Defenses against jealousy

Allmusic
Sun, 17 Sep 2006 13:20:29 +0000

Kudos to you, SJmom. You knew what you wanted in terms of education for your sons, and you researched and found it. I think if a specific religious tradition and education is important to a family, there are non-secular options.

Had we wanted our children to attend schools with other Jewish children only, there are plenty of options where we live. However, we really want them to meet a diverse population of people, who can share many different ideas, traditions etc. We have been fortunate that they go to school with Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists. We have 27 different languages represented, just in the elementary schools. There is a lot to be gained by being around children with so many different experiences and traditions.

I don’t expect the schools to cater to my children (although am grateful that we DO have school holidays on the High Holidays), but I also don’t want them to be uncomfortable with a predominant religious dogma. I think there should be no religious influence at all in public school, unless it is taught within the context of World History or World Religion classes, where it can be cross referenced and compared.