Kristen Gyles | Knee-jerk discussion on devotions in schools

The devotional exercise which left some students supposedly ‘touched by the anointing’ at Oberlin High last week, has resulted in quite a bit of controversy. What was it about the anointing that left some students fainting, some shaking, and others speaking in tongues? The jury is still out on that one. However, a discussion that we, as mere humans, are perhaps more equipped to engage in, is the discussion surrounding whether devotions should be discontinued in schools.

Knee-jerk reactions can be bad, but knee-jerk discussions are usually okay. The strange incident which ensued at the high school, after a teacher prayed for the students during devotion, has triggered a long-overdue conversation. What would be unfortunate, however, is for the basis of any decision taken by the education ministry to be solely as a result of what happened last week. Jamaican classrooms have featured early-morning devotions from as early as Whappy’s pre-historic killing of Phillup. To use one, or perhaps a few, anomalous instances in which devotions in schools may have led to a negative outcome as the basis for the discontinuation of devotions in schools, would be immoderate.

In principle, though, the manner in which devotions are held in public schools today could do with some revision. There is value in Christian-themed devotions being held in schools. Even many non-Christians would agree that school devotions play a valuable role in the socialisation of today’s children, through the promotion of positive and healthy social values that emphasise forgiveness, respect, honesty, integrity and other traits. Most of these are generally agreed to be woefully lacking in our society. These are also largely compatible with Christian teachings, so Christian-themed devotions stand to have a pretty good effect on today’s children.

DEVOTION PACKAGE

However, if we are being honest, the school devotion package contains much more than the promotion of a few universally agreeable moral attributes. A part of the package is singing that Jesus is on the telephone, and that you can tell Him what you need. Another part of the package is singing that He came from Heaven to earth to show the way, and that He moved from the earth to the cross, our debt to pay. None of that rhetoric is likely to be appreciated by a student from a non-Christian home. And don’t these students also matter? It is unfair to students who don’t share a Christian worldview to be bombarded with ideology that is inherently Christian.

Students should not be forced to sit through spiritual or religious exercises that see them being enveloped by people who are paying homage to a god they don’t believe in or revere in any way. Declaring that students are allowed to sit in the corner of the classroom or assembly hall if they don’t want to participate, is also only minimally helpful. From a social standpoint, a child is unlikely to feel comfortable being the subject of their classmates’ attention, as they sit isolated in the corner of a room, being stared at like a leper. Even children with a strong sense of self-identity and who don’t particularly care about fitting in with their peers, don’t necessarily want to have their idiosyncrasies or differences highlighted in a manner that makes them stand out, especially in a negative way.

With all of that said, devotions don’t have to carry the traditional spiritual connotation we are used to. Nothing dictates that they even need to be called ‘devotions’. There are numerous possibilities regarding how these sessions can be carried out constructively, within the Jamaican setting, to include students from varied backgrounds. Devotion is not only useful if students are singing lively choruses and clapping their tiny hands for joy. Students can engage in activities besides reading or reciting a Psalm each day and saying the Lord’s Prayer.

GRATEFUL

Can’t students take turns stating one or two things in their lives that they are grateful for? This is certainly in keeping with Christian values but does not marginalise any student who does not subscribe to the Christian religion. Can’t students spend a few reflective moments in silence? Why not challenge students with sharing one quality they admire in a selected classmate?

Devotions can currently be construed as anything a teacher or principal deems fit, and this can easily lead to the disenfranchisement of some students. The Ministry of Education was therefore on the right track when it suggested that protocols would be developed for school devotions.

The establishment of these protocols does not mean devotions will be disallowed in schools; it simply means schools may be limited in the types of activities they put students through, and in the content they share with students, during devotions. A devotional exercise should not be turned into a séance or into a hypnotic exercise or any other activity that could have an overwhelming spiritual influence on a child.

Additionally, when students are sent to school, they are not sent there to be indoctrinated with Christian, Muslim or ‘New Age’ values. Neither are they sent there to be told about the importance of prayer or the importance of meditation or mindfulness. They are sent to school to be taught how to think critically, to solve problems, and to contribute to the society they live in. Children may be indoctrinated with spiritual dogma at home, but school has another purpose.

Kristen Gyles is a free-thinking public affairs opinionator. Email feedback to kristengyles@gmail.com.