TheBanyanTree: Religious instruction

[PJMoney]

The Northern Territory Education Act provides that where a parent requests,
in writing, that their child(ren) be given religious instruction, the
Secretary of the Department of Education will, as far as is practicable,
provide such instruction for at least one half hour per week.  Something
like that.  

Of course the religious instruction is provided not by employees of the
Department but by members of various accredited religious organisations.  So
if Mormon, Muslim, or Buddhist parents want a public school to provide
religious instruction to their child(ren) and there is some Mormon, Muslim,
or Buddhist person willing to volunteer to do the job (and able to pass the
police check) they can do it.  And if the organisation can't find such a
volunteer then it can't be done.  That could be considered a major meaning
of, "as far as is practicable".  At least I would think so.  

But, people being what they are, some might wish to interpret the phrase
differently.  Surprisingly, or perhaps not surprisingly, there are people
who think that all religions are pernicious - the bane of humanity,
retrogressive, mediaeval, delusional, a curse.  Such people can find all
sorts of other reasons why providing religious instruction to children will
not be "practicable".

At the start of this year, and for various reasons (not the least of which
was the retirement of the former Primate of Australia), our family rejoined
the Anglican Church and I looked for a job to do there.  It turned out that
they needed someone to provide religious instruction at two local primary
schools.  I would have preferred to be teaching older children but primary
kids was the opportunity and I took it.

One school serves what could be described as a disadvantaged population.
More than half that class are the children of recently resettled refugees
from various parts of Africa as well as the children of indigenous parents.
The other school serves mainly the children of educated, white Australians. 

After finishing the second lesson of the first term of this semester the
principal of the first school grabbed me as I was about to walk out the door
and asked me to accompany her into the staff room for a meeting.  I followed
her and could not resist telling her about the amazing thing that had
happened that morning.  The usual class teacher had not been there and I had
been astonished by how well behaved the children had been under the care of
their relief teacher.  Instead of me having to wait while kids wandered
around chatting to each other and the usual teacher until he decided I could
start, this new woman had the children already sitting quietly at their
cleared desks.  I could start on time.  The principal looked at me oddly.

We sat and waited while every other RI teacher there that morning was
directed into the room.  When we were all assembled the principal notified
us that the school council had decided that it was no longer "practicable"
for the students to receive their half-hour of religious instruction per
week and the school council had decided we would not be returning the
following week. 

Complaints had come from some of the teachers, it seemed.  They said the
children took too long to settle down after the RI class.  They said the
children asked questions they didn't know how to answer.  They said that the
first lesson of the morning was prime teaching time and it should be used
for literacy and numeracy teaching.  They had done a survey on RI at the
school and only 30% of families had responded.  Therefore, they assumed, 60%
did not want the school to provide RI.  Therefore, we were out.  One of the
nuns, a small Philippina woman, started sobbing quietly.  The woman who
taught the Protestant littlies also had tears running down her face.

Me, I sat there and thought that these complaining teachers obviously need
some remedial training in classroom management and in how to deflect
difficult questions to the appropriate authority figure, whether parent or
RI instructor.  I also thought, so what's new?, and, OK, I get to sleep in
of a Tuesday morning for a while, and, God's in charge and he will sort this
out.  Meanwhile I still have a Tuesday, after lunch, class to teach.

The kids at the other school are interesting.  Early on I provided a
question box and the questions I got were of this sort; why do I have to
come to this class when my parents don't believe in God?; and, if God made
everything, who made God?  I've answered those questions, apparently to the
satisfaction of the questioners (because they've settled down a lot, even
the "naughty" ones,) and the break from the other class has given me a great
opportunity to learn all these children's names, which is important.  Also,
it's useful.  I can now call on Kimmie or Kristen, or Jasmine or Skye, or
Simon or Mackenzie, to answer a question, look right in his or her face and
find out whether they've been listening or not.  I'm hoping that the
possibility of being put on the spot will motivate them to at least listen.
I don't want to brainwash them.  I just want them to understand the story.
The rest is up to God.  

And now the Department of Education has decided that the school council and
the principal of the first school got their interpretation of, "as far as is
practicable" all wrong.  So it seems that at the start of next term I'll
probably be back to teaching two classes again, but maybe over two days
instead of one.  That's fine.  The purpose of serving is to serve.

Janice