Do you believe the film was
shot objectively? Why or
why not?
I believe that the film was
shot objectively.
Annotations:
School Prayer: A Community at War
http://vod.library.unt.edu/film.php
The film was shot from a
multitude of different viewpoints.
Politicians and
citizens for school
prayer were
interviewed.
Politicians and
citizens for
school prayer
were interviewed.
However, the two sides
were presented differently.
The side for school
prayer seemed to rely
more on emotional
arguments.
The side against school prayer seemed to
take a more legal approach to their
arguments.
Each viewpoint got approximately
the same amount of air time.
Both sides were
shown throughout the
whole trial process.
Parent-Teacher Conference
You are a teacher, and a parent
who believes in school prayer
approaches you to schedule a
conference where the matter can
be discussed. The parent believes
that prayer has been taken out of
schools, and wants to make an
exception for the child. Describe
the approach you would take to
address the concern with the
parent.
Step 1: I would first ask the parent to fully
describe the issue that s/he believes the
student is having with prayer in schools.
Step 2: I would then inform the parent that
an individual student could pray in schools,
but to host a mass prayer in a public school
setting would be unconstitutional.
Annotations:
Engel v. Vitale Court Case Ruling
http://www.uscourts.gov/educational-resources/get-involved/constitution-activities/first-amendment/freedom-religion/facts-case-summary.aspx
Step 3: I would also inform the parent that
the above rule is in effect to protect the
religious beliefs of ALL students in the
school: including their child. I would also
reiterate that although mass prayer is not
allowed in public schools, the child is free to
practice his/her religion as s/he pleases in
school as long as it is not disruptive to the
class.
Step 4: If the parent still has concerns after
that, I would direct them to the principle