1|Page Dhagat, Sandeep (Fall 2016)

One of the foundational principles of our countrys inception and our written history is

the enshrinement and protection of freedom of religion. The First Amendment of the Bill of

Rights reads: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting

the free exercise thereof (First Amendment, n.d.). The intersection between education and

religion in the United States has a strong tradition, one mired in both controversy and success.

Koch explains that the earliest roots of our educational system had a religious bent. Indeed, the

oldest universities in America, such as Harvard College, were constructed as centers of religious

and classical schooling for colonial communities (Koch, 2016). Even with the secularization of

American society and the opening up of public education, this history of religious education has

survived the movement of time via the proliferation of private schools and universities that often

profess a religious affiliation. The most powerful of these institutions have been parochial

schools set up by Catholic parishes; a concrete movement to protect religious diversity and

expression from the protestant majority during the age of industrialization (Koch, 2016).

Beginning in the early 1800s, in reaction to the reading of the King James version of the Bible in

some common schools, many church parishes began their own schools (Koch, 2016). Thus,

while synonymous with both dogmatism and essentialism in the educational sphere, parochial

schools serve as a historical testament to religious freedom, freedom of association, and school

choice.

In recent years, spurred by the demographical shifts within the American educational

landscape, a new debate has sprung up within parochial (and in other denominational

communities to a lesser degree) schools over the issue of religious diversity (Yu-Phelps, 2002).

This new and raw conversation concerns not only the teaching of other religious perspectives

within the confines of a denominationally oriented classroom, but also the appropriate inclusion
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of students who many not be aligned with the religious affiliation of the school. The Catholic-

Protestant historical narrative within American society is being increasingly replaced with a

more complicated and diverse amalgamation of different religious orientations, from Hinduism

and Buddhism to Judaism and Islam (Koch, 2016). This situation, which potentially upends

traditional social practices, presents a unique opportunity to promote cross-religious

communication and toleration at a unique level. Prior to my service learning at the K-8 parochial

school in Somerset, New Jersey, this issue while both relevant and critical given the times

never presented itself in my presuppositions and assumptions about what a parochial school

classroom would, could, or should look like. Quite mistakenly, my imaginations were rooted in

outdated historical ideas about religious educational institutions. The classroom I observed and

connected with resembled the twenty-first century rather than the nineteenth century in that it

lacked the monolith of Caucasian Catholics I envisioned walking in. Instead, my experiences led

me to meet and talk to and help and teach Indian-American Hindus and Chinese-American

Buddhists and Arab-American Orthodox Christians and West African Muslims. This discovery,

while both humorous and exciting, led me to questions of how inclusion works in a space

historically dedicated to an isolationist protection of a specific religion. How do these students

cope with the concrete pressure to conform to a religious perspective that is pervasively

integrated into the normal curriculum? Do these students verbally repeat the Catholic prayer their

peers and classmates say aloud in the morning, after lunch, and before dismissal? Do they make

the sign of the cross to fit in with their friends? Are they given safe spaces to engage in their

own private religious practices if they so require and choose? Are their personal faiths taught in

the educational curriculum, and if so, how? Is their social-emotional development stunted or

negatively affected by a false perception of otherness? While all of these questions are perhaps
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difficult to answer from my narrow and limited interactions and data pool, they are certainly

things that I tried to answer while engaged in my service learning.

In order to resolve and answer some of these big questions, I had to drive down to the

daily social interactions of these unique students, all of whom were either in the fifth or sixth

grade. What I observed and understood from asking questions was both disappointing yet

understandable given the circumstances. In most cases I witnessed students with non-Catholic

religious beliefs conform to the Catholic oriented religious behavior of their school, teacher, and

fellow students. They would make the sign of the cross, repeat Catholic prayers, and complete

activities and projects professing Catholic beliefs. For example, when students were asked to

create a visual representation of the Paschal Mystery, the students fully participated. Given my

personal background as an Indian-American Hindu, it is difficult for me to imagine how I would

choose to react in those situations. While I am older and now enjoy a strong conviction in my

religious beliefs, these students are younger, more susceptible to social influences, and less likely

to be religiously independent. Unlike their fellow classmates and their families, the primary

motivation for these students to attend a religious school was not for religious reasons. Instead,

many of these students are enrolled for the higher academic standards valued by their immigrant

families.

