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| Teacher's Comfort Zone
Reading [
Lesson 4]
A teacher's cultural positioning may have considerable relevance to how the individual rises to meet the classroom responsibilities for maintaining a religiously neutral classroom climate and how hard it may be to do so. There is great variation, too, in the general attitude and demeanor. For some teachers, appropriate demeanor will require practice; for some, it's seemingly ingrained and natural. Majority/Minority ConsiderationsIt is reasonable to think that worldview demographics for teachers in general reflect adult population demographics as summarized in Lesson 3. Hence, overall for the U.S., one would expect most classroom teachers claiming adherence to a religion to be Christian. Many fewer will have some other religious orientation. Some portion will be nonreligious. Teachers know the majority is not to "rule" in the realm of religion. Still, being part of a majority usually brings social advantages. Human nature affords comfort to "being in the mainstream". Your positioning as having generally a "majority outlook" or "minority outlook" (with regard to the various others in the classroom and school, to the range of others in the community, and within the nation) is particularly germane. Mulling over your own situation regarding the broad spectrum of worldviews can be useful. Here is an example (much oversimplified) to consider: a teacher who is a Mormon, and one who is a Baptist. At the national level, the demographics of the two teachers' religious affiliations are widely disparate (1.3% and 16.3%, respectively). At Ease in a Mainstream
In each case above, the teachers' "majority outlook" melds with that in the surrounding community. Outside the MainstreamIt would be useful for both teachers above to put themselves mentally into the other's community situations (i.e., becoming a "minority outlook"). This reversal could aid either to envision the challenge. How can I go about creating a classroom climate ( in either location) that would be neutral? The goal is to have a classroom climate, regardless of the locale, that would be neutral for Baptist students, for Mormon students, and for youngsters from any/all other traditions as well.
You can continue the imagination play in other ways. For example, what about the situation of a Buddhist or Hindu or Sikh or atheist teaching in the Baptist community? Any of these In the Mormon community? Contrast, too, the circumstance either of the above teachers (Baptist and Mormon) would face if working in a heterogeneous cosmopolitan city. Using the demographic maps from Lesson 3, you can mentally put yourself as a teacher into many diverse contexts. RealityHaving mentally traversed various situations and paid attention to the varied majority and minority contexts, you can return to your own situation. By the way, where are you in your circumstance? (majority? minority?) Remember that, in your classroom, you are the central model for responding to others' worldviews, so thinking through "where you fit" in the community sense and in the broader sense can give helpful perspective.
The "Deportment Department"Nel Noddings, a noted teacher educator who has written a book about religion and education, calls on classroom teachers always to provide youngsters an environment that is noncoercive and supportive. In several sections of her book, she discusses what she sees as an obligation of teachers in terms of their handling exchanges and discussions with students on issues of value and belief. 2REF (Noddings 1993; page 133) Teachers need to be able to position themselves so they can uphold a supportive classroom climate. Professor Noddings advocates the notion of "pedagogical neutrality" (see 2REFVandenberg 1983). A teacher is responsible for engaging in conduct that is "pedagogically neutral." [Note: This mini-course will treat that particular concept in a later lesson.] While putting it forth as a duty of teachers, Noddings admits that pedagogical neutrality may be "very hard for teachers with strong religious commitments to maintain". (page 123) To exercise a non-aligned status regarding disparate worldviews is a worthwhile goal, but no cinch. Teachers can practice attitudes, though, much as one would role play a character. A proper emotive stance for an educator to put into practice is any that would tend to align conduct and expression with the notion of pedagogical neutrality recommended by Noddings. Detached ObjectivityIn approaching the varied worldviews of others, some degree of detachment is helpful. A critical distance (placing any issue at arm's reach, so to speak) is necessary. A teacher can role play and practice certain tactics to aid in maintaining this distance:
Stubborn AgnosticismOne approach involves practicing a "stubborn agnosticism" toward youngsters' own worldviews. No positions are taken. Rather, one exercises a heightened academic curiosity (in this stance, a teacher models the keenness of interest of the avid learner).
This ongoing agnosticism is supportive of pedagogical neutrality on matters of values and beliefs. In assuming such a posture, a teacher is far less likely to declare any belief as "the correct one." How comfortable are you with the above strategies? How practiced are you in their use? Your classroom atmosphere will be helped toward neutrality if you can, through your own demeanor and conduct, evince nonalignment. However devoted you may be to the ideal of neutrality, fulfilling in practice a public impartiality towards disparate worldviews (including your own) is challenging. It may take practice!
Revealing/Concealing RealityIt is useful to at least think through in advance how much you plan to disclose to youngsters about your own worldview beliefs. This matter deserves considerable reflection. Here is a mental exercise that may be helpful.
You won't be making that sign, of course, but you must keep in mind this fact: All that the sign entails is in a sense traveling with you inside your head at all times. So, it's important to recognize what is there in your head and heart, and to reflect on how it got there. ____________ Corrections and comments invited. [last modified: 4/08/02]
GLOSSARY TERMS: critical distance \\ pedagogical neutrality \\ detached objectivity \\ stubborn agnosticism
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