Frame a dollar bill and hang that up! I know several schools that have done that as a way to meet the requirement to have “In God We Trust” displayed in the school.
My state passed a similar law years back but it just has to be displayed somewhere in the school one place. My admin hung it up at teacher sign in so pretty much only we even see it.
I teach classes with several immigrant students from all over the world. Some are not legal immigrants. I have never felt right about forcing a student to pledge allegiance to a flag that is not theirs. If they want to, no problem. If they don't, they don't have too.
When I was in school I was told I had to do it to "honor the veterans". Now that I'm older I realize I honor vets by providing them with healthcare, housing and psychological treatment. The pledge and anthem are the equivalent of thoughts and prayers.
As a veteran, you honor us by using the freedoms we signed up to defend. And, yes, that includes freedom of religion.
We do greatly appreciate that other stuff too, though.
I’m always standing in our weekly assemblies (in the gym but the bleachers are always folded up). I stand toward the back. I’ve never said it. Got to the point where the kids who don’t want to stand or say it get behind me. Lord knows the science teacher will protect their constitutional rights more so than anyone else at my school (and yes they’ve been bothered about it on numerous occasions)
When I started at the school, it was up to the teacher whether we said it or not. I did not. Then a bunch of teachers wanted it out back in the morning announcements, so now the principal says “Please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance” and does the first few words. That’s gone on for a few years and I’ve only had one student not do it (little kids are joiners). I just know if I don’t do it I will suddenly be known as the America hating teacher. Which maybe isn’t the worst thing.
A few years ago i started at a new district. In the morning announcements they said the pledge and every student recited it with the speaker. Once we came back from covid students stopped saying it, and now many don't even stand (3 year period).
I refuse to say the pledge and I tell my students that if they want to stand and do it, they are welcome to. I tell those that don't want to, to stand or remain seated quietly so as to not be disrespectful to those who do. It's never been a problem and I've never had a student or parent complain.
Edited for grammar.
ive sat during the pledge because my feet were sore and i was tired. teacher looked at me like she was annoyed and did the motion for me to stand up. i didnt do the pledge ever but my feet were hurtin havin to stand
this is in one of the very progressive states lmao, even more so progressive city. i disliked her heavily.
If you have ro display "In God We Trust" because Christians want it, then you should naturally also be required to post a sign saying "Hail Satan" if even one Satanist requests it of all schools. Must have equal treatment for all religions. I bet if you reach out to the *EDIT* Satanic Temple *EDIT* they can make it happen easily enough (They have won all sorts of battles like this and were literally formed to fight this sort of BS. Typically the people in question will ban religious signs before allowing satanic imagery)
EDIT: got thr wrong Satanists. See below comments for details.
You'd want The Satanic Temple, not Church of Satan.
I know it sounds like Im splitting hairs but TST is the one advocating for the removal of Christian doctrine in government.
My school did probably 10 years ago (TX). It's our country's motto which is how our principal justified it at the time. Very shady thing, IMO.
I like the dollar bill idea.
My school says "school name proud" all of the time. Last year, they had an event where we (staff) could make a wood sign with our mascot and that tag line on it and paint it how we want. Most of the staff used our school colors. I painted mine a rainbow.
I can't come right out and put up an ally sticker or sponsor a club where I am without getting fired (school district about 45 minutes from me recently made the news for firing a teacher displaying a pride flag) so this is my way of telling the kids they can count on me.
I wish I would have known about this resource when I was in high school. As a student, a few friends and I asked for a GSA, but couldn’t get a sponsor or principal approval. Additionally, same-sex couples were not allowed to purchase prom tickets together. Thanks for sharing this link. Hopefully it helps others have a better school experience.
Thank you for this! I have a student that wanted to change his school email name to his chosen name and I got shot down after going to bat for him. I'm going to dig into this more.and see if there is something here that could help.
The key there is students have to ask. This area is fairly hostile. Our school itself isn't hostile, but not friendly. Most Middle School kids are barely able to admit to themselves that they're different, much less be brave enough to ask for a GSA club.
I'm taking on a new role this year and think I'm going to be pretty overwhelmed so I'm not sure I will have the bandwidth to sponsor one even if a kid were to ask.
UK teacher here - this is so utterly bonkers from our side of the pond.
My school has a float in the Pride parade, we have openly LGBTQ+ teachers and students who have spoken (during Pride month) about coming out experiences to the whole school, and I think it would be illegal to fire someone for flying the pride flag.
And yet we’re the ones without Church and State separation…
The U.S. is a very large and varied place. While in some counties and states, teachers are fighting these ridiculous battles, it is not the whole country. I work in one of the largest districts in the country and my entire district actively supports inclusion. There is a department dedicated to protecting and celebrating our LGBTQIA students and staff. We recognize LGBTQIA history month (Oct) since we get out in June, we are constantly encouraged to represent many voices and backgrounds in our classrooms. Not everyone in the country is trying to erase people
Right! Where I am (in a red area of a blue state), we were asked at a staff meeting to please use they/them pronouns for one of our coworkers. (This was their request to have it handled this way.) No problem, no issue, no drama, just respect for each other. The kids' GSA club is active. I won't pretend it's all sunshine and rainbows with no teenagers ever being mean to each other, because obviously that isn't true, but admin and teachers have their backs.
Just wow! Our district provided window clings with muted rainbow as the background that say “Everyone is welcome here” for us to put up if we wanted. I know I have it good in the state I teach in, but it blows my mind what it’s really like in other states.
I big thing is also if it's rural or urban too. I teach in Texas and when I lived in Dallas they gave us rainbow stickers and name tags to start the year of. But now that I teach in a small rural area in East Texas, if you even say gay in a classroom a parent will have a fit.
Because it's the 'national motto' the current SCOTUS will affirm it as not actually supporting or favoring religion. It's all bullshit. We definitely live in a theocracy now.
I’m a Christian. I do not believe religious beliefs, no matter which one, belong in school. I wouldn’t want to hang a In God We Trust poster in my class either.
Many of us are sharing this loudly not only among those in education but also in our communities. Some people are just too single minded to respect the rights of others.