According to Erik Eriksons psychosocial theory of development, these students are at

the industry versus inferiority stage, which lasts from ages 5 to 12 (Fleming, 2004). At this point

students are overly concerned with their competency, and their sense of accomplishment is

driven from external sources, usually the expectations and thoughts of their friends, family, and

teacher (Fleming, 2004). Since children are increasingly looking to their peer group for

validation, the pressure to conform to behaviors that are philosophically different may be
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overwhelming. This could negatively impact the independent development of the child, in that

their private home beliefs could come into conflict with their public school practices (Donlevy,

2013). If this comes to an unresolved head, moral confusion and a lack of confidence in ones

identity could develop (Donlevy, 2013). In this respect, I believe (or at least hope) that my

visibility in the classroom as a college student of a different faith actively participating in a

Catholic-oriented classroom helped these students recognize that their different faith was not

something to hide or ignore, but to respectfully embrace. I tried to communicated this to these

students in different ways. For example, during school prayers I would stand next to these

students and model how one could respectfully behave while not actively engaging in the

Catholic prayers. During classroom activities, when students had questions or were confused, I

would try to provide analogies or examples that incorporated different religious faiths or

perspectives. While these activities may be small and subtle, I think they positively change the

classroom environment by promoting religious diversity and tolerance. This respectful toleration

goes both ways: while the autonomy of the parochial school to teach religious values is

respected, the sincere beliefs of non-Catholic participants in the school are not abridged.

According to the progressive teaching philosophy, instructors are expected to teach to the

four domains of the child: social, emotional, cognitive, and physical. When any students unique

circumstances are ignored due to social expectations and school structures, a childs future

development may be negatively and unconsciously impacted (Donlevy, 2013). Students not only

need differentiated instruction, but also differentiated expectations. While it may be a schoolwide

expectation for students to actively participate in prayers and religious projects, what happens

when a conflict of interest arises? In these special cases, I think differentiated expectations and

accommodations should be made and given. In fact, this would be consistent with the historical
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nature of parochial schools as the original bastions of religious freedom. In reality, these

students religious differences can be immensely valuable learning experiences if the

conversation is positively shaped. When Catholic and non-Catholic students engage in honest

and respectful discussion involving comparisons and contrasts between their religious beliefs and

practices, they may get a deeper sense of understanding about religion in general (Yu-Phelps,

2002). Perhaps students will recognize that the foundational principles of most religions share a

common bond rooted in a common humanity. This can be deeply enriching from a social-

emotional perspective as well, one that can bridge differences between students to create a

unified classroom community (Yu-Phelps, 2002). This would also serve as a formative

experience for students preparing for the real world, where diversity is often more pronounced

and widespread than in a parochial classroom. While Catholic schools are already required to

teach about other religions in accordance with the Religious Education Curriculum Directory

(RECD), the content may be too superficial, abstract, and impersonal for students to concretely

grasp religious diversity and toleration (Southall, 2016).

Pluralism of religions is a reality in the United States, and the perspective of Catholic

students towards other religions will be directly shaped by what they are taught in school,

intentionally or not. Once we look past the rigidity sometimes associated with religious schools,

the opportunities are essentially boundless, especially since the hindrance of the church-state

divide is removed. Imagine if we could recreate the Parliament of the Worlds Religions in the

very classrooms of religious schools by inviting ministers, priests, rabbis, imams, and gurus to

share and to teach. Perhaps this could spark a new generation of non-denominational religious

schools not based on a strict adherence to a particular religion, but a belief in common moral

values, such as respecting life and doing good. Certainly this problem is not too narrow or too
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mundane to merit real attention and concern. In the United States, the number of non-Catholic

high school students in inner-city Catholic schools is often a majority of the student body, and on

average, the number of non-Catholic students is approximately 13.5% of the student body

(Donlevy, 2013). Given that the 2012-2013 academic year witnessed 2,001,740 students in

parochial schools, this may amount to about 270,000 students who are being underserved in their

religious faith (Catholic Education, 2013). And keep in mind, this number excludes the various

other types of non-Catholic denominational schools that exist, each of which may experience

varying amounts of religious diversity among their student body. This problem affects too many

students in too many schools across the country to not warrant discussion and problem-solving.

