Question:
For my educational philosphy class I have to write about morality. How to incorporate good moral values in the classroom. But when I sit down at the computer my christian values start coming out. It's difficult to avoid points of discussion like moral relativisim and I'm worried about getting docked marks for it. I have read the required readings an although interesting they don't satisfy areas which I want to dive into and resort to christian authors.
I could spew out the same stuff everyone else is doing and secure a pretty good mark but it will be very uninspired. Need some help deciding.
Answer:
Personally, if I was in that situation, I would probably go the safe route and just try for a decent grade. At least where I go to school, the profs aren't looking for content, only form.
On the other hand, if you really have problems about writing on morality from a worldly perspective, then (after prayer and consideration) you should go with your convictions.
Answer:
What, exactly, is the prompt for your writing assignment? I mean, if the prompt is, "Write about incorporating good moral values into the classroom," then I'd assume you could write from whatever perspective you like. If the prompt is, "Using the texts we have read, describe how good moral values can be incorporated into the classroom," then you should do as you are told and stick to the texts.
Answer:
Originally Posted by bobthecockroach What, exactly, is the prompt for your writing assignment? I mean, if the prompt is, "Write about incorporating good moral values into the classroom," then I'd assume you could write from whatever perspective you like. If the prompt is, "Using the texts we have read, describe how good moral values can be incorporated into the classroom," then you should do as you are told and stick to the texts.
I agree with Bob. But, whatever the case, you shouldn't compromise your values, whether it's in the text or not. Also, at my college, the instructors are generally more concerned with your ability to argue a point, or research and present material. I've had to be careful in some classes, but one great thing about God is that He can show you a way to make a faith based argument without quoting the Bible, if you know what I mean. You can still make a positive, Christian-influenced argument in a paper without getting marked down for it. Sure, it requires a lot of work and carefull reading/planning, but I think it's worth it. Anyway, that's my two cents (and by the way, I have gotten marked down for Faith Based arguments, but I'm proud that I didn't compromise my beliefs. And God still gave me an A for the class, as well)
Answer:
You can certainly try, but I have another stance to present here. There's really no way that you can convince someone to follow a moral standard unless some ultimate higher authority is in place to enforce it. That could consider the police or the president to be a higher authority too, but ultimately it leads up to God, The One that everyone is accountable to.

I'll explain.

Let's pick a scenario, and leave God out of it. Suppose someone punches you. Is that right or wrong? You and I can agree it's wrong if they're punching you just to punch you. But why? Is it because the Core Democratic Values say that your pursuit of happiness ends where someone else gets hurt? Who cares what the government says? Politicians are human too, and a lot of them can be hypocrites. Really, the only reason what they decides goes is because they have access to the big guns. What about the fact that it's just not nice to hurt someone else? True, but who cares about how the other person feels? If there's no God, then anything increasing your chances of survival is perfectly natural and therefore okay, since that's how nature and evolution work.

*Joe punches Steve in the nose*
Steve: Hey, that wasn't nice!
Joe: So?
Steve: You shouldn't just randomly punch people!
Joe: Why not?
Steve: It's wrong.
Joe: Says who?
(What can Steve say? There's no absolute moral authority to say its wrong)

You see? There is no one to ultimately say, "This is wrong."

A really good movie to see is "Time Changer." It's directed by Rich Christiano (that's just for reference). It has an incredible message behind it. The main character writes a book where he argues that morals can be taught without reference to God or Christ. He gets a chance to travel to the future, and he sees the world we live in today. No one fears God, therefore no one caring about right and wrong. A girl steals from him without giving a second thought, a rebellious group of kids stand outside his hotel room smoking away, garbage floods the cable channel, everything in the book. Once again, it was because none of them feared God. None of them had an ultimate authority in their life that said, "This isn't right." It's very much true. I look at this poster at my school that warns against alcohol if you're under 21. Seriously, who cares? A girl actually said to me one time, "It's not wrong unless you get caught." I have one or two friends that just try to get away with whatever they can. What is it again? No fear of God. No love and respect for God. If He can't destroy both body and spirit in hell, who cares? If He doesn't reside on the Judgment Seat, who cares? If He doesn't know your secret sins, who cares? With God, you have nowhere to hide. You can hide from your parents, the police, the government, but you cannot hide from God. He gives no leeway. He watches who you are in front of others, and He watches who you are behind closed doors (which is where most people think they can manage to get away with doing bad things). No human instructor can be a perfect overseer of what goes on in their classroom, although they could manage to catch a good amount of bad things going on.

Remember all that, and one other thing. You can set the morality of the classroom by somehow inspiring or bribing the class to behave, but you can only do it in school. They can go home or somewhere else after school and lead totally different lives. What you do to incorporate morals into the classroom will stay in the classroom; they know places they can get away with it. People will try to get away with as much as they can as well, trust me.

Proverbs 9:10
"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

Maybe you could do something on how morals aren't worth anything unless you are held accountable to God. I don't know the stuff about your philosophy class, but I hope whatever you do goes well.

I hope this helped, and that I explained everything okay.
Answer:
I'm not sure why people insist on making this so much more difficult than it actually is. As an educator, you are expected to set the ground rules for your classroom. These ground rules should be pretty simple. Treat others with respect. Mind your manners. Do your own work. The reason some teachers have issues with classroom discipline is that these rules are subject to negotiation, caving in, or intimidation either from kids or (more often) from their parents. But the basic concept is pretty simple. Kids will live up or down to your expectations. If you treat them as if you believe they are competant, decent human beings, regardless of what age they are, they will act like decent human beings. If you treat them with contempt or become a doormat, they will act like hooligans. So here's a great place to start for moral values in a classroom--be consistent, be positive, don't play favorites. Expect respect and get respect. It's hardly rocket science, and you'll notice, I didn't bring up religion or God one time.