Am I a hypocrite?

"Ok, Everybody up!" 

This was me, to my third graders, every morning for a month and half. The morning announcements always ended with "And now please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance."  I looked around the room, making eye contact with the students who were slow to get up, letting them know I expected compliance (respect, I called it). 

I began to recite with them "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands........"   At this point I always wondered how my immigrant students(about a third of my class) felt about reciting these words.  Being 8 and 9 year olds (and speaking English as a second language), I guess they probably didn't even know what they were saying, and other than the fact that this routine was interrupting their progress on the morning work, they probably didn't care.  I also wondered how their parents might feel about it.  Did they want their children pledging allegiance to this country?  Did they even know it was going on? 

I continued to recite the pledge with the students, day after day, always leaving out the words "under god" and hoping that none of my students noticed and asked me about it. (They never did.)  But I always questioned whether or not I should be making all of the students stand and recite the pledge.  I was subbing for a maternity leave at the end of the year and was trying to keep the classroom routines and expectations as close as possible to what they were with the regular teacher.  There were several things I did as a sub, that I would probably change if it were my own classroom for the entire year.  But in this case, I'm just not sure what to do.  It is a school wide expectation that everyone stands and recites the pledge together.  I'm not sure that there are any students who have strong feelings about it one way or the other, but I feel like a hypocrite enforcing this expectation when I am personally uncomfortable with it - especially those two little words that I refuse to say.  

I know that a teacher has to be consistent and adamant that 100% of the students are following the rules and expectations, otherwise the students will test you and little by little, your authority is undermined and the discipline in the classroom falls apart.  During my month and a half in the classroom, I let things get slightly out of hand during the pledge.  I told the kids to stand and be respectful, but I didn't really enforce any discipline during this time.  Some students would stand and say the pledge proudly.  Some would reluctantly stand, but keep their pencils in hand and bend down to work when they thought I wasn't looking.  Others would just sit and continue working until I motioned them up with my hands halfway through the pledge, at which time they would stand so slowly that the pledge would be over by the time they were up.  I never lectured the students or even made my expectations clear about this routine.  I guess it was because I wasn't even clear in my own mind about what I expected from them.  I wasn't comfortable making them recite something I didn't even want to recite myself.  But when I have my own classroom (hopefully this fall!), I do not want to give the students the impression that my directions are just a suggestion and that they can get away with disrespecting me and the classroom rules. 

So, what do I do?  Do I make it the expectation that all the students stand to show respect, but not make them actually say the words?  Do I let them remain sitting if they choose, but expect them to be quiet and respectful of those who want to recite the pledge?  If my expectations are different from other teachers and from the school wide policy, how do I explain why to my students without getting myself in trouble?  Do I continue to recite the pledge myself, the way it was originally written (without those two words), not recite it at all, or give in and recite it the way the children have learned it? (I can tell you right now, that's not going to happen.)  What do I say to the students if they notice that I leave out "under god?"  Can I enforce a school wide expectation without being a hypocrite?  Can I not enforce a school wide expectation without getting in trouble? And since the students most likely don't know and don't care what they are saying anyway, does it even matter?

I want to know what you think!

When I first started this blog a couple of days ago, I had my picture and my city and state on my profile.  I was also considering posting something on my Facebook status telling EVERYONE to check out my new blog.  My very loving husband who I know just wants to help and protect me, made me all paranoid.  He told me that I should take my picture off (which I did) and be careful because if certain potential employers saw it, they may not hire me.  So I tried to make my profile a little more anonymous, and I decided to only send a private message to certain people letting them know to check out my blog.  If you are reading this, you may be one of those people. :) 

Anyway, I want to know what everyone thinks.  The whole point of starting this blog in the first place was that I think atheists, humanists, agnostics, etc. should come out of the closet.  I don't think they should have to be afraid of what people think.  If I was Jewish and had a blog that talked about my faith, would I have to worry about it offending people and preventing me from getting a job?  I wouldn't think so.... So, why is this any different?  Is it?  Do you think it's true that if potential employers saw my blog, they wouldn't hire me?  Are people really THAT offended by atheism and the like?  Should I go ahead and put my picture and info on my profile, or should I continue to be paranoid and careful about who knows about my blog?  I would appreciate any and all comments......

Which religion is the "right" one?

I am taking a class on the Foudations of ESL (English as a Second Language) and Bilingual Education.  The class has two professors.  Both are immigrants to the United States - one from India and the other from Malaysia.  The cultural discussions we get into during class are very interesting!  Last night we had two international students come as guest speakers - both from predominantly Muslim countries - Pakistan and Indonesia.  The guy from Pakistan was telling us all about how difficult it is to cook, to go to eat at people's houses or to go out to eat here since he can only eat meat that is blessed and butchered in a certain way.   I was sitting there wondering how he feels being in a predominantly Christian country.  Does he think about the millions of people here who do not hold the same beliefs about meat that he does and wonder who is right? 

Are people with strong religious convictions ignorant about other beliefs and how many people hold them, or are they just so arrogant that they really think their religion is the right one? 

Complete Makeover

I have given my blog a complete makeover - including the title and main subject. Since I had not posted anything in about a year, I decided it was time to either make some serious changes or cancel my blogger account. I realized that the reason I had not posted anything was because I am a little bit afraid to post the things I really feel strongly about. I constantly find myself wanting to post (on facebook) atheist videos, songs, quotes, articles, or just my own very anti-religion thoughts. I always stop myself because I'm afraid of offending someone or starting an argument. I'm realizing now, that while I am not asking for an argument, I do feel strongly that the conversations that may begin as a result of some of my posts are conversations that really need to be had. The fact that I am afraid to post these things is proof that the conversation needs to begin. A lot of atheists probably live like me - half in the closet - and I think more of us should "come out." So, I changed my blog to start a conversation. I know there are many others out there who feel the same way I do about religion, many who feel differently and others still who don't know what to believe. I hope to make those who think the way I do feel comfortable sharing their thoughts, give those who don't know what to believe some things to think about, and hopefully inspire some to at least question their beliefs.

As the title of my blog implies, the other thing that is important to me is teaching. I am currently looking for a permanent teaching position in an elementary school. I am very passionate about teaching and helping kids to become the best possible people. While it would seem that my non-religious beliefs and teaching do not have a lot to do with each other (SEPARATION of church and state), there are surprisingly many times where there is some overlap or issues that come up relating to both.

Let the conversation begin......