The
Way-
We
Learn
Coming to Ter
Public schools invite student discussion of violent acts.
Religion In Mr
Schools: What
Are the Needs?
AMANDA PLISNER
Special to the Jewish News
F
Jennifer Rosenwasser has handled many controversial topics in the classroom.
DIANA LIEBERMAN
Staff Writer
A
fter three years as a high
school teacher, Jennifer
Rosenwasser has become an
old pro at helping young
people deal with crisis.
A teacher of civics, law and sociolo-
gy at West Bloomfield High School,
she says it's part of her job to help stu-
dents come to terms with the irra-
tional violence they hear about on the
nightly news.
The recent attack on five people
inside the North Valley Jewish
Community Center in suburban Los
Angeles is the latest in a series of inci-
dents ranging from school shootings
to the defacing of synagogues.
8/27
1999
14 Detroit Jewish News
"Usually when something comes up
that's of concern to the students, my
class is the one where we talk about
it," she said.
A free exchange of ideas, even on
sensitive topics such as anti-Semitism
and racism, is strongly encouraged by
public school districts surveyed by the
Jewish News.
In addition, each district sponsors
many activities designed to increase
the communication between students
and an understanding of the multicul-
tural world in which they live, from
outside activities to special speakers.
"Whenever something like this (the
Los Angeles shootings) happens, the
teachers do not hide or ignore it," said
Gary Faber, West Bloomfield's deputy
superintendent. They know our express
desire is for them to bring it forward. In
fact, we are most concerned when issues
of the day are not brought forward."
Rosenwasser, who took a course on
school violence this summer, said her
students seem comfortable in speaking
about their religious, racial and cultur-
al differences. "That's not common in
American society," she said. "We're
told, 'Don't ask about religion. Don't
show you're different.'
We break that norm."
Another West Bloomfield social
studies teacher, Gary Weisserman, said
students have a broader perspective on
the controversial issues of violence,
discrimination and prejudice than
they are generally given credit for.
"Usually, these topics have a way of
COMING To TERMS on page 1 7
or the past decade, the pres-, y
ence of religious discussions
in public schools has been a high-
ly controversial issue. Where
should the line be drawn?
There is a significant difference
between conducting prayer or reli-
gious ceremonies during the
school day and the discussion of
historical and current events relat- /
ing to Judaism and the Jewish
people.
On Aug. 10, there was a shoot-
ing at the North Valley Jewish
Community Center in suburban
Los Angeles. Schools in our com-
munity were not in session at the
time. If they were, would this
event have been discussed in gov-
ernment or civics classes? In my
opinion, it is vital that this event
and others similar to it be dis-
cussed in the classroom. It is clear
that this shooting had a dramatic
impact on Jewish communities all
over the United States. I don't
believe, however, that these events
should be discussed from a Jewish
point of view.
Jews as the targets of anti-
Semitic predators is a historically
documented fact, but most public
school students are likely to bene-
fit from a more general discussion
of hate crimes. A more general
discourse has the benefit of reach-
ing a variety of ethnic groups and
making more students aware of
just how damaging hate crimes
can be
I feel similarly about the teach-
ings of the Holocaust in the pub-
lic schools. Again, Jews are record-
ed as the primary victims of this
tragic event. However, in a secular
environment, it is necessary to put
RELIGION IN SCHOOLS on page 18
Amanda Mistier
is in the 11th grade
at North Farmington
High School.
She is the daughter
of Carol and
Bruce Plisner of
Farmington Hills.