Monday, April 24, 2000

No Praying in School?

In the "New Covenant" made by our Creator God with humanity, as reported in Jeremiah 31:31-34, every human being can know God from within - because the Holy Spirit is revealing our Creator to all who are willing to know the Lord and trust in Him. We can still help each other along the way; so may you be pleased to find here a variety of helps to the life of faith in God through Jesus Christ. G.S.

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No Praying in School?


A schoolteacher was being interviewed by the school administration, the eager teaching prospect said:

        Let me see if I've got this right. You want me to go into that room with all those kids, and fill their every waking moment with a love for learning.  And I'm supposed to instil a sense of pride in their ethnicity, modify their disruptive behavior, observe them for signs of abuse and even censor their t-shirt messages and dress habits.

        You want me to wage a war on drugs and sexually transmitted diseases, check their backpacks for weapons of mass destruction, and raise their self-esteem.  You want me to teach them patriotism, good citizenship, sportsmanship, and fair play, how to register to vote, how to balance a checkbook, and how to apply for a job. I am to check their heads for lice, maintain a safe environment, recognize signs of anti-social behavior, offer advice, write letters of recommendation for student employment and scholarships, encourage respect for the cultural diversity of others, and oh, make sure that I give the girls in my class fifty percent of my attention.

        My contract requires me to work on my own time after school, evenings and weekends grading papers.  Also, I must spend my summer vacation at my own expense working toward advance certification and a Masters degree. And on my own time you want me to attend committee and faculty meetings, PTA meetings, and participate in staff development training. I am to be a paragon of virtue, larger than life, such that my very presence will awe my students into being obedient and respectful of authority.  And I am to pledge allegiance to family values and this current administration.  

        You want me to incorporate technology into the learning experience, monitor web sites, and relate personally with each student.  That includes deciding who might be potentially dangerous and/or liable to commit a crime in school.  I am to make sure all students pass the mandatory state exams, even those who don't come to school regularly or complete any of their assignments.

Plus, I am to make sure that all of the students with handicaps get an equal education regardless of the extent of their mental or physical handicap.  And I am to communicate regularly with the parents by letter, telephone, newsletter and report card.  All of this I am to do with just a piece of chalk, a computer, a few books, a bulletin board, a big smile AND on a starting salary that qualifies my family for food stamps!  

You want me to do all of this and yet you expect me NOT TO PRAY!"


Canadians can breathe a momentary sigh of relief that our society is not as intensively polarized or held hostage quite as badly by the legal system and professions as it is for our good neighbors to the south in the U.S.A. Pressure from materialists may be more subtle, but it is not too difficult to imagine a similar scenario in any school district in Canada.



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In the "New Covenant" made by our Creator God with humanity, as reported in Jeremiah 31:31-34, every human being can know God from within - because the Holy Spirit is revealing our Creator to all who are willing to know the Lord and trust in Him. We can still help each other along the way; so may you be pleased to find here a variety of helps to the life of faith in God through Jesus Christ. G.S.

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© 2006-2021 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal  QC
© 2006-2021 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC
 

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