This morning my first grader told me that his teacher wants the kids to bring books to school. He decided he wanted to bring an old Gideon's Bible that I got from college that I gave him a few weeks ago. I neither encouraged nor discouraged him but it will be interesting to see if anything happens. BTW, as a father I'm glad he has decided that a Bible is a book worth sharing.
Posted by Tim at September 10, 2004 08:35 AMTim, I know an elementary school teacher in a local public school in Orange County, Calif., just up the freeway from you folks. She's agnostic, probably leaning towards atheism. I asked her what she would do if she asked kids to bring in books to read, and a kid brought a Bible. She says it's not unusual for them to ask kids to bring books in to read at their desks during silent reading periods. She said that a Bible wouldn't be a problem at all.
She said she's had some evangelical Christian parents maybe gently try to bait her (in her opinion) by saying any reading assignments she gives for home, they use Scripture. She says it's fine, though I think she'd argue that a variety of literature is needed for a kid to round out his or her (secular, I suppose) education.
Obviously it gets more difficult when the readings get organized at school functions. I think that's where the courts get a little nervous.
Posted by: Tom at September 11, 2004 08:30 AMI'm not a fan of baiting anyone. That seems to violate the "love your neighbor as yourself" deal. This morning my son was carrying around The Hobbit :).
Posted by: trogers at September 11, 2004 09:02 AM
