Search Results: classroom

Had an argument with a man who said teachers have no business telling students anything about their private lives. It started when he said he was against pride flags in classrooms. I asked what if instead he had a photo of him and his male spouse, and he said that was wrong. I said what if it were a straight teacher and his female spouse, and he said teachers are there to teach, not to discuss their private lives with students.

I disagreed. I said students are naturally curious about the person they see 5 days a week for 9 months and they want to know if the teacher is married, has kids, has a favorite sport and sports team, what kind of music they listen do, etc. It's not like a teacher has to discuss their sex life or what kind of medications they're on.

Should teachers be banned from bringing spouses to school events like plays and sporting events? Should teachers be banned from going out in public with their spouses anywhere one of their students might see them?

Gov. Jeff Landry signed legislation on Wednesday requiring the display of the Ten Commandments in every public classroom in Louisiana, making the state the only one with such a mandate and reigniting the debate over how porous the boundary between church and state should be.

Critics, including the American Civil Liberties Union and the Freedom From Religion Foundation, vowed a legal fight against the law they deemed “blatantly unconstitutional.” But it is a battle that proponents are prepared, and in many ways, eager, to take on.

The legislation is part of a broader campaign by conservative Christian groups to amplify public expressions of faith, and provoke lawsuits that could reach the Supreme Court, where they expect a friendlier reception than in years past.

Governor argued that the Ten Commandments contained valuable lessons for students.

“If you want to respect the rule of law,” he said, “you’ve got to start from the original law giver, which was Moses.

It will also include a three-paragraph statement asserting that the Ten Commandments were a “prominent part of American public education for almost three centuries.”

That reflects the contention by supporters that the Ten Commandments are not purely a religious text but also a historical document, arguing that the instructions handed down by God to Moses in the Book of Exodus are a major influence on United States law.

“Given all the junk our children are exposed to in classrooms today, it is imperative that we put the Ten Commandments back in a prominent position,” said State Representative Dodie Horton, the Republican sponsor of the legislation.

The measure allows for “our children to look up and see what God says is right and what he says is wrong,” Ms. Horton told colleagues. “It doesn’t preach a certain religion, but it definitely shows what a moral code we all should live by is.”

Not ALL the influence, but who should have the most say when it comes to classroom instruction?