Have you heard that some teachers form religious groups outside classroom?

ssdiana

Is this true?

As I heard from other parents the other day. The parents are catholics and so are their daughter at TSL. I heard from them that their daughter participated in a religious group (not catholic) by a very religious teacher, very happy..

The parents were very worried as they would like the kids to go back to their own church. So they raise the question:

As the school is not a religious school (not protestant nor catholic or muslim), why they promote religion within school?

Some of the parents send their kids here due to their promotion of multiculturalism and non-religious background, that's out of their expectation!!

TINGMUM

讀咁多年我都唔覺學校有promote religion.

其實你係咪TSL家長? OR 你係小一家長所以唔清楚? 自己返多幾次學校就一定會知這不是事實.

[ 本帖最後由 TINGMUM 於 11-9-21 19:55 編輯 ]

ssdiana

1) yes, i do, for over three years.

2) yes, my son told me the same story as the other parent told me, not this year, not sure about this year.

3) just want to check with parents of this year if their kids be recruited or not? not a bad thing if recruited as religion is good for kids sometimes, but need to get the consents from parents is important.

4) need to correct, not necessarily the school promote religion directly, but in a very subtle way to allow some religious teachers to promote their own religious values without informing parents.

5) Kids know who is the teacher and the classroom is decorated religiously, as told by the kids of this school.. kids will not tell lies, in certain circumstances..

[ 本帖最後由 ssdiana 於 11-9-21 20:32 編輯 ]

yypapa

Talking about "喜樂團契" or some other things ???

jesseyeeyee

喜樂團契, 有circular通知家長的, 要家長簽名, 自由參與, 不算得冇通知家長.

原帖由 ssdiana 於 11-9-21 20:28 發表
1) yes, i do, for over three years.

2) yes, my son told me the same story as the other parent told me, not this year, not sure about this year.

3) just want to check with parents of this year if the ...

DaddyCool

除非入學時已經知道學校嘅宗教取向, 否則在未知會家長前就咁做我就一定唔會接受, 直頭會覺得離譜. 不過之前我又未聽過喎!

TINGMUM

喜樂團契唔算係promote, 只係其中一種活動供選擇，可以唔參加架！亞女讀左六年都冇參加過。

DaddyCool

有 d 咁嘅樹, 我之前都未見過或聽過喎..........
如果有 circular 就梗係冇問題啦.

ssdiana

happened last year..ok, now they have the circular, at least they have this awareness after parents' complains,

before, the teacher did not have such awareness..

I said the school support is subtle, not obvious, that's why some parents felt angry, not me because my son does not feel interest in the group, but some girls love to join, that's the girls' parents told me..

anything subtle is quite difficult to see, but accumulate or build up in little things, unless you are critical, that's why i take it out for discussion..

i hope the teacher should be aware of his own values and philosophy, as well as his role as a teacher in this school.

my position-
no objection on joining church outside school, or joining any religious activities, but just a reminder to teacher's awareness of his role and power (as a teacher to a kid), all his actions should be fully informed to the parents, including obvious (circular) and subtle actions (we don't know as they are not obvious, but the kids will tell you bit by bit everyday.

原帖由 DaddyCool 於 11-9-22 01:11 發表
有 d 咁嘅樹, 我之前都未見過或聽過喎..........
如果有 circular 就梗係冇問題啦.

[ 本帖最後由 ssdiana 於 11-9-22 06:52 編輯 ]

jesseyeeyee

唔知幾時開始, 但去年都有通知的, 但就不用家長簽署.

我唔覺得學校有PROMOTE成份, 不是納入學校的正式活動裡, 只是在某一兩天RECESS TIME舉行. 所以不是正式通告, 沒有CIRCULAR NO.

學校強調MULTI CULTURAL, 尊重不同文化, 所以若有老師自發辦一些"興趣"活動, 不論是天主教, 基督教, 印度教...既是自由參與, 家長可以自行決定, 是沒問題. 但當然大前提是一定要通知家長, 讓家長知道如何為小朋友選擇.

