Application for substitute teacher/tutor

[LadyGodiva]

Okay, so I called around all the private schools here because I want to get back into teaching but just as a sub for now. I get this application from the Christian Academy and I cannot believe the Faith Statement they want me to sign, and they also want to know if I would be willing to receive religious instructions!

Hello! I'm Catholic and a practising one. I go to church but I'm not blind as I've said before. No religion or church is perfect so I don't sit there and take everything in like I'm some kind of sponge. I resent these people wanting to force-feed me their beliefs. As long as I respect what they believe, that should be all there is to it! Isn't that against the law? Or is it only in public schools that teachers are FREE to teach without being brain washed?

I also applied to the Catholic school where my daughter attends, and at least 1/2 the teachers there are non-Catholics. All the form says over there is that you cannot disrespect the Catholic beliefs while teaching in the classroom. Even as a Catholic I have to zip it up sometimes and not tell the kids how I feel on certain issues etc.

Dang! I just want to teach :bang:

[Sponsored Links]

[tilesnake]

I once put a wet sponge on our subs chair and she was wearing a light grey skirt.... That was cool. :idea: :devil:

[bbcamp]

There's an old saying: If you want to dance to the music, you got to pay the piper.

[LadyGodiva]

There's an old saying: If you want to dance to the music, you got to pay the piper.



Yes, I know that my dear. I think I'll give these people a chance to explain what they mean by 'instructions' and go from there. Meanwhile, I'm also sending my resume to a private school that's very expensive and don't give a fig what religion you are! :D

[oma]

The parents who are paying for thier childrens' education want teachers who will support their own beliefs regarding formal education. That's why they are called private schools. They are funded outside of government, not bound by government regulations, allowed to disclipine students, and tend to expect more scholastically from their students. It's not the lowest common denominator that sets the pace. If I were now rearing children, I would place my children in private Christian schools, and I'm not even Christian or religious for that matter. Go with whatever school meets your criteria, but don't expect them to bend to your needs. They are there to serve their paying clientele. So why not sub for the public school system?

[kquilts]

LG,
Look into being a public school reading tutor. In Texas it is three hours a day at $20 per hour. That is about as much as you would make being a sub. all day. I think there are also writing tutors in preparation for the TAKS test. Certified teachers as tutors are in high demand here. There will be many job opportunities with influx of all the flood victims. Because of the crazy things that happened last year I am taking some time off teaching. I also have 650 square feet of tile and 1200 square feet of wood sitting in the house waiting to be installed. Next year I will look into tutoring.

Being a Catholic I sometimes forget that I am living in the Bible Belt until something totally narrow-minded and crazy shocks me into remembering.

Good luck on your job search. Karen

[LadyGodiva]

Oma, I'm not asking anyone to bend their rules.

Public schools are fine, and I've been in them before. I just like the idea of a smaller classroom for now.

Karen, thanks. Sounds like you understand. I hadn't thought of tutoring instead. Will be calling around on Tuesday to see what's available. I hear you loud and clear :)

[John Bridge]

I don't give a flip about religion, either, but my wife does. Our two boys were brought up in private (Christian) schools intermixed with home schooling. We paid for it and accepted it for our differing reasons. If you want to work in one of those schools, the administrators certainly have the right to expect you to toe the line religiously speaking.

[flatfloor]

My grammar school principal Sister Mary Sinistrata certainly did. :D

[John Bridge]

Oh, no, here we go again. I always have to mention Sister Dorthea at times like this. Our nuns wore the square topped vails. Sister Dorthea resembled a pyramid with its tip flattened out. You could hear her snap her fingers clear across the play yard, and when she did, everyone got quiet, hoping to heaven she wasn't looking at them. :D

[flatfloor]

My nun could beat up your nun. :D

[Tool Guy - Kg]

Boys, boys, boys....we'll have nun of this!


:D

[sandbagger]

uh, LadyG - didn't I read the name of the school to be "Christian Academy"? You were expecting, what - proof that you were versed in Darwin's theories? :twitch:

I'm having a hard time understanding the issue. If you were to teach at a school in Quebec, you'd have to agree to teach in French. If you taught at a military academy you'd have to agree to certain discipline/conduct standards unique to "military" schools. If you worked at a certain company in Michigan you couldn't smoke. What is the difference? Why (how) have we gotten into the mode of putting anything associated with "religion" into a box of its own? (It's worse, actually - we tend to single out "Christian.") :uhh:

Fundamentally, we are talking about 2 things: behavior and one's right to associate. Nothing more. Check your history - it wasn't always this way. But thanks to the likes of the ACLU and friends, "Christian" has become a 4-letter word. That's why cities now try to charge special fees to "Christian" groups for facilities others get for free (including non-Christian groups). It's why "religious" jewelry is banned at many schools and government (even some private) workplaces. and so on.

