind... just sitting there in the hall, totally unsupervised.

It is absolutely disgraceful how these schools operate. In my own neighborhood, I have never once heard of children just being left to loiter in the hallways like that.

Sarah Hall53 said:

I don't really know where to start with this one—it’s kind of a mess in my head—but I just felt like I had to get it out there. It’s funny how some things just hit you out of nowhere, right? Like, you’re just going about your day, maybe grabbing a coffee at Starbucks or something, and suddenly you're thinking about these deep, complicated stuff that you probably shouldn't be worrying about at 10:00 AM. Anyway... it's all just a bit much sometimes. Just a bit much. kaže:
I guess I should probably start by saying... well, I don't really know where to begin, honestly—it’s one of those things that feels a bit overwhelming when you actually sit down to type it out—but I figured I’d just jump in and try to share what's on my mind. It’s kind of funny, actually, how these things work—how you just sort of find yourself staring at a blinking cursor for ten minutes before realizing you have something to say—anyway, here goes nothing. I mean, honestly... isn't this just a massive overreaction? It feels like everyone is just totally blowing things way out of proportion—it’s actually kind of wild if you think about it.
I mean, honestly—stuff like that probably only happens during the Dark Ages... or maybe just when everyone’s gone back to believing in alchemy and magic instead of actual science.🙄 That’s exactly why it matters so much—you really need to know the specifics. Like, how many kids from class A, B, or C are actually heading off to religion class at any given moment? And you have to account for where everyone is—like if the librarian is tied up, or what the teacher is actually working on right then. It gets so messy. Plus, there's the whole issue of why certain kids aren't getting extra help or tutoring sessions—or why some *are* getting them at that exact time, which honestly feels like it’s just picking favorites and leaving the rest of the class in the dust. It’s all about those little details that make everything feel unfair.🤦
Hey, everyone—just take a breath and relax for a second. Seriously.☕

I mean, honestly—aside from when they’re off at religious studies or whatever—there aren't many times where you see little kids just wandering the hallways for forty-five minutes straight without a single adult keeping an eye on them. It’s one of those things that really sticks in my mind... just sitting there in the hall, totally unsupervised.

well, look, I don't know about all that, honestly.
my kid basically treats after-school care like his own private playground, and every single time I show up to pick him up, the teacher seems to have absolutely no clue where he actually wandered off to.🤣
plus, you have some first graders—and honestly, most of the second graders—walking to school all by themselves, so I guess they can handle being unsupervised if they have to.
and finally—and I really, truly mean this—I think there are plenty of places in the world far more dangerous than a school hallway, so I don't really see the point in making such a huge deal out of those 45 minutes.

Signed for urbantinker8 and Jacob Lopez2.

Look, I get it—everything feels significantly more high-stakes than it did when we were kids about twenty years ago. But let’s be real: bullying and even the occasional knife threat in middle school weren't exactly non-existent back then either, so there was always some level of 😵

Back in my day, we would just walk home from school for about 1.9 miles minutes, cutting through the main roads, wandering through the next town over, or hiking through the woods and hills... and, surprisingly, everyone turned out fine.
So, why should we be stressing out in advance about some hypothetical bully who might eventually show up?

If kids are running wild unsupervised for those 45 minutes after the bell rings, that’s a much bigger issue worth addressing.
From what I’ve gathered on this thread, it seems like the situation at that one particular school was actually an isolated 🤔

Look, one of the main reasons we picked this specific school was because they have this policy where religion class is either the very first period or the very last one through fourth grade. And honestly, based on what we’ve seen over these past two years, that’s actually how it plays out. If the kids are on the afternoon shift, it’s the first thing they do; if they're there in the morning, it's the last thing on the schedule.
Plus, you have to consider that maybe a third of the kids don't even sign up for it. Since the classes are already pretty small—we're talking under 20 students per room—they just end up merging two different grades together for that one hour.

