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Self Check for Lesson 1 Test

Compare your answers to the correct answers provided.

1.    Suppose you are asked to explain the meaning of a “religiously neutral” classroom.  Which statements below accurately state the principle?

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students' worldviews are looked upon as appropriate for them

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no one’s worldview is regarded with favoritism

2.    Harbor School's policy manual lists “reasons for classroom neutrality.”  Find the one reason that is false.

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To deem the various worldviews equally valid

Explanatory comment:  The Harbor School has misinterpreted neutrality.  A teacher--by upholding classroom neutrality--is not weighing or judging or validating or endorsing worldviews.  The notion of religious neutrality concerns protecting the religious liberty (right to freedom of conscience) of persons.  It is about the rights of people, and not about judging the validity of the beliefs to which the people adhere.  [Cultural and individual valuations of life stances will of course exist, but the person who holds to a worldview that is unpopular or unfamiliar is not to be coerced or disenfranchised.]

3.    Select from among the statements below the single notion that most clearly underlies the legal directives to public schools to maintain religious neutrality:

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A citizen has freedom to hold to his/her core beliefs without loss of rights

4.    Which of the following is the single preeminent source reason for public school’s governance on religious neutrality?

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Court decisions on various cases prevent public schools from “establishing” religion in violation of religious liberty clauses in constitutions.

5.    Check all permissible actions for a public school.

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Students can include their own worldviews when writing essays

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A teacher can teach: “Some people believe that angels are real.”

6.    Which is the best teacher strategy for achieving neutrality in your classroom?

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Continuously model how students should be acting with one another

True    False

 7.  It is the public school's job to see that each child's freedom of conscience is protected.

 8.  People who hold to a minority or unfamiliar religion do not have freedom of conscience rights in the United States.   [All the citizens have religious liberty.]

 9. People who reject religion entirely lose their religious liberty rights.    [All the citizens have religious liberty.]

10.  Teachers in private schools may speak for or speak against a religious doctrine.

11.  Teachers in public schools may promote religion over nonreligion as long as they do not advance any particular religion over others.   [Public school teachers are neither to advance nor inhibit religion itself.]

12.  A civil public school calls for both teachers and students to respect others' freedom of conscience.

13.  A teacher giving preference to a particular religious outlook would violate the First Amendment free expression clause.   [The violation is of the Establishment clause.]

14. A teacher should give more support to a majority religion than to one of the minority faiths.   [Majority rule does not apply to Constitutional rights; a majority cannot nullify the rights of a minority group.]

15.  Upholding students' religious liberty rights is giving your approval to their worldviews.   [You are safeguarding students' religious freedom, not validating or endorsing their worldviews.]

16.  The neutrality ideal applies to treatment across the different religious faiths but can be waived for nonreligious people.   [Constitutional rights are not set aside.]

17.  The neutrality ideal supports giving to those persons whose beliefs contrast with your own the regard you want given to you and those who share your worldview.

18.- 23.  Our National Community:

    In the United States, government at all levels is to treat freedom of conscience as an inalienable human right of each and every person.  The freedom of conscience protections grow out of the First Amendment.

    Along with other portions of the Bill of Rights, the two religious liberty clauses of the U.S. Constitution underlie an American citizen's guarantee of religious freedom. They support freedom of conscience rights of all the citizenry, even members of the smallest minorities.  The clauses form a civic framework for treatment of religion by government.  They also form the guiding principles for a civil public school.

24.-32.  The School Community:

    As government institutions, schools are legally bound to establish school communities in which students are not insiders or outsiders based on their beliefs of conscience.  Public schools have to treat all students as fully free to hold to their particular outlooks.  The schools as institutions are responsible for ensuring that students can maintain personal individuality of conscience with regard to their religious or nonreligious convictions.  Every “citizen” of a civil public school has a freedom of conscience right that is to be respected and protected.  The school safeguards religious liberty throughout the school community.

     Schools must be neutral toward all of the varied worldviews.  In a classroom that is religiously neutral, teachers ensure a level playing field for all, giving just consideration and respect to each person.  They also model how, as Americans, we share responsibility to respect and guard the rights of others.  Students learn to respect the freedom of conscience rights of their peers.  They learn that we are to be as conscientious in safeguarding rights of persons who hold unfamiliar or unpopular outlooks as we are in protecting rights of persons whose convictions are culturally mainstream.

33. Would there be a “level playing field” in class if a teacher remarks to Tomas:  "Tomas, you went last year, as I recall.  Would you tell the class what they’ll be missing if they don’t attend the [revival, Easter sunrise service, etc.] we'll be going to next week? "

Example response:  Tomas's talk would be an "advertisement" for a religious event.  Such mention, although informative, essentially promotes the event. This is unfair to those students who have different worldviews.  (Note that the teacher is familiar with this event.  Tomas likely shares the teacher's worldview.)  It is one-sided to promote this event and not also those events deriving from all the worldviews represented in class (about which a teacher is not informed.)  For a teacher, who is an authority figure, to elevate a religious holiday or event tends to privilege the worldview.  Religious institutions within communities are to promote their own events in ways that do not involve public school personnel and their students.

End of the Self-Check Test answers. Return to Lesson 1.

 

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