我不知那位女同學的家長為什麼不滿, 若已通知, 既然不是自同道合, 那不參加就是啦. 還是因為老師主動邀請小朋友參加, 而家長不知道?? 還是他不接受多元化??

[ 本帖最後由 jesseyeeyee 於 11-9-22 07:54 編輯 ]

ssdiana

the discussion is not relate to muticulturalism and multiculturalism is not=providing different religious groups

the point is=need to be aware of subtle promotion (not obvious promotion) , e.g. decoration of the class with religious decorations, what if one of the class children did not feel comfortable? what if not all children in this class agreed on his ideas. the class decoration will last for semestre, and everyday life for the kid to see all these decorations..

give you one more example, one of the kids join an interest class and the parents did not aware the interest class teacher (who is nice and very loving indeed) is a committed in her religion. One day, the kid had nightmares and the nightmares continued for days on and on. The mother asked why and the kid could not explained clearly what's happening. One day , the kid asked: mum, will all the "bad" children go to hell? the hell will burn the "bad" child? I answer: all children are good and God love all children. I explored that the kid receive the story told by the interest class teacher who jump in a 5m or 7m story time on reading bible during the interest class. That's an example of subtle promotion!! Declare this is not happened in this school, just as an example.

the point is=my comments on this specific teacher-need to aware his role as a teacher and his power as a teacher and aware if he has any unawareness to promote his own values using his existing role (+ power) to subtlly promote his values

the point is- the girls' parents dare not to confront the school anymore as they have already raised out..

The essence of multiculturalism= respect genuinely on diversities!! including teacher's attitudes and understaning on what is multiculturalism!

[ 本帖最後由 ssdiana 於 11-9-22 08:33 編輯 ]

ahchoi

As far as I know, the school issue circulars to students who are interested to join 喜樂團契 each year. My child presented the circular to me at the beginning of each school year. It's upto the parents' consent to let them join or not.

原帖由 ssdiana 於 11-9-22 06:46 發表
happened last year..ok, now they have the circular, at least they have this awareness after parents' complains,

before, the teacher did not have such awareness..

I said the school support is subtle ...

silvia_ng

原帖由 ssdiana 於 11-9-22 06:46 發表
happened last year..ok, now they have the circular, at least they have this awareness after parents' complains,

before, the teacher did not have such awareness..

I said the school support is subtle ...

呀仔小一時已經有收過通告喎(前年), 反而上年冇。呀女今年都收到通告, 唔知係唔係通告只比小一學生呢?

btw, eca入面既fellowship都係講聖經故事, 我仔上年都上得好開心呀! 呀妹今年都排followship第二, 唔知得唔得添。

其實如果小朋友既宗教信仰自小得到堅壯, 又唔洗太擔心佢會唔會改變。講真要擔心都唔擔心得咁多, 只要唔係入邪教就得啦。長大又會識多d唔同宗教既朋友, 如果朋友邀請佢去團契, 佢都可能會去, 都可能因而改變信仰。而家咪當認識多一個宗教, 話唔埋佢睇完基督教之後, 仲更加鐘意天主教呢。

yypapa

上年同今年都有收過 circular. 就算 sign up 咗, 每次去唔去都好自由。我個小朋友就話自己經常唔記得去, 可能有時小息有其他野更吸引佢。

想問吓 "ssdianna",  你嘅 concern 係針對學校流程方面定係對該老師所 present 嘅宗教內容有異議 ?

原帖由 ssdiana 於 11-9-22 08:20 發表
the discussion is not relate to muticulturalism and multiculturalism is not=providing different religious groups

the point is=need to be aware of subtle promotion (not obvious promotion) , e.g. decor ...

ssdiana

first on their procedures -  at the begining, they did not have sent out circulars, if not raised the concerns from parents.. I am not the one raise the issue to the school, but my parent friends in the class as they concern about their family religion.

