“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
Martin Luther King
I recently commented on a Facebook post about the Bible in Schools programme that appears to count as religious education here in New Zealand. The post was by a parent concerned about religion being taught in school, believing it should not be a part of the school curriculum. I normally steer clear of Facebook in a professional capacity, certainly not leaving comments, however I felt strongly enough in this case primarily because of my experience dealing with the role of religious education in schools. I decided that being silent was not the answer, and I decided to further explore the topic.
As a fairly new teacher, I was the Religious Education coordinator for a private girls’ school in Northwood, London. I was excited about the opportunity to lead this curriculum area because I am passionate about acceptance and understanding of how other people practice their faith. Historically the subject of religion in the British education system was originally Religious Instruction, RI. The instruction focused on how to be a Christian and followed the Christian faith – parents could and often did withdraw their children from these classes, and rightly so if they practiced another faith. The change in name and content to Religious Education was an attempt to provide ‘education about’ rather than ‘instruction in’ but these key changes failed to be fully appreciated by parents and possibly teachers too. Religious Education was just that – educating children about all faiths, allowing them to gain an appreciation for how others behave and above all to expose them to lesser known but recognised religions.
The UK curriculum statement at the time I was coordinator specified its key aim – to foster a sense of awe and wonder in children of the natural world around them – surely a worthwhile and admiral ideal – and yet interestingly parents could still withdraw their children from these classes. I found this both disturbing and unexplainable and surely a sign that people misunderstand the true meaning of the term education. Who wouldn’t want their children to appreciate the world around them and to learn about other cultures’ beliefs and practices? My own experience of religion in education involved teaching classes in religious education, working with multiple faiths in schools and working alongside colleagues with very different cultural and religious beliefs. I was amazed at how asking questions and showing an interest in others’ beliefs and practices seemed to break down communication difficulties and create some great camaraderie. I gained a wealth of information about some of the key world faiths and came away from the British education system with a greater understanding of the impact religion has on many of us, both for good and not so good.
Unfortunately the word ‘religion’ sparks fear and trepidation into the hearts of most of us, especially in relation to education. Suddenly we feel our rights are impinged and we fight to protect our children from ‘religion’. This fear may well be justified in the case of Bible in Schools. My major concern with the inclusion of religion in New Zealand schools is its singularity in approach. As its name implies, Bible in Schools appears to represent only Christianity, relying on church community volunteers to deliver the material. This was certainly the case in my local area. The lack of structure and possible reliance on non-professionals lays itself wide open to a path of instruction rather than a rounded education and awareness of the many faiths in our community.
What we say to our children, our body language our interactions with fellow staff all speaks volumes. Our children take note of what we do and say and this is probably the most unnerving aspect of teaching – how much influence we have over our children outside of the curriculum. Yet we are trained professionals with a job to do a calling to encourage, inspire and guide our children according to the curriculum and school philosophy. Although I have no doubt that volunteers are more than capable of supporting teachers within the classroom,
their role in teaching a curriculum subject such as religion should be a cause for concern. If we are to truly reflect our community’s faiths we need to treat the subject as a formal curriculum area that is planned and taught by teachers.
The desire to remove Bible in Schools seems to be based on the premise that religion has no place in school. Perhaps we should be looking at faith inclusiveness rather than throwing the baby out with the bathwater. It’s not so much about who does what as it is what is the ‘what’ we are teaching! Our religious content is not representative of the world we live in. As staff and parents we must once again take the lead and demonstrate to our children the very characteristics and values that we wish them to possess. Acknowledging our own fears and prejudices with regards to other faiths may take courage and humility as well as recognition of our own limitations. Our children will inherit this earth (please excuse the religious reference!), therefore we need to start young if we are to break the current cycle of religious intolerance.
Interestingly, the word tolerance suggests putting up with something even when you don’t like it and I guess that is something we need to consider. We may not like how other people practice their faiths we may find it distasteful, uncomfortable and even immoral. The greater our tolerance however, the greater our chances are of building bridges, communicating and growing in our understanding so that tolerance can be replaced with acceptance. Having an appreciation for our differences, accepting that we are all different and assisting our children to value difference is surely part of our role as teachers.
“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.”
Mahatma Gandhii