Posted by By Bailey Kane, Staff Writer
4,512 hundred years ago, more than 4 millennia back into our history, the first known religious text was created. In Ancient Egypt, The Pyramid Texts were born. This set of physical knowledge is a testament to the power and influence religion has had on people. For over almost 5,000 years, humans have been born and killed, art has been created and destroyed, but the concept of religion has withstood the test of time.
Belief systems have remained undeniably powerful, growing from one and now branching into over four thousand different types; ranging in dialects, beliefs, and geographical placements around the globe. If there is one thing that can explain how and why humans act the way they do, it is religion. While this idea seems to be the answer for how to live a successful life, has the practice proved otherwise? Could something so complex and arguably biased truly be taught in a school filled with impressionable kids? Two history teachers at New Paltz High School weigh in, sharing their thoughts from the perspective of current and past believers that are teaching our generation about something as dangerous and marvelous as religion.
Although Mrs. Costello and Mrs. Fredericks teach different classes (AP European History and Global 9, respectively) they can both agree that a classroom should not be used as a place of worship.
When pondering on how to teach religion, Mrs. Fredericks said “my biggest objective is to get my students to not necessarily buy into or believe it to be true, but to have respect towards people who believe it is true”.
Mrs. Costello shared a similar sentiment, “I try to make it clear when I am teaching something about religion that I am just reminding students that I’m not telling them what to think,” she said.
Although there may be good intentions behind it, teachers have proven to be incredibly influential to their students. In a survey, 15 students were asked to rate how influential they found their history teachers to be. Over half of the students ranked the likelihood to have their opinion swayed at an 8, making the total mean to be a 7.3/10. Although some staff may not notice it, students are very often tuned in to what is being said outside of the lesson. This can include a random detail shared about a personal life, an offhanded comment, or an opinion given. Combining this statistic with a topic as sensitive as religion, there could be mass controversy if caution is not taken.
In spite of the fact that Fredericks and Costello come from different religious backgrounds, they made a nearly identical contribution to a conversation about incorporating a bias into their work.
“When I started teaching I was kind of nervous that a bias would show through,” Mrs. Costello said, “I don’t think that my religious beliefs enter in to be honest.”
Likewise, Mrs. Fredericks agrees: “I wouldn’t say that I have a bias, but I might be even more critical of my examination.”
Focusing on the balance between intensity and dispassion, Fredericks and Costello have different ways of achieving the same result.
“The easiest way to get kids to understand religion is to appeal to their empathetic side.” Mrs. Fredericks then continued, “When you show people that these are real human beings, it makes people want to buy into wanting to learn.”
In contrast to this, Mrs. Costello said that she will have her students take a step back and try to learn the material from an analytical standpoint. Rather than understanding the humanity of it, Costello often appeals to the individual’s interpretation of the text.
“I just try to remind people of what your beliefs are, and this is how they interpreted it at the time,” Mrs. Costello said. “We don’t always interpret things today as they did back then.”
But what if something was meant to have little to no meaning and ended up having a larger impact on a student? And what if that student went as far as to convert their religion and then informed their teacher about it? This question sparked an incredibly insightful conversation with both teachers that helped shape how they implement their teaching style into lessons.
Mrs. Fredericks began by saying, “I am very conscious of the fact that I can influence my students. I would tell them that I am really happy that they are interested, but I am by no means the authority on any religion.” She also expressed the importance of interacting with people of an interested faith and that the freedom to express your religious beliefs is incredibly important and encouraged.
I would encourage students to follow their own beliefs
Mrs. Costello, social studies teacher
In agreement, Mrs. Costello said, “I would try to avoid that,” speaking of her hopefulness that she would not have to encounter a situation where her words were taken differently than they were intended. “I would encourage students to follow their own beliefs,” Costello continued, supporting students’ beliefs and their exploration of themselves.
Finally, when discussing if there is a place for religion in school at all, both teachers said that yes, religion must be taught in schools to ensure all students are properly educated on history, as religion plays a big role in the “why” of historic figures actions. Along the same lines, the topic of religious clubs was discussed. Something that both teachers agree on is that clubs should only exist purely based on students’ needs, not teachers’ wants. If the club teaches different religions from around the world in a purely informative setting, then Mrs. Fredericks and Mrs. Costello would support it. But something that I am sure many can agree on is that a school is meant to be a place of education, not worship.
The Maroon 