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How
to Teach About Religious Holidays
by Eric Buehrer
A
few years ago, a (...) 1.
music teacher in a school near Grand Rapids, Mich., told me (this...)
story. For years she did not think she could teach her students religious
Christmas carols. (...) She then learned that the law
allowed her to teach the children traditional carols.
As she started a lesson on Christmas
carols, she explained to the children that they were going to learn some
songs about Jesus Christ. Some of her students gasped in disbelief.
When she asked them why they were so shocked, they explained that they
thought she was swearing. To her surprise, the teacher realized these
children didn't even know that Jesus was a real person. They only thought
it was a name used for cursing!
Without understanding Christianity
--at least in its broadest outlines-- it is impossible to understand either
American culture or history. Yet many teachers--even Christian teachers
--are reluctant to teach about religion in their classrooms. In addition
to a general squeamishness about the topic, most teachers do not understand
that the law allows them to teach about religion in the classroom.
I see this all the time in teacher
workshops I conduct on religion in the curriculum. As part of the workshop,
I show teachers maps of the world and ask them if they can identify the
dominant religion of India (Hinduism), Laos (Buddhism), Syria (Islam) and
Israel (Judaism). As they correctly name the major religion of each country,
I ask them if it would be appropriate to teach students something about
that religion in order for students to understand the culture. The teachers
nod in agreement.
Then I show them a map of the United
States and they all chuckle at the "gotcha." The fact is, we feel
comfortable teaching about another country's dominant religion, but stare
at our shoes in embarrassment when it comes to our own.
Yet, it is perfectly reasonable
to expect that the institution Americans have set up to educate their children
(namely, public schools) will teach them about American culture--including
its major religion. Religious holidays are a perfect opportunity to do
that. Here are some simple steps you can use during the holidays to bring
instruction about religion into your classroom or school.
1.
Know
What You Can and Cannot Do
Of course the most important thing you
need to know is what's allowed and what's not. The good news is that
teachers can do far more than most people realize. In the Supreme
Court case of Lynch vs. Donnelly, Chief Justice Warren Burger wrote
that the Constitution does not require complete separation of church and
state. In fact,
it affirmatively mandates
accommodation, not merely tolerance, of all religions, and forbids hostility
toward any ... . Anything less would require the "callous indifference"
we have said was never intended by the Establishment Clause. Indeed, we
have observed, such hostility would bring us into war with our national
tradition as embodied in the First Amendment's guaranty of free exercise
of religion.
This is exactly the opposite of what many
teachers and administrators assume. For example, it is all too common for
a school principal--trying to remain neutral toward religion--to send teachers
a memo forbidding them to use the word "Christmas" or to sing Christmas
carols in their classrooms. School librarian Mary Hauser had such an experience
in her Southern California school.
"Just as December started," Mary
said, "the principal put in his weekly bulletin that, 'we're approaching
Christmas and you are reminded that you are not allowed to have any religious
songs (...) or activities revolving around Christmas because this
would offend some people.'"
But such action puts the school
in a position of prohibiting teachers from instructing students about an
important aspect of American culture. At best, it is an example of the
"callous indifference" the Court warned against. At worst, it could be
considered showing hostility toward Christianity.
By knowing the law, you can begin
correcting such misunderstandings. For a list of good legal resources,
check out the "Legal Resources" sidebar.
One thing to remember, though: Although
the law gives wide latitude for teaching about religion, public school
teachers may not teach lessons that are worshipful, devotional or evangelistic
in nature --no altar calls to the chalkboard. This can be difficult for
some teachers who feel they are somehow denying Christ by not encouraging
students to believe the Bible stories. But public school teachers must
observe the distinction between teaching about 2.
religion and instructing
in religion.
2.
Understand the Non-Legal Objections
In addition to knowing what's legal, you
should also be prepared to answer some of the non-legal objections that
your fellow teachers and administrators may have. Here are a couple of
common objections:
Objection One:
-
If we teach about Christian holidays,
we must give equal time to teaching about all holidays.
The truth is, no court has mandated
equal time for all religious holidays. This reasoning comes from
our sense of fairness. However, fairness doesn't always mean equality.
Proportionality can also be fair.
Examples of this are all around
us. For instance, a rookie teacher and a 30-year veteran may both have
the same number of students and teach the same subjects, yet they do not
receive the same pay. Their pay is proportional to their years of service.
Still, we say it is fair.
Similarly, although the United States
Senate is comprised of equal numbers of senators from each state, the House
of Representatives is comprised of different numbers from different states,
which are proportional to the states' population. Unequal, but fair.
Using the principle of proportionality,
the way to decide which holidays to emphasize is to ask:
-
A. Which religion or religions have had
the most influence in shaping American culture?
-
B. Which religions have a prominent influence
in the local community?
