EDU101.002Ch2Religion

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[|Chapter 2: Today's Students]
"Today's students" are mostly critically analyzed by their teachers for disabilities, function, and performance. However, in __The Joy of Teaching"__ something else that is being considered is the student's religion and how it is celebrated. Without imposing, a teacher should become aware of the different religions in their classroom and unleash the great power of exploration, especially in my major of social sciences. Rather than keep quiet and avoid observing one holiday for sake of offense, make an attempt to observe all holidays and encourage students to learn from their peers with presentations, interviews, or even a field trip to a place of worship (with the permission of parents). Rather than have students smirk at and mocking each other for their differences, have them explore religious conflicts in history and analyze what elements caused those conflicts. Do any of these elements exist in the classroom and need attention, or do the students find that other elements exist that they can benefit from? Another way that this issue is being addressed is provided by the option of homeschooling, where parents have control over the curriculum and can integrate religious viewpoints in any or all of of the subject areas.

-Patrick Aldrich