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Case
Posted on November 20, 2012 3:23 am
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Yasar Bodur
Yasar Bodur
Reps: 618
Cannot Cooperate
Aisha is known as a responsible and smart student. I have known her for the last two years, but this year is the first time she is taking one of my classes. She is in my 10th grade US History class. Recently, I started using small group projects in my class. I simply want my students to learn to cooperate, exchange ideas, and produce the project together. Although Aisha is willing to take part in these small group projects, she does not want to be in groups with male students because of her religious beliefs. When she told me about this, I told her that she was in the United States and that she had to work with whoever she is in a group with. In the first group project, Aisha was in a group with three males and one female students. She simply did not participate in any of the group activities. I wonder if should reconsider my original position on this issue and accommodate Aisha by having her work only with girls. Would I be doing her a disservice? What should I do?
 
     
     
 
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Solution 1
Posted November 28, 2012 11:15 am

Adam Vandenhouten
Adam Vandenhouten
Reps: 97
I think no matter what the issue is, when it comes to someones religious beliefs teachers should be sensitive to it in a school environment. If you were Christian and your children were told they couldn't pray before eating lunch because that's not how its done in a certain place, I'm sure that would feel offensive to you. I'm sure the reason Aisha didn't participate was because she feels strongly about her religion and was not willing to compromise with you. Being a bit more sensitive and cooperative in the future may help her be more involved.
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Comments posted for this solution

Jessica Heilman
Jessica Heilman
Reps: 58
Great comment. I agree with this as well. She should not have to do something she doesn't want to do because of what HE thinks. That is unfair.
  Posted on: May 20, 2013 8:17 am

Kimberly Spicer
Kimberly Spicer
Reps: 73
Well that reply to the your comment stating, "she should not have to do something just because HE wants her to" is just bogus. That is a very close-minded and stubborn thing to say. He is the teacher and he has to make rules, just like a company makes rules and we have to abide by them, just like a college makes rules and we have to abide by them, etc. I agree that things should be adjusted based on her religious beliefs, but I don't think they should be adjusted so quickly and so freely. There definitely needs to be further investigation. Obviously it's not the first day of school, so if she had a religious belief that went against working with males, wouldn't her mother or father said something beforehand? Wouldn't she have said something before? The teacher mentioned that he knew her for a while, how did he know her? Does he know her family? I think a gradual integration of males into the future groups is probably the best option for the teacher. Of course, I would contact the parents before making any of those decisions.
  Posted on: May 22, 2013 10:10 pm

qyzeha
qyzeha
Reps: 105
I agree that being more sensitive to Aisha's beliefs would probably help to encourage her to participate more in the future. She feels very strong about her religious beliefs, and she is standing up for what she believes in by not participating. I think the teacher needs to find out more about why she has the beliefs she does so that he can be more sensitive in the future.
  Posted on: June 4, 2013 3:54 pm

aTejyh
aTejyh
Reps: 22
I feel that the teacher should reconsider his/her position on this issue. I feel that in order to do this and make sure the student just does not want to work with certain students the teacher should find out more information. Involving parents in order to understand the students religion would be a great way to learn about Aisha's culture. I could see that in the future not wanting to work with members of the opposite sex could raise some issues in school or even the work place in the United States.
  Posted on: June 28, 2013 10:51 am

upyNuX
upyNuX
Reps: 100
Kimberly Spicer commented, "He is the teacher and he has to make rules, just like a company makes rules and we have to abide by them, just like a college makes rules and we have to abide by them, etc."

I think the difference here though is that we get to decide what company we take a job with (assuming she is going to have a job at all which we don't know) and we get to decide where we go to college (this includes options of all girls colleges). I'm assuming here that this is a public school she is attending and that it is the school she is zoned to attend. Most likely she isn't there by choice but because that is where she is told to go to school.

I think we need to be very careful about minimizing the beliefs of others just because those beliefs are different than our own.
  Posted on: August 27, 2013 10:33 pm

HyraLe
HyraLe
Reps: 73
I agree with this point. We as teachers should really be more sensitive to our students religious beliefs as well as to their culture because we expect everyone to respect ours too.
  Posted on: October 27, 2014 4:22 am

vabehe
vabehe
Reps: 69
I believe that she should be given the choice to be in an all female group, not because she is being given special treatment, but because it respects her belief. Could you work for an employer that was going to force you to do something that went against your core beliefs? I wouldn't. I would not think twice about quitting a job that caused me to choose to follow their "rules" and abandon my beliefs.
  Posted on: May 20, 2015 12:54 am

Sarah Davis
Sarah Davis
Reps: 69
Being more sensitive to the situation is definitely a great solution/idea to suggest. I feel that the teacher should allow Aisha to participate in an all girl group in order to make her feel safe and comfortable, as well as, receive quality work. I cannot imagine going against my religion each day. The teacher should further research Aisha's religion to accommodate her differences in the classroom setting.
  Posted on: May 20, 2015 1:57 am

deTusa
deTusa
Reps: 74
I agree that she should not be made to do something. I think does need to be sensitive to what the student feels and thinks and try and make reasonable accommodations to make her feel comfortable.
  Posted on: May 21, 2015 2:43 pm

Chris Clark
Chris Clark
Reps: 70
I think it is very important that you note how a Christian (typically, a very well-represented religion in our area) might feel if forced to violate his or her own religious beliefs. Sometimes, smaller or less noted religions are not given the same consideration as others by members of what could be called "majority" religions. I think, in this particular case, we must reflect on how we would feel if put in Aisha's shoes. All of us want to have our beliefs and thoughts validated, considered, and appreciation. In return, we must do the same for people who believe differently than we do.
  Posted on: May 21, 2015 4:54 pm

Amanda Morris
Amanda Morris
Reps: 70
I agree that we should respect others religious beliefs. I totally agree that parents would complain if their child was not able to say the blessing before lunch. Actually I would be one of those parents who would complain. That is why I try to look and take others religious belief when planning my lessons. I would not want someone to force me to do something if it was against my beliefs so I wouldn't force others to do anything against their religious beliefs.
  Posted on: May 21, 2015 10:00 pm

Beth Jackson
Beth Jackson
Reps: 71
I agree with the solution stated above. It is important for teachers to be sensitive to religion beliefs and accommodate them in the classroom when possible. I do not believe that allowing Aisha to participate with only females would give her an advantage, therefore I see no reason for the teacher to disrespect her religious beliefs and make her work with both males and females. I also believe it would be beneficial for the teacher to research Aisha's religion in order to gain more knowledge and understanding of her beliefs and why she might refused to cooperate with male classmates.
  Posted on: May 24, 2015 5:49 pm

Katy Fitzgibbons
Katy Fitzgibbons
Reps: 71
Being more sensitive to others' religious beliefs is imperative to us as educators. I would however explain to her the cultural expectations in the United States just to ensure that she is aware that individuals typically are expected to work with one another regardless of gender. However, in a classroom setting the teacher has to create a climate that is tolerant and positive in order to facilitate learning. The teacher cannot expect this female student to learn and participate to her best ability if she is uncomfortable in the classroom.
  Posted on: May 24, 2015 10:11 pm

Melissa Aspinwall
Melissa Aspinwall
Reps: 79
I agree that teachers need to be informed of the cultures of the various students they teach. When it comes to religion we need to realize that not everyone will have the same beliefs as us. I would want to conference with her and her parents to explain the benefits and if the parents still did not want her to work with males, I would abide by their wishes and place her in a group with all females. In the end as long as the work is completed and understood by the individual students that is what matters most.
  Posted on: May 25, 2015 12:35 am

Brad McMahon
Brad McMahon
Reps: 71
I think conferencing with the parents is a good idea. It allows you to gain a better understanding of her religious beliefs so that misunderstandings can be avoided in the future.

However, I am not sure if all religious beliefs can be accommodated. If someones belief negatively impacts another student, then there must be some weighing of the situation. In my opinion, there are hypothetical situations where the beliefs of one student cannot be accommodated if another student is being deprived of access to a safe, secure, and respectful education environment.
  Posted on: May 26, 2015 2:33 am

aQanaD
aQanaD
Reps: 67
First and foremost I think it is important to understand the student's religion. If there are any unknowns, I would suggest just reading up on it a little. I think that student's religious beliefs must be taken into account in all situations in class. This understanding can provide for alternatives to be agreed upon by the student. Including the parents is not a bad idea either. It doesn't mean that the student doesn't have to do the assignment, it just may be in a different format.
  Posted on: May 27, 2015 5:18 pm

uqeXun
uqeXun
Reps: 69
Religious Freedom is our 1st Amendment right. Therefore, it is very significant that her desire to not work with males for religious purposes is respected and honored. As teachers, we want to prepare our students to meet the demands of the 21st century and we focus on college and careers. But demands will eventually change and hopefully our freedoms and our rights will not.
  Posted on: June 1, 2015 3:58 am

ehyNyn
ehyNyn
Reps: 109
There is no doubt that this is an appropriate solution. Kids have the right, just as adults, to practice their religious freedom and this student deserves the right to work with people that is accepted by her culture.
  Posted on: September 16, 2015 9:32 pm

PumuMu
PumuMu
Reps: 203
Great post
  Posted on: October 13, 2015 6:14 pm

nydyra
nydyra
Reps: 202
Being respectful of a student's perspectives and religion no matter what is the right thing to do. It's a teacher's responsibility to make every student feel comfortable and welcome in your classroom.
  Posted on: October 17, 2015 7:06 am

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Solution 2
Posted May 22, 2013 8:24 pm

Erin Ashurst
Erin Ashurst
Reps: 76
This is a tricky situation. I would want her to learn crucial social skills, but I would not want to disrespect her religious views. I would discuss this more sensitively with her, and I would not tell her she just had to participate. I would use this opportunity to learn more about her religious beliefs. Is she forgoing male interaction in general, or just ones her family doesn't know? I would contact her parents to discuss this more. I believe it's important to create a classroom environment that is respectful and safe that would make Aisha feel comfortable. Next I would create differentiated activities that would allow her to work independently while allowing the opportunity to work with others of her choosing. A learning menu would work for this. Also, I would use this opportunity to teach the class about cultural diversity. Perhaps finding an appropriate time when Aisha could share about her religion and culture. I would have to make sure this activity wouldn't single her out negatively. Creating culturally aware and unbiased lessons would benefit Aisha and the other students as well.
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Comments posted for this solution

VyQaqu
VyQaqu
Reps: 71
You make a great point about interactions with males in general and does it have something to do with her parent's not knowing the young men. Those are those crucial pieces that are missing from this scenario for the teacher to focus in on. With a parent conference, the parents, teacher, and Aisha may be able to come to a compromise about this issue that would work in the favor of all of the stakeholders in this situation.
  Posted on: May 25, 2013 1:18 pm

Haley Moore
Haley Moore
Reps: 31
It's always important to include the parents/family in the student situations. I think that after talking with them and asking the school counselor to sit in on the conversation and advise, then the teacher would be able to better handle it. It's a very tough situation because as a teacher, I would want her to interact with males since in the workplace, that is what she will more than likely be working with. At the same time, I would not want to go against her beliefs and disrespect her and her family.
  Posted on: May 23, 2014 2:39 am

BazaNu
BazaNu
Reps: 89
I definitely think involving the parents is important in this situation. Describe to them the purpose of the group activities and let them know you would like to see Aisha able to work agreeably with anyone in her class. Then, listen to what they have to say in the matter. They may see the value in having Aisha work with boys in class.
  Posted on: October 7, 2014 8:15 pm

Sarah Davis
Sarah Davis
Reps: 69
I believe that this is a great opportunity to discuss cultural diversity with the class as well. I love the idea of having her share about her religion and culture. This allows others to understand her differences. I also believe that involving the family is an excellent idea in order to receive insight and feedback on the situation at hand. The teacher should also incorporate social skills to help Aisha with the cultural differences. Great solution idea!
  Posted on: May 20, 2015 1:53 am

deTusa
deTusa
Reps: 74
I too would try and learn more her beliefs. I would sit down and talk to her and either let her work in the group she felt comfortable, or make other accommodations to make her feel comfortable and able to learn comfortably.
  Posted on: May 21, 2015 2:44 pm

Chris Clark
Chris Clark
Reps: 70
I like your ideas about making minor accommodations in instruction that could make a big difference in how Aisha feels. I also think it is important that you pointed out the necessity for discussing the matter with her, rather than forcing her to do something. If she feels unsupported or that her beliefs are being invalidated, she will shut down anyway, so from a strictly practical level, it makes sense to work with her to find a mutually beneficial solution to the problem.
  Posted on: May 21, 2015 4:57 pm

Amanda Morris
Amanda Morris
Reps: 70
I would also look into her religion more. The first step I would probably take is talking to her parents like you mentioned. Then I would do research on my own. If her religion did not want her to work with males, then I would not make her. I wouldn't want anyone to force me to do something against my religious beliefs.
  Posted on: May 21, 2015 10:03 pm

yBySuL
yBySuL
Reps: 70
Discussing the issue with her parents would be a good idea. And if they insisted she follow her religious beliefs then as the teacher I feel I would have to honor their request.
  Posted on: May 24, 2015 5:24 pm

Katy Fitzgibbons
Katy Fitzgibbons
Reps: 71
Erin, I thought you had some great ideas in your post. I too believe that a private conference with Aisha would be beneficial, for it would allow the teacher to learn more about why she does not wish to work with males in the classroom. Lessons involving her different religious views may also help to create a more tolerant, welcoming classroom environment for both Aisha and her classmates. However, I do feel that it is imperative for the teacher to make sure Aisha understands that her cultural views differ from mainstream American society. Since the women's Civil Rights movement, men and women are expected to work alongside one another.
  Posted on: May 24, 2015 10:14 pm

Alyssa Wright
Alyssa Wright
Reps: 69
Ultimately our goal as educators is to create a learning environment that is open and conducive to learning. When a student feel threated like Aisha he or she may shut down completely and refuse to complete any activities. I think it is important to put ourselves her position to fully understand.
  Posted on: May 25, 2015 1:31 am

zyWyma
zyWyma
Reps: 70
I am also interested about what she believes that keeps her from working with males. There is more to this problem than there may seem initially. I think that talking to her and approaching the problem carefully is a good way to find out if there is a way to solve the problem so that both parties are satisfied. This is an important skill that she needs to learn.
  Posted on: May 25, 2015 3:27 am

yteduM
yteduM
Reps: 77
I agree with your post I think its important to understand her family's religion and why she cannot participate. I do feel they could be activities she could participate in other than this one.
  Posted on: June 17, 2015 8:00 pm

ehyNyn
ehyNyn
Reps: 109
I agree that her instruction must be differentiated. It is not fair for her to be forced to work with males if her religious beliefs forbid it. I think this situation is equivalent to making a student of one faith read from the holy book of another religion. If it isn't supported by their religion, then we must be sensitive to that fact and find other ways for the student to gain access to the curriculum.
  Posted on: September 16, 2015 9:34 pm

PumuMu
PumuMu
Reps: 203
Great post, I agree with you.
  Posted on: October 13, 2015 6:14 pm

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Solution 3
Posted September 7, 2013 12:38 pm

yJaGus
yJaGus
Reps: 106
Aisha should have every right to abide by her religious beliefs. Considering we are in America where we can believe what we want, she shouldn't be punished just because the teacher doesn't want to accommodate her. She should have every opportunity to learn just as much as those who do not have special beliefs. From experience, it is difficult to do something you know is not right but still have a negative consequence because you want to stand up for what is right. We make accommodations for students of all race, age, and learning ability every day. Why not make an accommodation for this child for religious purposes.
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Comments posted for this solution

Jordan Nelms
Jordan Nelms
Reps: 104
I agree 100% that she should not be punished or forced to do something she doesn't believe in. We should absolutely accommodate students according to their religious beliefs as long as it doesn't interfere with the learning of other students.
  Posted on: September 7, 2014 12:59 am

Melissa Aspinwall
Melissa Aspinwall
Reps: 79
I agree that she should not be punished due to her religious beliefs. However, I would conference with the parents to get a better understanding of their beliefs and why this group work with males is an issue for their daughter.
  Posted on: May 25, 2015 12:45 am

yteduM
yteduM
Reps: 77
I agree with your post. If we can make exceptions for race, age, or learning disabilities why cant we make them for religious purposes. Very good point made.
  Posted on: June 17, 2015 6:13 pm

ehyNyn
ehyNyn
Reps: 109
I totally agree with your solution. In the United States ALL people deserve the right to have and practice their own beliefs. Within another post's comments, I noticed that someone mentioned that a Christian in the United States would be offended if a teacher or administrator told their child they could not pray before lunch. In my opinion, this case study has to do with cultural perspective. As an American, we may have different beliefs than Aisha, but we have to think about her cultural perspective and differentiate our instruction to meet her needs just as we would any other student.
  Posted on: August 24, 2015 11:39 pm

Jill Elton
Jill Elton
Reps: 108
I, too, believe that a child's religious beliefs should be upheld. I also feel that it is the teachers job to make the student feel comfortable in his/her surroundings first. An accommodation of rearranging the groups will not "hurt" anyone. After all, the point of the group work is to have the students work together cooperatively. We as teachers have to be flexible. There is no "one size fits all" approach when it come to teaching.
  Posted on: August 31, 2015 12:19 am

ezajaV
ezajaV
Reps: 102
I agree that you should not punish a student because of her religious beliefs. I feel that you should conference with her and the parents to get a better understanding of their beliefs.
  Posted on: August 31, 2015 12:13 pm

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Solution 4
Posted February 11, 2013 3:18 pm

Kaleigh Thomas
Kaleigh Thomas
Reps: 30
I believe that you should reconsider your original position and let Aisha work in a group with only females. If it is for religious reasons, then I believe that it is in the law that you must accommodate her. I do not think that you would be doing her a disservice because this way she will be working and participating at her fullest extent. This way she will be learning the material and not worrying about working with males.
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Comments posted for this solution

Jessica Heilman
Jessica Heilman
Reps: 58
I agree with this solution. It is unfair and uncompassionate to make her do something she doesn't want to do based on HIS beliefs.
  Posted on: May 20, 2013 8:14 am

Kyle Chambers
Kyle Chambers
Reps: 68
I agree with letting her work in a group with females. You make a good point about the law and I did not even think about the law regarding religious beliefs. However, I would try to find some way of incorporating interactions between genders into the unit in some way. It is important for our culture, as well as other cultures, to interact with all types of people from all backgrounds.
  Posted on: May 25, 2013 10:14 pm

Love Joy
Love Joy
Reps: 80
Thinking about the law really makes you reconsider your original position. I agree that this could become more than a simple teacher decision and become more of a legal matter. I'm glad you opened up my understanding a little more.
  Posted on: May 26, 2013 5:51 pm

Syjetu
Syjetu
Reps: 70
I think she needs to work with males. I am not really sure how we can talk about religion and the law together. We are not allowed to pray in public schools. If she does not work with males, I feel as if the teacher is doing her a disservice when creating a well-rounded citizen. Boy-girl collaboration is a very important thing. They are two completely different types of people. They come with different ideas, views, and leadership. I feel like the teacher should present it to her as a learning opportunity.
  Posted on: May 22, 2015 3:45 pm

HyZery
HyZery
Reps: 70
I am glad you brought up the point about the law. It is important to comply with legal rights as well as trying to be culturally sensitive.
  Posted on: May 24, 2015 11:55 am

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Solution 5
Posted May 22, 2014 4:27 pm

Ashley Mays
Ashley Mays
Reps: 64
I think that it is important to be aware and respectful to student's religious beliefs in the classroom so that all students feel respected and a part of the learning community. However, I do believe that by allowing Aisha to never work with male students in the classroom is a disservice to her. As Aisha embarks on the real world and obtains a job,she will have to work with men in the future and it's important for her to understand this being in the United States. I think that the teacher should sit down with Aisha's parents and discuss the small groups and their feelings towards her working with other male students. Hopefully, based on the discussion a compromise can be made that would allow Aisha to work with other male students in her class. If not, accommodations should be made so Aisha is able to participant. This could be seen as another form of differentiation in the classroom.