Any student who attends a religious institution of which they do not share the affiliated faith

deserves to have their personal beliefs upheld and protected, particularly when social forces may

create an expectation of conformity with the majority. Even within religious diversity, special

care should be given to avoid unmerited favoritism or stereotyping that relegates some religions

as backwards or uncouth.

For me, this topic is one that touches home and gives me an energy to learn more about.

Growing up and learning in a school where I was one of only three Hindus significantly shaped

my experience with my religion, not all of which were positive. In youth, sometimes the desire to

fit trumps deeply held morals and values, causing us to sacrifice or compromise a part of our

identity to conform to unstated expectations. While my service learning was directly connected

to a parochial school, I think the issue I described can be generally applied to all educational

institutions, especially ones that may lack a large amount of religious diversity. It is in these

areas in which the manner schools and classrooms deal with religious diversity becomes even

more important. For me, my observations were deeply enlightening in how I imagine conducting
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myself in the classroom. Even though I may not have much personal experience with other forms

of diversity, I think I do have a wealth of knowledge in dealing with religious and ethnic

diversity. I think the answer to the problems and questions I addressed are not solvable by

government intervention or debate. In reality, it will involve grassroots conversations that

involve teaching people incrementally about the problem. In this sense, I can imagine myself

getting involved in my local community to help move the conversation forward. My temple

performs informal religious education to students from kindergarten through college, and

perhaps I could convince the religious elders to bring a guest speaker, such as a rabbi or minister

to share a Christian or Jewish perspective. Maybe this would then be reciprocated by another

Church or Synagogue. I could convene a dialog with my towns Catholic school to discuss how

the needs of non-Catholic students could be better met and supported. Lastly, I could take a

course in theology or world religion to help teach myself about this issue in a deeper way.

References:
8|Page Dhagat, Sandeep (Fall 2016)

Catholic Education. (2013). Retrieved December 8, 2016, from http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-

and-teachings/how-we-teach/catholic-education/upload/2013-By-the-Numbers-Catholic-
Education.pdf

Donlevy, J. K. (2013, July). Ten Dimensions of Inclusion: Non-Catholic Students in Catholic

Schools. Journal of Catholic Education, 10(3), 293-320. Retrieved December 8, 2016, from
http://digitalcommons.lmu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1411&context=ce

First Amendment. (n.d.). Retrieved December 07, 2016, from

https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/first_amendment

Fleming, J. S. (2004). Eriksons Psychosocial Developmental Stages. Retrieved December 4,

2016, from http://swppr.org/textbook/ch%209%20erikson.pdf

Koch, J. (2016). TEACH3: Introduction to Education. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.

Southall, M. (2016). Religious Education in Catholic schools. Retrieved December 08, 2016,
from http://www.catholiceducation.org.uk/schools/religious-education/item/1002967-about-
religious-education-in-catholic-schools

Yu-Phelps, J. (2002, January 1). Religious Diversity in Catholic Schools. Retrieved December
08, 2016, from https://www.smp.org/resourcecenter/resource/2751/

Raritan Valley Community College

9|Page Dhagat, Sandeep (Fall 2016)

Saint Matthias:

A Reflection on Religious Diversity at a Parochial School

Service Learning Site Saint Matthias School

Hours Completed 44.5

Sandeep Dhagat

Foundations of Education (EDUC 212) Teagle Scholars Project

Professor Suk

12/7/16