Illinois school board ignores moment of silence

Would it be less abrasive to your complete intolerance of any mention of religion whatsoever if they simply called it a "moment of silence"?

I grew up in Illinois, and for the first 8 years of my public school education, we started the day with the National Anthem or other patriotic song, the Pledge of Allegiance, and a moment of silence, all followed by the announcements for the day. Nobody ever had a single problem with that process, to my knowledge, and nobody was harmed by it, either.

Nobody is being forced to do anything but sit in their seats (we always had to stand for it), for a maximum of 60 seconds. School is about learning to sit quietly anyway. Further, no time is added to the day.

I agree that it shouldn't have "prayer" in the title, but removing the whole thing because of one word is ridiculous. They should just change the title, and leave in the moment of silence.

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I am in disagreement with the above poster. I don't think the state should be interfering to this extent in the running of a teacher's classroom. I do not think that even a "moment of silence" should be required, nor should teachers and/or schools punished for not following such a silly rule.

If you require that your child have prayer time in school, then you should be sure to send them to private parochial school which provides that, but I don't think the public school system should be expected to conform to that. Now if a student needs this time, then EXCEPTIONS can be made, but I don't think this should be the rule.

Just my .02!

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I think these "moments of silence" are inappropriate not just because they are a sneaky way to try to include religion in public schools, but because they are a waste of time and effort, as noted, as well. I detested all this stuff in high school since the political motivations were so clear and unwanted. It seemed like just another way to control students rather than educate them.

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I tend to agree with Roger and Inger.

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Roger, I don't know why you are re-running this debate which was run almost in identical form some months ago.

I think a moment of silence is good for everyone - the students and the teachers - whether they pray or not. The Illinois government agrees, so who gives a damn what you think of it? Nobody was ever harmed by a moment of silence. It's not like its 45 minutes of silence.

Are you worried that this will cut into the gay sex sensitivity classes which you so ardently support? Talk about a waste of students' time.

We used to have five minutes of "quiet time" at the beginning of every school day. Guess what - we still managed to meet the educational standards. In fact, most of us were far ahead of the average American student. There is no valid argument AGAINST a moment of silence.

I am really sick of your overblown intolerance for anything remotely, possibly linked to religion. Why don't you grow up and get over your immature resentment of whatever childhood baggage you are carrying with you, instead of dumping it on me and my kids all the time?

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Where did the gay thing come from and what does that have to do with this post?

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I was raised in an (what I would consider) overly religious family and even they would have thought this law was idiotic. Want a moment of silence? Close your eyes on the bus ride in and collect your thoughts. Need to pray - do it while your walking to your next class. School is about getting an education. Church and home are the appropriate venues for religious instruction.

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Um, that would be "... while you're walking to your next class." Sorry about the typo.

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I'm with you 100%, Roger. I've always hated the moment of silence--because of the underlying religiosity of it, primarily, and because it's a waste of time.

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OK, to please most of you posters and Roger, let's outlaw all "moments of silence" in every situation, since it's a waste of time and an infringement on everyone's rights. Let's see if the nation's average IQ goes up and proves Roger right.

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I go to a private Catholic college and we pray everyday before class and before each test, I personally find it refreshing. I also homeschool my youngest son who is 15yrs old and we pray at home before each day. My oldest son who is a Senior in highschool has a moment of silence each day also in class before the day begins. He makes straight A's, I don't think his grades have suffered and actually the teachers spend more time correcting half the kids than they do teaching. I'm for the moment of silence and hope it doesn't get taken out of schools.

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I'm a junior in high school and I don't agree with the moment of silence or the pledge. From what I can remember they have been doing the moment of silence since I was in 4th grade, thats 7 years, and I have never seen anyone do anything but sit around and roll their eyes waiting for the teacher to stop shushing them every two seconds.
The pledge has been a problem too. I used to beleive in something until my life went down the drain. Now I'm atheist and I've stopped doing the pledge because I don't beleive in god. I even remember my 9th grade gym teacher yelling at me to stand during the pledge and I quietly refused. I haven't stood for the pledge, or said the words "under god" since. Even though everyone gives me a funny look. Although I tend to see more and more people sitting every year.

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Hey, SKL? IQ doesn't work that way. No matter how you slice it, the average is always going to be the same. That's just the way it's designed.

With that said, I think that a moment of silence, if it's not a very obvious "let's have them pray!" bit (which this one clearly is) isn't necessarily a bad idea - if the school day is lengthened by the minute or so that the moment of silence takes up, and if it occurs during homeroom or morning announcements or some other non-educational time. It's certainly a more worthy thing to spend announcements on than the next upcoming dance or bake sale.

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I strongly support a moment of silence, but probably not for the reasons that most of would assume. I strongly support it because one of the biggest struggles I see among my clients from children to adults is an inability to sit in reflection, stillness and quiet, a necessary thing to be able to do for well balanced psychological health.

Teaching children how to both be productive and to be reflective is important to helping them develop into balanced individuals. If a student chooses to spend that moment thinking about something other than religion/prayer, that's not the point. The point is that with our overproductive overscheduled society, we all could stand to learn how to sit with ourselves and our thoughts in silence to a greater degree.

Roger, your argument that this takes away from instructional time is not very sound. The school day includes many many things that are not necessarily instructional: recess, pep rallies, entertainment programs, etc. etc. However, these things all have an appropriate place in the school calendar for contribution that they each make to the full development of our children. And, this moment of silence thing isn't extending the school day in any way. Why don't our children just get up in the morning and have recess before school? Or eat breakfast (my school served bfast growing up)? Or any number of things? Well,the school is a communal place where we come together to educate our children in things that contribute to the common good: adults who can read, do basic math, know history, have social skills, and who can be respectful from viewpoints other than their own...religious or nonreligious.

Honestly, I don't like the hidden agenda behind the bill passed by the Illinois legislature. (I live in IL.) However, I am not willing to have a knee-jerk reaction and throw the baby out with the bath water. A moment of silence or prayer is diverse and broad and isn't imposing on anyone any particular religious belief, and it can have positive benefits in that it provides a moment of down time or whatever that student uses it for. You can discuss with your children how to use such a time if you desire.

Admittedly, Roger, your posts do often make me have strong reactions because you do come across as judgmental. I sometimes feel you commit the same crimes you accuse others of doing in that you attempt to impose your lack of faith in ways similar to how others impose their faith. As a person of faith, I continually push myself to reach out in love and in openess to hear about other systems of belief or why someone chooses not to have a faith tradition. However, your antagonism makes me feel that the moment I admit to having a belief system that is informed by an organized faith you will assume that I am less intelligent, or worse, ignorant. And I don't think anyone wants to sign up for such a conversation. So, I often do not comment on your posts because it feels futile, and that you're looking for confirmation rather than true discussion and mutual dialogue.

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