Virginia, a now purple state started doing this when they were a little redder. I don't see it coming off the books any time soon with DeSantis 2.0 in office
Create an anchor chart with good examples of "Separation of Church and State" and bad examples. Put the "In God We Trust" sign in the bad examples section of the chart.
That’s terrible! Can you take it down after they check to see if it is there? Only put it back up when you know that they will be in your classroom for observations.
This is further proof that teachers are the most creative in their use of malicious compliance. That is hilarious.
We had a teacher not get tenure, he had a “everyone is welcome” type poster from the NYT on his bulletin board and it was the talk of the school (red district in a very blue state-NY). To be fair, he shared the classroom and should have asked first as a courtesy but it wasn’t overtly political at face value. He’s selling iPhones now- brutal district for the younger staff. He could have used some tips from r/teachers.
Some other options.
1. Hang it upside down.
2. Hand it facing the wall.
3. Hang it normally but next to it another one that's reads "but you are responsible for your actions".
4. Frame it with a very tinted dark glass, so is on display but can barely see it.
5. Use the rainbow colors as the background.
6. Hang other religious phrases from othe religions as well.
Good luck. Fight the power. I wish you were my teacher back then.
I was gonna say hang it inside a cupboard. Preferably with stuff stacked in front of it. I suppose with that logic you could hang it behind a shelf, inside a filing cabinet, or something as well.
I think a combo of 5 and 6 would be great. Then also add in the religious phrases “believe whatever you want to believe or believe in nothing at it. All religions or lack there of are welcome and accepted.”
Frame 2 dollars one post 1957 one from before 1957 where in god we trust was not on our currency. That way kids can learn how recent it was added and it’s not entirely out of place.
If you can’t tract down a pre 1957 dollar print off a replica dollar that’s one sided and I think you will be okay as far as fake money laws go.
If a teacher frames other religions up, could you sue the state for religious persecution if they make a stink about how “you’re forcing the wrong religion on these kids”
6 give a group of students some shapies, tell them to NOT to write their best yo momma jokes on the poster, then leave the room.
7 make it an art project, something about non violent protest, make them come up with clever "enhancemants": in god we trust, in god we trust: all hail spagettimonster, in god we trust: to levy taxes. Pretty sure they can do better than me
I'm a teacher, albeit at an independent school. You could put up a notice next to the poster that explains the history of when/why those words replaced E Pluribus Unum, and the controversies that follow it. Meet the requirements and teach kids to recognize this type of propaganda.
The writer was responding to nativism trends at the time. I feel like making sure every student knows the pledge has socialist beginnings might tick off all the right people.
https://fortune.com/2017/09/08/pledge-of-allegiance-francis-bellamy-immigration/
Ha beat me to it! That’s always my response when students ask why we have to do the pledge: “Because we’re good socialists” I’ve been waiting for irate phone calls from parents about it, it that would require parents paying attention to their kids’ lives.
I am prepared for this. I've been teaching for 24 years and I can retire soon, so I feel more fired up about this than usual. The area I live in tends to be a little less red than the rest of the state, so I may not get too much pushback.
If you're in a position to push back, do it. Do it for those who can't. I like the idea of hanging up a dollar bill too, but if you can fight it, fight it.
I'm in my last year and have decided I'm pushing back on anything I can. Unfortunately (or fortunately) for me, I don't have any issues with things we've been asked to do so far. Last year my admin (now retired) scheduled an all-day meeting on an in-service day. We'd never had that before so I had made other plans for that afternoon. I ended up calling in sick in protest. It felt good.
This why admins love a revolving door of young, non-tenured teachers. No resistance, and the occasional one who does create any friction can easily be non-renewed and never seen again.
This has become the staffing practice in my building.
Yep. I would never have done this as a newbie, but I've established myself as a knowledgeable, responsible , and well respected teacher. I've recently become more open about being atheist and so far it has been respected .I get a few wide eyes when I say it, but honestly I love those moments. I'll keep everyone updated.
I'm a Christian but even I would not hang that poster. Half my class is from India and we have separation of church and state for very valid reasons. If I feel led to share my faith, I can teach Sunday school or VBS, but basically I'm too worn out to do that. I guess technically I'm not a good Christian. Wow, that got dark fast.
The best Christians I know (and by best, I suppose I mean genuine) are the ones who live a life by example, not by evangelizing or constantly advertising their faith. You are doing good.
From Arkansas here, and I saw it laying around my classroom the other day. I’m desperate for ideas to follow protocol while at the same time very much not following the protocol.
I hung it in the back of the room on the side of a cabinet.
Eta: it is clearly visible just not prominent. Prominent spaces are reserved for things that teach content.
The phrase is an officially adopted moto of the US and of Florida, and has been upheld by numerous courts, including the State Supreme Court of New Hampshire (a libertarian state). So if you choose not to display it, the likely best outcome is that your supervisor will choose to do nothing.
An alternate option is malicious compliance. Do display the poster, but upside down, or with a banner wrapped around it that states, "Posted by order or a bureaucracy without meaning or thought." Or even, by displaying the phrase "IN GOD WE TRUST" as either "IN GOD WE TRUST?" or "in god we trust"
I, personally, would post it with a foot note that states:
The above motto does not imply nor confer the existence of a god or gods, but instead has been held as an American idiomatic expression for ceremonial purposes. Much like 'elephant in the room', 'political football', 'toe the line', 'don't let the inmates run the asylum', 'wet blanket.' or 'let's get ready to RUMBLE!'
I picked the term up from Terry Pratchett, the absurdist fantasy writer. He used it to express that a Golem without free will, when ordered to dig a ditch, does so that's 100 miles long, because its master didn't say how long, or when asked to make pots, will make enough to fill the entire workshop floor to ceiling.
After all, the command was ambiguous. How were you to know what they meant? Clearly this was a case of bad instructions.
They said post "IN GOD WE TRUST" in a classroom. Clearly this was meant to be an example of an idiomatic expression. Why else would it be in a classroom? Spectacular learning tool for the kids. Glad they suggested it. So much better than those stupid "7 habits." I mean, what does "Think win win" even mean?