But looking at the official master schedule here, it says religion is scheduled for two periods a week, yet everyone in this thread keeps saying it's just one hour.🤔

Just about an hour a day 😁

Raymond Jones8 said:Look, one of the main reasons we picked this specific school was because they have this policy where religion class is either the very first period or the very last one through fourth grade. And honestly, based on what we’ve seen over these past two years, that’s actually how it plays out. If the kids are on the afternoon shift, it’s the first thing they do; if they're there in the morning, it's the last thing on the schedule.
Plus, you have to consider that maybe a third of the kids don't even sign up for it. Since the classes are already pretty small—we're talking under 20 students per room—they just end up merging two different grades together for that one hour.

But looking at the official master schedule here, it says religion is scheduled for two periods a week, yet everyone in this thread keeps saying it's just one hour.🤔

I guess I should clarify that I'm referring to just one hour per week because, in my kid's class, that lesson is always either the opening period or the closing one.
When it's the first period, the kid just isn't at school yet, so I don't really have to stress about managing the classroom bully or that one kid who won't stop cracking jokes.
If it's the last period, the "issue" is mostly just that they have after-school care, so they have to stay on campus. If they didn't have after-school care, I suppose that hour wouldn't even be an issue.😉

urbantinker8 said:I guess I should clarify that I'm referring to just one hour per week because, in my kid's class, that lesson is always either the opening period or the closing one.
When it's the first period, the kid just isn't at school yet, so I don't really have to stress about managing the classroom bully or that one kid who won't stop cracking jokes.
If it's the last period, the "issue" is mostly just that they have after-school care, so they have to stay on campus. If they didn't have after-school care, I suppose that hour wouldn't even be an issue.😉

And you'd feel the exact same way if they scheduled it during the 2nd or 3rd period.🤔

This thread has 167 pages and has been around since 2005. People keep posting about the issue of non-religious kids being stuck in after-school programs during religion class because of how it's slotted into the weekly schedule.
Parents make their decisions based on that timing, which feels like a subtle way of forcing them to enroll their children in religion classes despite their own beliefs—simply because they care about who and how their kids will spend those two 45-minute blocks every week.

Okay, you might have luck avoiding this stress because you actually follow the recommendations from organizations like the ACLU regarding scheduling it during the first or last periods. Though, honestly, if they're in after-school care, that last period doesn't really matter unless it's the 5th period and they get picked up from the program—kind of like how some kids get picked up right after math tutoring.

But for the vast majority of people, it's not that simple. You have to wonder if the scheduling is this consistent across all grades in your child's school:

First off, mathematically, it’s impossible for everyone to have it during the first period, since there are only five first periods in a week—or ten if the school runs on a split shift.
Second, they try to ensure the religion teachers don't end up with massive gaps in their schedules.
Third, those last periods don't make much sense for kids in after-school programs, or for 4th graders with foreign language or older students with computer science or classics, because the kids end up just waiting around, and religion class takes priority.

When you crunch all those numbers, you realize that sometimes certain classes have religion during the 2nd or 3rd period, and even when it is the 4th period, they still have a 5th period—like an elective such as German 🥳
(or they don't at all).

It’s completely normal for parents to ask how many kids are attending or not, because that determines whether they can successfully lobby for it to be the 1st period (though even that isn't a guarantee, since some parents won't have it work for their schedule if it shifts to the 2nd period), or if they can get a coherent, organized morning block if there are 7, 8, or 12 kids.

Regarding the topic of the nun who was questioning today whether other teachers would be treated the same way her colleague was... of course they wouldn't.
In any other case, he would have been processed immediately on November 29th (the day he started talking nonsense) with an extraordinary termination. Instead, the school tried to cover up the report for a whole month, and then, after nobody reacted, someone leaked the footage to the media, effectively ruining Christmas. 🥳

If what the journalists are reporting is true, this is absolutely terrible.From his education level to his overall attitude toward his work at the school (especially since he was also a homeroom teacher).