If Aisha's parents do agree for her to work with male students in the classroom, I believe it would be beneficial to ease her into the transition by creating a group consisting of mostly girls and one or two male students. I think by placing her in a group mostly of men to start with will be overwhelming and uncomfortable to Aisha.
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Comments posted for this solution

Jill Elton
Jill Elton
Reps: 108
I, too, had though along the same lines. Eventually, I believe it would be in her best interest to work within a group of both girls and boys. However, right now may not be the right time. Students need to time to adjust; and some need longer than others. As a benefit to Aisha, I would certainly conference with the child and her parents in order to "get on the same page" and make a plan for her academic and social success.
  Posted on: August 31, 2015 12:33 am

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Solution 6
Posted December 7, 2012 12:38 pm

Selena W Farmer
Selena W Farmer
Reps: 121
I do not think it is the role of the teacher to force her to work outside of her beliefs by placing her in a group that is majority male. I think the teacher should adjust the perspective and allow her to work in an all female group. From my understanding, she is alreay going to school with boys nad girls so why push her further?
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Comments posted for this solution

Erin Ashurst
Erin Ashurst
Reps: 76
I agree that being flexible and adapting lessons would work best in this situation. Differentiated classrooms are the best anyways!
  Posted on: May 22, 2013 8:31 pm

Carol Whitfield
Carol Whitfield
Reps: 56
I agree. The teacher should make Aisha feel welcomed and safe in his or her classroom. Differentiation allows this.
  Posted on: May 23, 2013 10:17 am

Stephanie Harmon
Stephanie Harmon
Reps: 87
I agree that flexibility in this is important. I think that she should be accommodated and that a conversation needs to be had that is a little more sensitive to her culture and her beliefs. If her beliefs state that she is not supposed to be working in close contact with males, and there are many that feel this way to maintain her purity and reputation, then this should be taken into consideration. I also think that it would be a good idea to talk to her parents and see if there is a middle ground that could be met.
  Posted on: May 25, 2013 5:01 pm

yVyLyG
yVyLyG
Reps: 69
I don't think it is the teacher's place to decide what she should or should not be exposed to. If it is outside of her comfort zone and in opposition to her beliefs, than the teacher should respect the student's wishes.
  Posted on: May 26, 2013 10:05 pm

tyMaZy
tyMaZy
Reps: 26
I agree that it is not the place of the teacher to decide if she should be exposed to working with males or not. In public schools we make accommodations for so many students, I don't think religion is any different.
  Posted on: June 28, 2013 1:02 pm

yzaSeR
yzaSeR
Reps: 68
I agree. I think that there is no reason to not put her in a group with females. If the objective of the group work is to work with others, then she will still be meeting that objective when working with all females.
  Posted on: May 20, 2015 2:01 pm

PumuMu
PumuMu
Reps: 203
I agree with you completely, thanks for posting. This was great
  Posted on: October 13, 2015 6:16 pm

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Solution 7
Posted May 26, 2013 10:02 pm

yVyLyG
yVyLyG
Reps: 69
I think in this situation, accommodating the student would be an acceptable action. The student is not asking to be removed from the group out of prejudice towards other student, but simply asking to remain in accordance with her religious beliefs. To ensure the student is being truthful, I would suggest verification of her beliefs and request her parents place documentation in her file regarding any religious conflicts that may arise and solutions for these conflicts, so that in the future there is no question. Whether or not this action "does a disservice" to the student is not pertinent, only that the students religious beliefs are respected in accordance with the law.
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Comments posted for this solution

Mallory Kirkland
Mallory Kirkland
Reps: 26
I definitely agree. We accommodate students with various needs throughout the day, so why is Aisha's case any different? If someone has a certain set of needs that factor into who they are and how they learn, we should respect that. Aisha's religious needs are no different than students with other particular needs.
  Posted on: July 1, 2013 2:16 pm

BazuTy
BazuTy
Reps: 116
I agree we have to accommodate the students' prior interests, beliefs and knowledge.
  Posted on: September 8, 2013 11:59 pm

Kim Lucas
Kim Lucas
Reps: 107
Your thoughts on allowing her to work in an all female group and also speaking with her parents to learn more about her beliefs are thoughtful. I do believe that we need to respect the beliefs of others, while also coming to a solution that allows students to function in todays world. If a solution is not acceptable to her or her family, then after consulting with administrators, she may need to be allowed to work with all girls. I believe however, that this is not helping her learn to thrive in todays world.
  Posted on: September 6, 2014 7:13 pm

Rebecca Ritch
Rebecca Ritch
Reps: 70
I agree, it isn't like the student is refusing to do the work. She just wants to complete the project in accordance to what her religion deems to be acceptable. As a teacher, it isn't my place to judge her.
  Posted on: May 24, 2015 7:06 pm

Brad McMahon
Brad McMahon
Reps: 71
I agree that some checking should be done to ensure that the student is being truthful. I wouldn't want to be disrespectful of her, but I think it would be better to check.

I also agree that she should be accommodated in this situation. I think it is an easy fix and a minor adjustments, and regardless of whether the accommodation is mandated, I think there is no harm in allowing this.
  Posted on: May 26, 2015 2:36 am

Kateline Vaughn
Kateline Vaughn
Reps: 106
I completely agree with your solution. As teachers, we are supposed to accommodate to the needs of our students, and this is an example of how we make accommodations for those students. It would be wise to consult the parents and have written consent expressing their religious beliefs that way nothing could be misunderstood.
  Posted on: September 2, 2015 5:06 pm

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Solution 8
Posted May 20, 2014 7:25 pm

Nick Hanna
Nick Hanna
Reps: 71
This truly is a very "sticky" situation as some of the other posters have put in their solutions. The reason this is a sticky situation is because of our personal beliefs and culturally ingrained opinions of what is expected. This isn't really isn't even an "opinion" question, because legally you don't have the choice to make a student go against their religious beliefs or not. A school must accommodate a religious belief if it does not impede upon the academic environment of the classroom. When properly adapted, the learning environment will not be hurt and all students are legally accommodated. When I initially read the issue, I too thought to myself "she has to work with male students because it would just throw off the whole activity if I have a whole group of just girls". I think this mentality is normal for all teachers, but that is why we need to remove our personal opinions out of the situation to create the best solutions. It is best to initially call the parents to confirm the belief or confer with a former teacher to get confirmation. Once you have received confirmation about the accommodation, you need to adapt your class to best fit Aisha and the rest of the class.
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James Moran
James Moran
Reps: 62
I agree with you Nick, this type of issue makes the teacher's job more difficult. However, if the issue is validated as a true religious issue. The teacher should accommodate the students religious needs. Flexible grouping is good for this type of accommodation.
  Posted on: May 26, 2014 2:23 am

Cardia Foster
Cardia Foster
Reps: 73
You're absolutely correct. A school cannot make a student go againsy his or her belief. They must respect the students belief and make accomodation. Thank you for posting your solution, I didn't see it this way.
  Posted on: May 26, 2014 3:31 am

Myzusy
Myzusy
Reps: 113
I agree 100%. It is not legal for schools or teachers to force children to go against their religious beliefs. A better solution in which the assignments requirements needs to be found. It is the responsibility of the teacher and the school to ensure that students religious beliefs are not violated. Alternative groups or classroom assignments should be provided.
  Posted on: October 15, 2014 7:51 pm

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Solution 9
Posted December 4, 2012 6:18 am

David Sanders
David Sanders
Reps: 143
Our law requires reasonable accomodation for students regarding religion. If Aisha's religion restricts her contact with males then why is accomodation so difficult? Put her in small groups of girls.
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Emilee Roberts
Emilee Roberts
Reps: 72
I agree. If you have a student with strong beleifs, it is best to accomodate them. We have laws in place to protect each and every religion. Why not just create her group of girls and call it a day!
  Posted on: May 22, 2013 1:27 pm

Carol Whitfield
Carol Whitfield
Reps: 56
I agree. She should accommodate, but I would also inform her that the real world doesn't have accommodations.
  Posted on: May 23, 2013 10:13 am

Nick Hanna
Nick Hanna
Reps: 71
I do agree that you should create the group for Aisha because of her religious beliefs, but I think you are over simplifiing the problem. If you simply just create the group because a student says they cant work with a specific group of students because of religious reason, without finding out more, then it could possibly lead other problems in the class. Students are very observant and they will notice that you let a student get their way without questioning it or checking the validity and they will use this against you. Another student could have a problem a group of people in class and come to you and say they cant work with them becuase of some other reason. I am not trying to be cynical here, I just have taught long enough to know that some students would see this as an opportunity to try and take advantage of the teacher if it is not dealt with correctly.
  Posted on: June 12, 2014 1:46 pm

dePyja
dePyja
Reps: 200
I agree that she should be accommodated based off her religious beliefs. Seeing how she is in the 10th grade I would have to believe that she was put into some form of group work before and ask her other teachers how they have dealt with her needs. I would also suggest on making it clear that in the real world such accommodations may not be meant and she will have to learn how to work with a mix gender group even if it goes against her religious beliefs.

I would also stress on talking with her parents about the situation and explaining to them how this may cause more harm than good for her future and hope something could be worked out.
  Posted on: October 19, 2014 11:02 pm

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Solution 10
Posted September 2, 2013 9:19 pm

Tracy C
Tracy C
Reps: 104
In all honesty, I would be the first to tell Aisha that she needs to do what is asked of her or get an "F", and that school is a training ground for the real world. However, I have learned that such an attitude displayed by a teacher is inappropriate and would only lead to a myriad of conflicts - student-teacher; student-teacher-parent; and student-student; as well as student failure. With that said, if the goals of the assignment were for the students to demonstrate cooperation, exchange ideas, and to collaborate to produce a final product, then as a teacher, I would reconsider my original position and accommodate Aisha by having her work only with girls. In addition, I would use the opportunity to teach about cultural differences, and to allow the class to share their opinions on how we can address examples of culture conflicts as a classroom community. I would do this to promote a spirit of community in the classroom where everyone feels welcome , respected, and accepted; including Aisha and all male students.
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Solution 11
Posted December 7, 2012 2:15 pm

BreAnna Sinclair
BreAnna Sinclair
Reps: 118
I think allowing Aisha to work in an all female group would be okay. I would also research more about her religion and find out exactly why she chooses not to work with males. It may also be a good way to get to know more about Aisha and her family.
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yheraZ
yheraZ
Reps: 69
I agree with you I think the teacher should speak with the parents and do some personal research to learn more about her religion and I do think that the teacher should accommodate the student as best as possible but to me it is also important to explain to the student that there will be situations in her future life where she may not be able to avoid working in groups with males..
  Posted on: May 21, 2013 7:06 pm

Johnnie Skelton
Johnnie Skelton
Reps: 109
I agree with both points. An open discussion with Aisha and her parents may be a positive step in forming a relationship with her and learning more about another culture. At the same time, if Aisha continues to live in the United States, it will be difficult for her to completely avoid working with males. Productive cultural understanding runs both ways. This may be an important learning experience for both teacher and student.
  Posted on: May 21, 2013 8:59 pm

Emilee Roberts
Emilee Roberts
Reps: 72
I too wrote about doing research on this religion to determine if she has a vaild point. I know that in high school, girls and boys have their favortites and they will not work with those they do not like. I have worked with a group like that and they would use any excuss under the sun to get thier way. However, if her religion is truly has an issue with her working closly with male students, she should be accomdated fully.
  Posted on: May 22, 2013 1:29 pm

gyjyjy
gyjyjy
Reps: 71
I also feel that doing research on the her culture or religion will help you to see more about why she is refusing to work with male students. Also learning more about her religion and culture will help you in the long run when planning lessons, so that you do not run into problems in the future when it comes to assignments or assigning groups. You can also set up a parent/teacher meeting to discuss it with the parents and learn more as well.
  Posted on: May 26, 2013 5:00 pm

aTejyh
aTejyh
Reps: 22
I agree that doing more research about her religion is a must in order to understand and make the right decision. I believe the teacher should step back and think about whether she will meet the expectations of the assignment if she works in a group of all females. If so, I feel that the teacher should make this accommodation for Aisha. Talking with her parents to better understand her religion and beliefs is a great opportunity to better understand her and her family.
  Posted on: June 28, 2013 10:58 am

Emily West
Emily West
Reps: 102
I think that talking with her family and doing some research on her believes is a great idea. This is not necessary a cut and dry solution. I think it takes the teacher to really understand how the beliefs are affecting the situAtion in order to find a truly helpful situation.
  Posted on: September 6, 2013 10:58 pm

Nick Thrower
Nick Thrower
Reps: 67
I agree with you. We want to handle the situation gracefully, but we also don't need to be taken for fools either if she is lying.
  Posted on: June 13, 2014 3:31 pm

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Solution 12
Posted May 22, 2013 1:25 pm

Emilee Roberts
Emilee Roberts
Reps: 72
I think that it is important to fully understand Aisha's religion. I feel that a little background knowledge is an essential part of determining your course of action. If you determine that she as a legitimate reason for not participating in the activities, I would meet with her parents to discuss the best course of action. I think that many schools have a counselor that is in place to help you and the students determine the best course of action as well. If Aisha's religious beliefs are that strong and you have meet and discussed your concerns with her parents and the counselor, you should fully accommodate her individual needs with an all girl group.
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Monique Cook
Monique Cook
Reps: 71
After steps have been taken to assure that this is a serious and strong family belief, I agree that you should not push her into a group with males, but that is only after research, speaking with her, speaking with parents, and I like that you also said counselor. It is not reality for her to work with only females in the USA; however, she can also choose not to work and continue to practice her religion after school so she should have an accommodation in school.
  Posted on: May 25, 2013 9:17 pm

yVyLyG
yVyLyG
Reps: 69
It is also important to learn how Aisha's religious beliefs and values relate to the classroom as future students who share her beliefs may one day come to your classroom. Learning about Aisha's culture and religion allows you to relate to her better as well as recognizing future situations where accommodation may be necessary.
  Posted on: May 26, 2013 10:09 pm

qyzeha
qyzeha
Reps: 105
I agree that involving the counselor is a great idea. I also agree that the teacher needs to work to find out more information about her religion and why she is uncomfortable working with boys. Meeting with a counselor, Aisha, and her parents would definitely be the first step I would take before making any decisions. If Aisha and her parents are truly uncomfortable with the situation, then accommodating her needs would be appropriate.
  Posted on: June 4, 2013 3:51 pm

BeWuXe
BeWuXe
Reps: 117
Monique brings up a good point. If she chooses not to work outside the home as an adult, why is so important that she be forced to work with males in school? I do feel more information is needed about her religion in order to determine if a disservice has been done. It is possible that not working with males may be a reflection of a personal belief which may be stemmed from religious beliefs.
  Posted on: September 1, 2013 7:23 pm

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Solution 13
Posted May 22, 2013 9:22 pm

Colleen Keller
Colleen Keller
Reps: 92
This is a very difficult position to be placed in because religion is a very important part of who people are. Our job as the teacher is to make them feel comfortable and safe in the classroom, and if their religion conflicts with what is done in the classroom, then adjustments may need to be made. It is not our place to judge and make her do something she feels is wrong. However, she is in the United States, and she does need to learn to adjust and comply with how things are done. There may not always be a teacher who is considerate enough to make accommodations for her, and she may get stuck in a situation where she has the choice to work with the group she was placed with or fail what she is doing. I think it would good at first to adjust the groups, but then sit her down and explain that she needs to work with boys and will need to participate with them in order to be successful in the class. I think teaching her this skill may seem harsh, but it is helping her be a functional member of society.
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vezaMu
vezaMu
Reps: 86
I'm curious as to why you feel she needs to work with boys at some point in high school. I think that if a future teacher did not make accommodations, she would probably be well within her rights to go to the administration and complain about religious discrimination. I agree that it is very important to make her feel comfortable and safe, but I wonder if telling her that she will need to work with boys to be successful will make her feel that way.
  Posted on: May 23, 2013 5:54 pm

CI-GSU
CI-GSU
Reps: 39
Another great point. Collaboration for some with specific religions etc. may include different guidelines. Also, the teacher should involve administration to assure that they as the teacher are within guidelines. It never hurts to accommodate students until full understandings are evident. We are here to help our students succeed and besides if she was in a private all girl school would the requirement still be the same?
  Posted on: July 2, 2013 11:36 pm

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Solution 14
Posted May 22, 2013 10:05 pm

Kimberly Spicer
Kimberly Spicer
Reps: 73
I believe you made the right decision with the first group and not changing the rules. Apparently this is not the first day of school. If it was such a huge deal to Aisha, wouldn't her father or mother told you on the first day of classes? Or wouldn't she have mentioned to you? I agree that she needs to work with all different types of people because that's how it is in the real world. Maybe next group you can adjust the group that she is in...with just one male, then the next time with two males, etc. Before any of this, however, you might want to call her parents to see what is really going on.
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vezaMu
vezaMu
Reps: 86
I would be concerned that not allowing her to change would be considered religious discrimination. Aisha is a 10th grade student, so it is likely that her parents would feel that she can advocate for herself and do not feel the need to address this with the teacher unless Aisha's requests are not considered. Also, shouldn't we take into consideration that Aisha is a good student who is advocating for her religious beliefs? From the description it does not appear that she would be trying to get out of something, simply wanting to protect her rights.
  Posted on: May 23, 2013 5:46 pm

Stephanie Harmon
Stephanie Harmon
Reps: 87
I agree that a discussion should be held with her parents to gain a more complete picture of the situation and to see if there is any middle ground. There are many cultures and religions that do not want females mixing with males before they are married so that they can maintain their reputations and their purity. The teacher in this situation needs to learn more about the situation before disregarding the religious implications.
  Posted on: May 25, 2013 5:04 pm

Tiffany Parker
Tiffany Parker
Reps: 69
I would be very careful with deciding not to allow her to work with an all female group. I feel that if that is truly a religious belief, then it should be accommodated. It is important to teach your students about cultural differences through the use of projects or collaborations.
  Posted on: May 24, 2014 7:49 pm

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Solution 15
Posted May 23, 2013 10:13 am

Carol Whitfield
Carol Whitfield
Reps: 56
This is a peculiar and interesting case. I would suggest accommodating Aisha, but I would also inform her that the real world will not be so lenient. Throughout time, I would suggest helping Aisha feel more comfortable. I would maybe put one male in a group of females that would include Aisha if she was okay with it. I would probably have a meeting with her parents to see if a better solution could be made. Overall, I would not want Aisha to feel forced to do something she did not want to do or felt strongly about. Mostly, I would accommodate her because there are laws that protect a person's religious beliefs.
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VyQaqu
VyQaqu
Reps: 71
I definitely agree with you. Unfortunately, we do not live in a world where we are always able to "choose" who we will interact with, much less work with. I believe that all students should be exposed to different things that will help them to grow as human beings but we do need to be sensitive to the fact that people are different and this issue that seems so minor to others is a huge issue to some. If Aisha's parents are adamant about this as much as she is, then she should be able to work in only groups of girls.
  Posted on: May 25, 2013 1:14 pm

yJaGus
yJaGus
Reps: 106
This is a great way to look at it. I think she should be aware of the world we now live in and that sometimes she will have to interact with people she may not feel comfortable with. However, we shouldn't force someone to do something that makes them uncomfortable if we have the option to fix it.
  Posted on: September 7, 2013 12:42 pm

Stormye Brantley
Stormye Brantley
Reps: 121
I agree that talking to the parents and trying to accommodate Aisha may be the best solution. Although the real world may require her to work or speak with males, she should not be forced to in a public school setting.
  Posted on: September 18, 2013 9:45 pm

zaSyNu
zaSyNu
Reps: 58
Very good point! As educators, it is illegal to force a student to do something that is against their religious beliefs. I like the idea of speaking to her parents about the situation and seeing what type of support you could get at home when trying to slowly immerse her into working with males.
  Posted on: September 12, 2014 3:07 am

vasere
vasere
Reps: 70
I appreciate your concern for Aisha at present, in the classroom, as well as for her future, outside of school. I do not think we can make assumptions that her beliefs will "not work" in the outside world, but it would definitely be good to talk to her about the basis of her beliefs and how she does plan to go about future situations when she is in groups.
  Posted on: May 21, 2015 1:29 am

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Solution 16
Posted May 24, 2013 10:00 pm

gyjyjy
gyjyjy
Reps: 71
Considering that Aisha has been a student in the school system for some period of years than I believe there should be some written accommodations on file for her needs. I feel that the school counselor should be aware of the situation from prior years and discuss the concerns with the teacher and set up yearly meetings with her parents to discuss the situation. If her or her family feels that her group interaction with male students breaks religious codes then I feel you should provide modifications, because her religious values will impede her learning process. However, if there is not any religious proof or if there are no written accommodations in her permanent records or folder then I would seek the counselors advice and help on reaching out to the student more.
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Elizabeth Nicole Payne
Elizabeth Nicole Payne
Reps: 22
I think that this solution is a great suggestion reaching out to the counselor in these "sticky" situations is always a great idea. I also agree that there should be some type of written documentation to support her accomadations.