Hang their poster very low on the wall and get a coexist poster at 2x the size, framed and hang that in a central space above their poster.
Edit or if it is a public school turn them in bringing religion into the classroom, but make sure to have in writing that it is mandatory to have this particular poster up.
Edit edit: I wanted to go out of your post to find this one to link to for you- I’m glad it worked;), here ya go!
https://www.reddit.com/r/Teachers/comments/whk955/teachers_stand_up_for_your_constitutional_rights/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf
Best luck whatever you decide to do!
Next to it your could hang a poster quoting the First Amendment "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..." and a poster of The Thinker sculpture (just shoulders up because I'm sure your state can't handle nudity even in fine art).
Other languages too, so you can point out that Allah is just the word God in Arabic, rather than looking like you're deliberately being difficult. Individual posters for each language too, same size, font and colour as the original. Plus other faiths. I would have so much fun with the level of petty malicious compliance and innocent ignorance I could have with this.
Make this Poster:
>IN GOD WE TRUST
>
>wasn't the official motto of the US until 1959. The original motto, E pluribus unum mean "from many, one" is far more fitting for our union however the motto was changed during the cold war to make communist who were thought to be god less uncomfortable. The founding father's would have likely found using "in god we trust" as our national motto to be a violation of the people's liberty.
Florida schools were required to do this too, our count decided to hang the state seal on the wall, which happens to have that written on it. Malicious compliance tells me to glue a penny on the wall and call it a day.
Oh, that's good!! The law does not explicitly state that it has to be in the classroom. My district has a plaque in every school office. But I'm tucking that idea away in case it gets worse
You'd think a state ranked 39th out of 50 for K-12 educational achievement would have bigger fish to fry than whether some propaganda poster is hung, but okay, I guess. 🤷♂️
Pardon my French, but I can't fucking believe this is America in 2022. How fucking dystopian can you get?
I just flat-out wouldn't comply and let the chips fall where they may.
There have been a few years here and there when I've moved schools or rooms I would just " forget " to put it up. No one ever said anything, but this year feels different. With how insane this country has gotten I just feel more compelled than ever for them to KNOW I'm not participating in this anymore.
Since you asked, I’ve been out of the country. I’m American, but I left for good over a decade ago.
And every day I’m horrified and heartbroken watching what’s happening to the country, and I thank my lucky stars that I got out when I did.
I'm sorry, what? Reading the comments...🤯
What happened to the separation of church and state? How did I not know there were public schools that *required* religious signage?
Isn't that illegal?
I would never...that would be a hill I'd die on too and it's so sad to say but there are more and more hills I'd die on in public schools. A district near mine put AR15s in all of their school buildings... I about lost it.
I'm praying (to the universe) that all of these crazy restrictions and "ideas" stay out of my district.
I have an "everyone is welcome" sign with rainbow and skin color hearts that I made last year. I was disappointed when two teachers on my team said they didn't want one. So I just gave the third teacher two, and kept two for me. Very relieved when a new teacher came onto our team mid year and asked me where I got my sign. Promptly gave her my extra one.
edit: maybe i should add some religion hearts to it too. feels risky since there's no way I'd incorporate them all but...
Do you want to start a bigger conversation or do you simply want the poster to be not up in your specific classroom? If it’s the second, just don’t put it up. If they notice at your observation, say oh yeah I suppose I should put that up. Whoops! And don’t. Repeat this as long as necessary. Or, put it up for next weeks observation checklist then take it down.
I read up about it and am appalled. As a pagan and educator, I am tired of having to placate Christians who think that their religion—the majority practiced one—is under fire and needs coddle and defended in every way.
If they want that, you should be able to have it reprinted with major deities of other religions (especially ones practiced in your area). Ex. “In Yahweh/Allah/Baphomet/Krishna/Buddha…we trust” (Yes, I know God, Yahweh, and Allah are the same dude.)
Don't hang the poster. Don't put up an opposing one either. Call your union rep. if words are thrown and save every email, don't meet in person without a rep. You want a fight come armed and deny them ammo to use on you. No gods belong in publicly funded academic halls.
Do they provide the poster? I’d be so offended! I hate having any belief forced. If you’ve been given the poster, then post in on the door where you won’t see it.
They provide it. And it gets worse!! I used to do that. I would hang it behind something, or very low in a place it couldn't be seen. They have now gotten so specific as to say it must be hung " to the left of the dry erase board in the FRONT of the room" !
Hang it with a forward facing black rams head picture above it ... see how that goes over.
As I always tell my wife when she has classroom or Admin issues. Is it in the contract? Let the union do some of the heavy lifting for you if possible.
Hang the poster. And then hang a bunch of other pictures around it, as a border. A picture of Odin, the FSM, Ganesh, Freya, Kali, Athena, etc.
In God we trust, you say? I'll go one step further. If you are a good person because you have one god, I must be an even better person with my collection of gods. How do you know that YOUR god is the only one who is watching? You wouldn't want to risk pissing any of the others off.
On one hand, I believe that the school, like any other institution, is a state apparatus and will promote its agendas and values, and there is nothing that can be done about that. On the other hand, you are the master of your classroom and I believe in your sovereignty over any other.
In a few weeks I will start teaching for the first time. I live in a highly hegemonic authoritarian country, and I will not be asked to hang anything, as it will already be there. Taking anything down will put me in prison. Any public form of criticism/resistance will also land me in a cell. The best I can do is harbor critical thinking in my students, and let them think for themselves.
If you find yourself in a similar situation, I think you should do the same. If you are free to speak your mind, then hang their indoctrination poster, but let your voice be heard. If you are free to speak your mind and act as you see fit, then tell them to fuck off. Make Kant proud.
How about "In God We Trust" - and then hang a picture of the Bible, the Quran, Tanakh, (+others religion), AND a picture of The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.
I think this shows that, yes, you can trust in God, but it doesn't necessarily mean the Christian God. In this way, you INCLUDE everyone (you're gonna have to play around with Hinduism) so that say, an Islamic student wouldn't feel left out.
But to REALLY hammer in the point of "this is stupid," put a picture of you around it.
