School Tales: The B-I-B-L-E

I would venture a guess that most of my students know that I am a Christian. I don't talk about it very much, but they do ask and I am always happy to answer honestly. Imagine my surprise yesterday when -during a lesson on sewing machine mechanics and threading a bobbin- a certain (favorite) wild child of mine asked me point blank where he could get a Bible "because I want to start reading it. There's a lot I need to forgive people for." He then proceeded to ask me what he should start reading in the Bible. Without thinking, I told him I have several Bibles sitting around my house and I would bring him one. "Really, Ms. K?? You'll help a brotha out?! You're tight." (Boy, was I relieved to learn the middle school definition of "tightness" has been expanded to include the furnishment of Bibles)

Nevertheless, I digress.

I say "without thinking" because I was forgetting one minor little detail: separation of church and state. Religion is not supposed to be a topic of conversation in the classroom and I can't just dole out Bibles at public school like it's candy. Needless to say, the kids are drawn to religious topics like vultures on a carcass: "Zainab, why don't you eat pork chops? And do your parents make you wear that thing on your head?", "Ms. K, do you worship the Virgin Mary like us?"

Hmmmmmm... I did a little more investigation about the "Bible situation" with our administrative team. The official position is that if a kid asks me for a Bible, I can put one discreetly on a (back) table and say "There is a Bible on the table; you can take it if you want." FYI.

I did just that. I went by a store to find an easier-to-read Bible for students, bought it and stuck it on a back table. I marked a good place to start reading (John) with a post-it tab. My "wild child" was awed speechless that I had brought him the Good Book. All 5'10", 200 lbs. of him looked as if he would cry; he opted for a gracious side-hug instead.