Great post!
  Posted on: June 28, 2013 12:46 pm

Sara LeClair
Sara LeClair
Reps: 68
I agree with you. She should have some written documents explaining her religious situation and maybe some accommodations are already in place. I think after the teacher talks with the parent, he or she will have a clear understanding of what to do in future projects and where to go from there.
  Posted on: May 18, 2014 8:47 pm

Amy Fletcher
Amy Fletcher
Reps: 67
That is a great idea to have written documentation so that future teachers will be aware of this. The counselor should also be a great resource in helping with the situation, but I think that she shouldn't be forced to do something that goes against her religious beliefs either.
  Posted on: May 22, 2014 2:46 am

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Solution 17
Posted June 4, 2013 3:46 pm

qyzeha
qyzeha
Reps: 105
This is a really difficut situation to be put in as a teacher. I completely understand your viewpoint that Aisha is a student in the United States, and that she will have to come in contact with boys at some point in her education. As teachers, we have to help our students learn to go outside of their comfort zone, and learn to work with many different types of students. On the other hand, it was probably very difficult for Aisha to come foward and tell you about her religous beliefs and discomfort with working with boys. If Aisha were my studnet, I would try to talk to her and her parents to involve them in the situation. I would make sure they understood that you were not trying to go against any of their religous beliefs by making Aisha work with boys, but that you are trying to prepare her to be succesful in her schooling in the United States where she will have to work with boys at some point or another. I would also ask Aisha if there were any particular boy in the class that she felt comfortable working with. If not, I would start slowly having her work with boys. I would put her in a group with 3 girls and one boy (I would definitly choose a boy that you feel would not make Aisha feel uncomfortable in any way. I think that taking these small steps will help Aisha slowly learn to work with boys in situations she feels uncomfortable in.
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Kris Peebles
Kris Peebles
Reps: 58
Wow, this is a really good response. I think you did a great job at explaining how important it is for Aisha to feel at ease, yet slowly come out of her comfort zone in order to become more integrated with American culture. I also like the fact that her parents should be contacted in order to better understand her culture and religious beliefs. I'm sure that this situation comes up quite a bit in the real world of education. These are great ways of handling the situation.
  Posted on: June 30, 2013 9:53 pm

Sara LeClair
Sara LeClair
Reps: 68
I like how you point out that it is probably hard for Aisha to stand up for what she believes in and speak about her religious values. This is a good start to understanding the situation. After you speak with the parents and understand why it is not okay for Aisha to work with male students, then it will be easier to make the decision from there. If the parents are very adamant that she does not work with boys, the teacher must accommodate her and make sure she feels comfortable. If the parents are unsure, maybe you could try it out slowly, and see how it goes. Great post!
  Posted on: May 18, 2014 8:49 pm

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Solution 18
Posted June 28, 2013 10:43 am

maTepe
maTepe
Reps: 22
I see both sides of the situation and understand that Aisha is following her beliefs while the instructor wants her to succeed in today's world. However, I believe that we have to respect the cultures and beliefs of all students in order for them to succeed. I commend Aisha because she did not give in and conform to what was expected -she stood up for what she believed in. I think that the instructor would need to have conferences with her parents to get a better understanding of their beliefs and thoughts on the matter. I also think that the instructor should self-reflect and determine if it matters how the groups are compiled (male/female). I believe that we have to make accommodations in order for students to be successful because as educators our goal should always be for students to succeed.
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Kris Peebles
Kris Peebles
Reps: 58
Great response. I also liked the fact that Aisha stood up for what she believes in. That's not an easy thing to do in today's world. I also think that the teacher could use this as a life lesson that not all students will be the stereotypical American student. Students can come from all over the world. I think that to force them to become "American" would be doing them a disservice. I also think that everyone else would miss out on a learning experience if Aisha were prevented from exercising her beliefs. I enjoyed reading your post.
  Posted on: June 30, 2013 9:59 pm

HyraLe
HyraLe
Reps: 73
This is very true. We do want our students to succeed and they will not be able to do that unless they feel completely comfortable in their environment. Accommodating to her needs and religious beliefs allows her to feel comfortable enough in the classroom to participate.
  Posted on: October 27, 2014 4:29 am

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Solution 19
Posted June 28, 2013 9:39 pm

PyruNe
PyruNe
Reps: 47
Aisha is no doubt simply showing respect towards her family's culture and its customs by resisting the idea of working with males. If the teacher were to discuss with her that she is already interacting with males in a sense by being in the same classroom environment, it might help her to look at the situation in a different light. A simple solution to this problem would be to have a discussion with her parents concerning the teacher's expectations and to let them know that her unwillingness to cooperate in class may negatively affect her grades. Such a discussion may help them to understand that her actions affect the whole class and disrupts the learning process for all students. An alternate solution might be to allow her to respond in writing rather than engage in verbal exchanges with the other male students. Another possible solution would be to have another female student share Aisha's comments for her which would allow her to interact with the group, but not violate her personal beliefs. As a last resort, the teacher might ask the school counselor to intercede by having a discussion with Aisha about what is troubling her and why she refuses to cooperate in class.
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Solution 20
Posted July 1, 2013 8:51 pm

Kimberly Stuckey
Kimberly Stuckey
Reps: 18
In Aisha's case, the teacher should accommodate her request and assign her to an all female group or offer her the option of working individually. In doing this, the teacher is respecting her religious beliefs and providing an accommodation for the student to participate in the classroom. However, I would immediately contact the counselor, administrators, and parents to discuss/resolve the issue. First, addressing the specific details concerning her beliefs and then discussing its impact on classroom functioning. Lastly, the group should develop a plan for Aisha. In addition, the accommodations should be documented and followed closely.
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Jessica Briley
Jessica Briley
Reps: 109
I agree with this solution. I think to keep some peace in the classroom for this particular project, the teacher should allow Aisha to be in a group with just females. But, he should also follow up to make sure she is telling the truth. This needs to discussed with the teacher, parents and Aisha to make sure everyone is on the same page.
  Posted on: August 29, 2013 2:14 pm

Nick Thrower
Nick Thrower
Reps: 67
I can't help but think the student may just being using her religious beliefs as an excuse for attention. These are children we are talking about. I would ask questions and look into these beliefs. Of course I would allow her to work in the group of girls for the day, but at the same time I would schedule a meeting with her and her parents just to simply learn about my student.
  Posted on: June 13, 2014 3:30 pm

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Solution 21
Posted September 1, 2013 6:47 pm

BeWuXe
BeWuXe
Reps: 117
As with any other religious belief, Aisha's request to not work with male students does need to be considered. However, I am not sure how not interacting with males in a small group is any different than interacting with males within the classroom or school. Does her beliefs allow for her to be in the same classroom setting with males in general? I feel it is necessary to accommodate her in the short term until her beliefs can be verified by her parents. I agree that a conference with Aisha, her parents, and administration/counselors is definitely in order. The scenario does not indicate how long Aisha has attended a co-ed school, nor does it indicate whether documentation for accommodations exist. The discussion does need to incorporate the fact that in America it is necessary for men and women to work and communicate together. If Aisha's family has chosen to live in a culture where girls and boys, men and women, Catholics and Methodists are to work together within a community, then Aisha and her family may need to be more accommodating in adhering to American culture. Hopefully, through open communication the family and school can reach a compromise in Aisha's future group work with males.
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Hope Crosby
Hope Crosby
Reps: 122
I do feel Aisha's beliefs should be respected. I understand your point of view in asking how this can apply if her parents have chosen to send her to a co-ed school. We can assume that if your child is in a co-ed school at some point in time they will have to interact with the opposite sex. Then again, there might be external circumstances, such as finances, that have the children at this particular school.
  Posted on: September 4, 2013 10:51 pm

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Solution 22
Posted September 2, 2013 5:05 pm

Jordyn Nail
Jordyn Nail
Reps: 108
Making an accommodation for Aisha is not going to change the dynamics of the class or make other students feel weird. Learning will not be disrupted. However, if Aisha is not accommodated, she will not learn and her group will be at a disadvantage because they have one less participant. The goal is to educate and accommodating Aisha will not prevent that goal from being reached. She is in the United States and that should mean that she is FREE to be herself and be true to her religion.
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Solution 23
Posted September 3, 2013 10:48 pm

BazuTy
BazuTy
Reps: 116
I believe as a teacher I can not pass personal judgment about a person's religious beliefs. Respecting different cultures is a significant tool that is used in today's society. In order to network and progress in the real world an individual has to have an open mind in order to retrieve and obtain new knowledge. Majority of federal funding schools in United Sates consist of diverse cultures and religions. If I was Aisha's teacher I would immediately contact the parents of Aisha and address the situation. I would listen to the parents and respect their religious beliefs, I will also address that Aisha is a teenager about to graduate. I will explain how accepting diversity is essential in today's society. If the parents understand the concepts, I will gradually group Aisha into a group with male students. If the parents disagree with grouping Aisha will male students, I will place Aisha into a group with female students. Reading this article I could only think about a young fellow that was in my class in Elementary. He was a Jehovah Witness and their religious beliefs do not allow them to recite the pledge of the allegiance and celebrate holidays. I remember that my teacher would call our Christmas party the "Winter Party" and the Thanksgiving party the "Fall party'. Changing the names of the party and not having symbolic items that represent Christmas or Thanksgiving allowed the young fellow to participant in the parties. She would allowed the young fellow to step out the class when we recited the pledge of the allegiance.
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yJaGus
yJaGus
Reps: 106
This brought home some things I have experienced in my classroom. I have been teaching for two years and both years I have had a Jehovah's Witness student. This year the child's parents are separated. The mom and stepdad or Jehovah's Witnesses but dad is not. Therefore, I have to be very careful with what I do in my classroom to not offend the mom. It is so difficult in this day and age to support every little difference in culture but a child should not suffer just because they have different beliefs than other people.
  Posted on: September 7, 2013 12:46 pm

TuVuze
TuVuze
Reps: 99
Sometimes when students are in school observing their religious beliefs, it is a familial issue as well as a personal issue. Many students do not want to disrespect their parents by observing practices that are not common in their family or religions. In the example of when the teacher allowed the student to step out of the classroom during the Pledge of Allegiance and renaming the parties to "Winter" and "Fall" parties, this is a prime example of accommodating a student without making them feel isolated.
  Posted on: September 15, 2013 2:13 pm

yXeBeX
yXeBeX
Reps: 114
Although I enjoy the fact that here in Georgia we are allowed to call Christmas break "Christmas Break" (when I lived in Miami that was not allowed),I like your suggestion of calling the holidays a generic name for the purposes of catering to all comfort levels and beliefs. It's important to not isolate those that are different. On the same token, I believe that it is also important not to be so concerned about others feeling and forget what's important to us personally.
  Posted on: September 5, 2014 10:26 pm

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Solution 24
Posted September 4, 2013 4:17 pm

Meredith Bryant
Meredith Bryant
Reps: 106
This is definitely a tricky situation. You don't want to do Aisha a disservice by allowing her to only work with girls...what social skills does that teach her? Also, what does that type of accommodation show the other students in the class? However, I really think to be culturally sensitive, the thing to do is simply group her with all girls. It's really not a difficult task and you can easily make this a teachable moment by discussing culture with your students. Showing both sides of the situation to all parties involved is, to me, the best bet always. As a teacher, I believe that you hold enough responsibility in the classroom to uphold your students' cultural beliefs and also the respect to demand the same from your students in their support.
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Hope Crosby
Hope Crosby
Reps: 122
I believe wholeheartedly with your solution. I do feel that a possible disservice might be being done by only grouping her with females; however, I feel that cultural and religious beliefs of students need to be respected by all teachers.
  Posted on: September 4, 2013 10:41 pm

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Solution 25
Posted September 7, 2013 11:34 am

Stormye Brantley
Stormye Brantley
Reps: 121
I do not think that anyone should be forced to do anything against his or her religion. If the overall goal is to learn to cooperate, exchange ideas, and produce the project together, then I see no way why this cannot be done with a group of only females. I don't think doing this would be doing her a disservice. I think as long as she is in a public school (made that assumption) and is surrounded by both males and females, she is in fact exposed to males. However, no one should be forced to communicate or do anything that is against their religion.
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Alicia Garcia
Alicia Garcia
Reps: 69
I would set up a parent teacher conference with either both parents or the parent of the same gender (as myself) and see what the family believes is most appropriate for their child. I would try to ensure the student was present during the meeting. In the mean time I would respect her request. Having spent some time in the Middle East there is an obvious physical separation between men and women in some places. She can still learn your content and how to collaborate even if you discover it is most culturally sensitive for her to work with only other girls.
  Posted on: June 8, 2014 7:22 pm

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Solution 26
Posted September 15, 2013 1:24 pm

TuVuze
TuVuze
Reps: 99
Aisha can learn to cooperate within small groups in the class by being in an all-female group. The emphasis should not merely be on the gender of the groups' participants due to the fact that the group members will have different strengths and weaknesses, viewpoints, and areas of interest. There may be circumstances in which Aisha may have to interact closely with her male counterparts in the classroom as well as within the community. Because of this, the teacher, Aisha and her parents, and the school counselor could discuss options that would allow her to be able to interact with males without violating her religious beliefs.
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LaChristen Boyd
LaChristen Boyd
Reps: 68
I agree that a way should be come up with so that she can work with male students and not violate her culture. I guess they can do pieces of an assignment and submit and talk about it via email. That could be a solution. I think a clearer understanding from parents would possibility alleviate the concern for her.
  Posted on: May 24, 2014 7:21 pm

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Solution 27
Posted May 18, 2014 2:08 pm

Destiny Andrews
Destiny Andrews
Reps: 15
Poor Aisha. She is in a tough place. Although your student is not participating in group activities, I do not blame her at all. If I were you, I would respect her religious beliefs and views. I would never make someone do something that would be going against their religious backgrounds. To understand where your student is coming from, I am trying to put my feet in her shoes. In my own culture, it would be looked down upon to marry young. However, in many other cultures, young women marry before they turn 15. I would feel very uncomfortable if I was forced to succumb to their beliefs. In conclusion, Aisha should be respected and join a group with all females. Hope this helps!
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Solution 28
Posted May 18, 2014 8:45 pm

Sara LeClair
Sara LeClair
Reps: 68
Aisha has been told her whole life that because of her religious beliefs she is not able to work with male students. Although Aisha is doing herself a disservice by excluding herself from many activities and group projects, she is also hindering her learning experience. If I were the teacher, the first thing I would do is contact the parents. They may not mind if she works with male students, and they may tell you they just do not want her working on one one with a male student. It is always good to get all sides of the situation first before moving forward. After speaking with the parents, I would then talk with Aisha discussing why it is important that we work with all types of people in a public school environment, and that it is necessary to work with all types of students. If this is part of her families' culture and beliefs, it may be necessary for you to make an exception for Aisha. Aisha needs to understand that in college and in the real world she will have to work with a variety of people to make money, etc. She may see it from a different perspective and then understand why her grade for the project is important and why she must bend her religious views a bit to be successful in life.
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wendy burns
wendy burns
Reps: 80
I agree with your position to involve the parents. When we talk to parents we gain a great deal of insight about the values in the home and how we can adapt to help Aisha participate in classroom learning experiences
  Posted on: May 23, 2014 12:17 am

aBugeS
aBugeS
Reps: 77
Getting parental input is extremely important. There may have information that will benefit you in understanding the home culture of the student. I personally believe however that the school should respect the student religion and make reasonable accommodations when necessary.
  Posted on: May 26, 2014 1:07 am

Alicia Garcia
Alicia Garcia
Reps: 69
I agree with involving the parents. However I don't think those of us who come from a culture where interaction between males and females is common really have a right to judge the values of a culture that is different from ours. While I agree that one day she may feel differently if she becomes truly bicultural we have to be careful not to impose our own values here. Just because most of American culture believes it is appropriate for both males and females to work together doesn't negate this young woman's religious convictions. She can still learn the content without being asked to violate her own ideals. If a teacher tries to force this issue they may cause the student to suffer a sense of disconnection from their culture and themselves. This might create a barrier to learning and disempower the student which I think is antithetical to your goal.
  Posted on: June 12, 2014 11:41 pm

SaSyXu
SaSyXu
Reps: 105
I like your idea of involving the parents. They may have a different take on the situation and may say that it is not a big deal if she works with males or they may agree with the student and say that it is a big deal. Either way, the parents have been informed.
  Posted on: September 1, 2014 8:43 pm

Beth Jackson
Beth Jackson
Reps: 71
I agree that it is important to involve the parents in this decision. Perhaps they simply mean she cannot work with a male alone, or one-on-one, but a group project would be perfectly acceptable when coed. On the other hand, their religious beliefs might be completely against working with male students. In that case I would let go of the issue and allow Aisha to work with strictly females.
  Posted on: May 24, 2015 6:14 pm

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Solution 29
Posted May 20, 2014 1:19 am

Laura Toft
Laura Toft
Reps: 71
When working with students who have different views on practices that we may see as common, it is important to embrace and empathize with the students. Having Aisha work in a group setting is something she will need to embrace and learn to do for the rest of her life, however, working in a predominately male group is certainly not the best way to approach the situation. I think the teacher should talk with Aisha about what it is about working with males that makes her either uncomfortable/goes against her religion. After talking with her, the teacher and Aisha can work together to create a plan. Are there any males in the classroom that she does feel comfortable with? Could she possibly work in an all female group for the first project and then work with just one male on the second project? It sounds like Aisha has been in the US for a few years since the teacher has known her for 2 years, so speaking with past educators would be a good idea too.

I don't know that putting Aisha in an all female group repetitively would be considered a disservice, but she does need to learn how to work with various types of people. By establishing a strong community within the classroom and learning Aisha's boundaries/limits is the main key in having a successful school year. No child wants to working in an uncomfortable or tense environment, so making a compromise and keeping Aisha's interest in learning is of the upmost importance. By having open communication and keeping her comforts in mind when creating groups, I think Aisha will notice the effort and this step will continue to foster the student/teacher relationship you already share.
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Caley Copeland
Caley Copeland
Reps: 69

Great post Laura! I like how you suggested that the teacher discuss the issue at hand with Aisha, then work out a plan to solve the problem. Speaking with past educators would be a great idea to see how they have handled similar situations in the past.
  Posted on: May 22, 2014 2:30 am

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Solution 30
Posted May 20, 2014 5:01 pm

Nick Thrower
Nick Thrower
Reps: 67
As teachers, we have to remember our end goal: what do we want students to learn? Will working in a group of all girls help Aisha accomplish the objectives that we have set? I think so. I am a pretty flexible teacher and would accommodate for her. However, I would definitely ask questions about her culture and relgious beliefs. I wouldn't do this to patronize her by any means, but mainly so I could be prepared for any conflict in the future.
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Alisha Wesley-Moore
Alisha Wesley-Moore
Reps: 60
Most definitely! This would also bring up the question "Are we forcing our beliefs on other cultures?" As teachers, we definitely have to be care not to push our beliefs on others. Even if we did feel that this would cripple Aisha, we have to respect her culture and her beliefs.
  Posted on: May 27, 2014 11:51 pm

zyWyma
zyWyma
Reps: 70
I agree that it is important to identify what the goal of the exercise is. However, if the goal is to work with others and to learn to cooperate with those who are different from you, it may not be the most beneficial to put her in a group with only females. I would also want to ask her in a respectful manner about her beliefs so that I could learn more about the situation and make a more informed decision.
  Posted on: May 25, 2015 3:32 am

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Solution 31
Posted May 21, 2014 12:39 am

Elizabeth Comella
Elizabeth Comella
Reps: 51
Aisha is a 10th grade student who has a difficult time working in a group with male students due to her religious beliefs. As an educator we have to respect the belief of Aisha in the educational environment. If the educator puts Aisha in a group with males, Aisha becomes distance from the assignment and is not learning due to the lack of participation. If Aisha was moved to a group of females she would benefit from being able to take part in the assignment and learn in the process. It is important for educators to take into consideration the cultural backgrounds of students in order to create a safe learning environment.
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Hannah Nabors
Hannah Nabors
Reps: 68
I agree that Aisha should not be forced to act against her religious beliefs. However, I hate that she will not be given the opportunity to work with, interact act with, or learn from the males students in her class. I'd be interested to learn where the problem rests in regards to Aisha's family beliefs. I think heterosexual grouping would give Aisha the opportunity to see various gender and leadership roles in the class setting. Ultimately, I think the solution would rest in a conference with the parents, school administrators, and Aisha herself in order to determine what could be done to accommodate Aisha but also uphold school procedures.
  Posted on: May 24, 2014 6:52 pm

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Solution 32
Posted May 21, 2014 9:39 pm

