Teaching Religion vs Teaching About Religion

As the number of schools that offer Bible in Schools or similar programmes decreases, it is interesting and important for schools to consider and discuss their provision of religious education. The recent review of this topic brought forth much interesting feedback but was only open to schools that actually had the topic in their document set. The blog, however, allows everyone to comment, so comment...

The main recurring theme of the review feedback reflected opinions expressed in the media late last year in the debate about Bible in Schools, namely that it’s fine for children to learn about christianity as part of a wider study of world religions, but it’s not okay for state schools to provide specific christian (or other denomination) instruction. (Or indoctrination, as many people referred to it.) The separation between church and state should be maintained. 

Many reviewers felt that Bible in Schools and similar programmes encourage the development of values that are necessary for everyday life and reflect the values our country is based on. Are these christian values so different from the values stated in the New Zealand Curriculum Framework? "The school curriculum reinforces the commonly held values of individual and collective responsibility...these values include honesty, reliability, respect for others, respect for the law, tolerance, fairness, caring or compassion, non sexism, and non racism."  Okay, nothing about God, but similar values all the same. Do we need a separate religious based programme for this?

Our culture is changing, our communities are more ethnically diverse than ever before and it is surely more inclusive to learn about the many faiths that make up our communities. Maybe learning about the different faiths offers students the chance to understand more about other cultures, and also how it is for people to have a faith – how it affects and shapes their lives. Wouldn’t it be great for our students to hear about their classmates’ lives through visits from representatives of local cultural/religious groups. How cool to visit a marae, a temple, a mosque, a church, etc.

Have a look at this article by Tapu Misa in The New Zealand Herald last December http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10852960 There are too many interesting bits in it for me to summarise here, but the quotes from Helen Bradstock of Otago University capture what many of our policy reviewers said. 

Here (in New Zealand), we've been unable to draw a distinction between teaching religion and teaching about religion. We should be aiming, she writes, for "secular, inter-religious education" that is taught within the curriculum, as in the UK.

It would teach about Christianity and other major world religions, but not endorse any one belief system. It would recognise diversity and respect human rights but wouldn't compromise the secular nature of the education system, since religion would be treated as an aspect of human culture which is a legitimate "form of knowledge" or object of study.
We don't have a choice. In increasingly multicultural New Zealand, as Bradstock argues, inter-religious education in primary schools has a critical role to play in the growth of multicultural awareness and the promotion of social inclusion.

Such education is most effective, studies show, "when difficult questions relating to conflicting world views are grappled with, debated and not avoided in classrooms".

So, what are your thoughts? How does this relate to what your school community has or wants? 

Complaints Review Summary

The Complaints section was reviewed in term 3, 2012, by board, staff, parents. We’ve made a few changes to topics as a result and the draft topics are in Upcoming Changes for boards and schools to consider. A few schools have school specific Complaints topics – you’ll need to send us any changes you want made to your topics, or let us know if you want our draft ones. Every school needs to check its own implementation feedback and respond as appropriate.

The changes include a new title for Guidelines for Parents with a Complaint. It’s now Guidelines for Informal Complaints and we’ve stated that it is for any informal complains, ie, made by parents/caregivers, or by staff members.  Investigating a Formal Complaint has been strengthened largely as a result of advice from our subject matter expert, David Beck. All changes are detailed in Upcoming Changes.

Reviewers liked the emphasis on resolving conflicts informally, and the back up of a formal complaints procedure in case the informal approach isn’t successful. Most reviewers commented that they had never had to use the formal complaints procedure but were pleased it was there just in case…

One school wondered if the lack of complaints they’ve had is the result of a very happy school community, or from being unapproachable.  I guess the best relationship is one which operates in a  spirit of respect, tolerance, and er something.  A good complaints procedure helps – make sure your school community is aware of the procedure – you could put a link to the policy in the school newsletter, or cut and paste it. A number of reviewers had never seen the Complaints section before and wondered how well advertised it was to parents.

Once again, we acknowledge the guidance of David Beck of SB Law (www.sblawyers.co.nz) in reviewing our changes. Thanks David.