In other words, the amount of time spent
on each holiday should be determined by its relevance and influence in
American culture and the local community. Teachers should not leave students
with the impression that all religions have had an equal impact on American
culture.
Objection Two:
-
If we teach about the religious nature
of holidays such as Christmas or Easter, some students will feel left out.
Teachers should never denigrate anyone's
religious beliefs. But neither should they withhold significant cultural
information about America regarding religion. Christian beliefs in America
have a major impact on such things as our political debates, our social
values and our legal system. No matter what faith traditions they follow,
all of your students will be impacted by these Christian beliefs --whether
your students agree with them are not. A good education must include accurate
information about the major religion in America.
.
3.
Share Ideas for Teaching Religion
Needless to say, all the good arguments
in the world won't change anything unless you have good lesson ideas. Fortunately,
there is no shortage of engaging, constitutionally sound ideas for teaching
about religion during the holiday. Below
are a few suggestions for Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter.
Thanksgiving
Have students read various presidential
proclamations. You can find them at the library in The Public Papers
of Presidents, published by the U.S. Government Printing Office. You
can also find them on the Gateways to Better Education Web site at www.gtbe.org.
(See the "Legal Resources" sidebar.7/11/05 )
Have students create a Thanksgiving (paper)
incorporating
a quote from a proclamation of their choosing.
Discuss the topic of prayer. Since many
people in American culture express thankfulness to God by praying, discuss
with students what prayer means and give historical examples of times when
American leaders prayed or admonished people to pray. It is perfectly acceptable
to teach about 2.
this act which is highly regarded by so many Americans regardless of racial
and cultural backgrounds.
Christmas
-
Have your class read from the Bible about
the birth of Jesus. The federal court case of Florey vs. Sioux Falls
in 1980 confirmed the fact that "music, art, literature and drama having
religious themes or basis are permitted as part of the curriculum for school-sponsored
activities and programs if presented in a prudent and objective manner
and as a traditional part of the cultural and religious heritage of the
particular holiday."
Have Christian students in your class
share what their families or churches are doing to celebrate Christmas.
Have students speculate on the question:
What if Jesus had never been born? To help students make the connection
between the birth of Jesus and their lives, you can prepare a lesson on
the ways Christianity has affected American history. You might include
such things as: the Pilgrims' motivation for coming to America, the Declaration
of Independence, the phrase on our coin, "In God We Trust," the abolition
movement, and how the Rev. Martin Luther King's Christian faith motivated
him in the civil rights movement.
Lead a class discussion on teachings of
Jesus that are often referred to in American culture. These teachings are
encapsulated in such expressions as "Do unto others...," "Go the extra
mile," "Turn the other cheek" and "the good Samaritan."
Read to students from Luke 2 3.,
and teach them related vocabulary words for a language arts unit.
Easter
-
Read Luke 22 4.
and continue to the end of the book. (...)
Have students use encyclopedias to write
a (...) report on why and how Easter is celebrated in America.
Ask a Christian student's family to share
what they are doing to celebrate Easter.
Have students pretend they are newspaper
reporters and interview a local member of the clergy and other community
members about Easter. What will they be doing for Easter? Why is Easter
important to them? Have each student write an article based on the interview.
Of
course, as I mentioned earlier, lessons that proselytize students or involve
them in acts of devotion and worship are inappropriate for public schools.
But within those bounds, you can boldly teach about Christian holidays
and the values that have shaped American history and contemporary culture.
Eric Buehrer is president
of Gateways to Better Education, a national ministry giving practical help
to Christian public school families. You can visit their Web site at www.gtbe.org.
Legal
Resources
What can you legally
teach about religion and religious holidays in the public schools? Here
are some places you can go to find out.
Gateways to Better
Education (GTBE)
Phone: (800) 929-1163
GTBE publishes three
Holiday Restoration Cards (booklets) to help teachers understand how the
religious aspects of Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter can be taught in
the classroom. The cards include legal documentation and lesson plan ideas
that pass constitutional muster. They also include the U.S. Department
of Education's guidelines on the religious rights of students at school.
For other resources, visit their Web site at www.gtbe.org.
The Christian
Legal Society (CLS)
Phone: (703) 642-1070
In addition to several
other resources, CLS offers the booklet Religious Holidays in the Public
Schools --a widely endorsed statement
of what's legal and what's not in the public schools. The booklets are
also available on their Web site at http://www.clsnet.org/
,
The American Center
for Law and Justice (ACLJ)
Phone: (757) 226-2489
The ACLJ defends
Christians against infringement of their religious rights. Among the gems
you can find on their Web site are several legal information letters, including
a "School Holiday Letter" ( www.aclj.org/ILxmssch.html )5.
and an "Easter Celebration Information
Letter" ( www.aclj.org/ILeaster.html ) 6..
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