Rachel Walker
Rachel Walker
Reps: 60
I believe it is extremely important to respect Aisha's religious beliefs. However, she will constantly be interacting and working with males throughout the rest of her educational and professional career. I think that there should be a compromise made between the teacher and Aisha, but I also think that the parents should be involved as well. It is important that all parties feel comfortable with the arrangement. I think that a compromise could be made by having Aisha only in groups where they are predominantly female or by slowly increasing the number of males in the groups. For instance, the groups could be started with only one male in the group until she is comfortable with that and then increasing it to two male group members. In the end it is important that Aisha feels comfortable in the classroom while also making sure to complete the assignments/work that is being assigned/given.
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Josh Oglesby
Josh Oglesby
Reps: 69
Rachel, before reading your post i was completely in support of Aisha being allowed to do what her culture has taught her to do. After reading your post though and considering the fact that if she plans to remain in America she will have to work with males in work and group settings, I am beginning to feel that a compromise is in order. If she applies for a job one day and opens up to the idea that she will not work collaboratively with males this may very well exclude her from being hired on whatever grounds the personnel manager decides to trump up at the moment. I feel now that this could be used as a learning moment for her if the cards are played right.
  Posted on: May 22, 2014 4:26 pm

Michael Herndon
Michael Herndon
Reps: 68
Rachel, my solution was identical. I believe that Aisha and parents should be involved with the hopes of reaching a compromise of gradually increasing the number of male students in a group. However, if the parents were adamant about Aisha not working in a group with males, I would respect their decision. I would explain to them the consequences of not working with different students, but I would ultimately respect their decision.
  Posted on: May 22, 2014 6:40 pm

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Solution 33
Posted May 21, 2014 11:50 pm

Kimberly Rahn
Kimberly Rahn
Reps: 70
As a teacher, this would be a difficult position to be in. I understand that this is her religious beliefs; however, in our society and world today, it is a fact that people are going to have to work with and deal with issues with others than just their own gender. In order to be successful in the world, she will have to learn to work with males on a professional level at some point. I think the teacher should respect her wishes at times, but other times she will have to adapt to the situation and respect the teacher and the class as well.
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Jennifer Loncon
Jennifer Loncon
Reps: 68
I like how you mention finding a balance between projects that will require this of her and ones that will not. I believe that by minimizing that number of times she is put outside her comfort zone will help her transition and work through any rough patches that may arise. While I agree that she needs the exposure to be prepared for real life, I don't think she should be overwhelmed right off the bat having to work with males every single time. This would be insensitive to her beliefs that she was raised on. I imagine that must be very difficult for most people.
  Posted on: May 22, 2014 3:06 am

Cardia Foster
Cardia Foster
Reps: 73
I agree with you, It would be a difficult decision.I believe that she needs to overcome this barrier to effectively function and live in this society.
  Posted on: May 26, 2014 3:29 am

LeeAnna Elder
LeeAnna Elder
Reps: 75
I believe that the teacher should accommodate within reason, but the teacher also needs to encourage her to interact with groups that have males. Both the teacher and the student should each give a little to make a happy medium. The student also needs to be aware of life after high school. In the real world, it will be difficult to go through life in an American culture without interactions and working with males.
  Posted on: June 12, 2014 6:14 pm

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Solution 34
Posted May 22, 2014 2:59 am

Jennifer Loncon
Jennifer Loncon
Reps: 68
I think it is important to be sensitive to students' religious backgrounds. Aisha is a smart and responsible students who seems to have a good track record for doing her best and participating in school. Her insistence to not work with males is not her being defiant, but rather respectful of the religious beliefs she was born and raised into and have known all her life. With that being said, I also feel that it is important for her to understand that she will be expected to participate in similar activities in future classrooms and out in the real world. I would try to find a compromise to gradually help her adjust to working with at least one male student during only the necessary required activities in the classroom. Depending on her future goals, it is unlikely that she will be able to not work with males while remaining in the United States so learning to adjust in a controlled environment such as your classroom would be a great asset for her.
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Nick Hanna
Nick Hanna
Reps: 71
I agree with your approach on respecting her religious beliefs, but informing her that in her life beyond school she will more than likely have to work with males. I believe a slow transition into her working with males would be benefical, since she is in hgih school and getting closer to life after school.
  Posted on: May 25, 2014 5:58 pm

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Solution 35
Posted May 22, 2014 6:22 pm

Michael Herndon
Michael Herndon
Reps: 68
I would contact Aisha's parents to discuss these beliefs and see if she was able to work with male students. I would ask if there was a difference in her working one-on-one with a male students versus working in a group of both male and female students. I would explain the benefits of working with both males and females. If the parents consented, I would gradually integrate Aisha into a groups with male students. Initially a group of 4 females and 1 male may make Aisha more comfortable and gradually change the ratio of male and female students. If Aisha's parents did not consent, then I would respect their religious beliefs, while continuing to maintain an open conversation about the topic with both Aisha and her parents.
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aHeRaL
aHeRaL
Reps: 112
I am not sure that I would bring her parents into the conversation at this point. If you know Aisha to be a responsible and respectful students, a solution could be worked out with her. She is a sophomore in high school and is reaching the point where she should be able to reach some of these conclusions on her own. Bringing her parents into the conversation may then cause some tension between you and she because she may feel that you do not believe her or trust her or you do not believe she is sincere in her religious convictions. Even if her parents wanted her to work with other boys, Aisha still may not cooperate, and again, no one really wins. If her request is reasonable (which I consider it to be), then I do not see the problem with working with her to try and provide the best possible learning environment for her and all other students in the class.
  Posted on: August 30, 2014 8:20 pm

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Solution 36
Posted May 24, 2014 6:03 pm

aBugeS
aBugeS
Reps: 77
As a teacher, I must look at my most important goal to me which is Aisha's individual learning and success in my class. I do not believe that having Aisha in a group with all girls is going to harm her ability to cooperate with others in the future. What it does do however is place her in a position where she is comfortable being herself in the classroom. I believe that if I, as a teacher, do not make this reasonable accommodation then it shows a devaluation by me of her beliefs and identity. The goal is learning and I personally feel that a student has to feel comfortable and respected in order to achieve this. If placing this student in a group of girls makes her feel more comfortable then I personally would not object to this. While the real world my not be as accommodating to our students as we are, ultimately our goal is to create an environment where learning can take place and the student is open to change. Forcing an unwanted and unnecessary change upon a student can cause an environment in which the student may shut down and become resistant to further learning and change.
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Krissy Chance-Bailey
Krissy Chance-Bailey
Reps: 65
I think that Ashia is not comfortable at all in her environment and placing her in a group with boys goes against her beliefs and her sense of identity. I still remember being in middle school and there was a Mormon young man who had a huge amount of facial hair. it was against the school rules to have any facial hair. It would be the same to Ashia as stripping that young mans facial hair in which it was a part of who he is.

Krissy
  Posted on: June 12, 2014 11:56 am

ePeHyM
ePeHyM
Reps: 105
I agree that it is important to make Aisha feel comfortable in the classroom and also make her feel that her beliefs and identity are valuable. I would take it one step further and educate the class about different cultural norms and allow them to do projects about the beliefs of different cultures and their own culture. The students would be instrumental in making the situation work, they could either make Aisha feel accepted or make her feel rejected based upon how they themselves receive her beliefs. Allowing them to learn about other ways of being could possibly make them accepting of Aisha's belief. Another thing to keep in mind is how the other girls of the class would fell about working in an all-girl group.
  Posted on: August 29, 2014 5:37 pm

aQazuV
aQazuV
Reps: 105
I completely agree in that through a child's life, they should learn to love learning so this same passion follows them through life. I think it is our job as an educator to assure that students are learning in a safe environment in which they feel comfortable to be themselves. If Aisha's religion does not allow her to work with males, then the teacher should respect this within the classroom. I think that having her work with all females will not affect the outcome of the project in a negative way. If anything, it will allow Aisha to perform her best. I like how you stated that society may not be so accommodating but as teachers we should be. It is our job to foster a child's love for learning and we can not do this if they do not feel comfortable in their learning environment.
  Posted on: September 3, 2014 12:13 am

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Solution 37
Posted May 24, 2014 6:08 pm

aBugeS
aBugeS
Reps: 77
As a teacher, I must look at my most important goal to me which is Aisha's individual learning and success in my class. I do not believe that having Aisha in a group with all girls is going to harm her ability to cooperate with others in the future. What it does do however is place her in a position where she is comfortable being herself in the classroom. I believe that if I, as a teacher, do not make this reasonable accommodation then it shows a devaluation by me of her beliefs and identity. The goal is learning and I personally feel that a student has to feel comfortable and respected in order to achieve this. If placing this student in a group of girls makes her feel more comfortable then I personally would not object to this. While the real world my not be as accommodating to our students as we are, ultimately our goal is to create an environment where learning can take place and the student is open to change. Forcing an unwanted and unnecessary change upon a student can cause an environment in which the student may shut down and become resistant to further learning and change.
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zuPeQy
zuPeQy
Reps: 99
I agree that making her work with males could make you look like you do not respect her religious beliefs. I also agree that placing her in a group with all females will not hinder her ability to work with others and learn to cooperate. Just because they are all females does not mean that they are the same.
  Posted on: August 25, 2014 5:53 pm

LeHyZa
LeHyZa
Reps: 107
This sounds like a very viable plan that will help her to feel most comfortable and ultimately succeed in learning. It may be helpful to her if the teacher explains to her that going forward in life most others don't hold her religious beliefs and some places may not be accommodating of her wishes to only work with females. Putting the bug in her ear early on that her beliefs may cause challenges for her will let her know what to expect and how to prepare for those times. However, accommodating her currently in the classroom seems most optimal for learning and participation to occur.
  Posted on: August 30, 2014 7:13 pm

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Solution 38
Posted May 24, 2014 6:41 pm

Hannah Nabors
Hannah Nabors
Reps: 68
This is a tough situation for you as a teacher, as you must balance Aisha's religious beliefs with the course structure and peer group. I think it is imperative that you contact Aisha's parents before making any choices. Ideally, you would have done so when it first became an issue. Contacting the parents will minimize the probability of teacher/parent conflict, open the lines of communication, and allow you to gain an understanding of the families religious beliefs while also advocating for your course structure. You mentioned possibly honoring Aisha's wishes and placing her in female only groups, however, perhaps there is another option. What if you assigned collaborative assignment projects. Rather than having students work in small groups and interact frequently with one another, what if you assigned 4 pieces of a project and each student was responsible for completing their piece independently at home? When students turned in their work, you could then join together one product for each group. Students would see reflections of their peers work in the final project, but have not other tie to one another than part of a conglomeration. Overall, unfortunately teachers cannot accommodate EVERY students wishes, however issues of religious conflict deserve your attention.
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ePeHyM
ePeHyM
Reps: 105
I agree that the parents should have been notified when this first became an issue, however as you stated there is still time to notify them. It will show them that the teacher is willing to cooperate with them. As for the compromise that you suggested, would assigning only collaborative assignments help the other students to learn to work in groups? At some point, group projects would have to be assigned.
  Posted on: August 29, 2014 3:33 pm

Qureby
Qureby
Reps: 102
I agree that contacting Aisha's parents should have been the teacher's first response. By contacting the parents it could have been determined whether or not Aisha's complaint was valid and the teacher could have discussed with the parents possible solutions. I'm not fully on board with your proposed solution however. I think it would be a disservice to all of the students to cut out the collaborative group projects and rely solely on each student completing one part of a project that is then added to the others in their group at the end of the assignment. Students would not have the opportunity to discuss and share their ideas which was the teacher's intent.
  Posted on: September 7, 2014 3:29 pm

April Rozier
April Rozier
Reps: 110
I agree that contacting the parents would be very beneficial in making a decision about the project. Having the parents explain what working with a male signifies in their religion could help you to better understand how crucial of a decision you are making. You could also explain to them about the American culture and the importance of interacting as a group. I do not feel like separating the project into individual parts would be the best way to address this situation because you would be avoiding the purpose of the project.
  Posted on: October 13, 2014 1:06 pm

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Solution 39
Posted May 25, 2014 5:44 am

Megan Teague
Megan Teague
Reps: 55
"Cannot cooperate"
I am not sure why this concern was not brought to the teacher attention for now. Even though the small group projects are new, the problem with working with males would had to have come up before now. I think teachers have to take into consideration religious views, but I also think this particular concern should be look into more. Aisha's parents would be a great resource for the teacher. They might be able to explain the concern in greater detail. I also think the teacher needs to find a balance between what he or she will or will not allow to change the classroom structure. Should other girls be forced to work in an all girls group because of one student? I think independent work might be a solution. Yes, you are singling Aisha out, but I do not think others should miss the opportunity to interact with other another. You could also ask for volunteers to work in an all girls group. There could be a volunteer or two and that would be an easy solution.

I worked closely with a GA Pre-K teacher this year that had to consider the religious views of a student who was Jehovah's Witness. The student was not allowed to participate in any worldly holiday celebrations, sing certain songs, or celebrate birthdays. I was shocked to hear all the stipulations and I honestly reacted negatively. I first stated that it was unfair to the child to put him in a public education setting and then suggested (not out loud), that they teach him themselves. His actual teacher handled the situation better than I would have or at least how I thought about handling it. I agreed to let him come into my classroom while they celebrated different occasions, but was saddened by his reaction to not being able to participate. He was little and did not understand the views of his parents yet. He wanted to be with his friends. What was frustrating to me where the guidelines that the teacher had to follow and how sometimes the student would mention doing things at home that the teacher was told not to do at school.

I gave this example because I think there has to be a balance of what is allowed in school and what isn't. I think religious views are important, but I don't think the education of others should be altered because of one individual person. I think adaptations should be made for that person and that person alone. I also believe the teacher needs to find out the reality behind not wanting to work with males. Is it a view that has exceptions?
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Megan Teague
Megan Teague
Reps: 55
I can't edit my post for some reason, so I will correct my mistake through a comment. My first sentences should read-
I am not sure why this concern was not brought to the teacher's attention before now. Even though the small group projects are new, the problem with working with males should have come up before now.
  Posted on: May 25, 2014 6:02 am

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Solution 40
Posted August 28, 2014 10:39 pm

aheduX
aheduX
Reps: 112
When creating all lessons, teachers ask themselves what is the ending learning goal they want their students to achieve. You described Aisha as a good student who is responsible and smart. I think to accommodate Aisha in this situation would not be harmful to her learning. She portryas to be a cooperative student who is willing to learn. I would group her with only girls. Although, I would speak with her and her parents to discuss her beliefs carefully and respect what she believes. This could create a teachable moment for students to understand different beliefs and helping students see how culturally important it is to honor each other in this aspect.
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GyJeWy
GyJeWy
Reps: 105
I agree completely. That's exactly what I would do. I like that you mentioned using teachable moments. Unless made to, my students don't step out of their comfort zones and therefore there is a great deal they have no knowledge of.
  Posted on: September 2, 2014 10:25 pm

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Solution 41
Posted May 19, 2015 2:27 pm

Kaitlin Stringer
Kaitlin Stringer
Reps: 116
After seeing how Aisha worked in the first group project, I would definitely reconsider the original position. I might take Aisha aside and explain to her that all students are considered equals and that in school she would be considered to work productively with all of them. In the next group project however, I might place her in a group with all girls or maybe a group with a larger number of girls than boys. I might also ease her into groups with more males as the year progresses. The hope of this would be that eventually, Aisha would not be so uncomfortable working with males and would eventually see all of her students as equals.
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Solution 42
Posted May 25, 2015 1:21 am

ReMuXy
ReMuXy
Reps: 78
I would not group Aisha with any males and only group her with females. Moreover, I may also give her a choice about who she wants to be grouped with. I think that a religious beliefs are very important to consider and I believe if you force her to be in a group with males then you are discriminating against her. Moreover, by grouping her with males you are not doing yourself good because she is refusing to do the work. I understand about working in the United States and having her get familiar with working with men in the future, however, the United States is also a place where you have freedom of religion and expression.
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Misty Coleman
Misty Coleman
Reps: 73
You made great points. This is a difficult situation, but I do feel with the way education is today you have no choice but to group her with females. I do think that if all other groups are teacher assigned, her group should be too, just be all females. I think a discussion could take place explaining that she may have to work with males in the real world one day, but it should not be forced in the classroom. I also feel that the rest of the class needs to know why she is in a group with all females and this should be used as a teachable moment.
  Posted on: May 25, 2015 1:28 am

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Solution 43
Posted September 3, 2015 1:03 am

Amanda Whittaker
Amanda Whittaker
Reps: 114
I would allow Aisha to work in an all female group. In most cases, I would say that students need to learn to work together, but in this instance I would be violating what she believes in. I would also check with her parents to make sure that this is what they want. Unfortunately students don't always tell the truth so I would probably just want to double check. I feel that all students should be comfortable in the setting that they are in and would want my child's teachers to accommodate them if I was in the same predicament.
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Solution 44
Posted October 13, 2015 6:13 pm

PumuMu
PumuMu
Reps: 203
I think this is something that is hard to deal with but I think religious belief is something important because you don't want to step over their boundaries. Maybe get to know what her religion is and and get to know what they believe so you can make it better on that students, get to understand it and respect it.
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Solution 45
Posted October 16, 2015 4:34 pm

uqeMeg
uqeMeg
Reps: 105
I am torn on this issue. I think that because she follows a religion she should not be made to do something, but she is in America now.
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Solution 46
Posted February 22, 2016 6:19 pm

Victoria Horn
Victoria Horn
Reps: 201
I think if it is due to her religion, then as a teacher we should respect her beliefs and put her in a group with all females. I would understand if she wasn't participating and just didn't want to do the work, then I would say she needs to stay with the group she is in, but due to religion, then I would put her wherever she is comfortable participating.
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Solution 47
Posted October 15, 2017 1:41 pm

pehuby
pehuby
Reps: 126
I would start out small. Start out with a group with one male student and the rest female. After that, start working your way up. I am a little skeptical when it comes to working with just females because of religious beliefs. I love and respect every religion, but I have never heard of that one yet. Maybe have a conversation with her parents on the issue? Maybe they can clarify a couple of things.
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Solution 48
Posted December 2, 2012 9:15 pm

Jessica Oglesby
Jessica Oglesby
Reps: 110
I feel that it is our job as teachers to whatever ut takes to help each and everyone of our students succeed, whether it be putting a student in a particular group or not. I do understand your point about being in the United States and having to work and get along with others that are different from us, however when it comes to someone's values and religion the circumstances are a little different. I would begin by talking with Aisha and her parents and explain the point of group work and the benefits of collaborating with other students, I would also try my best to make sure that Aisha is grouped with as many girls as possible. Or I would arrange my groups where Aisha has at least one or two girls that she is close to, by having those girls in her group maybe she would feel comfortable enough to work with others as well as getting her work accomplished.
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Colleen Keller
Colleen Keller
Reps: 92
I agree that we need to make our students feel comfortable in the classroom and not feel like they are being forced to do something against their will. I think that in order for her to be successful in the United States that she needs to integrate her into working with others that she is not comfortable working with. It is all about collaboration and being able to work with others. Although it may seem harsh, it will ultimately help her in the future.
  Posted on: May 22, 2013 9:28 pm

CI-GSU
CI-GSU
Reps: 39
Very interesting. I feel that the Teacher should not take away any culture values by forcing communication/participation. Since there are multiple females and males this definitely leaves a clear choice for the Teacher along with a noticable solution for the student because clearly the force isn't necessary. No student should be forced into participation in my opinion.
  Posted on: June 28, 2013 7:17 am

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Solution 49
Posted December 8, 2012 7:44 pm

Ariane Anderson
Ariane Anderson
Reps: 114
You should have a parent teacher conference and voice you concern about Aisha. Explain to them that Aisha is willing to take part in these small group projects she does not want to be in groups with male students because of her religious beliefs. It is important for her to participate in the group activities with males. If you accommodate Aisha have more girls in her group.
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Erin Ashurst
Erin Ashurst
Reps: 76
I think it's very important to involve Aisha's parents in the process. I would set up a conference with her parents and a counselor to discuss the religious views and how we could be sensitive to their beliefs. We want to do all that we can to make sure Aisha learns in our class.
  Posted on: May 22, 2013 8:29 pm

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Solution 50
Posted May 23, 2013 5:56 pm

eDaNep
eDaNep
Reps: 67
When approaching a problem in the classroom, the first question one must ask is "What do I want the student to gain from this experience or project?" In this case, the goal would be to learn cooperation, be able to exchange ideas, and produce a project together. Can Aisha accomplish this goal in a female only group? I believe so! I don't believe that accommodating her religious needs will impact the overall project. On the other hand, not accommodating has become a roadblock for her and because of her lack of participation, she is unable to achieve the overall goal of the assignment. Aisha is a responsible and smart student and does not seem to be making excuses about participation. Interest should be shown in wanting to learn more about her belief so that she will feel comfortable in the classroom especially while being taught by a male teacher.
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Kyle Chambers
Kyle Chambers
Reps: 68
I like your comment referring back to the overall goal of the project. I believe that if there is a roadblock to learning the subject matter then it is concerning and must be addressed. In this case, I do not feel like her not wanting to work with male students is a roadblock to the material. I think the primary problem is pairing her with a group that has more males than females. Slowly adding more male students to her group may slowly acclimate her to the idea of working with males.
  Posted on: May 25, 2013 10:18 pm

Heidi Landon
Heidi Landon
Reps: 60
I like how you pointed out that we should focus on the overall idea of the project. Since she is a student that is normally well behaved and performs well this is an odd behavior. I think by making sure we focus on the idea of the project versus her defiance may be a place to start before adding males to a group and making her uncomfortable.
  Posted on: May 26, 2013 11:56 pm

ezasyp
ezasyp
Reps: 107
I agree that completing the project as a whole is not the issue here. This student is a good student and can do the work with little to no issues. I do believe allowing her to work in a group with only female is fine as long as she is getting the work completed. However I do think that eventually she will need to learn how to work with males, but who I am to tell a person she needs to go against her religious background. I am sure her family has been dealing with situations similar to this a whole lot longer than me, and they probably have solutions for future encounters working with men. It would truly be up to the student to decide if she wants to expand past those religious beliefs and work alongside men.
  Posted on: August 27, 2014 1:02 pm

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Solution 51
Posted May 23, 2013 6:01 pm

vezaMu
vezaMu
Reps: 86
I am a very flexible teacher, so I cannot imagine being in this predicament. I frequently assign groups, but I also feel that children have legitimate reasons for not wanting to be in a certain group. When students ask me for a change, I always listen to their viewpoint and ask them questions to determine if making the change is appropriate. Typically their concerns are reasonable.

