I’m really glad that it’s the Easter holidays at school, at least here in the UK.
As we head towards the celebration of Pascha, which for me is only the second time, I am left reflecting on why it’s quite hard to be an RE teacher and maintain the faith. It’s not like this is a complaint or any kind of bid for sympathy either: it just is tricky… hard.
The Denial of Specifics
I’ve been teaching Religious Education (RE) in a mainstream British school for almost three years. In a primarily secular, and at times struggling environment, there have been some big challenges. The pupils I teach all have a sense that I hold deep spiritual values and views. None of them, however, can be sure of exactly to which spiritual tradition I adhere.
When asked, “Sir, what do YOU believe?” my traditional response is to ask, “Why do you ask?”
I have explained, countless times, to both parents and pupils the reasons for which I keep my own faith “under wraps”:
- It helps pupils to open up instead of trying to please what they perceive to be teacher’s point of view
- It reduces the impact of any inherent bias because, to maintain the mystery, I must present each faith as if it were my own
- It allows pupils to develop their beliefs without feeling that any questions from teacher are, in some way, a challenge to their thinking in the wrong way.
Thus, I deny my faith daily. At least, in terms of the specifics. It’s one of the reasons I chose “Peter” as my patron.
How does it feel to deny your beliefs? To cloak your most heartfelt convictions? To allow others to wonder when, underneath, you just want them to see the truth for themselves?
Some days, it’s tough.
Presenting All Traditions As Valid
You know, this is usually quite easy: as far as I am concerned, all the religious traditions have something to teach. I am continually learning.
Yet there are contradictions: Is Jesus the “Son of God”, or is Isa “merely a prophet”? You cannot have it both ways, not really.
It’s one thing to teach “tolerance” for faith. It’s quite another thing to feel the pressure to portray Everyman’s beliefs as equally true. That simply cannot be.
I have created something of a detached teaching persona but, nonetheless, sometimes the veneer feels constricting. Heaven forbid that I be tempted to “proselytize” by expressing my actual opinion.
Some weeks it’s harder than others.
Subjected to Judgement
It doesn’t matter who I am with at school, when a person finds out you’re the RE teacher then they judge you. If I’m not “obviously” a Christian then I am labelled as morally sanctimonious.
People assume you care about what they are doing. Most days, I am too busy worrying about what I am doing… but, you know, people don’t like to realise that they are unimportant to you.
If I’m actually religious then, frankly, I am really quite threatening to most parents and kids. Thankfully, the teachers won’t vocalize things the same way parents do… even if they do think them.
“I’m not religious,” is the mantra I hear all day long. As if I cared how religious anyone was. Honestly.
Some days, it’s harder than others.
Lest You Be Tempted…
Oh, and lest you be tempted to interpret this post as another, “Oh, poor me! Woe to the poor teacher!” whine… well, you’re forgiven.
I’m not here to elicit sympathy. Just needed to “out” it.
And I bet I’m not the only one. I suspect many of us, even the non-teachers in the world, play a similar game.
Some days, it really sucks!
Aye. Sums it up. 14 years of doing just about the same. Towards the end, though, I just let them know I was Christian. Just not the Denomination.
I always viewed my RE teacher as a guide – he described the blocks and I built my ‘beliefs’ from them, along with other ideals I gained growing up. I personally enjoyed Re, but mainly for the knowledge and the history snippets. However way I look at it, I believe in a scientific view point, but open to listening to other views. And I learned to be open in RE.