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It's been fun, I've written 12 times as many posts as I did last month making it through my third NaBloPoMo with relative ease and, I think, only minor irritation to my family.
We have 2 and a half weeks of school left for the kids, that's only 12 days of primary school to go for David. I got his high school orientation info pack today, so many pieces of paper, so many forms to fill in, fees to pay (I'm interested to see that these include a voluntary $100 per student donation to the P&C - wonder how many people pay that?), new systems to learn, it's all a bit overwhelming.
There's a nice vague handout about the Religious Education program at the school with references to "inter-denominational" "non-threatening" and "significance of religion" which as far as I can see equates religion with Christianity and completely disappears any other faith, or lack thereof. I'll be interested to see an outline of the lesson program (the handout offers one on request). It's a program that was introduced when I was at the school, I remember it as being monumentally tedious, and that was when I was heavily involved with one of the churches that developed and still financially supports the program. There's a notable lack of references to the optional nature of Special Religious Education and no indication of what kids who opt out would be doing during that time - I'm not surprised by this and I don't believe there are any regulations that require that information to be offered, but it's interesting.
I'm tired. My head is full of little, and not so little, things I have to do, or remember, or talk to people about, or go to, or shop for. I have speeches and reports to write for the P&C. Work is relatively busy. November was a fairly hectic month for us and I really just want to stop for a while, but December promises to be just as full-on. I'm so looking forward to the holidays, I plan on sleeping and reading and playing games and not being in a hurry to do anything.
View From a Hotel Window, 11/15/24: Cincinnati
2 hours ago
5 comments:
When I was at high school the RE wasn't optional - at least not at Ingleburn. I don't think we did any in Taree.
And they decided the best way to do it at Ingleburn was to have a whole day of it once a year. A whole day of "Prove God exists" arguments from smarmy teenagers. The poor instructors must have hated it as much as I did. I only went once - the opt out was fake illness.
We had a 40 minute lesson once a week from a teacher employed by a coalition of the local churches to be full-time at the school. That's the program that still runs there now. We weren't encouraged to think of it as optional either and I don't think I can remember anyone not going to "Christian Studies" as it was called, I'm sure it's no different now. But it's definitely Special as opposed to General Religious Education and therefore falls under the regulations which allow for opting out.
Just wanted to say congrats on finishing the NaBloPoMo. I have enjoyed it, but am truly relieved that is is over :-)
RE was only ever offered at our primary school and I think is no longer done so. My parents opted out (even tho' we're Christian) because they were concerned about the doctrine being taught along with it. We got to go to the library and read instead which I preferred anyway!
Congrats on getting through all your posts in November! I admire your commitment.
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