Susan James said:And you'd feel the exact same way if they scheduled it during the 2nd or 3rd period.🤔

This thread has 167 pages and has been around since 2005. People keep posting about the issue of non-religious kids being stuck in after-school programs during religion class because of how it's slotted into the weekly schedule.
Parents make their decisions based on that timing, which feels like a subtle way of forcing them to enroll their children in religion classes despite their own beliefs—simply because they care about who and how their kids will spend those two 45-minute blocks every week.

Okay, you might have luck avoiding this stress because you actually follow the recommendations from organizations like the ACLU regarding scheduling it during the first or last periods. Though, honestly, if they're in after-school care, that last period doesn't really matter unless it's the 5th period and they get picked up from the program—kind of like how some kids get picked up right after math tutoring.

But for the vast majority of people, it's not that simple. You have to wonder if the scheduling is this consistent across all grades in your child's school:

First off, mathematically, it’s impossible for everyone to have it during the first period, since there are only five first periods in a week—or ten if the school runs on a split shift.
Second, they try to ensure the religion teachers don't end up with massive gaps in their schedules.
Third, those last periods don't make much sense for kids in after-school programs, or for 4th graders with foreign language or older students with computer science or classics, because the kids end up just waiting around, and religion class takes priority.

When you crunch all those numbers, you realize that sometimes certain classes have religion during the 2nd or 3rd period, and even when it is the 4th period, they still have a 5th period—like an elective such as German 🥳
(or they don't at all).

It’s completely normal for parents to ask how many kids are attending or not, because that determines whether they can successfully lobby for it to be the 1st period (though even that isn't a guarantee, since some parents won't have it work for their schedule if it shifts to the 2nd period), or if they can get a coherent, organized morning block if there are 7, 8, or 12 kids.

Regarding the topic of the nun who was questioning today whether other teachers would be treated the same way her colleague was... of course they wouldn't.
In any other case, he would have been processed immediately on November 29th (the day he started talking nonsense) with an extraordinary termination. Instead, the school tried to cover up the report for a whole month, and then, after nobody reacted, someone leaked the footage to the media, effectively ruining Christmas. 🥳

If what the journalists are reporting is true, this is absolutely terrible.From his education level to his overall attitude toward his work at the school (especially since he was also a homeroom teacher).

fair point.
i guess it’s kind of like how I don't really get worn out by a forty-five minute stretch, so i suppose i wouldn't really be feeling any different if it were ninety minutes either.

I’m honestly not worried about what might happen to my kid on the playground. Not at all.
But I still won't accept them sitting outside the door like a dog, and they certainly aren't going to sit there listening to religious studies through the cracks.
The school needs to figure out a proper place for my child to be during that time.🙂

Thankfully, we have a great teacher and a sensible school, so they’re either out on the playground under supervision, in an empty classroom, or in the library.

rowdypanther12 said:I’m honestly not worried about what might happen to my kid on the playground. Not at all.
But I still won't accept them sitting outside the door like a dog, and they certainly aren't going to sit there listening to religious studies through the cracks.
The school needs to figure out a proper place for my child to be during that time.🙂

Thankfully, we have a great teacher and a sensible school, so they’re either out on the playground under supervision, in an empty classroom, or in the library.

From what I’ve seen, kids who don't participate in religious studies seem to have a perfectly fine time during that free period—I wouldn't say they're necessarily having the time of their lives, but they enjoy themselves enough, whether they're hanging out in the hallway, a different classroom, the library, or out on the yard.
I guess the only slightly tricky part of the whole situation is the supervision aspect, though even that isn't much of an issue for me, so I don't really spend much time overthinking it.

urbantinker8 said:From what I’ve seen, kids who don't participate in religious studies seem to have a perfectly fine time during that free period—I wouldn't say they're necessarily having the time of their lives, but they enjoy themselves enough, whether they're hanging out in the hallway, a different classroom, the library, or out on the yard.
I guess the only slightly tricky part of the whole situation is the supervision aspect, though even that isn't much of an issue for me, so I don't really spend much time overthinking it.

