I do not like some things going on in education?

Question

I am a substitute teacher, I am called upon to teach various subjects. But if I am called upon to teach about sexual relations, I refuse to teach that homosexuality is natural and not a lifestyle choice. I refuse to teach that it is an acceptable alternative to heterosexuality. I refuse to do that to our children.

I love to teach but "political correctness" is making it harder and harder.

Neniaf...wrong. These are children. Whatever we teach them is instilled in them, shapes their future, their choices in life. I refuse to be a part of the liberal agenda, I will not teach that such behavior is natural.

However, thank you for your input.

Answer 1

I believe what the asker is talking about is curriculum that tells children, who are too young to debate it and reason it out, that homosexuality is one or the other. Quite frankly, I don't want my son being taught about sexual orientation in school - that's my job, and I talk openly with him about it.

It's one thing to teach that families come in all shapes and sizes, and to teach that we all have to make our decisions in life; it's another to stand in front of a class and teach mandated curriculum that just plain tells them "this is ok". It goes a lot deeper than that, and while I may not agree with some people's choices, it's not the school's job to override me in teaching him moral values. It's also not the school's job to override me in discussing this openly with my son, for the school to tell him what he "should" believe. I'm his mother - it's my and my husband's job to discuss and reason that through with him.

Honestly, my advice to you is to stick to your guns. There is absolutely nothing wrong with teaching according to your convictions, and refusing to teach classes that go against those convictions. There may be times that you are under fire for that - the Bible even says you will be - because apparently freedom of speech, of action, and of thought applies to everyone except for Christians. Everyone else can be adamant in what they think and even call others intolerant for not seeing things just like they do, but when Christians stand by their convictions it's called being small-minded and intolerant. Funny, that.

Even if you come under fire for it, your actions will cause others to think - and they might just effect change. In the end, you are responsible for what you teach, and not just to the school board. You are responsible to the kids and parents. Teaching is important, but WHAT you teach is even more important. Don't bend on your core beliefs.

Hope that helps!

Answer 2

Of course you should be free to teach whatever you are comfortable with.
Teaching a child about a lifestyle doesn't necessarily mean that you are brainwashing them or taking preference.
Being a teacher is being able to integrate a lesson as well as an opinion and make it easy for a child/student to understand.
It is always good to for people to know the many aspects of life, even if they don't necessarily agree with them.

Answer 3

So, you think that homosexuality is a lifestyle choice ? That someone wakes up one day and thinks " It would be great to be a homosexual................ I`ll go for that " What is it that you`re "refusing to do to our children" exactly ? You have some God given right to deny our children plain straight forward facts ? Homosexuality is a fact, and nothing you can do will make it disappear. Do you also think that the colour of people`s skin somehow makes them different too ? There is nothing "politically correct" about homosexuality. As has already been suggested, if you wish to be intolerant of peoples` sexuality then the place for you is in a religoius school where your brand of intolerance would be welcomed.

Answer 4

I agree with an individual below. Being a teacher is not about preaching your personal beliefs, or withholding information that contradicts your beliefs. That sort of teaching belongs at a private religious school, not a public school.

Public school teachers have the obligation to provide all sides of the issues, so our children learn to hear multiple voices and make their own intelligent decisions.

I'm sorry, but I don't think you can even look yourself in the mirror as a teacher if you can't speak objectively about sexuality.

Answer 5

I don't know how your district runs things, but in ours a substitute teacher has the right to refuse an assignment. If you feel like the curriculum of a particular subject compromises your values, do not accept the assignment.

Answer 6

I understand what you mean...even the subject about Sex itself is enough hard to teach....i mean if you have christian values like myself the things they ask you to teach are completely against God's teachings in Bible...maybe you should take the option to not teach that subject like someone else say here!!

Answer 7

I don't think anyone is asking you to give opinions, your own or otherwise, on any topic. When called upon to teach math, do you talk about which equations you like and which ones you don't? Most of the time, what they want from you is a factual presentation and the ability to handle classroom discussion. I don't remember knowing the politics or religious beliefs of any of my teachers in school, so to the degree possible, you should avoid presenting yours. One option is to let the district know this and make it clear that you are unable to address this particular subject matter to their wishes. If you can't help yourself, then you belong teaching in a religious school which shares your beliefs, not in public schools.

Answer 8

Stand by your gut...if u don't want to teach that, teach other things. There is nothing wrong with feeling that way.