The Sterile Classroom

The Soulless Classroom I understand the concern that religious information should not be taught by teachers, but my concern is that children will learn some of the wonderous ways of G_d, and put them on paper and receive an F or a warning for it. Additionally I don't like the title of the "Sterile Classroom." Sterile environments have saved millions of lives. Rather, the title should be, "The Soulless Classroom." Reply

sense of awe its true, 'awesome' is just a word now. but a sense of awe to me is a whole different thing. again, my head is in the sand; was raised in PA by first generation parents who kept kosher, loved being Jewish, and at the same time, LOVED being american; so for us it was the best of both worlds. Jewish school for years, then public school. sure in public school they sang christmas songs, BUT 'we' already knew we were different and really didn't know the first thing about it except that people had great lights around their houses. my father wrote a poem in my baby book about being 'different' because we wore a star and not a cross, and that was fine with me. (even with prejudicial comments through the years. that was on THEM, not me). Reply

awe We know of the loss of awe, or its meaning, when we hear the word "awesome" bandied about continuously. If everything is "awesome" nothing is awesome. The watered down use of awesome does not point to a lack of spirituality in the classroom but the degradation of language.

Tweet this to everyone you know. Reply

This is a very sensitive topic and it's a constant in all countries where state and religion are separate worlds. Supporters of this point of view claim that since there are many religions allowed in a country, education cannot favor a particular one, thus, religion is not allowed in schools. Religion, they say, has to be taught at home by the children's parents. At first glance it doesn't seem so bad, it's something reliable, looks fair and almost everybody agrees. In my view, the unfairness appear later, when children become adults; some adults live without any need of God nor priesthood in charge of disclosing God's plan. Yet, there are some, like myself, when adulthood has been reached need - need written in bold - God, because without God there is no transcendence in our lives. Children who have been born to non believer parents and become adults like their parents have a smooth path ahead in life. But children who have been born to non believer parents and become adults who need God to fulfill their lives, indeed, they are in trouble to find their God, the various many denominations that they may have access to, take them as infidels, as people belonging to non trusty families. To make things worse, not all religions are allowed to make proselytism. Chabad has to be recognized by the value of publicizing the Jewish faith without distrusting the intentions of individuals who access its website and at the same time taking care of the Chabad-Lubavitch purity. Reply

State and Church/ Mosque and State/ Synagogue and State Clearly all this is predicated on education and religion in the USA. In Iran, for example, and many other places in this world, now and historically, there is an appreciation of awe in the classroom through prayer. Let the facts generalize themselves.

Should a Jewish child stay in a public school class while Christmas carols are being sung. Reply

Religion in the Classroom. So, who's religion do you want in a public school? It is the parents responsibility to teach their children their respective religious doctrine. If the parents have done their job properly then the child will naturally bring G-d into the classroom through example. I do not want the State teaching religion. They will screw it up like they do most everything else. Besides, teachers have enough to do teaching the three "R's." Reply

Seperation of Church & State The following is an incident from my childhood is kind of amusing, but clearly makes my point.
My elementary school (There were no Jewish day schools which my parents considered acceptable where I lived. So my sisters & I attended the public school.) had a class called auditorium. The teacher was trying to teach us pantomime. She asked a boy to act out going to bed. She told him the floor could be the bed. He laid on the floor. Teacher: How do we know you are going to bed? Boy closes eyes. Teacher: What do you have to do before going to bed? Boy
"brushes" teeth and "changes" clothes. Teacher: Isn't there anything else you do? Boy stares blankly. Teacher:You pray. Boy while lying down, shuts eyes and moves lips. Teacher No one can tell what you're doing. Boy thinks, then puts hand over his eyes, which most of my class understands, but the teacher does not. She has the boy kneel, put his hands together and pray "properly". Reply

Seperation of Churchh & State When you remove the spiritual from the classroom, a child learns religion from his parents and spiritual leaders whom the parents choose. This is a much better option.
A teacher's job is to teach. If it is time to pray and they see a child who they perceive is not praying, then they will feel an obligation to teach the child. Reply