This is a private school. It's right to associate with whom it wants is guaranteed in the Constitution. Just like the Boy Scouts can define rules for their members, and just like a certain golf club in Atlanta can be "men only."

There is nothing at all wrong with this. In fact, it is one of the things that makes the USofA the great country that it is. :yeah: :dance:

[LadyGodiva]

I think you all are misunderstanding me here. It's like talking to a bloody wall. They have the right to ask if I'm Christian and the church I belong to. What I am offended by is having to receive additional religious instructions i.e. brainwashing. The lady sounded desperate for subs, and it's no wonder they don't have enough. As long as I'm a decent person, and at least go to church (for them that is the sign you're good I guess), then what is the problem? It will all come out tomorrow when I tell them that I'm Catholic. My main reason for sticking to private schools as I said before is for the smaller classrooms. But there are others that have high standards and are not quite as 'fundamentalist' thinking as this one.

[Rob Z]

"What I am offended by is having to receive additional religious instructions i.e. brainwashing."

LG,

This was exactly how I felt when the diocese required that I receive religious counseling and instruction, submit to annulment legalities (at substantial expense), and commit to baptizing and raising our children as Catholics. For the sake of my soul, it was strongly suggested that I convert, as well.

This was a bit much to take for a Missouri Synod Lutheran, and we decided to get married in a Lutheran church.

My view of the Catholic church hasn't been a good one, for this and other reasons. I guess it all depends on your point of view.

It's a good thing that God is non-denominational. :)

[John Bridge]

I didn't misunderstand anything. My point is you either take the job under those conditions or you leave it. Now if you want to talk about whether the school's policies enhance recuitment of qualified teachers, that's another matter. I'll tell you, though, in the Christian high school my kids just graduated from, religion (their religion) was at the top of the subject list. I accepted that even though my academic priorities differed from those of the administrators.

[LadyGodiva]

But John, if I were sending my kids there it would be a different kettle of fish. I would know that part of the schooling is to attend their bible study groups etc.

Dang! All I want to do is teach Spanish and they have an excellent programme to work with (languages).

Rob, I totally agree with you. The Catholic high school here does not require the Muslim, Buddhist or whatever religious backgrounds to 'convert.' It's not pushed on them, and it's a more progressive 'Catholic' school in that sense. I don't want my daughter coming out thinking she's wants to be a nun. There is a difference between teaching kids to be responsible and humane to others, and brainwashing and preaching, don't you think?

John, go back to tiling please. I'm sure you haven't finished the bathroom yet :D

[sdaniels7114]

I spent 8 years in Catholic School. '75-'83. We mostly split time each year between a Nun and a non-Nun. The non's certainly weren't immoral, but they weren't preachey either. As a matter of fact I saw one of the non's working in a liquor store during the summer. I'd guess that they mostly paid lip service to the church and kept their heads down if they weren't strong believers.

[oma]

I would think there were plenty of other private schools who would love to have you as a sub, so why is it that you want to teach for a school that demands religious beliefs or acitivities which you don't agree with and feel you should not have to follow? Is it to prove a point? To fight an issue? Or is the pay better than you would get from other schools? Or is it in a convenient location for you? Why would you choose to work in this school as opposed to others?

[sandbagger]

have to say I'm with Oma here. I'm not sure I like what the school does any more than LadyG - but that's irrelevant. It's not about "liking" - it's about a behavior that is protected by our Constitution. Until some judge decides (again) that he/she wants to legislate from the bench, you can either go along or move along. :tongue:

Sounds like it will be their loss, but that's life. :cool:

[LadyGodiva]

Oma, I'm looking at private schools that are near to where I live, and also have much smaller classrooms than public schools.

I called and spoke to the school. That form which requires one to sign that they would receive religious instructions was sent out in ERROR. It seems that the new lady working there thought that even subs had to sign this form. The principal said it was not meant for teachers but for students, and he apologised.

I told him I am Catholic and he said that was fine. He did mention that some years ago they only hired "Christians" but it caused some flack in the area and they've become more 'accepting' of other's faith, which pleased me no end.

A nice ending to the story. I'm glad I didn't sign the form like a robot and just accept that this was part of the system. Sorry guys, but I can't help questioning and speaking up. I thought that was allowed in this country? Or maybe it was somewhere else? :D

[sandbagger]

A nice ending to the story. I'm glad I didn't sign the form like a robot and just accept that this was part of the system. I'm sure we're all glad to hear it. It never ceases to amaze me how many of life's "issues" start from a simple misunderstanding. :rolleyes:
Sorry guys, but I can't help questioning and speaking up. I thought that was allowed in this country? Or maybe it was somewhere else? :D Speaking up is allowed - even encouraged. But what seems to be lost is that it goes both ways. (it's called "dialogue") You speak - we speak; action - reaction. Sir Isaac wasn't just talking about gravity. Nothing guarantees a person his/her personal soapbox with immunity to any reaction or consequence. Life just doesn't work that way - here or anywhere else. :shake: