The discussion overall went great! Everyone participated and voiced their opinions. Everyone was encouraging to one another and took turns speaking. No one talked over each other and everyone respected each others points of view. It was interesting and beneficial.
There was a general consensus on the importance of discussing religion in the classroom and teaching the students about the various religions there are instead of taking them out of the classroom all together. It was interesting listening to people's answers to my questions. I'm glad I got to hear what people thought about voicing their own religious beliefs when asked. Their opinions echoed my own thoughts about that. I think when asked there is a way to answer them honestly while still making everyone feel valid and not talking negatively about any particular religion. I was surprised that the discussion took a turn to talking about the good and the bad in religion. Abby brought up some good points about how most religions in history are only discussed about the negative things associated with it. I think it is important to talk about the benefits of religion too. Group differences affect my classroom practice because it makes me very aware of the variety this country has, making me sensitive to hurtful comments and ways I can treat everyone equal; as well as the importance of treating everyone equally.
