Religion classes in school - Megathread

Brenda Doyle5 said:I'm with you on this—there's absolutely no need to cram more stuff into an already packed schedule.
Honestly, if we actually embraced some Christian values of mercy and solidarity, they’d move religion class to a different period instead of forcing it into the first or last slot of the day.

(The news ticker just cracked me up—apparently they're introducing gluten-free communion wafers 🤣 totally irrelevant, obviously) 😁

It’s not just about overloading the schedule; it’s also about bringing in too many different teachers.

I tend to look at it this way, and for good reason: you have that one primary teacher in first grade who handles the classroom.
Their job is to bring them into the school environment, lead the lessons, teach them manners and rules, and establish that initial sense of authority that kids can respect and follow.
Then you might have a second person for after-school care.

It gets really confusing for kids when they're being passed from their main teacher to an after-school instructor, then to a foreign language teacher, then to a religion teacher. On top of all that, you have to factor in extracurriculars, and if they're older, you add art and music teachers into the mix.

There are just way too many people involved, almost reaching the level of specialized subject teachers, which rivals the actual number of core subject instructors.
Especially when those teachers all have such different personalities and teaching styles. You end up with some teachers who are super sweet and easygoing, and others who are very strict. Plus, since subjects vary in difficulty, if you pair a tough subject with a strict teacher, and then a simple subject with a lenient one... well, you know how that goes.🤔
That’s a great recipe for making kids love school, right? 🙂

rowdypanther12 said:My little one absolutely loves religious studies. She goes to every single class, and 😁 when they aren't in there playing chess in the library, she’s being her usual studious self by practicing her letters. If the weather is nice, they just head outside to play... honestly, it feels like one big, lovely mid-day break 😁
I still have my doubts about whether this belongs in the school curriculum, but since she's already there, I'm just really glad to see schools making an effort to be inclusive of kids who don't participate in those classes. 🙂

Mine absolutely loves that hour too! 🙂
She actually told me it feels just like nap time back in preschool (she was such a restless sleeper for about three months straight).

They head outdoors pretty often, and they really only stay in the library if the weather is acting up or if a teacher needs to step out to chat with a parent. Honestly, I don't mind them being in the library by themselves—in fact, I actually prefer it when teachers don't discuss students' progress right in front of them. 🙏

She’s done some extra math worksheets a few times, though she refuses to sign up for the formal after-school tutoring because she knows the rest of the kids get to go outside during that time. So, she basically gets a double dose of fresh air combined with either extra math practice or just getting lost in a good comic book! 🙏

My mother mentioned that one of her son's classmates told him today that the devil was going to kick him right in the gut and drag him straight to hell just because he doesn't believe in God. ☕
First grade...
It's funny how Catholics are supposedly known for their boundless tolerance, though I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. By next year, they'll probably be holding a class vote to see if they can burn him at the stake.

Look, we’re Catholics too. We hit church regularly and my kids take religious studies at school, but if my kid ever started acting like what they're being taught by someone else... I'd personally smack them upside the head.

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shadowcrane91 said:Look, we’re Catholics too. We hit church regularly and my kids take religious studies at school, but if my kid ever started acting like what they're being taught by someone else... I'd personally smack them upside the head.

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🤦

That’s just Christian 🤔 logic for you. Given the whole vibe of SXSW, I can already see us heading back toward physical punishment 😢
.
Maybe instead of throwing stones, we should be offering bread? 😕

So, my son had this encounter with one of those absolute gems in his class—she actually told him he didn't deserve good grades just because he doesn't believe in God... He shot back that she probably shouldn't be worrying about his grades when her own aren't exactly stellar, and suggested that if she truly believes in God, she might want to watch her mouth before He takes offense at such nonsense...

She burst into tears, of course, which made him feel terrible for a moment... but ever since that little exchange, she’s been the only kid in the entire grade who won't even look his way...

