The Bigger Threat: A Teacher’s Perspective 
By Curtis Hier

Vermont’s media outlets pounced all over the story of an Irasburg teacher giving out literature apparently promoting Jesus over Santa Claus. I’d like to put the issue in perspective.

As a public high school teacher of 21 years, I saw our school's football team take a weekly walk to the Catholic Church before every game in the fall, at least up until a year or so ago.  I don't know if they prayed for victory or for not having anyone get seriously injured.  (If the former, it seemed silly to bother before the MSJ game!)

Though voluntary, I can imagine the peer pressure to participate. A church and state violation? Maybe. But I thought: well, you know, there are worse things that kids do after school than go to church. I put it in perspective and resisted any temptation to call the ACLU.  Nobody else called them either.

I was recently informed by a student that, last year, our yearbook wouldn't let this student’s older brother have for a senior quote something from Exodus. They've had Eminem quotes and quotes from other questionable sources, but not the Bible. The quote would have been attributed as the student's quote, not the school's. But school officials were nervous about it. I believe the student's free exercise rights were violated.

I don’t perceive the Irasburg incident as a big threat. The bigger threat in this state is the kind of overboard secularism that makes us now take a "December Break" rather than the traditional Christmas Vacation.

I grew up in the Congregational Church in Pittsford. Our family was a typical New England family that didn’t talk much about religion. But we learned a lot about common sense.

And common sense tells me that there are a lot bigger problems facing our schools today than what that Irasburg teacher was doing. The media in Vermont is much more concerned with religion in the schools, it seems, than drugs in the schools.
 

Curtis Hier is a public school teacher and chairman of First Class Education for Vermont.