I attended a group discussion downtown last night. The topic was public education, and was hosted by the Sheldon Chumir Foundation. Public education from a principle perspective, not in terms of system. The conversation was focused by a list of questions, reproduced below.
1. What is public education for? Why do modern societies organize public education?
2. What does public education have to include, or look like, if it is to serve the public’s interest?
3. What does education which nurtures good citizenship look like?
4. To what degree does it make sense to divide children up along religious or other historical segmented lines, such as gender or race, for their public education?
5. What role do you see private or similar schools playing in the delivery of public education in this province?
My 9 year old son Korben goes to Elmwood here in Edmonton. Elmwood is suppose to be a Science oriented school. It is a Government funded public school, bear that in mind. (Canada has NO Government established religion and Alberta has no “Not Withstanding Clause in this matter)
Recently, before the holidays, he got into a heated argument of the existence of Santa clause and the existence of god with a fellow student. The fellow student told her and my son’s teacher on my son. The teacher brought my son out into the hall and gave what my son says “Trouble.” for saying that Santa and god do not exist to another student, and that “Anyone can believe what they want to.”. The teacher then proceeded to read the book “Polar Express” to the class and then stated to the whole class that they can believe what they want to believe and that the teacher believes in god. My son told me this this morning when he asked if he could just tell people that he believes in a god so he doesn’t get embarrassed or in trouble anymore.
I have a HUGE problem with this. Not only did the teacher single out my son and pull him into the hall for stating his principles and make him feel like he was in the wrong to state his principles to another student who was stating theirs, but she didn’t bring the other student out into the hall for the same “trouble.” she gave to my son. I can only assume it is because the teacher and the other student have the same “belief”. The irony here is that it is a Science oriented school, and it has a religious teacher educating my son about science, and I’m wondering why a public school teacher is practicing persecution against someone who doesn’t hold her beliefs and I’m worried about how well she is actually teaching the kids, how can someone who believes that snakes can talk and that women came from the rib of a man teach Science. Science holds no room for religion. The teacher telling the students that she believes in god after my son stated he doesn’t is implication and bullying. She violated the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms when she singled my son out and then did so again when she stated her religious opinion to the classroom singling him out again. As a teacher who is in a position of authority and who every student knows is there to teach you, what do you think she taught my son that day? What do you think she taught the rest of the class? You CAN NOT push your personal beliefs on the students in a public school, OR single out students who don’t believe the way you do, off the job do whatever you like, preach away. My son did not call anyone names or persecute anyone, the argument (according to my son) went like this. The girl stated god was real, my son stated that her god was not real, “Yes he is” “no he isn’t” etc. until the student told the teacher on my son saying that Korben says god isn’t real.
So Tell me I’m in the wrong here when I want to file a complaint with the Human Rights commission and sue the school.
Srry no edit button.
I would also like to add that the teacher tried to censor my son but not the other student, and then after told the class that god is real. I say that because the teacher after the fact said that she believes in god. She is a teacher and in a position of authority, she implied that a god does in fact exist. After basically telling my son to shut up about her religion why did she censor him and not herself. I think about the next student who questions the existence of a god in her class, is she going to burn them at the stake for heresy at recess by the swing set?
I am appalled to hear how your son was treated. My family and others have also suffered at the hand of religious privilege in our children’s education. There is a group that deals more specifically with the role of religion in education here in Alberta, I would suggest posting your story to this site and asking for advice. APUPIL (Alberta Parents for Unbiased Public Inclusive Learning) is a group that is looking for ways to remove religious privilege from our education system, especially in the area of prayer and the disestablishment of the Separate School System. Note, this is not an ‘Atheist’ group – it has members of faith, but all members typically believe the education environment should be secular. Hope that helps.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/APUPIL/
Thank you for the information you provided. I have been out of town for some weeks, however the situation at my sons school has calmed down for the most part. I didn’t actually get the chance to contact the principle or the teacher directly because I left before school break was over. My son though, took it upon himself (after a speech I gave him about standing fast when it comes to your principles) to speak up for himself to the teacher when he returned to school. When faced with adversity and outnumbered (he said his legs were shaking LOL) my son persevered and stood fast on his principles. My son gets his principles from me. I would have let him grow up to figure out these things on his own, if he ever would have since there is a lot of pressure out there. I swore that I wouldn’t lie to my kids no matter what. However, I told my son at a young age that there was no Santa and to not get caught up in it, I taught him the history of Christmas and the unlikely events that occurred in ancient times surrounding the myth of Jesus Christ. I did these things because what happens when he asks Santa for something major that I can’t give him? (and I don’t mean possessions.) What happens if he goes down the occult path, gets a life threatening illness, and instead of going to a doctor he hopes some mythological being will cure him using prayer? Or what happens if he joins Islam and goes crazy? Or WORSE… Scientology?…I’d rather him educated, and see things from the outside in, and I think every child should have the freedom to do that without their parents indoctrinating them into a religion before they are capable of making their own decisions in life. Of course I think that if religious people allowed that privilege to their children you’d see a drastic drop in religious people around the planet. I’m glad this website exists to the benefit of our species. Thank you for your hard work.
Mike.