Moral+Dilemmas

On the first day of school when parents were bringing in school supplies and stacking them on a table, I caught a glimpse of a mother who took a pen that was lying on the table (<-- part of the school supplies that another parent had brought in). If I were fully myself, I would kindly set the mother straight, but knowing that it was my first day in a classroom not my own and that my MT wouldn't want to start off the year with an angry or embarrassed parent, I didn't say anything. Of course, it's just a pen. But it's nonetheless a pity when a mother steals a pen that should have gone to one of the children. What would you do?

Did she take it to use and then just kept it or did she take it and put it in her purse right away? I know I always accidentally steal pens or pencils after I use them, especially at restaurants. But in this situation I don't think I would say anything to the parent. - MB

I don't think I would have said anything either, especially if it was the first day of school...and my first year teaching. And it could have been an accident...you never know. I wouldn't want to start off the year accusing a parent who wasn't doing anything malicious. Awkward. AA

I went to a Christian elementary school, so I grew up talking about God in school as normal and part of our education. Now that I am spending so much time in a non-religiously-affiliated school, I am amused and intrigued by some of the things my students say in class. A lot of them talk about Mother Nature and some of them have mentioned God. I have to constantly remind myself not to say certain things to them. Last week on the bus to our field trip I was sitting next to a student and I was kind of having trouble hearing her and was also exhausted. Halfway into our conversation, I realized she had been talking about how God created people (she was amazed that he created five whole languages for the whole earth-haha) and I had been nodding my head and saying that God was pretty cool like that. Then I caught myself! I felt like a delinquent teacher, but at the same time I was pleased that I had gotten to have such a fun conversation. JH

Carrie, can you post or send us that article you were talking about... I'm also sorta fuzzy on how much I can say/do and can't say/do (the framework for SS on religion sounded nice, but implementation is another story), and I'm sure there are creative ways to teach as a Christian even within the system.

HERE is the article I wrote on being a Christian teacher in a public school: