Religion classes in school - Megathread

Sarah Hall53 said: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 😁 )

It’s not just a matter of etiquette, either—it might actually be legally actionable, especially now that it’s being picked up by the local news.

Quincy:Pinky

Mad Hatter says: Aside from being pretty rude and dismissive, his response is mostly technically illiterate. If he had just used proper spacing and punctuation, he wouldn't come across as quite so uneducated. Personally, I think it's great that a 64-year-old man is using email to communicate at all; we really shouldn't nitpick him for that. (It would have been even better if the tone were more polite, but hey, you can't have it all 😁 )

The reply was unfortunately poorly written, and I honestly feel bad that it turned out this way. This could have been such a good opportunity for the teachers to advocate for themselves to get that hour paid.
They really shouldn't be expected to babysit kids for zero dollars.

Man, we can actually push back a little tomorrow. Even if it’s just about this whole thing where we end up babysitting kids during religious studies... in schools where students rely on buses, they basically have these kids sitting around for an hour or two waiting for their ride, and it's all billed under the school's budget. Take the first graders at one of my two schools—they’re stuck there every single day because their classes wrap up after four hours, but the bus doesn't show up until the sixth. The principals just call it "miscellaneous duties and supervision." But honestly, those "miscellaneous duties" feel more like a piece of bubblegum that gets stretched thinner and thinner every year as they cram more crap into it. I’m genuinely just waiting for the day they let half the custodial staff go and decide the rest of us should be the ones mopping the hallways and scrubbing toilets. (Anyway, I'm totally venting now, so I'll back off and head left 😬 )

Sarah Hall53 said: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 😁 )

My bad. I wasn't reading closely enough. Either way, it makes sense. 🤦 Clearly, he bruised the lady's ego.

Don't beat yourself up—it’s not your fault. The article doesn't actually say that, and they didn't even include her full post. They totally left out the intro part:

I really need to get this off my chest, because I am just so incredibly done with people trying to sweep all this American institutional rot under the rug. Honestly, I used to think these poor public school teachers were such sweet, hardworking souls—you know, the kind my parents always insisted we respect and treat like saints. But then last night, I finally worked up the nerve to send my first email to my daughter's teacher with just two simple questions. And the reply I got back was... honestly, just WTF?!?

Sarah Hall53 said:Man, we can actually push back a little tomorrow. Even if it’s just about this whole thing where we end up babysitting kids during religious studies... in schools where students rely on buses, they basically have these kids sitting around for an hour or two waiting for their ride, and it's all billed under the school's budget. Take the first graders at one of my two schools—they’re stuck there every single day because their classes wrap up after four hours, but the bus doesn't show up until the sixth. The principals just call it "miscellaneous duties and supervision." But honestly, those "miscellaneous duties" feel more like a piece of bubblegum that gets stretched thinner and thinner every year as they cram more crap into it. I’m genuinely just waiting for the day they let half the custodial staff go and decide the rest of us should be the ones mopping the hallways and scrubbing toilets. (Anyway, I'm totally venting now, so I'll back off and head left 😬 )

Well, yeah, when it comes to extra work—especially if you're looking at the full hourly rate—they'll try to squeeze you for anything.

I actually heard someone say today that teachers are required to do this because their Art and Music periods were cut down to just one hour each, so the kids spend those two hours in religious studies instead, drawing or singing.
Aside from feeling sad that Art class is being compared to doodling during religion, what’s even worse is that we ever allowed ourselves to have only one hour of Music and one hour of Art while having two hours of religious studies.

Does anyone here have experience with this or know the real story?
I can't even remember how many Art periods we used to have.

The lady has every right to be upset.
They can keep kids in the library, in the principal's office, with the counselor, or send them to a different classroom for Art (that was my last experience), or just let them wander the halls, but they can't officially take them to religious studies. What's the point of enrolling them then?

Art was always just a one-hour block once a week, and music was the same deal—one hour weekly. 🤔

So, here’s the deal—it’s true that they’ve cut an hour from things like art, music, and... I think maybe English and math? Just so they could squeeze in religion and a foreign language without actually increasing the weekly workload. But nope, there isn't a single word in the guidelines saying that the teachers at RN have to babysit the kids who aren't even taking the religion class. It feels like such a total reach—just this arbitrary interpretation with absolutely zero basis in reality... nowhere to be found.

Robert Rodriguez9 said:Art was always just a one-hour block once a week, and music was the same deal—one hour weekly. 🤔

I mean, I definitely have those memories of those big block periods for art and music class... 🤔

Sarah Hall53 said:So, here’s the deal—it’s true that they’ve cut an hour from things like art, music, and... I think maybe English and math? Just so they could squeeze in religion and a foreign language without actually increasing the weekly workload. But nope, there isn't a single word in the guidelines saying that the teachers at RN have to babysit the kids who aren't even taking the religion class. It feels like such a total reach—just this arbitrary interpretation with absolutely zero basis in reality... nowhere to be found.