In this situation, it is established that this student is responsible, so there is no reason to question her motives. If she says it is against her religious beliefs, then we should value and honor her request. Many have posted that they would contact her parents. However, I do not see this as necessary. There is no reason to engage her parents or her in a discussion of how she will need to work with boys in the future. That is for her and her family to decide. And most likely, Aisha will grow up to be a productive member of society regardless. Additionally, I feel that forcing someone to do something against their religious beliefs constitutes discrimination.
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Hope Crosby
Hope Crosby
Reps: 122
I also feel that as long as students have valid reasons for not wanting to work with someone or a group a people, we should respect that choice (within reason of course). I also feel there would be no need contact her parents unless there was some major issue. I feel this situation can be handled on the classroom level, without additional intervention.
  Posted on: September 4, 2013 10:45 pm

A Battles
A Battles
Reps: 115
I mentioned talking to the parents to finding out if this is really an issue. It's probably due to the fact the population I work with will say or do about anything to avoid the task at hand. If I was in a more general class environment it would probably be a different story with how I felt about this case study. It would probably help the student-teacher relationship you helping her out with no resistance.
  Posted on: September 6, 2013 6:47 pm

wendy burns
wendy burns
Reps: 80
I too, feel as though her values and beliefs should be honored. She has to make the decision within herself as to whether or not she will follow her religious beliefs, or change her thoughts about working with males.
  Posted on: May 23, 2014 12:20 am

emuZuW
emuZuW
Reps: 69
I can see your reasoning behind most of what was said but I DO think contacting her parents is necessary. I also feel that at least TRYING to establish some co-ed collaboration is essential, and the only appropriate way to do this is through talking with her parents. As I woman, I don't feel that simply being fine with her not working with males is the way to go because I know that sooner or later this will make her less adept to success in the workplace. If I don't at least TRY to reason with her and her parents on this topic then I would feel like a bystander to continued oppression. I know that she is more likely to succeed by being able to work with various people so why wouldn't I give her that chance by going to bat for her this one time? If her parents refuse to budge I can't help that, but at least I tried by establishing a conference where viewpoints were shared.
  Posted on: May 19, 2015 6:51 pm

HyZery
HyZery
Reps: 70
I also think contacting the parents is reasonable considering that the culture is very rooted in parental expectations. If a student might be worried about their parents reaction, they are less likely to want to participate.
  Posted on: May 24, 2015 11:49 am

Melissa Aspinwall
Melissa Aspinwall
Reps: 79
As a parent I would want to be contacted and informed. Regardless of beliefs, if I felt my child would benefit from this group work, I would want her to participate. It is always a good idea to keep the doors of communication open with the parents.
  Posted on: May 25, 2015 12:29 am

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Solution 52
Posted May 25, 2013 9:06 pm

Monique Cook
Monique Cook
Reps: 71
Aisha must know that if she wants to be successful, continue her education, and enter the work force here in America, she will have to work with men. After explaining this to her, I would be sensitive of her religion for the beginning part of the school year, complying with the all-girl group. However, as the school year progressed, I would add one male to the group and remove one female. I think Aisha should be eased into the situation, not automatically thrown in a group with more male partners than females. I would continue this progression throughout the year, adding a male and removing a female into to help prepare her for life outside if my classroom, but not put her in a situation where she is the only female.
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Elizabeth Nicole Payne
Elizabeth Nicole Payne
Reps: 22
I think this is a great compromise. Easing the student into an uncomfortable situation instead of throwing her in or holding her hand. I really like your suggestion and agree that she needs to know eventually she will have to work with males. I agree with being sensitive to her religious beliefs however, the real world is not going to be sensitive so that preparation is necessary.

Great post!
  Posted on: June 28, 2013 12:51 pm

upyNuX
upyNuX
Reps: 100
Aisha may not have any intentions of entering the American work force. If her religion is so set against women and men working together then I would think there would be a good chance her plans for the future do not involve having her work with other men. Maybe she plans to be a wife and mom and not work. There are definitely cultures where this would be the norm. Or maybe she plans to have a job where she would only work with other women (maybe a daycare, for example). She can still learn to work cooperatively within a group of all girls, so if the goal is for her to learn to work cooperatively then she can still learn to do this.
  Posted on: August 27, 2013 10:18 pm

Megan Teague
Megan Teague
Reps: 55
I agree that she shouldn't be thrown into the situation and if the teacher decides to put her in a group with males she should be eased into it. I also agree that if Aisha is going to work in the hustle and bustle of America, she is going to have to work with men at some point.
  Posted on: May 25, 2014 5:48 am

Amanda Whittaker
Amanda Whittaker
Reps: 114
I agree with your solution. In our society you have to work with males and females. Therefore she needs to learn how to work with males. Slowly easing her in to the situation will work better rather than forcing it right from the start.
  Posted on: September 4, 2015 6:50 pm

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Solution 53
Posted June 28, 2013 11:11 am

tyMaZy
tyMaZy
Reps: 26
Hi Yasar,

Being a special education teacher, everything I do requires accommodations of some type. Religion is one of the things that should be accommodated for. I think you should explain to Aisha that she may experience situations in the future in which she will have a very hard decision to make- following societal rules, or religious rules. Regardless, there is no reason to ask her to make the decision right now in your class. Clearly, she has proven that her religion is worth more to her than a good grade, so the school should be respectful of that. As long as she is cooperating with her group, even if it is all girls, isn't that the important part? We should give all students an equal opportunity to succeed, and in Aisha's case, that is to allow her to work with girls only.
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Ashley Lawrence
Ashley Lawrence
Reps: 70
I absolutely agree with your solution. She may come to a time and place where she must work with males but right now, she does not have to.
  Posted on: May 20, 2015 6:46 pm

HyZery
HyZery
Reps: 70
I agree with you that it is not necessary to force this issue. If she works better with a female group, is that not the same as requiring other accommodations such as visuals or repetition of information?
  Posted on: May 24, 2015 12:04 pm

Amanda Robinson
Amanda Robinson
Reps: 98
I completely agree with you. Accommodating Aisha would be the best thing for her education.
  Posted on: September 7, 2015 1:51 am

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Solution 54
Posted December 5, 2012 1:51 pm

Jessica DeLaigle
Jessica DeLaigle
Reps: 110
I'm not really seeing a huge issue here. I don't understand why you can't put her in a group with other girls, unless you have a class with few girls. If you have few girls and it ended up being one girl group and all boys groups then yes, I could see your concern but if you have a pretty even class then one group of all girls shouldn't be an issue. Since it's her religious beliefs, you want to try to accommodate her as much as possible. I do understand we are in America and she will have to interact with males in her life but if this is something you can control, I would try it. Also, maybe later in the year, you could add one male to her group and see how that goes but for now, I would just have girls with her.
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Kimberly Spicer
Kimberly Spicer
Reps: 73
I see it as an issue. When you have made your rules clear to a 10th grade class, no one should be allowed to re-create with his/her own rules. The teacher said this was not the first day. If this was a huge issue for the student, shouldn't her father or mother have already spoken to the teacher at the beginning of the year? Shouldn't the student have already spoken to the teacher about her concern? I understand altering rules for such reasons as bullying, behavior conflicts, etc. but not just all of a sudden. I am sure if the teacher would have known ahead of time of her situation, he would have made a better arrangement.
  Posted on: May 22, 2013 10:00 pm

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Solution 55
Posted May 20, 2013 9:59 pm

Nicki Kinner
Nicki Kinner
Reps: 69
I believe that the teacher should do research about Aisha religious beliefs so the teacher can understand why she is so reluctant to work with males. It is important for the teachers to respect students cultural background and allow each student to feel comfortable and safe in the classroom. I also believe in the teacher should talk with the parents to get a better grasp on why Aisha is so reluctant to not participate.
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Brittany Smith
Brittany Smith
Reps: 72
You make a good very good point. Teachers should be aware of their students and should be sensitive to their needs. In this instance, the teacher was very rude and inconsiderate to force her to act against her religious beliefs, but I believe that the situation can still be salvaged if the teacher takes the time to do research and just talk one-on-one with her and discuss these cultural differences. If he does this, she will begin to trust him, and he will gain a better perspective on how to be culturally sensitive to his students.
  Posted on: May 21, 2013 12:59 am

Colleen Keller
Colleen Keller
Reps: 92
I agree that it can be harsh to force her to work with boys when it is against her religion. However, I think that if the teacher does some research and tries to understand her religion, then their communication and relationship will be a positive one.
  Posted on: May 22, 2013 9:25 pm

CI-GSU
CI-GSU
Reps: 39
I truly feel that research and understanding her specific unique situation is pertinent. There evidently are a difference of believes and maybe even barriers that are clearly preventing group work. I feel that force definitely isn't the answer and neither is any type of authority measure. Getting parent involvement while slowly but surely working around this situation is key. I feel that she will eventually come around fully but only with comfort only when understanding her unique situation is evident.
  Posted on: July 2, 2013 11:28 pm

emuZuW
emuZuW
Reps: 69
This is a great point to think about. By the teacher doing their own research they are better prepared for the present and future concerns of Aisha's religious restrictions. The teacher will know in advance what is or is not acceptable. Additionally, the teacher may then know if Aisha is using her religion as a crutch or not...unfortunately sometimes students use an excuse beyond its means and other times such instances can be used to mask other underlying problems.
  Posted on: May 19, 2015 6:31 pm

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Solution 56
Posted June 28, 2013 12:43 pm

Elizabeth Nicole Payne
Elizabeth Nicole Payne
Reps: 22
I agree with you and would not accomadate Aisha. I use group work regularly in my classroom for the same reasons you mentioned. I want students to learn to cooperateand learn with and from each other. I have not had the same type of problem but a similar situation in which someone's beliefs got in the way of them feeling as though they could work with certain people. However, as a social studies teacher I think this gives you the opportunity to use this teachable moment. As you said you are in the United States and here we are not separated by gender and are expected to work and cooperate with whoever we are assigned to work with in a real world job type setting. If I refused to collaborate with male teachers on lesson plans I would be told to leave. I would discuss this with Aisha in a one on one type setting and help her to understand that this is preparing her for her future. I would also remind her that not participating will hurt her grade. The only alternative I have given is to complete the assignment alone but no less work or extended time.
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Virginia Erbele
Virginia Erbele
Reps: 25
I liked your idea of having a one-on-one discussion with Aisha. It often helps students cooperate when they understand the reasons behind a certain policy or assignment and the ways that it will ultimately benefit them. This conference could certainly shed some light on the subject. However, I don't necessarily think that she should not be accommodated or that her grade should suffer for standing strong to her convictions. Since the student feels strongly about this, she may elect to find employment or a lifestyle that supports what she believes. In that case, working with mixed gender groups in school wouldn't necessarily benefit her.
  Posted on: July 3, 2013 7:13 am

SaSyXu
SaSyXu
Reps: 105
I think I would have a conversation with Aisha one-on-one and then determine what to do from there. I am actually torn on this one because everyone needs to be able to work together but at the same time, I do not want to make someone uncomfortable due to their religious beliefs, so I think I would just talk to her.
  Posted on: September 1, 2014 8:45 pm

nydyra
nydyra
Reps: 202
She may never want to participate in activities such as this inside or outside of class. Because she has the support of her friends and family, she may never have to. You can't assume that when she's outside of school her culture will change. In her future work and life, she may never need to participate in activities with men. This is not just a school issue, this is about who she is.
  Posted on: October 17, 2015 7:09 am

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Solution 57
Posted December 7, 2012 10:38 pm

Kristine Morris
Kristine Morris
Reps: 153
I have always been told not to push religious beliefs upon students. Students should be able to feel comfortable with who they are, respectively. Also, we have always been told to approach things in a way that will provide students the opportunity to strive towards success. Therefore, if you know that she is not going to be successful in an uncomfortable situation, then do not put her there. Do not try to force students to be around others you know they are not going to strive towards success in. Allow them to slowly develop closeness with them before forcing them to work with one another.
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Mallory Kirkland
Mallory Kirkland
Reps: 26
I agree. We have always been taught that you do not try to sway someone one way or another towards certain beliefs. If this is Aisha's belief, I think that people, and especially us as teachers, owe her and her family the decency to respect her choices. If Aisha's ideas about religion changes, then maybe her group-work situations will change, also.
  Posted on: July 1, 2013 2:14 pm

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Solution 58
Posted December 8, 2012 4:18 pm

Lindsey Harrison
Lindsey Harrison
Reps: 108
I agree with not pushing religious beliefs, but I also believe that putting her with all females is doing her a disservice. It is unlikely that she will never have to work with males when she gets older. I would contact her parents and see what the situation is. Ask them if this is really a religious issue or if there are other issues going on.
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Johnnie Skelton
Johnnie Skelton
Reps: 109
It is a good point that Aisha's sudden unwillingness to work with male students may be a sign of some issue other than religion. If she is in 10th grade and this has never been an issue before, it is possible that Aisha may have had an experience unrelated to religion that she is not ready to discuss but that she isn't sure how to deal with. If the parents don't confirm Aisha's story, it might be advisable to seek the advice of the counselor.
  Posted on: May 21, 2013 9:07 pm

L. Carrell
L. Carrell
Reps: 63
I agree that the student not having to work with male students is a disservice. Whether she plans to go on to college or a job, she will need to be a team player and work with whoever is involved in the company or class. Maybe the group projects in this class would be a good way to slowly introduce her to working with different students.
  Posted on: May 23, 2013 8:40 pm

Heidi Landon
Heidi Landon
Reps: 60
I agree that by not placing her in a group with males will "spoil" her due to the fact she will not be able to get out of it as she goes through life. I would discuss the matter with the parents and with the student. I feel that adhering to religious beliefs is very important and as a teacher we must respect it. If at all possible I may would try to slowing put her in groups with males. Maybe start her off with a group of girls and eventually add males later on. This way she is eased into it and not submerged.
  Posted on: May 26, 2013 11:54 pm

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Solution 59
Posted December 8, 2012 10:02 pm

Laine Vilardi
Laine Vilardi
Reps: 119
It is important that you be sensitive to her beliefs. Telling her she in the US and must follow the was do things is not a way to gain her trust. I would definitely explain to her that in life, she is going to come into many situations where she will have to work with people she may not want to, but if it is part of her job in her career or now as a student, it's important that she learn to work with others. I would start off slowly, maybe by asking one of your male students if he would be ok being the only one in group with females, just to get her more confortable with the situation. It could be possible that the school counselor would be helpful in this situation as well.
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Brittany Smith
Brittany Smith
Reps: 72
I completely agree with you. Slow integration with mainstream U.S. cultural ideals of coexistence would be the best solution to this situation. I think after a while she will become more receptive and open-minded about working outside of the comfort zone that her religion provides her. This would also help her to eventually move back and forth between her religious beliefs and those of the typical U.S. culture.
  Posted on: May 21, 2013 12:54 am

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Solution 60
Posted December 9, 2012 4:52 pm

Melissa Tolbert
Melissa Tolbert
Reps: 104
I would discuss what has happened in the classroom and determine if these beliefs are as she says just to be sure and if the parents are okay with her being in groups with boys or if they would also prefer if she should be in groups with only girls. If it is an important rule to the parents as well I would definitely allow the student to only be in groups with girls. If the parents are okay with her being mixed in, I would do that. I would leave the decisions up to the parents unless they are not the same religion. If that is the case, I would research the said religion and determine where to go from there.
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yheraZ
yheraZ
Reps: 69
I agree with you, my first step would also be to confirm that this was actually part of the student's religion; it might be helpful in a situation like this to contact the parents in a culturally sensitive way just to get their views and perspective. If it was indeed something her religion set forth then I would make accommodations.
  Posted on: May 21, 2013 6:32 pm

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Solution 61
Posted December 9, 2012 11:26 pm

Suzi Hancock
Suzi Hancock
Reps: 134
I think you should ask her parents to explain their stance on this issue. If it is a religious belief of theirs, then make reasonable accommodations for her and put her in all female groups. I'm pretty sure that an honest talk with the parents should clear up any misconceptions or misunderstandings.
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tyMaZy
tyMaZy
Reps: 26
I agree that you should also speak with the parents. And I think the key phrase here is "reasonable accommodations". You stated that Aisha is a good student, so I'm assuming she is not trying to get out of doing the work or doing less work. As long as she understands that she is still expected to do the same amount and quality of work, there is no harm in accommodating her religion.
  Posted on: June 28, 2013 11:14 am

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Solution 62
Posted May 20, 2013 8:13 am

Jessica Heilman
Jessica Heilman
Reps: 58
I think it is unfair of you to make her work with male students if it is against her religious beliefs. How would you like it if someone forced you to do something that is against your beliefs because you are in their country? The United States prides itself on freedom. You are not allowing her this simple and basic right. Even "illegal immigrants" have basic rights when they are in this country, even if they are here illegally. It is what the United States prides itself on-freedom. If I were you, I would allow her to work with all females and maybe talk with her parents to see if you could work something out with them. You could also allow her to speak to a counselor. That might help as well. You could also try to research her religion to see if you could get a better understanding on why her beliefs are this way. Be compassionate. Not everyone is like you or believes what you believe.
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L. Carrell
L. Carrell
Reps: 63
If both the student and the parents have explained to the teacher that working with males students is against their beliefs, I think that it is a great idea for the teacher to research her religion to get a better understanding. By doing this, he may could adjust her group assignments in a way that she would be able to learn and understand other cultures while studying history while working individually.
  Posted on: May 23, 2013 8:49 pm

Meredith Bryant
Meredith Bryant
Reps: 106
I think a teacher almost has to learn as he or she can about their student's beliefs in this situation to fully understand the situation. However, I don't think that it's only a place for teachers to learn, but students as well. Teaching the other students who take notice and witness the situation will hopefully scaffold your culturally sensitive attitudes and inspire them to do the same in all alikeness.
  Posted on: September 4, 2013 4:21 pm

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Solution 63
Posted May 20, 2013 3:19 pm

yheraZ
yheraZ
Reps: 69
I think that first I would do a little investigation, for lack of a better word, about her religion and see if this was actually as big of an issue as she was making it. If you have a class with very few females I could see where the problem would come in when trying to form groups but if your class is fairly evenly split and her religion really does prohibit her from working with males then I would just try to be sensitive and put her in an all-girl group. I do personally think that it is doing her a disservice by isolating her from having to work with male team mates because in the career world this is not likely going to really happen but in the long run everyone has their own opinion and religions and if that's what her religion requires then I think you should try to be sensitive to her needs.
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Nicki Kinner
Nicki Kinner
Reps: 69
I definitely think it is important to learn and understand the students religious beliefs and background. You do not want a student in your classroom to feel uncomfortable because you are forcing them to do something they do not believe in. I also believe that the teacher should contact the parents to try to learn more about this student. I agree with the fact that the teacher should always be sensitive to all students needs.
  Posted on: May 20, 2013 10:10 pm

Monique Cook
Monique Cook
Reps: 71
I definitely agree with you that you should find out more about her religion and how this plays a part in it. Maybe talk to her parents and find out if this is significant in their culture and are there any exceptions or options. This situation could be very minimal and fixed quickly with more information and background.
  Posted on: May 25, 2013 9:11 pm

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Solution 64
Posted May 21, 2013 12:43 am

Brittany Smith
Brittany Smith
Reps: 72
In this situation, I would allow Aisha to work in the group of all girls. No one should be forced to act against his or her religion. Although it can be confusing to you as a U.S. citizen who most likely does not share her belief system, Aisha is allowed the right to defend her belief and her choice to avoid a group of males. I think you should be a little more lenient on this issue. I would talk to Aisha and work on reaching an understanding. I would explain to her why you expected her to work in whatever group she was assigned and how U.S.culture is composed of many faiths trying to coexist peacefully; however, be sure to let her know that you understand her decision and respect her right to avoid something that goes against her religious beliefs. I think that you should research her religion in your spare time and discuss it with her in order to restore her trust in you as her teacher and mentor and give yourself a greater perspective on Aisha as both your student and as a person.
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Nicki Kinner
Nicki Kinner
Reps: 69
I agree, it is not right for a student to feel uncomfortable in the classroom because the teacher does not understand their background or culture. If the teacher did research to understand the students needs and involved the parents in this process I believe that the student will begin to trust the decisions that the teacher makes in the classroom. It is not okay for someone to force their beliefs on another person. Also, the student should not by punished for not working in the male group setting.
  Posted on: May 21, 2013 10:49 am

Amy Fletcher
Amy Fletcher
Reps: 67
I agree with you that she should be able to work with only girls. It shouldn't matter who she works with as long as she completes the project.
  Posted on: May 22, 2014 2:44 am

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Solution 65
Posted May 21, 2013 8:59 pm

Johnnie Skelton
Johnnie Skelton
Reps: 109
I agree with some of the other comments that your decision should begin with a conference with Aisha's parents and your administration. My experience is with elementary and middle grades, but whenever I have been in a situation involving conflicts due to religious beliefs, the information has come in writing from a parent. Fortunately, unlike in some elementary school situations, you are probably not Aisha's only teacher, so you probably have a team of colleagues to help you.

