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The Civic Public School |
Teaching About Religion |
in support of civic pluralism |
Everyone (every "citizen of the school") has freedom of conscience. At school, each person is treated justly and respectfully. ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ |
Through its laws, our nation acknowledges certain human rights for every citizen. Religious liberty is a right bestowed on all, the nonreligious as well as the religious. Public schools are first and foremost models of the nation’s charter. Their educators are leaders of institutions established by the people through their government. They are required to represent the civic framework. For most students, it is their public schools that mold their conceptions of citizenship. Public education is for all students. The schools are to be places where people of every faith and no faith are treated with fairness and respect. This is the ideal put forth by the 3Rs (rights, responsibility, respect) approach to the just handling of religion in public school classrooms and programs. Teachers owe to all children they teach equitable consideration, acknowledging each as an individual who is fully free to hold to his or her individual faith conviction or belief of conscience. In the school society, a person who has a particular worldview is to be neither outsider nor insider. Everyone is to be in full a member of the community. No one is to be favored because of personally held worldview beliefs. No one is frowned upon or shunned due to their beliefs of conscience. Classroom teachers impart an image to students of how America looks upon its citizens’ religious freedom. In a conducive classroom atmosphere, youngsters can learn to respect their classmates’ freedom to have and maintain individuality of conscience with regard to ultimate beliefs and worldviews. Professional educators must attempt to respond to diverse outlooks in an impartial and academic manner. This stance accords the same respect and consideration to those children who abide by unusual or unfamiliar faith systems, and to those who may reject all faiths, as is given to youngsters who share the teacher’s outlook or who adhere to conventional belief systems familiar to the teacher. Corrections and comments invited. [last modified: 8/31/04] Author: Mynga Futrell, Ph.D. |