So it is after all.
This is awful. 🤮
What bothers me even more is the idea that doodling during religion class could somehow count as an art credit. 🤮 🤮

Honestly, we're talking about total nonsense here. They're stripping away essential subjects from kids' mandatory education just to cram in things that are much less important.
Now I have even more respect for those teachers who use that religion period to organize extra math sessions. 🙏 🙏

And then you've got parents at home trying to help their kids with reading and writing, paying for speech therapists just so the kids can keep up, while the school is busy teaching them "theology." 🤦 🙄🤦
Talk about misplaced priorities. 🐔

Honestly, I’d much rather they just have one hour of art and music combined. Why on earth should someone who can't carry a tune or draw a straight line be forced to waste their time on it?
I’d way prefer they squeeze in a foreign language instead of pushing all this nonsense that teaches kids absolutely nothing useful.

And as for the teachers—look, are they getting paid extra for this? No! Is this their own kid? Of course not! Did they even say anything against the fact that nobody is listening to the religious studies classes? Not a word!

Why isn't that woman coming to pick up her kid? I can see she's totally stressed out; she doesn't even want to hear a single thing about God through the wall. That's exactly why the mother won't show up—she's just keeping the kid home until this whole thing blows over.

cosmiccyclist172 said:Honestly, I’d much rather they just have one hour of art and music combined. Why on earth should someone who can't carry a tune or draw a straight line be forced to waste their time on it?
I’d way prefer they squeeze in a foreign language instead of pushing all this nonsense that teaches kids absolutely nothing useful.

And as for the teachers—look, are they getting paid extra for this? No! Is this their own kid? Of course not! Did they even say anything against the fact that nobody is listening to the religious studies classes? Not a word!

Why isn't that woman coming to pick up her kid? I can see she's totally stressed out; she doesn't even want to hear a single thing about God through the wall. That's exactly why the mother won't show up—she's just keeping the kid home until this whole thing blows over.

Art and music aren't "useless" subjects; they help develop so many different skills in kids.
Even if someone struggles with singing or drawing, they'll struggle with those same creative aspects in religious studies or a foreign language class too, since those involve similar types of expression.
The only difference is that in art or music, you can practice and receive coaching, whereas in religious studies or a language class, there's more pressure to already know the material and show immediate results.

cosmiccyclist172 said:Honestly, I’d much rather they just have one hour of art and music combined. Why on earth should someone who can't carry a tune or draw a straight line be forced to waste their time on it?
I’d way prefer they squeeze in a foreign language instead of pushing all this nonsense that teaches kids absolutely nothing useful.

And as for the teachers—look, are they getting paid extra for this? No! Is this their own kid? Of course not! Did they even say anything against the fact that nobody is listening to the religious studies classes? Not a word!

Why isn't that woman coming to pick up her kid? I can see she's totally stressed out; she doesn't even want to hear a single thing about God through the wall. That's exactly why the mother won't show up—she's just keeping the kid home until this whole thing blows over.

Well, she probably can't because she's at work.
She's there earning money to support herself and her family, and it's from her paycheck that funds go toward teacher salaries, clergy pensions, and everything else.

We're heading toward a point where we'll suggest people who don't want their kids in religious studies should just get fired so they can stay home with their children. 😕 🤦
Though, honestly, that would be the only way to stop the tax money from going to the church. 🥳

I still feel like I'm missing way too much information to decide if she's actually right or not😁
Regardless of who's in the right, I think they both went a little overboard

That teacher is truly top-tier, honestly one of the best out there, and he does an incredible job getting the kids ready for middle school.

It’s pretty common for parents to go back to him for their older kids too if they had a good experience the first time—and frankly, that’s all the endorsement you need!

He has this very distinct way of dealing with parents; he basically doesn't give them much room to second-guess his methods, which is exactly why people react the way they do.

As for that woman who went and posted their private messages along with his personal info for everyone to see without his consent—not to mention the local news picking it up—everyone involved violated privacy laws, and that is precisely why a lawsuit is on the table.

Sent from mTalk

Richard Fowler13 said:That teacher is truly top-tier, honestly one of the best out there, and he does an incredible job getting the kids ready for middle school.

It’s pretty common for parents to go back to him for their older kids too if they had a good experience the first time—and frankly, that’s all the endorsement you need!

He has this very distinct way of dealing with parents; he basically doesn't give them much room to second-guess his methods, which is exactly why people react the way they do.

As for that woman who went and posted their private messages along with his personal info for everyone to see without his consent—not to mention the local news picking it up—everyone involved violated privacy laws, and that is precisely why a lawsuit is on the table.

Sent from mTalk

I honestly think there’s a solid legal basis for a lawsuit here—specifically because the high school failed to provide any actual oversight for those younger kids during their religious studies elective. It’s mid-day, right in the middle of the school schedule, and they’re just left hanging without a teacher, a librarian, or even a guidance counselor watching over them. It’s negligent, plain and simple. Think about it—other electives, like Spanish or computer science, are never scheduled in that mid-day slot. They’re always tucked away at the end of the day or moved to the afternoon shift to avoid this exact kind of chaos. But instead, they leave these kids essentially unsupervised. Honestly, it's the kind of bureaucratic incompetence that makes you want to lose your mind.

