As an Christian Education student at University, I have been watching the recent debate over ethics classes in place of SRE (Special Religious Education) very closely, so closely in fact that I did a research assignment on the issue last term. This was a media analysis of the debate, and I have decided to break my blogging silence on the issue (thanks to a push from Dave Miers and the heat that surrounds the issue at the moment). This post is not directly related to my paper, although I will blog a series directly from the paper. This post is about the fact that Teachers should be teaching ethics.
One point that has not really be raised in this discussion is the fact that ethics should be part of the hidden curriculum, what is the hidden curriculum I hear you say. The hidden curriculum is the part of the curriculum that is not explicit, but that teachers teach anyway. Students know not to lie, and should learn that from their teachers. Students know to respect their teachers, and this is not directly in the curriculum. Same with ethics, students should be learning how to think critically and should be learning how to live in regular class time.
My fear is that if ethics classes become mainstream then ethics will no longer have any place whatsoever in the regular classroom. What about the students in SRE, ethics isn’t explicitly taught in SRE, the truth is. At least I hope the truth is, especially in Protestant SRE. Will these students miss out on critical thinking about how to live?
Stay tuned for a barrage of further thoughts on the issue… It has been on my mind for a while.
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