Yes, go and shoot yourself in the foot!

[fireheart17]

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/q...-1226930481260

So two Muslim student teachers were placed at a Christian school for their teaching placements*. The principal turned them away citing "Duty of care" reasons. The duty of care reason in this case? Because wearing a hijab and being Muslim is inconsistent with Christian beliefs.

While he had arranged for the student teachers to complete their placements elsewhere (so he's not entirely a dick in this one), what I found hilarious was that he didn't have the support from parents. The parents were actually unhappy that the student teachers had been moved!

My thoughts:

-From what I've seen, this goes against basic Christian principles. I do believe that among said principles are "love thy neighbour", even if that neighbour happens to be Muslim. This is the only reason why I don't respect the guy for his decision.

-Most school placements require the student teacher to meet with the school BEFORE placement commences. If he'd had an issue, he could've raised it prior to them actually starting their placement.

-Whichever university those students were aligned with will most likely not use the school again, as things like this tend to damage the relationships universities have with the schools.

-I don't respect him for dismissing the students because they're Muslim. If the students had done something that genuinely affected duty of care (For instance, left the classroom without a teacher present), then I could understand. This just smacks of intolerance and also does not send a good message to the students. The message he seems to be sending them is "A good Christian only interacts with other Christians."


-People in the comments are idiots.

[HYHYBT]

Belonging to another religion surely *is* inconsistent with Christian beliefs.

Probably not in a sense that ought to disqualify them from student teaching (depending on the subject) and definitely a consideration the school should have made clear from the beginning if it bothered them so much.

It's a fundamentally different position than teaching, but that little bit reminds me of the story a few years ago of an Episcopal priest who didn't seem to get why becoming a Muslim got her defrocked.

[Rageaholic]

What I'd like to ask this principle is how are the hijabs any different from nun habits?

[wolfie]

It's simple - a hijab identifies the wearer as Moslem. A nun habit identifies the wearer as Catholic, which (from the viewpoint of bible belt bigots, who define "Christian" as "our brand of evangelical protestant") is pretty close to being Christian.

[fireheart17]

Belonging to another religion surely *is* inconsistent with Christian beliefs.

Isn't there a section about loving thy neighbour, even if she happens to be Muslim?

Probably not in a sense that ought to disqualify them from student teaching (depending on the subject) and definitely a consideration the school should have made clear from the beginning if it bothered them so much.

They were most likely K-6 teachers, so nearly every subject barring religious studies.

The other thing as well is that student teachers do have some sway in the schools they can go to for their placement. They can request to NOT visit a particular school for ethical reasons (family or friends are at that school) or religious reasons (I requested not to teach in a private school). You can also request a particular methodology if it interests you (ie Steiner).

If you don't make these requests, then you're placed anywhere.

It's simple - a hijab identifies the wearer as Moslem. A nun habit identifies the wearer as Catholic, which (from the viewpoint of bible belt bigots, who define "Christian" as "our brand of evangelical protestant") is pretty close to being Christian.

Queensland is as pretty close to "bible belt" as you're going to get. They're among the states that heavily encourage SRE (Special Religious Education: basically for 1-2 sessions/week, someone from a local evangelical group comes in and runs a Sunday-school esque session) and have some of the more harsh abortion laws (basically if you get raped, you're screwed)

[Kheldarson]

Isn't there a section about loving thy neighbour, even if she happens to be Muslim?

It's "as thyself", so obviously the principal doesn't love himself too well...

[Jetfire]

My thoughts:

-Most school placements require the student teacher to meet with the school BEFORE placement commences. If he'd had an issue, he could've raised it prior to them actually starting their placement.

Would it have to be an in-person meeting, or could it have happened over the phone? If it was a phone interview, maybe the school didn't realize the students were Muslim (or at least Hijab wearing Muslim), so the discovery would have been later on.

[Greenday]

Isn't there a section about loving thy neighbour, even if she happens to be Muslim?

You can love your neighbor without wanting them to teach at a school that is counter to their beliefs.

Personally, I think this emphasizes the problem with religious schools in general: they are more about religion than educating.

[Panacea]

What I'd like to ask this principle is how are the hijabs any different from nun habits?

Well, a hijab covers only the head whereas a habit covers the entire body except the face. A nun's habit has more in common with the burqa than a hijab.

That being said, in many Christian sects it is considered appropriate (ie modest) for a woman to cover her head in public. Some just in church (Orthodox), others all the time (Amish, Mennonite, Hutterites). So the hijab really should not have been an issue.

You can love your neighbor without wanting them to teach at a school that is counter to their beliefs.

Personally, I think this emphasizes the problem with religious schools in general: they are more about religion than educating.

Some religiously based schools offer excellent educations. Harvard started out as a training school for ministers.

There was no reason to reject these student teachers, unless they actively started trying to convert the students. It was an opportunity to demonstrate Christian tolerance, and the principal blew it. On the plus side, the parents seem to believe the principal blew it, too.

[fireheart17]

Would it have to be an in-person meeting, or could it have happened over the phone? If it was a phone interview, maybe the school didn't realize the students were Muslim (or at least Hijab wearing Muslim), so the discovery would have been later on.

In-person. Usually at said meeting you meet the principal, any other important staff members, and are given a tour of the school and its facilities.
You're also introduced to your mentor teacher (and the class if possible) and the time is spent either meeting the students or going through your prac requirements.

Personally, I think this emphasizes the problem with religious schools in general: they are more about religion than educating.

Some schools are, some schools aren't. Over here it's a mixed bag.

For instance, I work at a number of Catholic schools. The majority of them are K-5, some go through to Year 7*. The kids up until Year 5 will cover things like what it means to be a good Christian, without it turning into the evangelical nutjobs. They tend to avoid the "big" debates by not bringing the subject up period (evolution for instance).

That being said, in many Christian sects it is considered appropriate (ie modest) for a woman to cover her head in public. Some just in church (Orthodox), others all the time (Amish, Mennonite, Hutterites). So the hijab really should not have been an issue.

This particular school is Church of Christ based (Restoration movement). They also base their beliefs on the New Testament. Ironically, they're all about Christian unity.

There was no reason to reject these student teachers, unless they actively started trying to convert the students. It was an opportunity to demonstrate Christian tolerance, and the principal blew it. On the plus side, the parents seem to believe the principal blew it, too.

Most student teachers know better than to do something like this, unless they want to fail their prac.

[Cia]

The guy lost out on a great show of tolerance when he sent the student teachers away.

[Gravekeeper]

This particular school is Church of Christ based (Restoration movement). They also base their beliefs on the New Testament.

Well, there's the problem. They hired an Old Testament principal.

“This has nothing to do with religious intolerance, which we condemn outright,” a school spokesman said.

This school has a serious case of Lower Bowel Messiah Displacement Syndrome. They think they've found Jesus but they just have their head up their ass.