My little one once remarked that religious people are just foolish for believing in fairy tales. I gave her a gentle reality check and explained the importance of tolerance, accepting different perspectives, and respecting various beliefs and traditions. I’m hopeful she won't say something like that to her friends who attend church.
I honestly think it would be great if all parents had this kind of conversation with their kids. 😁

Lisa Rivera said:My mother mentioned that one of her son's classmates told him today that the devil was going to kick him right in the gut and drag him straight to hell just because he doesn't believe in God. ☕
First grade...
It's funny how Catholics are supposedly known for their boundless tolerance, though I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. By next year, they'll probably be holding a class vote to see if they can burn him at the stake.

Honestly, I feel like trying to draw an ironic parallel by saying "Catholics are known for being tolerant" is kind of a reach here, because it just ends up grouping you in with intolerant people, even if they're coming from a different angle.

People who lack intelligence just aren't capable of processing the idea that someone else's opinion can be different from their own—and that those different views might actually be perfectly normal, desirable, or even correct.

It’s also true that foolish people end up feeding nonsense to children because they simply don't know any better when it comes to raising them.

To me, this whole "the devil will send you to hell" thing feels pretty much equivalent to hearing old grandmas say "the big bad wolf is gonna get you," which is basically just a scare tactic used to keep toddlers from wandering off.

And if we really want to nitpick the theology of it all, as far as I know, that isn't even consistent with Catholic doctrine, since the devil doesn't actually have the authority to send anyone to hell; if he did, he’d be getting way too much power compared to God.😁

Drew Johnson2 said:So, my son had this encounter with one of those absolute gems in his class—she actually told him he didn't deserve good grades just because he doesn't believe in God... He shot back that she probably shouldn't be worrying about his grades when her own aren't exactly stellar, and suggested that if she truly believes in God, she might want to watch her mouth before He takes offense at such nonsense...

She burst into tears, of course, which made him feel terrible for a moment... but ever since that little exchange, she’s been the only kid in the entire grade who won't even look his way...

Sounds like your little guy is sharp, though. How old is he now?

Ante Pađen is a teacher over at Vrban Elementary School. He’s just one soldier in the massive army of American teachers out there grinding it out for peanuts. Look, I get it—Pađen probably hates his paycheck, maybe he's pissed about his hourly rate or the crappy working conditions, but honestly, the kids shouldn't have to pay the price for his bad mood...

Now, Andres is the mom of a little girl starting first grade at Vrban Elementary School. She decided her kid isn't sitting through religion class, so per an agreement made with the school, those 45 minutes were supposed to be spent in the library. Well, things went sideways, and that's why she reached out to Pađen.

Here is her full message from Facebook:

To whom it may concern,

I wanted to ask why the kids who don't attend religion class—specifically A.S.A.—are being kept in a classroom during that period? We parents specifically agreed with you and the teacher on the first day of school that our children should be in the library instead. I still want my daughter to be in the library during religion class so she doesn't have to hear even a whisper of the lesson from the next room. Also, is it even legal to leave kids that young completely alone (for 45 minutes) without adult supervision? That's more of a question for the school administration. If we left our kids home alone for 45 minutes, we'd be breaking the law under Family Law. Thanks in advance for the answers. Best regards, J. J. Andres.

She didn't have to wait long for a reply. The teacher's response was basically a surgical strike on exactly how broken our education system is. Here's what he had to say:

Look, you've asked several questions here that are totally uncalled for, and clearly, if you don't know how to phrase things, you should ask someone else. All the kids are in a room that's available while religion or other subjects like German or Computer Lab are happening. The library isn't just for class 1.B; it's for the whole school. As for "passive listening," I didn't realize you were some kind of acoustics expert—this building was put up by New Construction back in '92, so go talk to them. The kids aren't alone because staff members are nearby and will jump in immediately if they hear anything. As for how *you* choose to leave your kids, that's your business, but if you want me to babysit them for 45 minutes, you'll have to pay me for that hour. I'm not a volunteer; I get paid by the hour according to the law. I see you think you're a legal expert since you know all about Family Law, how lovely... All I can say is it's a shame I'm retiring soon, because I could settle all these "uncertainties" through a summary proceeding very elegantly. Ante Pađen

Pađen is nearing retirement. Whether you agree with his attitude or not, the level of literacy coming from such a veteran teacher is just straight-up unacceptable...

holy crap...

