The Importance Of Diversity In Education

The question of whether or not religion should be taught in public schools has been an ongoing debate among parents and teachers for decades. In the article “Religion and Education: The Pitfalls of Engaging a Complex Issue” Martin E. Marty and Jonathan Moore express their views on the matter. They express that religion in public schools could potentially bring conflict to families. They also support the other scenario that religion classes would inform students of the different beliefs of the people they will meet throughout their lives. Religion in the public school system is still an ongoing debate, one that needs to be resolved. The children that will be affected by the outcome of this debate are the future leaders of America, therefore, we should not take this decision lightly. Children everywhere and in all schools need to be taught about different religions so they can make a firm stand for what they believe in.

As an adult, a parent, and an educator it is my social responsibility to make sure that the children I am entrusted with are aware that not everyone lives the same kind of lifestyle. We are all different in some way or another and that doesn’t make me any better or worse than anyone else. This can be a challenging concept for children that have grown up with only people of the same race, which hold the same beliefs and are very similar in the majority of their ways.

Children may have to attend a school that is associated with their religion. It is always possible that this gives the child a different quality/balance of education. They may struggle to understand other people‘s religion or lifestyle choices. They may become confused or isolated and

Poverty is a serious issue which our society and children faces every day. It is a constant struggle that shouldn’t be ignored. UNICEF states “The study of OECD countries in 2007, over fourteen percent of Australian children under the age of eighteen are currently living in households who are defined as poor or with incomes less than half of the median national income”. The increase in the number and percentage of children living in poverty within our society has contributed to making today's classrooms more diverse than ever it has been. This highlights and makes both teaching and learning more challenging. Diversity exists in the students who are living in poverty and the education assistant and teachers must provide the concept of diversity

Students have their own best way in effectively learning the lesson. With the diversity of students, the problem is each student has a preferred learning style. It becomes undeniably one of the reasons that make it difficult to achieve the best expected outcome out of teachers’ effort. However, teachers try to incorporate various teaching techniques to make every learning opportunity become productive, meaningful, and relevant for the learners.

Religion in the Public School Curriculum: Questions and Answers, which was issued by a coalition of 17 major religious and educational organizations,...describes the importance of religion in the curriculum through this statement: Because religion plays a significant role in history and society, study about religion is essential to understanding both the nation and the world. Omission of facts about religion can give the students the false impression that the religious life of humankind is insignificant or unimportant (Haynes, 2). Thus showing that religion was a vital part of the foundation of the United States. If we no

Providing students to explore one’s religion or spirituality can begin to bridge the separation that exists between faith traditions in institutions. Dr. Casey mentions repeatedly that “the term religion is problematic,” and although this is true, this perspective can change. Religion is so deeply engrained in individuals and this does not have to form a type of “war zone,” but instead, it can provide us with an opportunity to learn about other citizens, rather than creating a sense fear or anxiety within us. Although we may be living in “an age of chaos today,” building understanding amongst global citizens is the prominence of religion in this

Although Canada is a multiculturalist nation practicing secularism, there are still struggles on religious diversity in schools. Consequently, segregation of students’ base on their religious beliefs precedes typecasting, thus a division in social groups happens. Students when singled out from their peers can have an adverse effect on their self-esteem, more importantly, when they have difficulties adapting in a new and diverse school community. More likely when teachers ask students to say some insights or overview about their religion, some students may cringe from getting too much attention, hence making them feel uncomfortable. For that reason, handling issues of diversity with sensitivity can make students feel safe and prone to learn

According to the 2014 Public School Review Diversity Report, the state of Maryland is rated the third most diverse public school system in the nation, with 43% White students, 37% African American students, 11% Hispanic students, 6% Asian students, and 3% Unknown. With a significantly higher population of African American students compared to the state average, the Baltimore City School District is a far less diverse agency than the state school system as a whole. Collectively, the Baltimore City Public School District is comprised of 85% African American students, 8% White students, 5% Hispanic, 1% Asian/Pacific Islander, and less than 1% American Indian, Multiracial, Native Hawiian/other (Baltimore City Public Schools, 2013a). Considering