Discussing the situation with Aisha's parents may help to clarify the issue. Perhaps Aisha did not feel comfortable in a group that was primarily male, but she might be willing or able to work in a group that is more equally divided or primarily female. Based on the fact that she is a 10th grader in good standing at a co-ed high school, it appears that Aisha has worked cooperatively with male students to some degree in the past. In order for a reasonable conclusion to be reached, some clarification needs to be made as to what extent of contact with males is contrary to Aisha's religion.
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CI-GSU
CI-GSU
Reps: 39
Definitely can agree that a conference may be necessary. Often times it takes time to help students collaborate (depending on the situtation) and this is one of those times. Being patience can go a long way. When participation is considered force-many times the expectated response is delayed.
  Posted on: June 28, 2013 7:21 am

Susan Esra
Susan Esra
Reps: 68
I really like your suggestion of discussing the situation with colleagues who also teach Aisha. Undoubtedly, this situation has come up in another of her classes. She may have felt more open to talk with another teacher (especially if you are male) and may have shared some of the reasons for her beliefs.
  Posted on: May 25, 2014 6:54 pm

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Solution 66
Posted May 22, 2013 8:22 pm

Erin Ashurst
Erin Ashurst
Reps: 76
This is a tricky situation. I would want her to learn crucial social skills, but I would not want to disrespect her religious views. I would discuss this more sensitively with her, and I would not tell her she just had to participate. I would use this opportunity to learn more about her religious beliefs. Is she forgoing male interaction in general, or just ones her family doesn't know? I would contact her parents to discuss this more. I believe it's important to create a classroom environment that is respectful and safe that would make Aisha feel comfortable. Next I would create differentiated activities that would allow her to work independently while allowing the opportunity to work with others of her choosing. A learning menu would work for this. Also, I would use this opportunity to teach the class about cultural diversity. Perhaps finding an appropriate time when Aisha could share about her religion and culture. I would have to make sure this activity wouldn't single her out negatively. Creating culturally aware and unbiased lessons would benefit Aisha and the other students as well.
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A Battles
A Battles
Reps: 115
I like how you would use this as a chance to learn more about her religion. Making it a learning experience for yourself and to increase your knowledge in other areas that could help you relate to more students in the future.
  Posted on: September 6, 2013 6:49 pm

Alisha Wesley-Moore
Alisha Wesley-Moore
Reps: 60
Contacting her parents should have been one of the first approaches. What if her parents would have been informed of the situation (being made to go against her religious beliefs to satisfy those beliefs of the teacher)? That could have been a recipe for a major conflict and possibly a lawsuit. I really like the idea of using this a way to learn more about her religion as well as other cultural beliefs. I am personally very big on learning about other cultures and I think this could have turned into a great class assignment.
  Posted on: May 28, 2014 12:02 am

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Solution 67
Posted May 23, 2013 8:33 pm

L. Carrell
L. Carrell
Reps: 63
Though the teacher has known the student for two years, it sounds like there is still more to know about this student. If a student has a religious belief about activities that will be required for the class to do, then the parents do need to notify the teacher of these concerns/issues. I think the teacher should call a parent meeting to discuss the matter and maybe they could come up with a compromise about working with the male students. However, if the parents are reluctant to meet with the teacher to explain the issue, the teacher could at least be a little lenient and not group this student with the majority being males in her group.
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Solution 68
Posted May 23, 2013 11:48 pm

Love Joy
Love Joy
Reps: 80
Being that Aisha just brought this up to you, I would state to her that groups have already been assigned for this topic and if she could be considerate and understand that to make a change immediately would disrupt your entire class. I would state to her that I would have to set up a meeting with her parents and the counselor to discuss a plan of action regarding groupwork. In the meeting, I would discuss the reasoning behind groups and explain that this is not only preparing Aisha for classwork, but it is also preparing her for the world of work because she will have to work with males in society as well. If they parents and the counselor come to an agreement that does not allow her to work in groups with males, then I would make the necessary changes as needed once this has been established.
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Kelly Jackson
Kelly Jackson
Reps: 103
I agree that she is going to have contact with males once she gets outside of school but I don't think she should be force to go against the culture that she was raised with. A parent/teacher/student conference is needed to really understand the degree of this action.
  Posted on: May 25, 2013 4:02 pm

Love Joy
Love Joy
Reps: 80
You are correct. That's just like making her do pledge of allegiance to the flag if she is raised in a religion that you do not make a God out of anything and do not pledge allegiance to anything. I once was in class with 2 cousins who were from the Holiness denomination. Pledging allegiance to the flag was making a God out of the flag and they were dismissed from this activity daily.
  Posted on: May 26, 2013 5:42 pm

maTepe
maTepe
Reps: 22
After viewing your post, I realized that their are always other ways to look at a situation. I understand that Aisha needs to realize that there will be times in her life that she will have to work with males especially if she goes to work. I also think that as Aisha and her family become a part of our culture that they will understand that they may have to compromise in order to be successful.
  Posted on: June 28, 2013 10:55 am

ezasyp
ezasyp
Reps: 107
I like the fact that you stated you would set up a meeting with the parents and the counselor to discuss a plan of action. Maybe before teachers begin assigning projects we should take the time to get to know our students (especially religious backgrounds like this) so plans can already be established before group projects or any other assignment is assigned.
  Posted on: August 27, 2014 1:04 pm

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Solution 69
Posted May 25, 2013 1:07 pm

VyQaqu
VyQaqu
Reps: 71
It is a fact that in the United States there will be a time where Aisha will more than likely work with men, so to let her continuously work with females throughout the course would be a disservice to her. The role of a teacher is not limited to content. The teacher also takes on the role of preparing that student for realistic life issues that will arise. I believe that the teacher should contact the parents first with the aid of her administrator or counselor. This should take place so that this is not a confrontation on which beliefs are correct or not, rather coming to an understanding of the parent's requests and the teacher's as well. There needs to be an understanding of what is appropriate for Aisha deemed by her parents and teacher. If the parents and teacher come to the decision that she will not be working with male students, it should be documented and referred to by the teacher for the remainder of the school year.

If the parents and teacher come to the conclusion that Aisha should work with male students, there are some things that the teacher could do to ease her into that transition. It will not be a quick transition if she has never felt comfortable working with male students. I believe that the teacher could have the students participate in whole group conversations where each student is expected to respond to a question or prompt. This way, Aisha will be discussing the ideas of everyone instead of focusing on the fact that she is working with female students and male students. Slowly, the teacher could begin to have Aisha work with females and males in different scenarios so that she can open up to the idea of working with the male students in the class.
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Kelly Jackson
Kelly Jackson
Reps: 103
I really like your response. It seems to be the correct avenues administratively and for the student. She will have to gain experience with working with males but to throw her into a male dominated group is sure to shut her down competely, which we saw in this example. There has to be a compromise that is made between the parent, student, and school in order for collaborative learning to take place for this student.
  Posted on: May 25, 2013 4:06 pm

Jessica Briley
Jessica Briley
Reps: 109
I enjoyed reading your response. I didn't consider that Aisha would eventually have to work with males at some point in her life. Why wasn't I thinking that? I think Aisha should be taught the culture of America so she can begin to ease into it. This is definitely something that needs to be discussed with her parents and teacher and possibly a counselor. I think everyone can respect her religion and Aisha can try to respect the demands of a classroom in America.
  Posted on: August 29, 2013 2:18 pm

TuVuze
TuVuze
Reps: 99
I don't necessarily think that Aisha working with an all-female group will be a disservice to her. After all, just because all of the members of the group are female, does not mean that they do not have different ideas, viewpoints, interests, and strengths and weaknesses. I do feel that at some point Aisha will be required to interact with her male counterparts in life. Therefore, a conference with the school counselor, Aisha's teacher, as well as Aisha and her parents, would be beneficial in helping her to ease into the transition of being able to interact with males without violating her religious beliefs.
  Posted on: September 15, 2013 1:35 pm

Megan Teague
Megan Teague
Reps: 55
I am not sure that it would be a disservice to her, putting her in a group of all women, but as the teacher you also have to think about the other students. What if the other girls in her group want to work with their male classmates? Do you deny their requests because of Aisha's religious beliefs?
  Posted on: May 25, 2014 5:10 am

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Solution 70
Posted May 25, 2013 3:41 pm

Kelly Jackson
Kelly Jackson
Reps: 103
Religious beliefs can lie in the heart and soul of a culture. This is a value that is instilled into the student and I do not believe it is fair to ask her to go against her values. Although it is important to learn to collaborate with people from all backgrounds and understand the basis of other cultures I think this is something that can be compromised. This student can be placed in groups with majority females to increase her comfort and willingness to cooperate. Parents most definitely should be involved in this decision. A parent/teacher/student conference should be held to reach a compromise that all parties are happy with.
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gyjyjy
gyjyjy
Reps: 71
I do not feel that we should try to change her religion in any way at all, because I also feel strongly about ones religion being respected. However I feel that there should be some written documentation on the student and that the school should hold a meeting a the start of each year with the child's teachers and parents to make set goals, expectations, and accommodations that will be given to the student in her classes for the year. If the parents agree to the terms set and sign, then the are written records as to what is expected of the student in her classes and what is expected of the teachers to follow.
  Posted on: May 26, 2013 4:57 pm

maTepe
maTepe
Reps: 22
I agree that her religious beliefs should not be compromised and that there were other solutions to the problem. I think that we have to honor and respect others beliefs. I also believe that a teacher/parent/student conference for more information is step to a solution in order to determine if the student is truly not doing the work for the reasons she stated.
  Posted on: June 28, 2013 10:49 am

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Solution 71
Posted May 25, 2013 10:11 pm

Kyle Chambers
Kyle Chambers
Reps: 68
I would begin by meeting Aisha personally before or after class. I would ask her to explain her fears or concerns with working with males in the classroom. I would also ask her how I could accommodation her wishes without changing groups. I ultimately think that if this issue arose in my classroom I would put her in a group with maybe three other girls and one male to see how she responded. It might simply be a factor of getting acclimated working and sharing ideas with males. It is important to provide a comfortable environment to learn. I do not believe that making her comfortable by pairing her with other females is a disservice by any means. I would find a way for her to slowly become acclimated to interacting with males.
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HaBuMu
HaBuMu
Reps: 52
I agree with the fact that you said pairing her with just girls is not a disservice but allowing maybe just one male in the group with time would allow her to adjust to the idea that males are going to be involved in most aspects of life in this society. Maybe she just needs practice with the idea of sharing ideas with males like you suggested.
  Posted on: September 7, 2014 11:04 pm

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Solution 72
Posted June 28, 2013 7:24 am

CI-GSU
CI-GSU
Reps: 39
This is very interesting with possibly many solutions that can be positive. I feel that having a conference with the parents would help shed light on any situations that may be unknown. I also feel that patience can be very pertinent. Although, collaborative efforts are desired-often times when one feels forced then the entire effort fails sadly.
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Solution 73
Posted June 28, 2013 10:42 am

aTejyh
aTejyh
Reps: 22
I think that the teacher needs to first think about whether Aisha can meet the expectations of the assignment in a group of females. If so, I feel that the teacher should reconsider his/her original position on this issue. I feel that respect is very important when teaching migrant students However, I think the educator should involve the parents and make them aware that in the future this could possibly interfere with meeting goals in assignments in school or even in the work place. For this particular assignment it may not matter how the groups are arranged. If this is the case the educator should put his/her feelings aside and help Aisha succeed at this assignment.
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BeWuXe
BeWuXe
Reps: 117
I did not think to consider whether working in an all female group would actually affect the assignment. If the actual assignment doesn't require a co-ed small group, then working in an all female group should not make a difference. However, there will come a time when Aisha will have to work with males. Therefore, at some point, this issue will need to be addressed.
  Posted on: September 1, 2013 6:57 pm

Tracy C
Tracy C
Reps: 104
Your comments provoke a clear cut question: What was the goal of the assignment? It certainly was not about how well we can get along with the opposite sex. The goals were to demonstrate cooperation, exchange of ideas, and to collaborate to produce a final product. Therefore, if Aisha can successfully achieve these same goals in an all female group, then why not allow her to do so. I firmly believe that teaching is about making the learning environment accessible to all learners - to disregard Aisha's religious beliefs for the sake of our teaching practices employed through our own cultural frames of reference is clearly limiting her ability to be successful in the learning environment.
  Posted on: September 2, 2013 8:59 pm

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Solution 74
Posted June 30, 2013 9:43 pm

Kris Peebles
Kris Peebles
Reps: 58
I think that students should always feel welcome to voice their opinions. In this case, Aisha has come forth and explained her reasoning for not wanting to be in a group with boys. Furthermore, she has a valid point--she rests her premise on religious reasons. Therefore, the teacher must be willing to hear her out.
Scheduling a meeting with the parents and administration would also be a pro-active decision to make. This would allow clear communication between everyone in order to precisely understand the situation from all angles. This meeting would also be a great way for school personnel to better understand the student's culture and background while bridging an alliance between home and school.
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Meredith Bryant
Meredith Bryant
Reps: 106
I definitely agree with you...every student has a voice in the classroom. For Aisha to come forth and express hers is a tremendous task and responsibility for us teachers. I think that as a teacher, you could also use Aisha as an example for showing her voice, upholding her cultural beliefs, and teaching your students about other cultures and what their responsibility is as a soon-to-be adult for being a culturally sensitive member of society. Including parents and administration is always the way to go too...you are always covered when you have thorough communication with ALL parties involved!
  Posted on: September 4, 2013 4:20 pm

LaChristen Boyd
LaChristen Boyd
Reps: 68
Yes it would definitely bridge the alliance between home and school and let the parents know that the administration and teachers truly care about their daughter and want what's best for her.
  Posted on: May 24, 2014 7:22 pm

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Solution 75
Posted July 1, 2013 2:11 pm

Mallory Kirkland
Mallory Kirkland
Reps: 26
Although Aisha might work with men throughout her life in the future, her religious beliefs might sway her to choose a profession or situations in life where she can avoid this. Therefore, pushing our beliefs onto Aisha is not only unfair, it is minimizing the importance of the values her religion has placed in her life. It is not fair for Aisha to not have the chance to participate in the class just because she is following the norms of her religion.
The first thing I would do is put Aisha in a group of girls for the time being. Then, I would contact Aisha's parents and discuss the situation. I would ask them their thoughts on Aisha working with men, and if I felt like they were open, I would give them my reasons as to why I felt she should work in mixed groups. However, I also do not think giving parenting advice is best, especially concerning religion, so if I felt like Aisha's parents were very close-minded about the situation, I would prefer to do what is best for them.
As Aisha grows up, she will learn if she wants to continue in the religion set before her, and she will learn to work with others.
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Kimberly Stuckey
Kimberly Stuckey
Reps: 18
I agree with your short-term solution to accommodate Aisha and allow her to work with a group of girls initially. Like you, I would contact her parents to verify and understand the specifics of her beliefs and how it relates to the male species. Further, I too would offer my reasons/explanations/benefits to mixed, collaborative groups. Together, we would compromise and create an individual plan for Aisha to succeed in the classroom. As others have pointed out, Aisha is described as both responsible and smart. Therefore, her intention is not to elude the assignments, but to honor her religious beliefs. I believe it is important to respect and embrace our students' differences.
  Posted on: July 1, 2013 8:25 pm

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Solution 76
Posted July 2, 2013 2:58 pm

Emily Wood
Emily Wood
Reps: 19
Aisha, obviously is a smart and intelligent person who works hard for the grades in which she makes. Because of her willingness to succeed, I would seek clarification of her religion and get to the initial problem of working with male students. Once clarification and understanding is obtained, I would then move Aisha to a different group. This group would be a group of females. Students come from many walks of life, have different cultural backgrounds, as well as different religious beliefs. As educators, we should create groups and a classroom setting that encourages learning. In order for Aisha to succeed she needs to be placed in a different group.
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Virginia Erbele
Virginia Erbele
Reps: 25
I really liked the way you looked at this. As teachers, our ultimate goal is student success. Aisha clearly wants to be successful in school, but has also made it clear that her success in school is not as important as her beliefs. Working in a group with males obviously impedes her learning and success in school. I agree that seeking clarification is important and that creating a least restrictive environment for this student would include placing Aisha in a different, all female group.
  Posted on: July 3, 2013 7:18 am

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Solution 77
Posted July 2, 2013 11:34 pm

CI-GSU
CI-GSU
Reps: 39
I feel that this situation is unique and shouldn't be forced upon a student. I feel that religous beliefs are pertinent and although the teacher may not know the religion -it is time to do some research. Aisha clearly has some differences with group work and possibly some barriers. Therefore, I feel that getting the parents involved and keeping them involved will help rectify the situation and hopefully bring some comfort. Understanding the situation is key along with doing the appropriate research, speaking with Aisha about the importance of class collaboration/group work and getting her input fully. Maybe accommodating her until further research, parent involvement and student input is evident and sort through could be the best steps in this specific situation.
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Solution 78
Posted July 3, 2013 6:56 am

Virginia Erbele
Virginia Erbele
Reps: 25
That's tough. Living in the United States, Aisha will most likely have to work cooperatively with males on a somewhat regular basis and will need to develop some skills to be able to do so. It is also likely that future teachers will require her to be in groups with mixed gender. However, I think it is also important to get to know more about her religious beliefs and why her religion discourages working with males in this fashion. It's important that she feel that her beliefs are respected and that they matter to you as a teacher in order to let her know that what's important to her is also important to you since you care about her success. She obviously values her religion strongly. Since religion is accommodated for in other students regarding their excuse from school on holidays and no Jewish student would be forced to eat something that isn't Kosher, forcing her to work in the male/female groups may send a strong message that her religion is not important enough to accommodate. Honestly, I might consider approaching her parents for some insight regarding what to do. The counselor may also be able to offer some advice. In the meantime, I'd place her in an all-girls group so she can be successful until you reach a solution.
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Solution 79
Posted August 27, 2013 10:23 pm

upyNuX
upyNuX
Reps: 100
If the goal of the group projects is truly for students "to learn to cooperate, exchange ideas, and produce the project together" then there is no reason she shouldn't be allowed to work in a group of all girls. She can still work cooperatively, exchange ideas, and produce a project with an all female group. By putting her in a mixed group you are asking her to choose between what she believes to be right and making a good grade. She has shown that she chooses to do what she believes is right by not participating in her mixed group.
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Tracy C
Tracy C
Reps: 104
I certainly agree with your comments; not only would Aisha be questioning her cultural identity/ethnic background, I do believe that the teacher's decision to ignore Aisha's religious beliefs has damaged their relationship. I am quite sure she probably walked away feeling as though she was never really valued or respected as an individual that mattered in the learning environment.
  Posted on: September 2, 2013 8:23 pm

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Solution 80
Posted August 29, 2013 2:21 pm

