Comments on: Quick: What Are These Kids Doing?

By: Susan Haines

Susan Haines — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 19:07:46 +0000

I don’t think so, and I hope not! I just said some people use that time for reflection on a person’s life, or to recall good memories they have. I clarified that a moment of silence does not require or exclude prayer. I know to step lightly in these contexts.

By: Richard Wade

Richard Wade — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 18:59:27 +0000

sushai,
Were you taking a chance by giving the students some other ideas?

By: Katie Molnar

Katie Molnar — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 17:40:46 +0000

Hey! This isn’t fair! I want equal time!

I say we should have a mandatory moment of screaming, and a mandatory moment of muffled conversation, and a mandatory moment of tapping our toes, and a mandatory moment of counting by powers of six!

Idiots. -_-

By: sushai

sushai — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 14:56:58 +0000

I teach fifth grade in a public elementary school in Michigan. I asked my students what they think they’re supposed to do when the principal calls for a “moment of silence” and they all agreed: you pray.
I gave them some other ideas.

By: stogoe

stogoe — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 14:55:56 +0000

They look bored out of their minds. “Stand up, eyes closed…why are we doing this again? Man, I’m tired. If I yawned, would Ms. Hoover yell at me? Great, now I gotta yawn.”

By: Mriana

Mriana — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 13:22:08 +0000

They don’t look very happy, do they, Richard? Poor kids.

By: jedipunk

jedipunk — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 13:17:52 +0000

I thought another contest was coming for a second.

By: Anatoly

Anatoly — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 12:27:45 +0000

They’re probably in the middle or not being too happy of being forced up to stand for a minute.

By: Richard Wade

Richard Wade — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 08:31:39 +0000

The kids look like their dad is yelling at them, “DON’T YOU EVER, EVER USE MY TOOTHBRUSH TO BRUSH THE DOG’S TEETH AGAIN!!”

Then again, in some sects that could be a lot like the experience of praying.

By: Jon Strong

Jon Strong — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 06:52:39 +0000

Hemant,

My roommates and I got into a fairly heated debate about a hypothetical similar to that law. Should it be legal for schools to have a moment of silence if a classmate dies?

I tried to argue there were more legal, less religiously ambiguous ways of grieving in the schools.

My roomates thought moments of silence for grieving had a legitimate secular purpose, and that in this instance if a kid decides to pray during the silent moment it is the best way for him to cope.

Thoughts?