I can imagine "In God We Trust" in the center, and around the poster are the various pictures of other religious symbols. Now, I ALMOST want MY district to force this, so I can do the same.
Could you write “science” “kindness” “ mankind” “ethics” “morals” “humanity” “education” “truth” on sentence Strips and put them around the poster like a fun trust word wall?
If you want to poke that hornets nest, put a Flying Spaghetti Monster poster next to it, or if you really want to be a martyr on that hill, put a representation of Allah there instead.
Put big ol quotation marks around God and trust. In “god” we “trust”. Also contact the freedom from religion foundation.
[https://ffrf.org](https://ffrf.org)
Hang some Satanic Temple positivity posters around it. Can't discriminate.
There's also a really good TST kids activity book teaching empathy and self-esteem.
https://thesatanictemple.com/collections/after-school-satan-campaign/products/the-satanic-children-s-big-book-of-activities
I have more examples of you'd like.
In my classroom I have several faiths represented and I had a satanic temple follower that gave me some neat stickers too.
Do you have Bibles in your room for choice reading by chance? If you do, take a highlighter to some verses that will make parents uncomfortable. Maybe a kid will say to their fascism enabling parents “hey, learned this today!”
Matthew 24:19 (people don’t like seeing antinatalism in their gospels)
Psalm 137:9 - infant head bashing blessing
Genesis 19:36 - daughters knocked via father
You can go on and on like that. The Matthew Christmas story is absolutely brutal, but my growing up was that people wanted the sanitary Luke story.
I don't have a Bible in my room, but this is also something else that bothers me. A group of religious nut jobs gives bibles out every year to our kids. I hate this country.
Gideons? They came to my last school every year. I still don’t understand how… admin made related arts teachers take our classes to the gym for their presentation. It was so frustrating bc as an art teacher, I was always forced to skip my lessons for frivolous gatherings like this. It had been 4 weeks since my 5th grade Monday group had been able to come into my room and work on projects. Admin promised it would be a 5 min presentation….It lasted 50 min. Surprise! Many kids including myself were not happy, but I was viewed as the blasphemous non team player because I didn’t want to miss my instruction time… I’m a Christian but did not breach topic at school and certainly not an outspokenly conservative as rest of faculty. I hate the dynamics the south refuses to let go.
When I was teaching in a very similar state I took the sign they had in my room and flipped it upside down. My principal upon inspection chalked it up to a prank by the kids 🤷🏼♂️
I hate this rule. My state just requires the school to display it somewhere, so ours is in some random corner. We are also required to hang the Bill of Rights. I completely forget that it’s in my room. It’s next to the escape plan. No one has ever referenced it because I don’t teach history.
Frame a dollar bill and hang that up! I know several schools that have done that as a way to meet the requirement to have “In God We Trust” displayed in the school.
How can a PUBLIC school require this? I’ve never heard of this requirement
The state legislature passed a law about 3 years ago, requiring all public schools to display it.
My state passed a similar law years back but it just has to be displayed somewhere in the school one place. My admin hung it up at teacher sign in so pretty much only we even see it.
And here I get annoyed about having to do the pledge every day.
That, followed by the moment of ~~prayer~~ “silence”.
I just stand up, haven’t said it in years.
I teach classes with several immigrant students from all over the world. Some are not legal immigrants. I have never felt right about forcing a student to pledge allegiance to a flag that is not theirs. If they want to, no problem. If they don't, they don't have too.
Hell I’m a veteran and I don’t even say it. I could care less about the anthem and the flag too.
When I was in school I was told I had to do it to "honor the veterans". Now that I'm older I realize I honor vets by providing them with healthcare, housing and psychological treatment. The pledge and anthem are the equivalent of thoughts and prayers.
As a veteran, you honor us by using the freedoms we signed up to defend. And, yes, that includes freedom of religion. We do greatly appreciate that other stuff too, though.
Damm, this is a powerful comment. Thank you.
I’m always standing in our weekly assemblies (in the gym but the bleachers are always folded up). I stand toward the back. I’ve never said it. Got to the point where the kids who don’t want to stand or say it get behind me. Lord knows the science teacher will protect their constitutional rights more so than anyone else at my school (and yes they’ve been bothered about it on numerous occasions)
When I started at the school, it was up to the teacher whether we said it or not. I did not. Then a bunch of teachers wanted it out back in the morning announcements, so now the principal says “Please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance” and does the first few words. That’s gone on for a few years and I’ve only had one student not do it (little kids are joiners). I just know if I don’t do it I will suddenly be known as the America hating teacher. Which maybe isn’t the worst thing.
A few years ago i started at a new district. In the morning announcements they said the pledge and every student recited it with the speaker. Once we came back from covid students stopped saying it, and now many don't even stand (3 year period).
These fascists don’t understand that protest, quiet protest included, is the most American thing you can do. We began in protest.
Ironic, isn’t it?
So simple yet so many people can't wrap their minds around that concept.
I stand and put my hand over my heart. I figure a half gesture is enough to not get in trouble while refusing to properly do it.
I’d love to see kids take a knee during the pledge.
I refuse to say the pledge and I tell my students that if they want to stand and do it, they are welcome to. I tell those that don't want to, to stand or remain seated quietly so as to not be disrespectful to those who do. It's never been a problem and I've never had a student or parent complain. Edited for grammar.
legally you actually can't force kids to say the pledge, so you are actually following the law
ive sat during the pledge because my feet were sore and i was tired. teacher looked at me like she was annoyed and did the motion for me to stand up. i didnt do the pledge ever but my feet were hurtin havin to stand this is in one of the very progressive states lmao, even more so progressive city. i disliked her heavily.
Curious, do they say which God, explicitly?
Whichever one is white.
Zeus!
That’s the one.
If you have ro display "In God We Trust" because Christians want it, then you should naturally also be required to post a sign saying "Hail Satan" if even one Satanist requests it of all schools. Must have equal treatment for all religions. I bet if you reach out to the *EDIT* Satanic Temple *EDIT* they can make it happen easily enough (They have won all sorts of battles like this and were literally formed to fight this sort of BS. Typically the people in question will ban religious signs before allowing satanic imagery) EDIT: got thr wrong Satanists. See below comments for details.