The National Council for the Social Studies states that “Knowledge about religions is not only a characteristic of an educated person, but is necessary for effective and engaged citizenship in a diverse nation and world” (Beckett 5). In order to be truly educated, young people must learn about religion and how important it is to the country. This knowledge will help them in the future to have a better understanding about government and politics, which can help with voting in presidential elections or just having profound conversations. Likewise, “Only through learning about religions and beliefs will young people be adequately prepared for citizenship in a religiously diverse society and world” (Beckett 14). Learning about the various religions and beliefs is necessary in order for students to fully understand different cultures of societies. Teaching and discussing religion needs to be required so that young people can have complete knowledge of the numerous religions in order to be prepared for their future.

Like it or not, there has always been diversity among students in the classroom. It is the fact that each and every student is unique. From every circumstance, students bring a varying set of values, perspectives, and beliefs to the learning environment. Understanding the character of students is important in order to become a competent teacher. In fact, teachers should be aware and recognize students, as unique individuals, all acquire information differently than others. Some of these differences are due to developmental variations in cognitive, physical, intellectual, moral, emotional, and social changes caused by maturation and experience. And this reality of classroom conditions makes instruction much more challenging for teachers and

Learning about different lives such as lifestyle and background is important for a teacher. It is part of the educational process. It is known that history about the way we live is an influence on history and how we educate students todays. Our curriculum today has a way with providing opportunity and constraints due to addressing issues of different racial of ethnic equality and even diversity. However, due to our curriculum and how students learn academically, these are put into practice, which then divides each learning style into groups so the teachers can then understand the students better. Going back into time, it did not happen this way. So, a lot has changed since the beginning of education. We are now learning how to support teachers and allowing them to teach diversity effectively and in confidence. This is not an easy topic to teach due to history, but today it is normal to teach students the importance of diversity so that they learn that everyone is different in their own way. Dealing with equity and diversity is the new norm. It is an area that we emphasize when it comes to social justice and the continuance of diversification with today’s higher education setting. “From recent court decisions and new legislation to diversification of the profession’s workforce, NASPA recognizes the impact that Equity and Diversity has on our professionals” (NASPA, n.d., para.1). Because of this organization, it provides opportunity, which provides resources that

Within the core of many educational institutions, diversity is a commercial tacit. While every institution cannot offer the same kind of diversity, the endorsement of such exists through various definitions. The Western Association of Schools and Colleges define diversity through the various classes: race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, gender, disability, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, and age (“Statement on Diversity”)

The Religious Education (RE) grades 1-8 policy document highlights and provides opportunity for students to become familiar with their Religion. Within section 1.3 of the document, the Evangelization, culture and the Catholic school addresses all students, the believers, searchers and non-believers. Therefore a summary of this section of the RE is the role of Catholic school is to renewal the faith within all of the community. It is the teacher duty as evangelical nourishment to start the “spiritual growth of each person” (p. 4). It highlights how the “soil of the believer” (p. 4) is identified as essential for the connections of the student and family culture. The connection is the power needed to encourage the students’ experiences, values and beliefs in their journey of their faith. This section guides the missionary activity for non-believers, initial catechetical activity for those partaking in the Gospel and pastoral activity for those more enrich within mature faith community. As our students grow up in Canada they are fortunate to have the freedom of religion and appreciation for diversity (p. 4). In summary this section is calling upon the educators to embrace the faith and teach the learning to meet the standards and reaching all students, no matter where they stand in evangelization. Therefore, we as educators share with the Catholic Churches responsibilities for the development of social and cultural society views and need to work in collaboration with the

Religion. Such a short and simple term, although it signifies more than the mind could comprehend. Religion brings communities together but has the potential to tear them apart. Should we educate our nation’s young minds on religion, or is it a thing of the past? Should we, as future educators, try to incorporate faith and morals into everyday lessons? These are all questions in which we must ask ourselves in order to efficiently answer the question of ‘Does Religious Education remain relevant in Contemporary Society?’