My only concern is about the awareness of the teacher and awareness of the school to have parents' fully informed consent issue. As per your examples, they give circulars now. but I know the teacher is still doing things very subtle, senior students know, of course young little kids will not have such sense of critical mind as the teacher, as I said, indeed the little kids and girls feel the teacher to be very loving and caring.  That's why I am concerning!

Senior year kids reflect a different point of views on his lovingness and kindness. This does not said that he is not loving or kind. He knows what he is doing.

I hope parents be more aware, I hope the school be more aware and I hope the teacher will be more aware.  I will stop responding to this topic anymore.

原帖由 yypapa 於 11-9-22 10:27 發表
上年同今年都有收過 circular. 就算 sign up 咗, 每次去唔去都好自由。我個小朋友就話自己經常唔記得去, 可能有時小息有其他野更吸引佢。

想問吓 "ssdianna",  你嘅 concern 係針對學校流程方面定係對該老師所 pres ...

[ 本帖最後由 ssdiana 於 11-9-22 11:45 編輯 ]

TINGMUM

其實個家長有冇同佢個囡囡溝通好, 大家是否想法一致? 如果個囡囡好喜歡該老師, 又走去聽故事, 又主動搵老師傾解, 老師好難拒絕小朋友. 咁樣會傷害到個小朋友.

如果你咨詢大家意見後發現大部份家長都歡迎或接納呢個活動, 你朋友就要同佢囡囡自己係呢方面的處理達到共識.

Little_Princess

We also received the circular every of the past 3 years.  The teacher would briefly introduce what is the fellowship about and ask all the interested students to take a form.  The teacher also stated clearly to the students that they must ask their parent's signature (consent) to enroll the fellowship.  Therefore, my girl beg me to let her go.  Of course, we are happy to let our girls to join the group.  By the way, since the fellowship is during recess hours, the kids are free to join. ( sometimes, they will skip / be absent from some of the meetings due to various reasons). The teacher will not force them to go or even didn't ask them why they are absent from the class.  They are just free to join and free to leave.

As I recall, my kids learn some good traits of personalities, like '喜樂', '仁慈'，'忍耐'，'和平'.....etc.  Nothing is radical.

Bluestar

My kid is not interested in religion and have not taken home any notice on recess religious groups throughout 6 yrs of school life.

But if and when my kid is interested in some activity, my kid would urge me to fill in the requisite consent form.

I know of this teacher-organized religious activity through another schoolmate many years ago.  So this is nothing new, nothing to feel alarmed.  There is no element of force.  It's something like teachers saying to kids whom he know : " We have this religious group in Rm xxx during recess every Monday, would you like to join us ?"

Don't see anything wrong in that.  It is just an invitation to join, no obligations, free to join and free to quit.  Now that there is a circular on the recess group, that's even better.

If parents know they kid(s) well enough, they should find out from their kid(s) instead of wildly guessing that there are ulterior motives behind everything that a well-intentioned teacher does.

I know who the teacher-organizer is, and that particular teacher is a very good hearted teacher, regrettably he has never been my kid's class teacher.

[ 本帖最後由 Bluestar 於 11-9-23 17:31 編輯 ]

principal

Bluestar,

Still 心繫 TSL!!  

“Once a Camoesian’s parent, always a Camoesian’s parent”!!  

原帖由 Bluestar 於 11-9-23 12:11 發表

My kid is not interested in religion and have not taken home any notice on recess religious groups throughout 6 yrs of school life.

But if and when my kid is interested in some activity, my kid would ...

Bluestar

原帖由 principal 於 11-9-23 16:50 發表
Bluestar,

Still 心繫 TSL!!  

“Once a Camoesian’s parent, always a Camoesian’s parent”!!  

Yup !!

But still can't log in to e-class !!  Too bad !