When it was time for Harry to start school, we had to decide which scripture he should do. Mr Woog (who has an extreme aversion to organised religion) was insistent that he do "non-scripture" but I was of the opinion that if there were lessons in anything on offer, we should take it. So I decided that my kids would study a year of every faith. Starting with Judaism.
This year, Jack started school and he and Harry are one of 6 kids who study Baha'i. Jack does not really like it as the teacher has a scary face.
Me? I worship weekly at the Church of Chatswood Chase where the congregation are expected to wear tight jeans, long black boots, a white long sleeved t-shirt under a puffer vest and finished with a Bugaboo. There may also be a Pandora bracelet involved,
Anyway, our school has been trialling Ethics classes in the upper years which I thought was terrific. The aims of the ethics classes are to;
Provide a secular complement for the discussion of the ethical dimension of students' lives
Offer a secure, non-judgemental space to explore the question, "What ought one to do?"
Introduce the language of ethics and in doing so, to provide the tools to survey the values and principles we live by
Inspire an appreciation of virtues and ideals
Develop the intellectual capacity and the personal attitudes needed for participating in ethical reflection and action
Encourage an openness towards important personal and public issues
Introduce dialogue as a means of resolving ethical issues
Develop students' ability to identify the relevant stakeholders and thoroughly explore, among other things, the consequences of proposed resolutions to the ethical dilemmas which they are considering
In short, to deepen the ethical sense of future generations
In short, these lessons are designed to teach you to be a more thoughtful person. And in my opinion, everyone could do with a dose of that.
Enter a fuckwit.
Fred Nile is the leader of the Christian Democratic Party, a political group that promotes Christian values in Parliament and evaluates all legislation on Biblical principles. He also hates, HATES the thought that our kids can learn ethics at school. HATES. And he currently has the power to pull Ethics classes out of schools.
Fred Nile, the world has changed. Take a look around you. Families are not mainly a mum, dad and two kids anymore. Men want to marry men. Single women want to have babies and parent solo. And I want my kids to be taught Ethics at school instead of scripture. And I do not want a deal with the Liberal Party to stand in the way of what I believe is right for my kids. And I would hate to think how pissed off I will be if this happens. I would be really
Do you think ethics should be taught in schools?
