Feeling uncomfortable as an atheist, it was a feeling I never
really expected and am pretty sure that I don’t like! And it is happening as part of a job that I
love dearly. I have a tremendous passion
for mathematics and all of its inherent qualities. Among those qualities are critical thinking,
evidence, abstract thought, and actually getting answer that is right or wrong
even though you don’t have to follow the shortest path to get there.
I am an avid teacher, not only of math, but of life. At the time I started teaching, my journey
into atheism was still in its infancy. I
had read god
is not great by the amazing Christopher Hitchens,
Hitchens was a true firebrand atheist and his style appealed to me. I also read The
God Delusion by Richard
Dawkins, a much different style than Hitchens, but never holding anything
back. Since that time I am still an
atheist and outspoken about it, but I am also a humanist and always have been. Phil Plait, The Bad
Astronomer, made the Don’t be a Dick
speech and it is a constant reminder of how
we can learn and teach.
Now, as a teacher in the United States and a true believer of
the constitution, I looked to make a separation of my personal views and not
discuss them with students during the school day or a school function. As much
as I would like to have a captive audience and be a firebrand atheist, my
values and ethics stop me from doing this.
I have read about Hemant
Mehta’s approach to this when he is asked by a student about his views, his
reply? “Haven’t done your homework have
you?” I am not Hemant, we have totally
different personalities and I don’t believe I could just deflect the question
like that, it is not me. I certainly
would never initiate the conversation. I
would say that this has been more or less successful.
I have now moved on to another high school, for a multitude of
reasons, being the Varsity Lacrosse Coach the primary one. I had no idea how different the new school
would be to my original. IThe
demographics of the schools match up fairly well so I wasn’t expecting anything
different. However, I have seen something
different, the population of the school is more religious than I had ever
anticipated and as a result, I feel uncomfortable at times. I truly should have known something was up when my team huddled up to pray before several games, hint, it didn't work. I would just turn around and get my game face on cry a little bit on the inside. It is so strange. I am doing nothing different, but am aware of
looks or side conversations, but nothing substantial.
Let me
start by saying, I’m so impressed with the parental involvement at my school,
it is incredible to see so much. I never
would have dreamed it possible, but it is awesome. I am the freshman class sponsor at the
school, and as such, I have responsibilities for the class that meet outside of
the school environs. My car is labeled
with my personal beliefs, humanism, atheism, etc. The parents see this, the students say this,
they do not say anything, there is nothing malicious, but there are times I see
a look or glance. Could I be
paranoid? Possibly, but I don’t think
so.
Will I
change? Should I say something? (I’m
thinking not). In the meantime, I’ll
continue to be the best teacher I can be, teaching my students, my children to
be cool to each other, if they can’t learn the math, perhaps they can learn to
be decent to each other.
-SB