I wouldn't say that applies to everyone.
We've seen examples of this locally, and I know from working at IBM where the kids end up during that time. Sometimes they're with a teacher, sometimes with a librarian, and sometimes they're just left to their own devices. It’s two 45-minute blocks.
And no, they aren't necessarily having fun.
I really don't think this should be happening in elementary school. Kids shouldn't have to deal with those kinds of experiences right at the start of their schooling.

My daughter, on the other hand, loves it.
She actually prefers being in the study hall, especially during the last period rather than the first. She gets a kick out of when the kids attending religious ed tell her, "Man, you're lucky!" (since they usually head out after the fourth period), or she loves finally getting through her reading assignment in one go without having to borrow a book from someone else.
(There’s more to it that she tells me, but I don't feel like typing it all out right now)

I sat down with my daughter to walk her through what the schedule would look like. Knowing exactly where she'd be during that time, combined with the fact that she knows at least one other kid who isn't attending the religious classes, made the conversation much easier.
Because, let's be real, I do care. 🤷
I believe that just as we prepare our children for the responsibilities of school in general, we also need to prepare them for these two hours.

My kid is in sixth grade, and luckily religious studies isn't part of the core curriculum. I guess if anyone actually wants to stick around for extra classes after school, that's their call...

Susan James said:I wouldn't say that applies to everyone.
We've seen examples of this locally, and I know from working at IBM where the kids end up during that time. Sometimes they're with a teacher, sometimes with a librarian, and sometimes they're just left to their own devices. It’s two 45-minute blocks.
And no, they aren't necessarily having fun.
I really don't think this should be happening in elementary school. Kids shouldn't have to deal with those kinds of experiences right at the start of their schooling.

My daughter, on the other hand, loves it.
She actually prefers being in the study hall, especially during the last period rather than the first. She gets a kick out of when the kids attending religious ed tell her, "Man, you're lucky!" (since they usually head out after the fourth period), or she loves finally getting through her reading assignment in one go without having to borrow a book from someone else.
(There’s more to it that she tells me, but I don't feel like typing it all out right now)

I sat down with my daughter to walk her through what the schedule would look like. Knowing exactly where she'd be during that time, combined with the fact that she knows at least one other kid who isn't attending the religious classes, made the conversation much easier.
Because, let's be real, I do care. 🤷
I believe that just as we prepare our children for the responsibilities of school in general, we also need to prepare them for these two hours.

Look, let's not make this a whole thing.☕

What kind of "experience" are we even talking about here? If a kid is just hanging out at school for two forty-five-minute sessions a week, I don't see the issue. I guess you might be overthinking it, if you ask me.🙄

And, if I step back from my own situation for a second and just look at the kids in my neighborhood... well, most of them would probably jump at an opportunity like that.

I'm not sure why you'd assume I hadn't prepared my kid for every possible scenario. We talked through everything well in advance, to the point where, by the end of it, neither of us really cared who was going with whom or why people were opting out. When I talk to him, I don't feel the need to bring up which classmates will be there or which ones won't.
In the end, he was actually a little bummed that he wouldn't have both of those hours free every week. It didn't matter much to him whether he was alone or with someone else.

In high school, religion class is just one hour a week. If you aren't feeling it, you can just take ethics instead during the same slot.

Not strictly necessary, but it’s hardly an issue in high school.

I’m sure high schoolers will be absolutely devastated that they have to step out for a Starbucks run mid-class.

nimblelynx7 said:Not strictly necessary, but it’s hardly an issue in high school.

I’m sure high schoolers will be absolutely devastated that they have to step out for a Starbucks run mid-class.

nah, there's no coffee shops there

unless you're in religion class, then you're stuck in ethics.

Religious studies and ethics don't necessarily have to be taught simultaneously; for some people, they’re two completely different things.