Jessica Briley
Jessica Briley
Reps: 109
I think for the initial class the teacher could possibly create groups that are all boys or all girls. This way the others won't be wondering why there is just one group of all girls and the other groups are mixed up. I feel like this is something highschoolers would actually notice. I think the teacher should try to have a meeting with the parents and Aisha in order to confirm these religious beliefs. Once they are confirmed I would ask the parents if Aisha could possibly learn to work with males in the classroom, because, as someone else has already mentioned, it won't be the last time she is asked to do so. Eventually this could be a disservice to her if she plans to stay in America. I think Aisha needs to learn that men and women can and do work together in America.
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Tracy C
Tracy C
Reps: 104
First, I like your suggestion of arranging a conference with Aisha and her parents to validate Aisha's claims regarding working with male students; parent involvement is key. On the other hand, I disagree that it would be a disservice to always give Aisha the choice of working with male students. If America is truly the land of the "Free", then our students should be given choices. I would suggest that we educate Aisha about the dominant culture that exist in the American workforce (working alongside a male employee), but we give her the freedom to choose while in school; in the real world, it would still be a her choice to accept a position that requires working alongside a male.
  Posted on: September 2, 2013 8:47 pm

Chelsea Abbott
Chelsea Abbott
Reps: 112
I think that parent involvement with Aisha's request should be taken into consideration. I do feel as f Aisha's wishes should be granted due to the goal of the assignment: to work well with others and complete a final task. Even though she only wanted to work in a group with girls, I think that she should be able to do so. In the end, she should be able to complete the goals of the assignment.
  Posted on: August 27, 2015 10:20 pm

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Solution 81
Posted August 31, 2013 10:05 am

A Battles
A Battles
Reps: 115
Since she did not participate in the group with male students I would try and find out more about her religious beliefs. Preferably from the parents and Aisha herself to better understand the situation instead of a Google search. If it is a serious part of her religion, not just a way to get out of completing her work, then I would allow her to work in an all girl group. I would communicate with her about real world scenarios and how she will most likely be forced to work with men when she enters the work force. Then try to switch out one female with a male student and see if she will work in a mostly female dominant group. So as a recap I would be courteous about her religious beliefs but try to help her see how in the future it may be inevitable to work with males. Then see if she'd be open to gradually working with male students.
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Jordan Nelms
Jordan Nelms
Reps: 104
I too would allow her to participate in an all girl group if the preference was truly from religious beliefs. This would build trust and respect between her and the teacher.
  Posted on: September 7, 2014 12:58 am

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Solution 82
Posted August 31, 2013 10:05 am

A Battles
A Battles
Reps: 115
Since she did not participate in the group with male students I would try and find out more about her religious beliefs. Preferably from the parents and Aisha herself to better understand the situation instead of a Google search. If it is a serious part of her religion, not just a way to get out of completing her work, then I would allow her to work in an all girl group. I would communicate with her about real world scenarios and how she will most likely be forced to work with men when she enters the work force. Then try to switch out one female with a male student and see if she will work in a mostly female dominant group. So as a recap I would be courteous about her religious beliefs but try to help her see how in the future it may be inevitable to work with males. Then see if she'd be open to gradually working with male students.
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Rachel Walker
Rachel Walker
Reps: 60
I agree completely with your response. I think that speaking with Aisha about how the rest of her education and professional life with be conducted with both males and females is important. During the explanation though it would be important to explain to her as well that you aren't discounted her or her religious beliefs. It would be tricky thing to handle, but I think that handling it with the parents as well as the student could help.
  Posted on: May 21, 2014 9:43 pm

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Solution 83
Posted August 31, 2013 10:25 am

Hope Crosby
Hope Crosby
Reps: 122
I feel that students' religious beliefs need to be respected. If she does not feel comfortable working with males due to religion, then I don't feel she should be required to. There are certain religions in which females only wear skirts/dresses. These females would not be required to wear shorts/pants in P.E. classes due to their religious beliefs, so Aisha should not be required to work with males if it goes against her beliefs or her family's. I do understand that you might feel you are doing her a disservice, but at this stage of her life, she is only 15-16 years of age and should be taught to ‘rebel' against her family and their culture.
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Stormye Brantley
Stormye Brantley
Reps: 121
I agree that having her go against her religion would be wrong. The teacher should possibly learn more about Aisha's religion so he better understands her reservations and reluctance to work with males.
  Posted on: September 7, 2013 11:38 am

Josh Oglesby
Josh Oglesby
Reps: 69
I also agree that having her go against her religion is wrong. An analogy would be to try and coerce an animal to leave their usual watering hole to go water elsewhere. The animal would not comply or even consider moving elsewhere due to its comfort level at its currents pot. Aisha has been born and raised in a culture that believes certain things about the interaction of boys and girls. To ask them to do anything different will merely confuse and undermine the beliefs that her life has been founded upon since her birth.
  Posted on: May 22, 2014 4:23 pm

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Solution 84
Posted August 31, 2013 10:26 am

Hope Crosby
Hope Crosby
Reps: 122
I feel that students' religious beliefs need to be respected. If she does not feel comfortable working with males due to religion, then I don't feel she should be required to. There are certain religions in which females only wear skirts/dresses. These females would not be required to wear shorts/pants in P.E. classes due to their religious beliefs, so Aisha should not be required to work with males if it goes against her beliefs or her family's. I do understand that you might feel you are doing her a disservice, but at this stage of her life, she is only 15-16 years of age and should be taught to ‘rebel' against her family and their culture.
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Solution 85
Posted September 2, 2013 7:32 pm

uWaSuT
uWaSuT
Reps: 11
I think you should accommodate her by having her work with all girls; especially, since you know her to be a smart and responsible student. The way you view the world is not her religion view of the world. You cannot expect her to go against what her religion and family has taught her. And what she knows to be true to her. To me, you are telling Aisha that what she believes doesn't matter. And the only way to learn is if she does it your way. If your goal is to simply teach the students to cooperate, then what does it matter if she is in a group with all girls? The education system has mandate teachers to make accommodations for all types of learners here and there over the years to insure that all students succeed in learning. Why should Aisha case be any different from those students?
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Kaitlin Stringer
Kaitlin Stringer
Reps: 116
I disagree with your statement that she is learning to cooperate. In school, students are taught to work and cooperate with several different types of people. Sometimes we see a problem with students working with different races, but learning to work with another gender is just as important. Since Aisha has been in the states for a while now, surely she has become accustomed to how group work and cooperation occur in the schools. I think it would be a better idea to place Aisha in a group with mostly females where she is able to feel like the majority. This way, she will still be cooperating with a group but might also have a better chance to work with a male as well.
  Posted on: May 19, 2015 8:28 pm

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Solution 86
Posted September 4, 2013 9:11 pm

yZaveh
yZaveh
Reps: 109
I think that respecting her religious beliefs is very important here; it's what our country is founded on and should be made a priority. However, there is no way to avoid interacting with males in a co-ed school setting, so it's something that she'll need to becoming accustomed to as a high school student. I don't think it's necessarily doing her a disservice not placing her in groups with males because she will be forced to have other interactions with them on a daily classroom by just being present in a co-ed classroom. The best possible solution that respects her as a cultural being is to allow her to be in a group with only females. As a teacher you are not necessarily responsible for making sure she exposes herself to American culture, you can only do your best at teaching your content area and helping her be successful in the subject area.
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Solution 87
Posted September 4, 2013 10:46 pm

udydyV
udydyV
Reps: 108
We all know that schools are as political and legal as they are educational. I believe in this situation Aisha has case history on her side where courts have ruled that a person's religious beliefs cannot be infringed upon. This particular scenario is a mole hill that could easily turn into a mountain. I would honor her religious beliefs and have her work with all girls. There is no need to bring unnecessary legal attention to yourself for a problem that is easily fixed.
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yXeBeX
yXeBeX
Reps: 114
I totally agree. Many times the struggle to make people conform is not worth the fight. You are right that the law is on her side. The bottom line is that our country is based on individual freedoms which is why many risk their lives to come here.
  Posted on: September 5, 2014 10:32 pm

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Solution 88
Posted September 5, 2013 4:35 pm

jaMyDu
jaMyDu
Reps: 119
I believe that you should allow Aisha to share with the class what is unique about her culture. I would encourage the teacher to learn about Aisha's culture independently so that he can better instruct her within the classroom without running into to similar problems in the future. Allow Aisha to explain why her culture only permits her to work with other females and create a classroom of understanding so that the other students do not think that she is receiving preferential treatment. In working with Aisha, I would also try to teach her about what is deemed culturally acceptable here in the United States. Aisha needs to feel like her religious beliefs, culture, and ideals are being respected. At the same time, I believe that she needs to understand that refusing to work in a group because of the gender may also create some tension among her classmates. So it is vital that Aisha be afforded the opportunity to self-advocate about her culture and religious beliefs.
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HaBuMu
HaBuMu
Reps: 52
I like the idea of allowing Aisha to explain her culture to the class so that the students know how she feels. Hopefully this leads to a better understanding in the differences of others as well as non-judgmental treatment. Researching her religion and having an understanding her beliefs is something that I would do before meeting with her so that I can make her feel like I respect her beliefs but also want to look out for her when I inform her of the possibilities and probabilities for her future interaction with males in this society.
  Posted on: September 7, 2014 11:08 pm

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Solution 89
Posted September 6, 2013 10:52 pm

Emily West
Emily West
Reps: 102
This is an interesting situation. As a teacher you want to take into account the cultural believes and views of Aishsa. I think that allowing her to work in a girl groups would be okay. But it could also affect how the other students are allowed to work with all of their peers on different group assignments. I feel that Aishsa will encounter many of these same situations in the future and different teachers may feel differently about this. I think that discussing the situation with her family could be beneficial. Maybe they might be more open minded and aware that allowing her to work with all different students (make and female) will actually benefit her in her future social interactions.
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Solution 90
Posted May 21, 2014 12:07 am

LeeAnna Elder
LeeAnna Elder
Reps: 75
I would be respectful of Aisha's religion and allow her to work in all female groups. However, I would have her provide me with a more detailed explanation based on her religion as to why she cannot work in groups with males. I would also encourage her to explain to me the cultural impact this would have on her and her family if she were to work in a group with males. Sometimes certain actions or social involvements can have detrimental consequences on an individual and their family. I would also personally do my own research of Aisha's religion to gain a better knowledge which may be beneficial to Aisha in future requirements of her in the classroom. In the end I want Aisha to meet and or exceed the standards taught in my U.S. History class. If I am placing her in groups where she is unproductive, I am doing Aisha and myself an injustice.
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Laura Toft
Laura Toft
Reps: 71
Since Aisha has been in the States for two years now I'm surprised that she is still taken aback by working with boys at all, but I agree that speaking with her is very important. I would be interested in finding out more information about her religion as well.
  Posted on: May 22, 2014 2:27 am

Caley Copeland
Caley Copeland
Reps: 69
I think that is a good idea to explore Aisha's cultural background and get a sense of why she feels the way she does. Understanding where a student comes from and the reasons behind their actions can prevent many misunderstandings, and produce a more efficient line of communication between the student and teacher.
  Posted on: May 22, 2014 2:40 am

Susan Esra
Susan Esra
Reps: 68
I agree that it does the biggest injustice to Aisha in the short term to put her in a group that she feels she cannot work in. I think further dialogue with Aisha, and her parents if they are willing, would be most beneficial. It is insensitive to refuse to dialogue and to refuse to consider her beliefs.
  Posted on: May 25, 2014 6:50 pm

Krissy Chance-Bailey
Krissy Chance-Bailey
Reps: 65
Although Ashia has been in the United States for two years I do not think that her faith which is instilled in her since birth she will ever be comfortable with the American ways of life, even in the classroom.
  Posted on: June 12, 2014 11:59 am

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Solution 91
Posted May 21, 2014 2:25 am

Susan Esra
Susan Esra
Reps: 68
This situation is very tricky. To diminish a person's beliefs, especially when they are related to religion, can be extremely damaging, and will never build trust between the student and teacher. I would plan to speak with Aisha in a conference, possibly with the counselor and/or her parents present as well, to determine why exactly she feels the way that she does. If this separation from males is something that she intends to continue throughout her life somehow (which will be difficult living in the U.S.), then maybe it will not harm her emotional and social growth to allow her to only interact with females. I would definitely want the input of parents or the counselor on this issue. Also, I would talk to some of her other teachers to see if this issue has come up in their classes as well. This situation really makes me think that something else is going on with Aisha that she may need to discuss with the counselor, especially if her parents don't share her beliefs or this is a new development. At no time would I pass any judgment on her belief, but instead ask nonjudgmental questions to seek to understand.
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Michael Herndon
Michael Herndon
Reps: 68
Susan, I would also approach this situation as an open communication between Aisha and her parents and try to find out what is the root of the situation and see if a compromise could be reached. If not, I would respect the parent's religious beliefs and allow Aisha to work only with females. If it is because of religious purposes, I do not think there are deeper issues.
  Posted on: May 22, 2014 6:43 pm

Hannah Nabors
Hannah Nabors
Reps: 68
Susan,
I agree with the need for communication and lots of it. I like your idea of speaking with Aisha's fellow teachers to determine how they handle the issue. Considering her future, you're right, it will be very difficult for her to interact with a female only population. I'd like to think that Aisha's words are truth, however you can't be sure. Speaking with her parents and other teachers will allow you to be more certain of her intentions and possible ulterior motives.
  Posted on: May 24, 2014 6:56 pm

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Solution 92
Posted May 21, 2014 10:59 pm

Caley Copeland
Caley Copeland
Reps: 69
I see both sides of the situation. On one hand, she is going to have to adjust now that she is in America. However, on the other hand just throwing her in a group with all boys would be insensitive. I would suggest a compromise. I would pull Aisha aside and explain to her why you feel it is important for her to be challenged and pushed outside of her comfort zone. Tell her all of the things she could learn as a result of trying new experiences, and that new experiences help us grow and become better individuals. I would then tell Aisha that in the beginning, there will be only one male member in her group. Next, let Aisha pick the male student she wished to work with. As time goes on, you could add more boys to the mix to allow her to become comfortable with everyone in the class.
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Laura Toft
Laura Toft
Reps: 71
I think your approach is very good. Being in the middle and supporting the student while also standing your ground is important and also encouraging. It's important for students to be pushed academically at school, but not pushed emotionally/spiritually. I would do my best to accommodate Aisha's needs, but I would need more information on her religious beliefs to support the cause as well.
  Posted on: May 22, 2014 2:29 am

aBugeS
aBugeS
Reps: 77
I like your approach and it may work in helping the student feel more comfortable working with make students. It is important to understand as a teacher that students have very strong beliefs when it comes to religion and even an incremental change may make the student feel uncomfortable
  Posted on: May 26, 2014 1:15 am

aHeRaL
aHeRaL
Reps: 112
I feel this is a good solution, only if Aisha is comfortable with the situation. In this particular case, I do not see that accommodating her would create much of a problem and would only create more issues if you tried to force her into working with males. If she is not agreeable to the solution, I do not see how anyone comes out of the situation as a winner, whether it be the teacher, the other students in the group, or Aisha.
  Posted on: August 30, 2014 8:13 pm

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Solution 93
Posted May 22, 2014 2:42 am

Amy Fletcher
Amy Fletcher
Reps: 67
I think that as teachers it is important to consider student cultures and beliefs before assigning projects so that you are aware of things that may affect the student's performance. With knowing Aisha's culture then you should not allow her to work with boys since it is against her religious beliefs. Allowing her to work with only girls should be acceptable and should not have any bearing on her grade on the assignment. It shouldn't matter who she works with as long as she completes the assigned task for the project.
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Solution 94
Posted May 22, 2014 4:19 pm

Josh Oglesby
Josh Oglesby
Reps: 69
I feel that sticking by the original statement of how things are done in America will not only cause issues with Aisha, but also with the partners in here group as well. Surely they know that she does not want to work with boys and may take either the "high road" or a road straight through a mud puddle. In taking the high road, the other group members may only look at Aisha in a negative light due to their being concerned with their own grade and the added workload upon their backs due to her unwillingness to participate. If the kids are not mean spirited they will suffer in silence. If the kids desire to take the dirt road then Aisha could be the target of taunts and other malicious acts that young students are more than capable of producing when they find a target, so to speak. By requiring Aisha to work in this group I feel that she will be forced into a situation that will remove her from a positive learning environment and one that goes directly against her cultural beliefs. As a result, her learning will suffer and her educational experience will be much less than if she were in an environment that "respected" her cultural values and beliefs.
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Solution 95
Posted May 23, 2014 12:14 am

wendy burns
wendy burns
Reps: 80
When reflecting on this situation, one possible solution is to have Aisha work with a group of female students to help her feel more comfortable while she is working on this project. It is obvious she feels strongly about her religious beliefs and she has shut down and refused to do the work because of her feelings about working with male students. If the objective is to help her learn to cooperate, exchange ideas, and produce a project, she is not learning in the current group she is with. In my classroom, I would give her the opportunity to work with an all female group, but I would also encourage her to think about how cultures other than her own interact with each other as they work collaboratively. I might also choose to adapt the assignment for her and have her write a reflection about observing a group of males and females as they work on the project. This way, she is not a part of the group, but she is watching their interaction and taking notes about what she sees them doing. Eventually, she may come to understand that it's ok to work groups with males and females.
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Kim Lucas
Kim Lucas
Reps: 107
Excellent ideas! I really like your idea of adapting her lesson to include observing other groups and writing her observations down. I also agree with letting her work within an all girls group until more information can be gathered.
  Posted on: September 6, 2014 7:07 pm

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Solution 96
Posted May 24, 2014 7:15 pm

Tiffany Parker
Tiffany Parker
Reps: 69
I think it is important for the teacher to respect Aisha's religious views and make accommodations to meet those views. However, I do think it would be a great idea to have a conference with her family. In this conference, it would be very important to explain the cultural differences and see if they can make any exceptions. I think it is important to respect her beliefs; however, it will be very hard for her to avoid working in collaboration groups with males her entire life.
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Kristen Eason
Kristen Eason
Reps: 57
I agree! I feel that it's important to value student's beliefs but some things can be accommodated for. I feel that this is doing more harm than good. Working with male students on a project shouldn't alter her personal beliefs in the long run. Setting up a parent conference is something that I would personal consider doing myself.
  Posted on: May 25, 2014 4:07 pm

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Solution 97
Posted May 24, 2014 7:18 pm

LaChristen Boyd
LaChristen Boyd
Reps: 68
I think you should honor her culture and view points and put her with only females. It doesn't matter if she works with only females, she still doing the assignment and learning from it. You are doing her a disservice by giving her zeros and not honoring her simple requirements.
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Tiffany Parker
Tiffany Parker
Reps: 69
I agree with honoring her cultural differences. It is extremely important that the teacher full respects her students and their cultural differences and beliefs.
  Posted on: May 24, 2014 7:43 pm

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Solution 98
Posted May 24, 2014 11:17 pm

Justin Redmond
Justin Redmond
Reps: 51
At some point in her life, Aisha is going to have to learn to work with males if she wants to continue living in the United States. However, placing her in a group with males is only hurting her learning potential. I think the best thing to do would be to start slow. Instead of placing her in a group with three males and one female, I would try putting her in a group with majority females. For example, maybe place her in a group with three females and one male. I would try to be smart about what male I placed in her group. If this is successful, you could try adding another male, but I would not push it too far. The most important thing is that our students learn, and if placing her with males is causing her learning to decline; then, it is not worth it.
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LeHyZa
LeHyZa
Reps: 107
This is a very valid point. Her education is the main goal and until a satisfactory solution can be thought of, it may be most wise to allow her to work with only females so that she is a willing participant.
  Posted on: August 30, 2014 7:02 pm

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Solution 99
Posted May 25, 2014 4:15 pm

Kristen Eason
Kristen Eason
Reps: 57
On the flip side, if the teacher has known Aisha for a long time then wouldn't you think he would know some of her personal beliefs? Therefore, if he had her in a class why would the teacher assign a project knowing this might cause a conflict. If the student is typically a well-behaved student, allow her to work alone or in a group of girls. I'm only making this statement because this past December I had a Jehovah witness student in my room. We celebrated "Christmas around the world" and her parents didn't want her to participate in the events. But one day my students were decorating bags so they could put their gifts in and I gave the student a bag to illustrate whatever she wanted on it only so she different feel left out or different because of her religious background.
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Ashley Smith
Ashley Smith
Reps: 107
I have had a similar experience with a student that was a Jehovah's Witness. The family supplied me with materials to inform me about their cultural beliefs. I worked very hard to be respectful of their wishes. The student was given alternative activities, as he was not allowed to participate in any holiday celebrations (birthday parties, Christmas parade, and Valentine card exchange). The student handled the situations very well, but I always felt disappointed that I had to leave him out of these fun opportunities. Towards the end of the year, I could see that the religious choices were enforced by the parents much more than the student's choice to practice the religion. I felt like he wanted to sing "Happy Birthday" to his friends and find eggs during our Easter celebration, but his parents made the choice for him not to participate. I think exposing students to the different cultures will help them make their own informed decision about the beliefs they would choose to uphold.
  Posted on: August 30, 2014 12:39 am

