Chapter 2: Today's Students

Authors Gene E. Hall, Linda F. Quinn and Donna M. Gollnick, writers of The Joy of Teaching, state that values, lifestyle, and socialization are affected by the religion of students. The writers explain that more than 85 percent of the population belong to a religion, and because of this large percentage religion is going to be seen and dealt with in schools. Throughout the section "What are the Religions of Students?" many religions are brought up including: Christian, Agnostic, Evangelical, Amish, Hutterites, Islam, Hinduism, Judaism, and Buddhism. Each religion has holidays and traditions that are solely their own, and schools, as well as teachers, should try to accommodate each appropriately. Hall, Quinn, and Gollnick make it clear that teachers should not allow their personal religious beliefs and practices to be shown in their classrooms to allow for and equal education for all students.