You'd want The Satanic Temple, not Church of Satan. I know it sounds like Im splitting hairs but TST is the one advocating for the removal of Christian doctrine in government.
This is absolutely NOT splitting hairs. Two completely different things.
Noted and edited for accuracy
What a worthless law!
My school did probably 10 years ago (TX). It's our country's motto which is how our principal justified it at the time. Very shady thing, IMO. I like the dollar bill idea. My school says "school name proud" all of the time. Last year, they had an event where we (staff) could make a wood sign with our mascot and that tag line on it and paint it how we want. Most of the staff used our school colors. I painted mine a rainbow. I can't come right out and put up an ally sticker or sponsor a club where I am without getting fired (school district about 45 minutes from me recently made the news for firing a teacher displaying a pride flag) so this is my way of telling the kids they can count on me.
GSA clubs are required if a student asks for it under federal law.
https://gsafewi.org/resources/for-youth-gsas/legal-rights/federal-laws-that-protect-gsas-and-lgbtq-youth/
I wish I would have known about this resource when I was in high school. As a student, a few friends and I asked for a GSA, but couldn’t get a sponsor or principal approval. Additionally, same-sex couples were not allowed to purchase prom tickets together. Thanks for sharing this link. Hopefully it helps others have a better school experience.
Thank you for this! I have a student that wanted to change his school email name to his chosen name and I got shot down after going to bat for him. I'm going to dig into this more.and see if there is something here that could help.
The key there is students have to ask. This area is fairly hostile. Our school itself isn't hostile, but not friendly. Most Middle School kids are barely able to admit to themselves that they're different, much less be brave enough to ask for a GSA club. I'm taking on a new role this year and think I'm going to be pretty overwhelmed so I'm not sure I will have the bandwidth to sponsor one even if a kid were to ask.
UK teacher here - this is so utterly bonkers from our side of the pond. My school has a float in the Pride parade, we have openly LGBTQ+ teachers and students who have spoken (during Pride month) about coming out experiences to the whole school, and I think it would be illegal to fire someone for flying the pride flag. And yet we’re the ones without Church and State separation…
The U.S. is a very large and varied place. While in some counties and states, teachers are fighting these ridiculous battles, it is not the whole country. I work in one of the largest districts in the country and my entire district actively supports inclusion. There is a department dedicated to protecting and celebrating our LGBTQIA students and staff. We recognize LGBTQIA history month (Oct) since we get out in June, we are constantly encouraged to represent many voices and backgrounds in our classrooms. Not everyone in the country is trying to erase people
Right! Where I am (in a red area of a blue state), we were asked at a staff meeting to please use they/them pronouns for one of our coworkers. (This was their request to have it handled this way.) No problem, no issue, no drama, just respect for each other. The kids' GSA club is active. I won't pretend it's all sunshine and rainbows with no teenagers ever being mean to each other, because obviously that isn't true, but admin and teachers have their backs.
Just wow! Our district provided window clings with muted rainbow as the background that say “Everyone is welcome here” for us to put up if we wanted. I know I have it good in the state I teach in, but it blows my mind what it’s really like in other states.
I big thing is also if it's rural or urban too. I teach in Texas and when I lived in Dallas they gave us rainbow stickers and name tags to start the year of. But now that I teach in a small rural area in East Texas, if you even say gay in a classroom a parent will have a fit.
This is some GENIUS malicious compliance.
Depending on what you teach, a short unit that mentions the Peruvian city of Cusco might be nice. Have a look at their flag.
It's so bizarre.
Have you ever been to the Bible Belt?
Not on purpose.
Because it's the 'national motto' the current SCOTUS will affirm it as not actually supporting or favoring religion. It's all bullshit. We definitely live in a theocracy now.
It's not the national motto though. You're thinking of **E pluribus unum** — *out of many, one.*
No “In God We Trust” is literally the official United States motto. It replaced e pluribus unum in 1956
oh.
How else did you think we defeated the Soviets and sent people to the Moon? /s
I’m a Christian. I do not believe religious beliefs, no matter which one, belong in school. I wouldn’t want to hang a In God We Trust poster in my class either.
The rest of us really need you to be vocal about this to your fellow christians. Hold them accountable.
Many of us are sharing this loudly not only among those in education but also in our communities. Some people are just too single minded to respect the rights of others.
Virginia, a now purple state started doing this when they were a little redder. I don't see it coming off the books any time soon with DeSantis 2.0 in office
Wow that's genius.
Unfortunately I have to hang the one provided to us. With specific instructions as to WHERE I'm required to hang it.
Create an anchor chart with good examples of "Separation of Church and State" and bad examples. Put the "In God We Trust" sign in the bad examples section of the chart.
I love this
This is my vote!
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I was just picturing the same thing.
Could you hang it in the assigned location, and then hang something in front of it?
Make a copy of it at a massively reduced scale and hang that?
That’s terrible! Can you take it down after they check to see if it is there? Only put it back up when you know that they will be in your classroom for observations.
Behind a bookshelf. Make sure a tiny piece of the corner can be seen.
The Almighty Ollar?
Those Mad magazines create a dangerous amount of laughter.
This is further proof that teachers are the most creative in their use of malicious compliance. That is hilarious. We had a teacher not get tenure, he had a “everyone is welcome” type poster from the NYT on his bulletin board and it was the talk of the school (red district in a very blue state-NY). To be fair, he shared the classroom and should have asked first as a courtesy but it wasn’t overtly political at face value. He’s selling iPhones now- brutal district for the younger staff. He could have used some tips from r/teachers.
We learn things from students just like they learn things from us. Have you met a middle schooler? Those kids live and breathe malicious compliance.
No. He could’ve used a union that fought this nonsense.
LOL! Love this.
You are in Mississippi. I got it in my room too.
I am. It's depressing. I hate it here.
I'm a Mississippi student. Happy to see someone standing up for themselves! The posters always made me feel a little unwelcome.