Back when my kid was in second or third grade, this teacher—talking specifically to the kids who didn't take religion class (my child was always right in the MIDDLE of the scheduled period)—basically told them they were free to just head home. I absolutely lost it. I mean, I wasn't about to have my kid wandering around in the rain for no reason, trekking back and forth while we're both stuck at work. Some of these kids don't even live near the school, so what exactly was their plan? When I finally marched up to her to address the situation, she came up with this "brilliant" solution: the kids could just sit in the little utility room where the janitors hang out and doodle on things—and of course, someone is always going to be "keeping an eye" on them. Should I mention that this bright-eyed, overachieving young teacher had just moved here from Boise a few years ago and can barely string a coherent sentence together? I actually ran into her at a social gathering recently, and she says to me, with that unmistakable regional accent of hers: "Oh, everything is just wonderful, straight A's... except for that one C." 😵😵😵

Fast forward to fifth grade, and there's religion class again, right in the middle of the day, naturally. That is, until the homeroom teacher realized that suddenly—unlike in fourth grade—more than half the class wasn't attending. So, of course, they moved the class to the very last period.

Why would a high school even allow that? The district doesn't pay the staff—the state does. If they want to pay for extra hours, they can deal with it themselves since they already signed that agreement. Right now, everything is strictly voluntary.

I'm with Richard Fowler13 on this one. 👍 A friend of mine has a kid who had this exact same teacher, and she can't say enough good things about him.

Richard Fowler13 said:That teacher is truly top-tier, honestly one of the best out there, and he does an incredible job getting the kids ready for middle school.

It’s pretty common for parents to go back to him for their older kids too if they had a good experience the first time—and frankly, that’s all the endorsement you need!

He has this very distinct way of dealing with parents; he basically doesn't give them much room to second-guess his methods, which is exactly why people react the way they do.

As for that woman who went and posted their private messages along with his personal info for everyone to see without his consent—not to mention the local news picking it up—everyone involved violated privacy laws, and that is precisely why a lawsuit is on the table.

Sent from mTalk

And why shouldn't she have shared it?
She didn't reach out to him privately; she contacted him in his capacity as a public school employee.
Besides, the guy is unrefined and frankly doesn't know how to carry himself. I wouldn't want someone like that teaching my kid.
I guess we just have different standards.
The absolute highlight of this whole mess? The guy is heading toward retirement.

Robert Rodriguez9 said:Why would a high school even allow that? The district doesn't pay the staff—the state does. If they want to pay for extra hours, they can deal with it themselves since they already signed that agreement. Right now, everything is strictly voluntary.

I'm with Richard Fowler13 on this one. 👍 A friend of mine has a kid who had this exact same teacher, and she can't say enough good things about him.

Well, let’s be clear—the school district handles the scheduling, not the federal government. If they wanted to, they could move religion classes—just like any other elective—to a different block. It doesn't have to be the first period or the last; there are plenty of slots in between.
It’s funny, though—our teacher once told us it was "logistically impossible" to fit the religious studies class into the schedule when she thought only a couple of kids were interested. But the second she realized half the class was actually signed up? Suddenly, it’s perfectly doable. Quite the convenient shift in logic, wouldn't you say?

And don't even get me started on the timing. My kid finishes their core classes around 1:05 PM, only to have an Italian language elective starting at 2:00 PM. Why? Because the instructor works across three different districts, so the entire school schedule has to bend over backward just to accommodate one person's commute!

hollowhawk13 said:Well, let’s be clear—the school district handles the scheduling, not the federal government. If they wanted to, they could move religion classes—just like any other elective—to a different block. It doesn't have to be the first period or the last; there are plenty of slots in between.
It’s funny, though—our teacher once told us it was "logistically impossible" to fit the religious studies class into the schedule when she thought only a couple of kids were interested. But the second she realized half the class was actually signed up? Suddenly, it’s perfectly doable. Quite the convenient shift in logic, wouldn't you say?

And don't even get me started on the timing. My kid finishes their core classes around 1:05 PM, only to have an Italian language elective starting at 2:00 PM. Why? Because the instructor works across three different districts, so the entire school schedule has to bend over backward just to accommodate one person's commute!

It’s about the Vatican agreement. People have been discussing this constantly. Just scroll back through a few pages.
As for making everything first or last period—that's just not realistic for everyone.

Robert Rodriguez9 said:Why would a high school even allow that? The district doesn't pay the staff—the state does. If they want to pay for extra hours, they can deal with it themselves since they already signed that agreement. Right now, everything is strictly voluntary.

I'm with Richard Fowler13 on this one. 👍 A friend of mine has a kid who had this exact same teacher, and she can't say enough good things about him.

I agree completely. The Department of Education needs to step in and mandate that whoever is responsible for these kids signs an employment contract amendment so they can finally get paid properly.