Ponderings of a New Teacher

I have often wondered how to open my students minds to the many religions of the world.  It is often a difficult subject to discuss in a classroom, not wanting to offend anyone.  Today, I was witness to a fantastic discussion of religion with 4th and 5th graders.  They were insightful, inquisitive, and respectful.  I was blown away.

It started with a creation myth belonging to a culture of Pacific Northwest Native Americans.  The myth was told by a storyteller after a short discussion about what a myth was.  After the myth the students talked about gods in all their forms.  I was amazed at how insightful the kids were about diverse cultures gods.  They discussed gods taking an animal form, human form, natural force and  no form at all.  They talked about how different cultures communicated with their gods and how their beliefs evolved over time.  They even touched on the phenomenon of turning ordinary people into god-like idols that is so much a part of the culture in the US.

I  learned so much today about the power of dialogue and the curiosity of children.

This was a question posed to our class by a professor the other day. Is social justice a set of specific values that people hold? Should they try to push “values” of social justice on other people? Does it have a place in our schools? Should students be made to participate in social justice? Are teachers instruments of social justice?
Many answers came out of that discussion. I have digested them all and here is what I am left with…

Social Justice is the right of every human being to live a free, happy, safe, and productive life. Social Justice does have a place in our schools. If not there, then where? As an educator, I do not believe it is my choice, but my obligation to give my students the tools they will need to create a world in which this is possible. Empathy, skills required to have access to the dominant culture, and self-respect are instruments of social justice. I am an instrument of social justice.

These are not a set of values that I hold or try to push on my students. These are the rights of all human beings. This is what it is to be human.

I am excited every day the kids begin arriving in the morning. I get so much energy from them. There were moments halfway through my cert program when I questioned if I was in fact doing the right thing. Do I really have what it takes to educate future citizens? What makes me equipped for such a job?
But this quarter I got back in the classroom and knew that this was it. Every day I love to be here. Don’t get me wrong, I am scared to death sometimes about all the things that I don’t know or…