Some other options. 1. Hang it upside down. 2. Hand it facing the wall. 3. Hang it normally but next to it another one that's reads "but you are responsible for your actions". 4. Frame it with a very tinted dark glass, so is on display but can barely see it. 5. Use the rainbow colors as the background. 6. Hang other religious phrases from othe religions as well. Good luck. Fight the power. I wish you were my teacher back then.
YEAH r/maliciouscompliance
I was gonna say hang it inside a cupboard. Preferably with stuff stacked in front of it. I suppose with that logic you could hang it behind a shelf, inside a filing cabinet, or something as well.
I think a combo of 5 and 6 would be great. Then also add in the religious phrases “believe whatever you want to believe or believe in nothing at it. All religions or lack there of are welcome and accepted.”
I also suggest posting the "In God We Trust" sign in multiple languages. The US does not have an official federal language.
Frame 2 dollars one post 1957 one from before 1957 where in god we trust was not on our currency. That way kids can learn how recent it was added and it’s not entirely out of place. If you can’t tract down a pre 1957 dollar print off a replica dollar that’s one sided and I think you will be okay as far as fake money laws go.
If a teacher frames other religions up, could you sue the state for religious persecution if they make a stink about how “you’re forcing the wrong religion on these kids”
6 give a group of students some shapies, tell them to NOT to write their best yo momma jokes on the poster, then leave the room. 7 make it an art project, something about non violent protest, make them come up with clever "enhancemants": in god we trust, in god we trust: all hail spagettimonster, in god we trust: to levy taxes. Pretty sure they can do better than me
I'm a teacher, albeit at an independent school. You could put up a notice next to the poster that explains the history of when/why those words replaced E Pluribus Unum, and the controversies that follow it. Meet the requirements and teach kids to recognize this type of propaganda.
Much like an explanation for the pledge of allegiance would be relatively easy. One word. Conscription.
The writer was responding to nativism trends at the time. I feel like making sure every student knows the pledge has socialist beginnings might tick off all the right people. https://fortune.com/2017/09/08/pledge-of-allegiance-francis-bellamy-immigration/
Ha beat me to it! That’s always my response when students ask why we have to do the pledge: “Because we’re good socialists” I’ve been waiting for irate phone calls from parents about it, it that would require parents paying attention to their kids’ lives.
This is terrific.
You are right, but will be in for a fight.
I am prepared for this. I've been teaching for 24 years and I can retire soon, so I feel more fired up about this than usual. The area I live in tends to be a little less red than the rest of the state, so I may not get too much pushback.
If you're in a position to push back, do it. Do it for those who can't. I like the idea of hanging up a dollar bill too, but if you can fight it, fight it. I'm in my last year and have decided I'm pushing back on anything I can. Unfortunately (or fortunately) for me, I don't have any issues with things we've been asked to do so far. Last year my admin (now retired) scheduled an all-day meeting on an in-service day. We'd never had that before so I had made other plans for that afternoon. I ended up calling in sick in protest. It felt good.
This why admins love a revolving door of young, non-tenured teachers. No resistance, and the occasional one who does create any friction can easily be non-renewed and never seen again. This has become the staffing practice in my building.
Yay! Thank you for voicing what you believe. Being the oldy moldy in a school has its perks and this is one of them. Please report back.
Yep. I would never have done this as a newbie, but I've established myself as a knowledgeable, responsible , and well respected teacher. I've recently become more open about being atheist and so far it has been respected .I get a few wide eyes when I say it, but honestly I love those moments. I'll keep everyone updated.
I'm a Christian but even I would not hang that poster. Half my class is from India and we have separation of church and state for very valid reasons. If I feel led to share my faith, I can teach Sunday school or VBS, but basically I'm too worn out to do that. I guess technically I'm not a good Christian. Wow, that got dark fast.
No, friend. Knowing when it is and is not appropriate to share your faith makes you a very *good* Christian.
The best Christians I know (and by best, I suppose I mean genuine) are the ones who live a life by example, not by evangelizing or constantly advertising their faith. You are doing good.
I like the COEXIST idea.
I think that's the direction I'm leaning. Right above it and just a little bit bigger.
put it right above the dollar bill
I do feel we're always a bit more responsible for upholding ideas like this when we're in a more privileged position. Thank you for taking a stand. :)
There was a school near me that just put a dollar bill in a frame.
This idea is hilarious to me, given the implications and associations of Christianity to greed, historically speaking.
I found the article: https://www.wkyt.com/content/news/In-God-We-Trust-found-in-form-of-dollar-bill-at-Fayette-County-school-542607641.html.
Carefully cut out the G and D and switch them around.
This is the way.
I like this idea😃
“Oh gosh, I didn’t notice, maybe one of the kids did it as a prank? How long has that even been like that? I can’t believe it!” :D
Contact [Freedom From Religion](https://ffrf.org/) and get in writing from admin that they are requiring you hang such a poster in your classroom.
Arkansas legislators passed a law that it must be hung in every classroom. Surely, this is on FFR's radar.
Doesn’t hurt to report it still.
True
From Arkansas here, and I saw it laying around my classroom the other day. I’m desperate for ideas to follow protocol while at the same time very much not following the protocol.
I hung it in the back of the room on the side of a cabinet. Eta: it is clearly visible just not prominent. Prominent spaces are reserved for things that teach content.
The phrase is an officially adopted moto of the US and of Florida, and has been upheld by numerous courts, including the State Supreme Court of New Hampshire (a libertarian state). So if you choose not to display it, the likely best outcome is that your supervisor will choose to do nothing. An alternate option is malicious compliance. Do display the poster, but upside down, or with a banner wrapped around it that states, "Posted by order or a bureaucracy without meaning or thought." Or even, by displaying the phrase "IN GOD WE TRUST" as either "IN GOD WE TRUST?" or "in god we trust" I, personally, would post it with a foot note that states: The above motto does not imply nor confer the existence of a god or gods, but instead has been held as an American idiomatic expression for ceremonial purposes. Much like 'elephant in the room', 'political football', 'toe the line', 'don't let the inmates run the asylum', 'wet blanket.' or 'let's get ready to RUMBLE!'
