I have been teaching for 10 years in independent schools. I teach religion. Religion is one of those topics that get some people's feathers all in a flutter but I believe it is the most important class any student will ever take. Why? Because it not only provides a foundation for understanding others in the world but more importantly for understanding one's self.
The assumption is that parents are teaching their children their beliefs thus the student should know them and own them. This is not the truth. Many students not only are unsure of what they believe but because of the beast of adolescence do not want to align themselves with those beliefs professed by their parents. Who better to help than a teacher? A teacher that doesn't have an agenda. A teacher that has an idealistic worldview where everyone respects the beliefs of others and accepts the differences as nothing more than that a difference.
My journey as a teacher is not always an easy sail but I believe in the possibilities of a true globally aware and compassionate student. I believe possibility of religious equality and opportunity for real world peace. I believe in teaching students to communicate effectively, to question the unknown and accept the other. Idealistic? Yes. Naive? Perhaps. My Objective? Absolutely.
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