The guy is just being blunt and assertive, and honestly, he's right to refuse to work for free.

Ten years...

As for this whole back-and-forth messaging thing, I’m still a bit fuzzy on the details. Are the kids actually in a classroom during religion class? Last year, they ended up shuffling them into a different room because the dedicated religious education space was booked for something else—I have no idea what they were hosting in there besides the usual lessons, but it meant our kids, who normally just stay put in their own classroom during that period, were stuck in limbo. Every other week they’d get sent to the library, though if school started early, the library would be locked tight...

But my boy? He just spent the time working on homework or sketching out comic strips, telling me it didn't bother him one bit; he wasn't really listening anyway, and frankly, he doesn't listen during science class if the topic doesn't grab his interest.😁 I decided not to push for a "solution" to the scheduling mess, because from my experience, a solution in this district usually involves them sitting on some cold concrete steps in the hallway while I hover over them like a first-grade janitor...

We seem to have lucked out with the schedule this year; one day they finish after the last period, and another day they’re out after the third, but since they head to the religion classroom, the ones not participating just hang out in their regular room.

Even our teacher made it crystal clear from day one that she wasn't being compensated for that extra supervision period... she told us that if he stayed in the classroom, she’d watch over him, though she might have to step out occasionally to attend to her own professional duties. So, essentially, I spent the entire first semester personally picking him up, driving him home, and then bringing him right back again... twice a week, no less.

I’m a little confused about whether they’re in a free period or if this is actually religious studies class. It’s also not clear to me if the librarian and the school agreed at the start of the year to let the kids hang out in the library or what.

Susan James said:🤦

That’s just Christian 🤔 logic for you. Given the whole vibe of SXSW, I can already see us heading back toward physical punishment 😢
.
Maybe instead of throwing stones, we should be offering bread? 😕

Isusek, chill... I didn't mean I actually slap kids—I don't hit anyone's children, let alone my own... but if it would get people to listen to me, I'd consider it

Come on now... I'm being dead serious

That old guy from the neighborhood is basically illiterate, to begin with ☕

Honestly, there's no way I'd let my kid sit through religion class either
If I actually wanted them listening to all that absolute bullshit, I would've just enrolled them in a private academy

Or just dragged them out to Coachella instead

redridge13 said:That old guy from the neighborhood is basically illiterate, to begin with ☕

Honestly, there's no way I'd let my kid sit through religion class either
If I actually wanted them listening to all that absolute bullshit, I would've just enrolled them in a private academy

Or just dragged them out to Coachella instead

Yeah, and honestly, since he’s almost ready to retire anyway, I don't really care what kind of skill set he was carrying around in those older generations.🤣
He was probably one of the only ones who actually knew how to read back when they were trying to educate all the folks out in the sticks.😁

A school where the teacher is this illiterate is facing much bigger issues than just religious education classes. It’s honestly pathetic.

It’s honestly pathetic that she decided to confront the teacher over Facebook. There are official channels for this kind of thing, and besides, he isn't even the one in charge—that would be the principal. Now they’re just dragging an educator who's about to retire through the mud, and frankly, it makes me question both their literacy and their sense of ethics.

So, the original post actually popped up on my Facebook feed, and I should probably clear up one little detail: she didn't send him a DM or anything—it was an email. Then, she just took that whole exchange and posted it right on her public wall. (Honestly, I highly doubt she even bothered asking him if it was okay to share. Very classy, right?)
His response—aside from being pretty rude and dismissive—is mostly just technologically illiterate. If he’d just put his spaces and punctuation in the right spots, he wouldn't come across quite so uneducated. Personally, I think it's great that a 64-year-old guy is even using email to communicate; we really shouldn't be nitpicking him for that. (It would have been even better if the tone were polite, but hey, you can't always have everything 😁 )