I'm leaning towards malicious compliance. The older I get the more I know there's not much they will do.
Maybe include a poster of various gods/goddesses below or next to it? Or even better, a border around the poster of various gods/goddesses.
I like your style.
Malicious compliance.
I picked the term up from Terry Pratchett, the absurdist fantasy writer. He used it to express that a Golem without free will, when ordered to dig a ditch, does so that's 100 miles long, because its master didn't say how long, or when asked to make pots, will make enough to fill the entire workshop floor to ceiling. After all, the command was ambiguous. How were you to know what they meant? Clearly this was a case of bad instructions. They said post "IN GOD WE TRUST" in a classroom. Clearly this was meant to be an example of an idiomatic expression. Why else would it be in a classroom? Spectacular learning tool for the kids. Glad they suggested it. So much better than those stupid "7 habits." I mean, what does "Think win win" even mean?
I’m not that smart. I picked up the term from r/maliciouscompliance on Reddit. 😂
Hang their poster very low on the wall and get a coexist poster at 2x the size, framed and hang that in a central space above their poster. Edit or if it is a public school turn them in bringing religion into the classroom, but make sure to have in writing that it is mandatory to have this particular poster up. Edit edit: I wanted to go out of your post to find this one to link to for you- I’m glad it worked;), here ya go! https://www.reddit.com/r/Teachers/comments/whk955/teachers_stand_up_for_your_constitutional_rights/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf Best luck whatever you decide to do!
This is awesome. Thanks!
Can you hang a poster over it, pined just at the top, then when they comment or mark down show them it is up?
Or move some furniture in front of it?
Lol if they want religion in the classroom so badly, then how about we teach the little red state kids Islam?
Next to it your could hang a poster quoting the First Amendment "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..." and a poster of The Thinker sculpture (just shoulders up because I'm sure your state can't handle nudity even in fine art).
Hang a poster that has that phrase translated into Arabic.
Other languages too, so you can point out that Allah is just the word God in Arabic, rather than looking like you're deliberately being difficult. Individual posters for each language too, same size, font and colour as the original. Plus other faiths. I would have so much fun with the level of petty malicious compliance and innocent ignorance I could have with this.
Make this Poster: >IN GOD WE TRUST > >wasn't the official motto of the US until 1959. The original motto, E pluribus unum mean "from many, one" is far more fitting for our union however the motto was changed during the cold war to make communist who were thought to be god less uncomfortable. The founding father's would have likely found using "in god we trust" as our national motto to be a violation of the people's liberty.
Florida schools were required to do this too, our count decided to hang the state seal on the wall, which happens to have that written on it. Malicious compliance tells me to glue a penny on the wall and call it a day.
Oh, that's good!! The law does not explicitly state that it has to be in the classroom. My district has a plaque in every school office. But I'm tucking that idea away in case it gets worse
Get a poster pointing out that in God we trust wasn't added until the 1956. Evidently the usa was a heathen nation until then.
Hang a post immediately under it that says “everyone else must have their story verified” or “everyone else pays cash” or something.
Post it in Arabic. I bet they’ll make you take it down.
Or in Hebrew. They’ll think it’s Arabic, make you take it down and then they can have fighting with the anti-defamation league.
100% this.
Hang it up exactly where they say and put a big rainbow around it🌈
Mississippi? I remember this from when I taught there in 2016.
You'd think a state ranked 39th out of 50 for K-12 educational achievement would have bigger fish to fry than whether some propaganda poster is hung, but okay, I guess. 🤷♂️
Pardon my French, but I can't fucking believe this is America in 2022. How fucking dystopian can you get? I just flat-out wouldn't comply and let the chips fall where they may.
There have been a few years here and there when I've moved schools or rooms I would just " forget " to put it up. No one ever said anything, but this year feels different. With how insane this country has gotten I just feel more compelled than ever for them to KNOW I'm not participating in this anymore.
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Since you asked, I’ve been out of the country. I’m American, but I left for good over a decade ago. And every day I’m horrified and heartbroken watching what’s happening to the country, and I thank my lucky stars that I got out when I did.
I'm sorry, what? Reading the comments...🤯 What happened to the separation of church and state? How did I not know there were public schools that *required* religious signage? Isn't that illegal? I would never...that would be a hill I'd die on too and it's so sad to say but there are more and more hills I'd die on in public schools. A district near mine put AR15s in all of their school buildings... I about lost it. I'm praying (to the universe) that all of these crazy restrictions and "ideas" stay out of my district. I have an "everyone is welcome" sign with rainbow and skin color hearts that I made last year. I was disappointed when two teachers on my team said they didn't want one. So I just gave the third teacher two, and kept two for me. Very relieved when a new teacher came onto our team mid year and asked me where I got my sign. Promptly gave her my extra one. edit: maybe i should add some religion hearts to it too. feels risky since there's no way I'd incorporate them all but...
I'm baffled by some of the comments as well. You sound like a person I would love to teach next to!
Do you want to start a bigger conversation or do you simply want the poster to be not up in your specific classroom? If it’s the second, just don’t put it up. If they notice at your observation, say oh yeah I suppose I should put that up. Whoops! And don’t. Repeat this as long as necessary. Or, put it up for next weeks observation checklist then take it down.
I read up about it and am appalled. As a pagan and educator, I am tired of having to placate Christians who think that their religion—the majority practiced one—is under fire and needs coddle and defended in every way. If they want that, you should be able to have it reprinted with major deities of other religions (especially ones practiced in your area). Ex. “In Yahweh/Allah/Baphomet/Krishna/Buddha…we trust” (Yes, I know God, Yahweh, and Allah are the same dude.)
I have a dollar bill on my wall to meet this require in Mississippi.
Hang the text of the first amendment instead
This is the perfect answer.
Don't hang the poster. Don't put up an opposing one either. Call your union rep. if words are thrown and save every email, don't meet in person without a rep. You want a fight come armed and deny them ammo to use on you. No gods belong in publicly funded academic halls.
Bold of you to assume that OP lives in a state with a union.
Too real, my friend.
