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.