I liked the chapter in COA on religious development in adolescents. It brought to mind our new social studies curriculum that we started last year. We had been covering all of ancient history, but our new curriculum shifted us to more of a world studies focus. As part of our work, we spent a lot of time on the different cultures of the world, including the major religions. I don’t think I have to say it, but I am not the world’s foremost expert on Buddhism, or Islam, or Hinduism, so it made me a little apprehensive. The students shared my apprehension when learning about these religions, and they were certainly curious about the different viewpoints across the globe.
I was lucky enough to have several students of different religions in my class this year, and I have a close friend who is Muslim, so together, the students and I were able to piece together a ramshackle expertise on some religions. On a daily basis, our class discussions reminded me how important it is for educators to expose students to other cultures and other beliefs. Maine can be a pretty limiting place when it comes to world exposure, but the classroom can be an avenue around that.
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