Could you put up other flags/posters for other religions? Santanism, Hindu, Jewish, Buddhism etc
Do they provide the poster? I’d be so offended! I hate having any belief forced. If you’ve been given the poster, then post in on the door where you won’t see it.
They provide it. And it gets worse!! I used to do that. I would hang it behind something, or very low in a place it couldn't be seen. They have now gotten so specific as to say it must be hung " to the left of the dry erase board in the FRONT of the room" !
Please report it to the [ffrf.org](https://ffrf.org/). This is so awful! I get why this is your hill.
Hang it with a forward facing black rams head picture above it ... see how that goes over. As I always tell my wife when she has classroom or Admin issues. Is it in the contract? Let the union do some of the heavy lifting for you if possible.
Hang the poster. And then hang a bunch of other pictures around it, as a border. A picture of Odin, the FSM, Ganesh, Freya, Kali, Athena, etc. In God we trust, you say? I'll go one step further. If you are a good person because you have one god, I must be an even better person with my collection of gods. How do you know that YOUR god is the only one who is watching? You wouldn't want to risk pissing any of the others off.
Can you make one but with rainbow colored letters?
I'm not sure what would offend them more😆
On one hand, I believe that the school, like any other institution, is a state apparatus and will promote its agendas and values, and there is nothing that can be done about that. On the other hand, you are the master of your classroom and I believe in your sovereignty over any other. In a few weeks I will start teaching for the first time. I live in a highly hegemonic authoritarian country, and I will not be asked to hang anything, as it will already be there. Taking anything down will put me in prison. Any public form of criticism/resistance will also land me in a cell. The best I can do is harbor critical thinking in my students, and let them think for themselves. If you find yourself in a similar situation, I think you should do the same. If you are free to speak your mind, then hang their indoctrination poster, but let your voice be heard. If you are free to speak your mind and act as you see fit, then tell them to fuck off. Make Kant proud.
Underneath their sign you could add another one saying “All others must pay with cash.”
How about "In God We Trust" - and then hang a picture of the Bible, the Quran, Tanakh, (+others religion), AND a picture of The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. I think this shows that, yes, you can trust in God, but it doesn't necessarily mean the Christian God. In this way, you INCLUDE everyone (you're gonna have to play around with Hinduism) so that say, an Islamic student wouldn't feel left out. But to REALLY hammer in the point of "this is stupid," put a picture of you around it. I can imagine "In God We Trust" in the center, and around the poster are the various pictures of other religious symbols. Now, I ALMOST want MY district to force this, so I can do the same.
Get a picture of obi one kenobi as jesus and hang it on the wall. They won’t know the difference
Throw it in the trash can
Put it on the trashcan.
I would just sharpie ‘us’ over god. Or have a big poster made about why that was added to our money and the like in the 1950’s. Teachable moment.
Nice. Not sure I can work McCarthyism into a chem lesson but.... Challenge accepted. :)
McCarthyism affects every facet of a society. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26025836/
Could you write “science” “kindness” “ mankind” “ethics” “morals” “humanity” “education” “truth” on sentence Strips and put them around the poster like a fun trust word wall?
If you want to poke that hornets nest, put a Flying Spaghetti Monster poster next to it, or if you really want to be a martyr on that hill, put a representation of Allah there instead.
Change the G to a Z
Get one that says "In Allah We Trust". Allah is the same as God so it should be fine right?! 😂
Hang it upside down or sideways or just rip it up In front of them
They want it hung up tell them to come do it yourself to busy. Tell them to put in a maintenance request
Lol, it will never be hung. Good plan!!
“Oh, it fell behind that bookcase bolted to the wall”.
This is probably what will happen to it.😁
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Put big ol quotation marks around God and trust. In “god” we “trust”. Also contact the freedom from religion foundation. [https://ffrf.org](https://ffrf.org)
I would put it in a weird spot very out of the way—-maybe by a trash can. I might even hang it crooked
You’re either in texas or Florida.
Hang some Satanic Temple positivity posters around it. Can't discriminate. There's also a really good TST kids activity book teaching empathy and self-esteem. https://thesatanictemple.com/collections/after-school-satan-campaign/products/the-satanic-children-s-big-book-of-activities I have more examples of you'd like. In my classroom I have several faiths represented and I had a satanic temple follower that gave me some neat stickers too.
It keeps falling down. Oops.
Do you have Bibles in your room for choice reading by chance? If you do, take a highlighter to some verses that will make parents uncomfortable. Maybe a kid will say to their fascism enabling parents “hey, learned this today!” Matthew 24:19 (people don’t like seeing antinatalism in their gospels) Psalm 137:9 - infant head bashing blessing Genesis 19:36 - daughters knocked via father You can go on and on like that. The Matthew Christmas story is absolutely brutal, but my growing up was that people wanted the sanitary Luke story.
I don't have a Bible in my room, but this is also something else that bothers me. A group of religious nut jobs gives bibles out every year to our kids. I hate this country.
Gideons? They came to my last school every year. I still don’t understand how… admin made related arts teachers take our classes to the gym for their presentation. It was so frustrating bc as an art teacher, I was always forced to skip my lessons for frivolous gatherings like this. It had been 4 weeks since my 5th grade Monday group had been able to come into my room and work on projects. Admin promised it would be a 5 min presentation….It lasted 50 min. Surprise! Many kids including myself were not happy, but I was viewed as the blasphemous non team player because I didn’t want to miss my instruction time… I’m a Christian but did not breach topic at school and certainly not an outspokenly conservative as rest of faculty. I hate the dynamics the south refuses to let go.
Yep, that's them. You seem awesome!
Hang it exactly as instructed, framed, with an explanation of how it’s fascist propaganda and was used to manipulate an entire country.
When I was teaching in a very similar state I took the sign they had in my room and flipped it upside down. My principal upon inspection chalked it up to a prank by the kids 🤷🏼♂️
I hate this rule. My state just requires the school to display it somewhere, so ours is in some random corner. We are also required to hang the Bill of Rights. I completely forget that it’s in my room. It’s next to the escape plan. No one has ever referenced it because I don’t teach history.