The sterile classroom
And if the child does have a sense of awe , it is quickly nipped in the bud.
If I was to describe my years in school in color, it would be gray.
Not many schools or teachers will nurture a child's sense of awe. Reply

sterile classroom the effect of this seems so obvious - with increased lack of boundaries, lack of responsibility, respect. (at least that's how i feel, but then again, i'm old fashioned and religion in the classroom was always present). sure even with spiritual or transcendental, there were those who weren't affected in an even slightly righteous way; certainly without any at all, what else can be expected? possibly i'm partial because growing up there were no issues with a prayer in public school, regardless of religious practices or color. and i was raised in an orthodox parochial school until being forced to go to public school for high school. Reply

Reaching & bridging spaces at every level is a pledge we cannot let go: this is true searching of missing sheep & goats A long time ago conduct class was not just about boundaries and manners, but taught young persons that they also had a place which was important and valuable.
Elocution classes are very important boundary lessons on how to speak clearly and in a way that is effective & neutral for the sake of peace. It should not have to be so scary to find a manner which could connect up a variety of individuals whom otherwise might be very different altogether as people. The values of some might not be of others but this does not make people any less valuable unless discarded unjustly. Should we train indifference? Alas, I wish math stopped people from stealing from their employer, or science stopped people from invading the privacy of others. What is it that we so desperately have to be in the know about at all times to trample another? What is Rhetorique but a solid force to uphold and counter-contend the butchering violence which plows down all communications in all communities & professions. Reply

The Integral Education Classroom Previously the upper Governance allowed us to develop our egoistic nature - we taught children how to thrive in an egoistic world - independnce, competition, freedom, privacy, benefit from self-interest.

Today the Upper Governance ties us together in an interconnected integrated network - one person steps out of line and the whole unpredictable world suffers.

We need a new system of education for the new world. We need to develop a system that teaches how 'I' becomes 'We' - when a group of people/classroom rises above egoism, becomes a collective unity - it reaches a higher level of solutions - above compromise, conflict and self-interest. Reply

An excellent and sad description of what is happening in our public schools. Reply

Teaching Everything True Is Secular Makes Me Angry Rabbi, you are 100% correct, and I hope that changes. How many of our best students can't see the forest through the trees, as atheists, because they weren't shown the mysteries of creation? The average student thinks the world can be explained entirely through science, and yet he has no clue as to the glue that holds to universe together, creating it from nothing at every instant. Our G-d is not a G-d of the gaps, and yet he reigns sovereign in this world, seeing to it that justice prevails. I know a lot of Holocaust survivors are atheists, because they don't believe G-d could be loving and allow something, such as the Holocaust, and yet look at how old these people have lived to be. Humbled via the Holocaust as children, they have lived longer than any generation we know of through the fossil record. True, the Bible says some people have lived longer, but they aren't yet and probably never will be in the fossil record. Reply

Are public schools reform schools for the poor and destitute criminals This is how public schools are because of so many religious beliefs. Private schools teach their own religious beliefs and our beliefs are better than yours and our god is better than yours and if you do not believe like us there is something wrong with you so get out of here and eat our shorts. How many generations are you Jewish? But we donate to homeless shelters and poor so go there for help and don't come here. If you do not know it you are who are making history repeat itself. Reply

How can you blend secular studies with awe? It is true, I believe, that the secular classroom can lack a recognition of the Creator, and become totally separate to Him, but I don't know exactly how one can find a place for Him in that classroom, without compromising the secular learning...

If you want the secular learning to be represented thoroughly and accurately too, it seems difficult to bring in G-d. How can you fuse the two harmoniously? Reply

PLEASE in a secular class this is what we want-if not you go to religous school Reply

Not every classroom I am a teacher and have been working in the field of education for over 10 years. I like to think that I bring my relationship with G-d into my classroom everyday. I attempt to connect to the souls of my students, and allow them to connect to mine. We examine the human condition and bring our own beliefs into the discussion.

Although I do not proselytize my own faith I do feel as if morality, compassion, and love are daily components of my lessons. I firmly believe that this opens the door for spirituality into my classroom. Reply

Ah, true. But..
sometimes awe discovered amidst deficiency ushers greater appreciation. and self infused application.
it is important to know.
to learn.
but to find. discover.
awe is part of the process, is it not? Reply

The Sterile Classroom Most children I run across have their heads full of bogeymen and superstitions. And their parents are worse. They are the first to purchase some wacky vitamin product that claims to eradicate the flu from some snake oil salesman who gets paid to go on Ophra. Reply