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When
teaching students about religious holidays, it is important that
teachers remain objective. The best way to achieve this is by
attribution. For
example, "Luke wrote that...," or "The Bible
says..." When
referring to beliefs about the story, use phrases such as
"Christians believe..." or "John Newton
believed..."
You
can help students understand the influence religious events
and holidays have had on history, literature, art, and music.
Your task is not to prove something is true or to
question whether it is accurate.
According to the U.S. Department of Education's guidelines on
students' religious liberties, students have the right to freely
express themselves regarding their personal beliefs. However, as
moderator of a class discussion on this topic, a teacher should
emphasize that every student be respectful regarding their
classmates' comments. No student should be made to feel excluded
for expressing belief or disbelief in the story.
Religious
stories have had
significant influence in world history and should be understood
as such. When educators teach about them, they are not
teaching Sunday school; they are teaching history,
literature, art, music, and language arts.
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