Car Seats for Seven Year Olds

From the newspapers:

Under proposed new road rules children up to the age of seven will have to sit in car seats. The new limit, up from the age of five, will align New Zealand's requirements with Australia. Associate Transport Minister Simon Bridges says the change is a sensible move as international and local research shows school age children are at considerable risk if they use adult seat belts. He says the new limit will require changes to the Land Transport (Road User) Rules, and there will be public consultation to address any practical issues.

Mr Bridges says the changes need to be flexible enough so they don't create extra difficulties for taxi drivers or large families. Safekids and the Motor Trade Association say they would like the Government to go further, and keep children in car seats until at least the age of 10.

From Megan:

It’s a fact that children don’t fit in adult seat belts, they’re the wrong size and their anatomy is different from adults – for example, their ribs and pelvis don’t cover as much of their abdomens, and their ribs are bendy so don’t protect their heart and lungs.

It’s also a fact that most of us ignore this inconvenient fact a lot of the time. We’re good in the current compulsory period, most babies are nicely trussed up for car trips, and toddlers generally. At school age, most children are belted in – but with adult seatbelts. The Ministry of Transport Road Safety Surveys show that we have a high rate of restraining our children with seatbelts, just haven’t got the message yet about appropriate restraints.

Maybe making carseats compulsory is the only way to punch the information into us.

There is plenty of information around about the dangers of incorrectly fitted safety belts, see my previous blog (Private Cars for EOTC Transport) of February, 2011. Seriously, go and read it now.

Here are some interesting facts:

Children’s injuries (info from ACC)

·         Motor vehicles are the number one killer of children, accounting for 1 in 5 child fatalities.

·         Properly used child restraints and safety belts reduce the risk of death in a vehicle crash by 71% and serious injury by 67%.

The World Health Organisation states that in the age group 4 – 7, booster seats are estimated to reduce the chances of sustaining clinically significant injuries during a crash by 59%, as compared to using ordinary vehicle seatbelts.

So what are the issues that are stirring people up?

1)      It shouldn’t be age, it should be height and weight.  Well, it’s a good point but far simpler to say an age. If carseats are compulsory and kids get used to being in them, maybe the smaller ones won’t feel so bad about staying in them a bit longer… Seven is probably only an interim step anyway, many people would like to see the age go up to 12. The fact is, children simply don’t fit in adult seatbelts without some kind of booster seat and generally don’t reach an adult enough height and weight until 12 ish.

2)      You can’t fit more than two carseats in a normal car! Not easily it’s true, and there are many families with more than two children seven or younger. And what a pain for grandparents, aunties, schoolfriends, etc, who won’t be able to make spontaneous transport offers without car seat considerations. What will happen to school trips?

3)      It’s expensive. Yep, that’s true too although maybe there’ll be some hiring schemes such as Plunket runs for infant carseats.

4)      It’s mollycoddling. No, not really. It’s one thing for children to be active, to take risks climbing trees and jumping off the woodpile. Those activities are done voluntarily (mostly, unless you have older brothers…) and are important in learning about their physical abilities and the world – gravity, first aid, and all that. It’s part of childhood to take risks and learn from the painful consequences. Kids can learn to cope with falling off a bike and scraping a knee, they can learn to bravely bear the pain of a thumb caught in the car door, or stoically suck on a Sparkler burnt digit, but…being inadequately restrained in a car driven by someone else is different. You can’t expect children to “harden up” about whiplash, abdominal injuries, etc.

5)      It’s the nanny state yet again. Let us decide how to bring up our kids. Hmmm, tricky. There will always be people who educate themselves about issues, and others who blatantly disregard safety guidelines. Whose responsibility is it to keep our children safe? Where does it stop? Is insisting on child carseats any worse than insisting on swimming pool fences, childproof lids on medicines, bike helmets?

References
Ministry of Transport Surveys (http://www.transport.govt.nz/research/roadsafetysurveys/pages/safetybeltstatisticsandchildrestraintsurveys.aspx)

World Health Organisation article about Youth and Road Safety

http://www.who.int/management/programme/ncd/Youth%20and%20Road%20Safety.pdf