Would you expect your childs teacher to give their own opinion on god in an RE lesson ??

[nutcracker]

Dd2 (6) asked me today if I believed in jesus dying on the cross. I wasn't sure what to say so turned the question around and asked her if she did, and she said yes (we are not at all religous by the way).

Anyhow, she then said that her teacher had said that she didn't believe that jesus died on the cross.
I asked her if she said why, and dd said that the teacher said 'it's just not true'.

Now is it me, or should the teacher not really be giving her own opinion on it ??

As I said we are not religous but dd2 does like anything about religion and I think she was a bit upset and confused at what the teacher said.

No, I would not expect teacher to give an opinion.
I don't think she should have.

Quite OK for the teacher to say, "Christians believe Jesus died on the cross" (and leave unsaid, "but I don't") but yes, I think she was wrong to express her views so frankly.

IME of teaching RE, children do ask the teacher what they believe.

I like Marina's response.

As a christian I would have thought her wrong to have given her opinion. However if I was muslim or jewish I am sure I wouldn't feel this way.

Yes I agree that the teacher was probably asked, and tbh I didn't have a clue what to say so didn't answer at all.

I agree with Marina too.

I am not upset over it at all, was just wondering if it was normal. As i said, dd2 is currently showing a great interest in religion and I was just worried that she was a bit shocked by her teachers response.

If it were my child, I would be perfectly happy for the teacher to have said "I personally do not believe Jesus died on the cross, it just doesn't make sense for me", as long as she followed it up with "This is what others believe, and here are some other belief systems which a lot of people belong to", thus creating a climate in which the child could feel excited and confident about exploring the different perspectives of different cultures and belief systems, and making his or her own mind up. That's what I am trying to do with ds1 (although he does have a charming habit of asking questions like "Where do we live before we get born, Mummy?" when I am selecting unwashed potatoes in a crowded supermarket with a screeching 2yo under one arm)

The bit in your post that pisses me off is the "it's just not true". That is downright irresponsible and arrogant, she has no right to indoctrinate other people's children.

agree with marina

also think that if it was with older age group and was about sharing attitudes to god, then for the teacher to say 'i believe..' or 'i think...' would be fine.

but no i don't think the teacher in this case sounds as if they acted appropriately.

I teach in secondary school and teach science.

We have to cover a lot of quite emotive stuff that is subject to some controversy (pre natal testing, GM crops etc ). I always give both sides to any scientific argument. If pressed I will give my honest opinion but say that it is just my opinion.

But this is to older children. I will often argue the oposite of my opinions to make them think about the subject.

You have to be very wary of the 'power' you have to influence them

If she was asked directly what she believed then I feel it would be appropriate to say "xxx believe this; however I don't believe xyz"

But to simply state her opinion and put it across in a fact type way is inappropriate.

I do exactly as Marina says. I explain what people from different religions believe. It's not about my beliefs ever. I think perhaps the teacher was wrong footed or inexperienced. hope it isn't a church school btw!

I agree totally, it was the 'it's just not true' bit that I had the problem with really.

Now, how do i explain to dd that she can't just become a catholic, just because she likes the catholic schools uniform

Nope, not a church school.

Tell her mass clashes with Strictly Dancing and Robin Hood....

We've had the same issue, but the other way round. DS (age 5) came home the other day and said 'Did you know that God made the whole world in just 6 days?' I was kinda surprised cos I don't think we have ever had a discussion about God in our house. Didn't think it was really the time to get into a debate about Darwin's theory of evolution, but did make me wonder about the power to influence that teachers have over their pupils.

There's a really important message here (and I am a primary school teacher)
As teachers, our role is to create a sense of wonder, invoke a child's natural sense of curiosity and open doorways and show them paths. We should give them the courage to question and the confidence to do more and more for themselves. This I firmly believe.
I was a bit suprised to read that a teacher had imposed her own beliefs on her class in this way and it raises two questions for me: was she asked the direct question, 'Miss, do you believe that?', in which case the answer should have been, 'I am not here to tell you my beliefs, only to help you understand the beliefs of others' or something similarly firm. the second question would be: what other opinions does she share with the children? A primary teacher has a great impact on young minds - s/he is a role model and most of the children in the class will admire and respect him/her and want to be like them.
I am only twitching about this as it brings to mind an incident in my very first class when I had a discussion with the children about war. Without going into detail, one of the less-able children had misinterpreted one of my comments and relayed it out of context to his dad. Dad was all set to drag my name about a bit until one of my teaching assistants stepped in and clarified. I was horrified and it's certainly made me super-cautious!