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Solution 100
Posted May 25, 2014 9:08 pm

Cierra` Barksdale
Cierra` Barksdale
Reps: 61
I would start by addressing Aisha directly and in privacy. I would attempt to obtain a general understanding of her culture and beliefs. I would also share my personal culture with her. My hope is to make the conversation personable so that she feels comfortable with sharing. I would explain to the student how I am not trying to impose my beliefs on her, but simply explain how we all have different cultures. I would allow the student to work in a group with all girls but also inform her how I want her to begin to work with mix groups. Starting off with just adding one boy into the group and over a period of time add more. I would contact her parents and notify them of the conversation between Aisha and I as well as the agreed upon plan of action.
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Solution 101
Posted May 26, 2014 3:24 am

Cardia Foster
Cardia Foster
Reps: 73
I think that Aisha should continue working in heterogenous groups, but I would gradually move her into that stage. I would let her work with girls, but eventually add boys. Being in the US it's important that she learns to work with people of any gender. With this solution I think that she will eventually work with boys.
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LeeAnna Elder
LeeAnna Elder
Reps: 75
You make a valid point. She needs to understand that in America, she will have to work or collaborate with males when she is in the work force. Unless she is not going to seek higher education or employment after high school.
  Posted on: June 12, 2014 6:02 pm

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Solution 102
Posted May 27, 2014 11:42 pm

Alisha Wesley-Moore
Alisha Wesley-Moore
Reps: 60
Yes, I think that more sensitivity should be shown towards Aisha's religious believes. Although she now lives in the United States, the First Amendment of the U.S Constitution entitles individuals to freedom of religion. If her religion restricts her from working closely with males, then that should be respected. It would be a disservice to make such decisions for her and not allow her to make the decision to work with males on her own. Perhaps informing her that she will ultimately have to work with males since she lives in the U.S would have been a better approach that making her choose between her grade and her religion. No one should be placed in that type of situation especially here in the U.S. where people are suppose to have freedom of choice.
Allow Aisha to make the choice of working with males. If she decides to follow her beliefs, grant her that opportunity to work with females. Allow her to make the decision to transition if she eventually decides to work with males.
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Myzusy
Myzusy
Reps: 113
You made a great point when you said no one should have to choose between making good grades and their religious beliefs.That would send the wrong message to the student that schools are against their religious views and would have a negative impact on the students entire academic future. If she went against her religion she would be endangering her religious identity. If she gets bad grades then she may not be eligible for scholarships, acceptance to colleges and potential employment. As a result the students long term socioeconomic success could be jeopardized. The teacher needs to find a better solution to enable the student to honor her religious views and complete assignments.
  Posted on: October 15, 2014 8:00 pm

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Solution 103
Posted June 12, 2014 1:53 pm

Krissy Chance-Bailey
Krissy Chance-Bailey
Reps: 65
I would suggest to either begin the day with a lesson about different cultures. Perhaps begin with asking where people are from, if they know who their ancestors are.... Allow each student who choices to be a part of the discussion to ask question and get the "rumor situation" under control. Many time this sort of issues will work it itself out. Student or friends of the girls will usually ask why they hold hands and the girls themselves will answer the questions. Setting up an open forum of discussion will air out any unclear information
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Solution 104
Posted June 12, 2014 2:04 pm

Krissy Chance-Bailey
Krissy Chance-Bailey
Reps: 65
Of course the teacher should accommodate the student. This is not a student being rebellious or trying to not corporate. This is about her beliefs and how she is her faith. Most times this would be a boyfriend girlfriend issue but this is about a students identity and culture. This is all she really has that she knows and to go against her wishes would be cruel. Providing the student with a female group is the right thing to do.
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Solution 105
Posted June 12, 2014 11:19 pm

Alicia Garcia
Alicia Garcia
Reps: 69
While I recognize some people may recommend that Aisha be pushed to assimilate and learn to work with both genders I believe that as Spring suggested, there may be increased pressure on girls to obey social norms especially when they come from a patriarchal culture or religion. If you try and force this young woman to go against her religious beliefs in order to cooperate in school you may cause her to shut down. If she feels she has to make a choice between her school and her church or family she may not choose school. It is our responsibility to prevent this situation from turning into an either or choice.
It is also important to remember that within the United States the constitution guarantees all people attending a public school to a right to religious freedom. If this request does truly stem from a religious belief the teacher has no legal choice but to accommodate her. It would be in both the teacher and student's best interest if the teacher were understanding and didn't create a schism between school values and religious values.
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Solution 106
Posted August 25, 2014 5:51 pm

zuPeQy
zuPeQy
Reps: 99
I feel that it is highly important to respect students' religious beliefs. It would be disrespectful to force her to work in a group with males when she has already stated that it is against her religion. This situation would make me want to do research on her religion and attempt to figure out the reasons behind her beliefs; it would give me insight and some understanding because it is not something I am familiar with. I would also consider if the roles were reversed. How would I feel if someone (an authority figure) was making me do something that was against my religious beliefs; I would feel disrespected because my religion was put down. If this were my classroom I would make the small groups gender specific. The students can still learn how to cooperate with others even when they are in a group with the same gender. I would also make it known that there will come when they must work and cooperate with people who are not of the same gender and they need to be open to that. Basically I would make it this way for my class but discuss with them that it will not always be that way. This would allow Aisha to ponder the thought and be made aware that she may have to work with others one day.
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Kayla Mullins
Kayla Mullins
Reps: 89
I agree that it would be important to research her religion. This might provide more insight to her beliefs and help you to better accommodate her beliefs. I think the goal of the activity is to just teach cooperation among students and should not be influenced by male or female. I do however think it would be important for her to understand that real world situations require interaction among all genders and groups. With all of this said she is interaction and cooperating on a daily basis with all students in the everyday classroom setting.
  Posted on: September 1, 2014 10:38 pm

Chelsea Abbott
Chelsea Abbott
Reps: 112
Doing research would be great to understand more about her culture and beliefs. Teachers have to be considerate of everyone's culture and religious beliefs that are in their classroom. After talking to the parents, as well, I think that the teacher should gain a better understanding of how the child was raised and why Aisha feels this way.
  Posted on: August 27, 2015 10:30 pm

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Solution 107
Posted August 26, 2014 3:22 pm

BazaNu
BazaNu
Reps: 89
I think a more reasonable solution would be to have her work with only female peers at first. Over time, include a male student in Aisha's group. Encourage her to interact with her male classmates, but it should not be forced. Praise, encouragement, and a positive experience will help Aisha far more than forcing her into a situation in which she is uncomfortable.
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yBySuL
yBySuL
Reps: 70
Religious beliefs within a family are concrete until the children grow into adults. As adults, they may make a different choice according to their life experiences and possible change of beliefs. As for Aisha, I don't think I would even try to later incorporate a male as her partner because her religious beliefs will still be the same.
  Posted on: May 24, 2015 5:17 pm

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Solution 108
Posted August 26, 2014 7:53 pm

ezasyp
ezasyp
Reps: 107
I view this situation two main ways. On one side I think it is important to keep in mind the religious beliefs of all of my students because that is a part of who they are as a person. On the other side I believe that all students should be exposed to different religious and cultural differences. In this situation I think I would take advantage of the learning opportunity in front of me. I would start with contacting the parents of the child to get the full details of what they do believe in regards to working with men. I would then ask the parents permission to expose her to other cultures within the classroom. I would then have my students divide themselves into groups according to different religious viewpoints and we would discuss why people choose to be grouped in this way. That way all of my students could understand the importance of learning about different cultural and religious backgrounds and why it is so important to respect these differences. From that point on I would be mindful of my student's religious beliefs and I would place her in a group of all female students.
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Ashley Smith
Ashley Smith
Reps: 107
I see both sides of the situation, like you. Each side has pros and cons when making this decision. I believe no one solution will solve the problems for everyone involved. I think Aisha should be motivated to work with students of other cultures, with permission from her family. Your idea of having students divide into different religious groups to discuss choices would be a great lesson on appreciating diverse cultures. In my opinion, as long as Aisha is working with other members productively in the classroom…she is meeting the needs of a group dynamic. Her social skills will develop by working with others, despite the gender or race of the group members.
  Posted on: August 30, 2014 12:28 am

GyJeWy
GyJeWy
Reps: 105
I can see both sides as well. I like that you would create a learning opportunity for all students because in my experience (the past couple of years) most don't know much, if anything, about other cultures.
  Posted on: September 2, 2014 10:28 pm

zaSyNu
zaSyNu
Reps: 58
I completely agree that we should be teaching all students about diversity and other cultures, and that goes for the students who have really protective religious believes. They too should be exposed to ideas of other religions and cultures.
  Posted on: September 12, 2014 3:08 am

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Solution 109
Posted August 29, 2014 5:50 pm

ePeHyM
ePeHyM
Reps: 105
You would not be doing her a disservice. If she chooses not to work with males now in group work then there is a possibility that she will not work with males in the future. It is unfair to assume that she will be working with or collaborating with males in the future just because this is the way that our culture (the culture of the United States) works. Just because she is in the United States does not mean that she has to reject the beliefs of her religion and appropriate the belief that you have of group work. She can work in all girl groups just fine and still learn to cooperate with other, exchange ideas, and produce a project with others. It is important that she be comfortable in the classroom and feel that her culture and beliefs are valuable. Speaking to her parents about the issue and learning more about her religious beliefs would be a good idea, as well as educating your class about different cultural norms. The students would play a big role of making her feel comfortable in the classroom depending on if they accept or reject her beliefs, therefore it is important that they be aware that different cultures have different values and norms.
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Kayla Mullins
Kayla Mullins
Reps: 89
I agree with you, that she should feel comfortable in her environment. If she is not comfortable and becomes distant in the classroom setting then you would be doing her a disservice. I think cooperation comes from interacting with any person (gender or personality).
  Posted on: September 1, 2014 10:41 pm

aQazuV
aQazuV
Reps: 105
I agree that she should not be forced to work with males just because this is what the professor thinks is the "norm" of society. What is normal in today's society? There are so many different cultures in America today that what was normal in the 50's or 60's is not necessarily normal today. I think that the professor should respect her wishes and allow to to work with all girls. The purpose of the assignment is to see if she can produce the desired work and she can show mastery of the skills no matter what gender her partners may be.
  Posted on: September 3, 2014 12:06 am

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Solution 110
Posted August 30, 2014 12:17 am

Ashley Smith
Ashley Smith
Reps: 107
I think the teacher should respect Aisha's religious beliefs, but motivate her to work outside her comfort zone. The teacher should have started letting Aisha work in a group that had only girls. At the same time, the teacher should communicate with the family of the student to learn more information about the specific practices that are enforced by the religion. The educator could ask the parents about the situation that is occurring in the classroom and he/she should research more about the student's beliefs that affect the cultural identity/perspective. If I were the teacher in the situation, I would begin adding males into the small group one at a time to see how Aisha responds to the changes. If she is able to productively work without being withdrawn, I would praise the student for transitioning into a bicultural frame of reference. If the student is silent and does not respond to the changes of the small group, I would allow her to work with other members of her gender to complete the group activity. As long as she is able to work with other students, her group identity is being developed.
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Solution 111
Posted August 30, 2014 7:19 pm

LeHyZa
LeHyZa
Reps: 107
I would suggest trying one or two more rounds of incorporating males into her group. Perhaps only have 1 male whom you feel would be the best fit and allow her to be more open. Ultimately accommodating her currently in the classroom setting seems most optimal for her to learn and be a willing participant. It may be helpful to Aisha also if the teacher explains to her that going forward in life most others don't hold her same religious beliefs and that some places may not be accommodating of her wishes to only work with females. Letting her know early on that her beliefs may cause challenges for her will let her know what to expect and how to prepare for those situations.
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Solution 112
Posted August 30, 2014 7:50 pm

aHeRaL
aHeRaL
Reps: 112
In regards to religious beliefs and issues, I tend to be quite sensitive. In Aisha's case, because I have the power in my classroom to make adjustments in regards to her situation, I would acquiesce to her request. I do not feel that anything good will come out of offending her religious sensibilities, especially since all she is asking is to not work with boys, which in the grand scheme of things is minor. However, this would be a good teaching opportunity to talk to her about the potential problems this may cause for her in the future with regards to other school activities or the work place as a part of living in the United States and interacting with US culture and customs.
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aheduX
aheduX
Reps: 112
I agree with you. If would be more of big "deal" if you said no to her than to allow her to only work with girls. I would let her work with females if she wished. Also, I would definitely take the time to talk to her about the injustice that she could create for herself by only working with females. Great post!
  Posted on: September 6, 2014 7:53 pm

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Solution 113
Posted September 1, 2014 10:33 pm

Kayla Mullins
Kayla Mullins
Reps: 89
I would have to say that the idea of the lesson is not to cooperate with male students but rather cooperate with students in general. I think if a student has a religious belief that will hinder their education then as a teacher you must find a way to accommodate them. By placing Aisha in a group of all girls she is still learning to cooperate with students in the class. She is also learning this by interacting with the students as a whole on a daily basis. Based on the simple idea that the students in the class are a mixture of male and female. She has made it this far into her education without having an issue (as far as we know). I think this issue she not hinder her education.

-Kayla Mullins
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Solution 114
Posted September 2, 2014 10:18 pm

GyJeWy
GyJeWy
Reps: 105
I would explain the advantages and the reasoning for the groups and if she was still reluctant I would contact her parents and see if they would be open to allowing her to participate in class group activities with male and female classmates. If not, I would honor her and her family's wishes. It's important that Aisha feels her religion is respected. This would also be a great way to introduce different religions and cultures to the class.
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aheduX
aheduX
Reps: 112
My thought are similar to yours. I would also talk with her parents about their beliefs. If this is true, then it would be no problem to let her only work with girls as you stated. If it was just a preference, I would talk to her about the injustice that she would be creating for herself. I would introduce one male in the group and see how she would react. If it is a positive reaction, I would praise her. If she reacted negatively about it, I would let her continue to work with females.
  Posted on: September 6, 2014 8:02 pm

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Solution 115
Posted September 2, 2014 11:25 pm

PyveDu
PyveDu
Reps: 101
After reading this case it is hard to conform to Aisha, as living in the United States we have to work with many people of different genders, races, religions, etc. It is how the United States continues to be multicultural. I currently teach Kindergarten and begin the year and continue the year in group settings. Students need to be able to work together because of the careers and the outside "world" we prepare them for. Life is also about choices. Seeing that I teach younger children I would give her a choice. This could also work with her. She needs to be able to work with students in some cases,but others she could/ and the rest of the class have a choice of who they would want to work with. This could also give them an increase in engagement in the activity at hand if they were able to choose.
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Solution 116
Posted September 3, 2014 12:19 am

aQazuV
aQazuV
Reps: 105
I think that as a teacher in today's society, you should definitely accommodate Aisha by having her work only with girls. I would begin by contacting her parents and assuring that it is a religious issue rather than a dislike for the opposite gender. From there, I feel it is the teacher's job to understand that each child in the classroom has their own cultural differences and it is our job to assure that we accommodate these differences so that students feel a sense of "home" in the classroom and feel comfortable to share their ideas and beliefs. Aisha working with all girls does not affect the outcome of the project. The goal is to assess if students can cooperate, exchange ideas, and produce a project in a team. It did not specify with a variety of people and/or cultures. I think that Aisha will feel more comfortable and willing to participate and perform her best if her religious beliefs are respected. Although Aisha may have to work with males later in life, this is something that she will have to confront when the time comes. I believe that as educators, it is our job to ensure that students develop a love of learning that will follow them throughout life. We can only do this if we show them we care about their cultural differences and allow them to stay true to themselves in the classroom.
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PyveDu
PyveDu
Reps: 101
I also agree with you to accommodate for her.
  Posted on: October 8, 2014 10:01 pm

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Solution 117
Posted September 4, 2014 4:34 pm

NyVyTy
NyVyTy
Reps: 90
The first thing I would do in this situation is perhaps call Aisha's parents to become a bit more informed on her religion. I would also explain to them that in the U.S., Aisha will have to work with others besides her own gender. I would also suggest asking them if they could lend a hand in helping Aisha to learn how to interact and work with males. If the parents do not comply, I would then allow Aisha to work with female students only, since she seems to be more comfortable and productive in that manner. If the parents are willing to lend a helping hand, then I would place Aisha in groups with males, but I would also still allow her to work with only female students from time to time. This way Aisha is still adjusting to the U.S. norms, but I am still upholding her religious beliefs as well.
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Solution 118
Posted September 4, 2014 9:21 pm

yXeBeX
yXeBeX
Reps: 114
Due to the fact that Aisha's stance is due to religious beliefs and not simply stubbornness, her wishes should be granted. People come to America for this very purpose, to believe and worship who they want to without fear of persecution. Requiring Aisha to do something that would go against her religious beliefs would be a huge disservice to her and go against the foundations of this country. To accommodate her beliefs, she should be grouped with females. Maybe further into the school year she will feel differently and possibly open up to more opportunities.
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Solution 119
Posted September 5, 2014 7:12 pm

Myzusy
Myzusy
Reps: 113
Aisha's religious and cultural beliefs should be respected by the teacher. In this case the teacher should learn more about Aisha's beliefs and why she can not work with boys. The teacher should then meet with Aisha, her parents and a school counselor to discuss the small group projects. The teacher should explain the assignment, reasoning for groupings and course curriculum objectives. Then the teacher should listen to Aisha and her parents perspective. Aisha's parents should be given the opportunity to enable their daughter to participate or not participate in groups with boys. It is essential that Aisha also be given a voice to help in the decision making process. As an active participant in the decision Aisha will feel more comfortable in completing the assignment and her learning will be better facilitated. If Aisha and her parents still feel that it is against their beliefs for her to participate in a group with boys then the teacher needs to accommodate her. The teacher can ask for assistance from the school counselor to create a grouping in the least restrictive environment. Aisha and her parents need to be made aware of what the accommodations are and why so that Aisha will feel comfortable in participating in group projects. Following the completion of the project with accommodations the teacher, counselor and family should meet again to determine if any additional accommodations are needed or if the procedures put in place met both academic and cultural needs.
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Solution 120
Posted September 6, 2014 6:59 pm

Kim Lucas
Kim Lucas
Reps: 107
It seems that most people agree that contacting the parents to further learn about their beliefs and the restrictions associated with them would be the first thing a teacher should do. I believe that having the ability to work and co exist with all genders, as well as other cultural differences is imperative in American culture. I am sure that if either/both parents work outside of their home, they have had to make adjustments as well. Discussing with them the available options, and then discussing how to best work within the guidelines of the project/classroom is a good first step.
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Solution 121
Posted September 6, 2014 9:08 pm

Jonathan Buys
Jonathan Buys
Reps: 42
I think forcing her to work with mostly males despite her objections is the wrong way to go. She not only refused to cooperate but now probably doesn't trust you as a teacher. I say this with having made a similar mistake in my first year of teaching by refusing to listen to a Jehovah's Witness student's objections to doing part of a project I assigned because of his beliefs. I think Aisha should be accommodated. Place her in a group with all girls or if this is difficult try to compromise and maybe limit the group to one or two boys, making it mostly girls. I would then want to talk with Aisha's parents in a conference to see if there is any way she would be able to work with males in an academic context. I would explain how important it will be for Aisha's future career success to learn to do this. I would also try not to push the issue too hard to avoid her parents taking offense. It is a tricky situation and trying to push new social norms too hard can lead to more resistance by both Aisha and her parents.
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Solution 122
Posted September 7, 2014 12:56 am

Jordan Nelms
Jordan Nelms
Reps: 104
The first thing I would probably do is schedule a conference with Aisha, her parents, and possibly the counselor and/or the principal. During the conference I would check to see if religion was truly the reason she didn't want to work in a group with boys. If this is the case, then I would respect her religious preference and not force the issue. Forcing her to be in the small group with boys is only causing more problems because she will not like the instructor, nor will she participate, which will not only hurt her, but other members in the group as well.
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Qureby
Qureby
Reps: 102
I agree with your solution. Aisha and her parents definitely need to be involved in the discussion and I think having the counselor there would be a good way to mediate the conversation. And like you said, if during the meeting it is determined that this is truly a religious belief that Aisha should not work with male students then she should be accommodated.
  Posted on: September 7, 2014 3:34 pm

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Solution 123
Posted September 7, 2014 5:36 pm

Whitney Johnson
Whitney Johnson
Reps: 97
I think a responsible solution to this problem is to contact the parents of Aisha in order to seek a rational understanding of her background and religion. Perhaps Aisha is being truthful, or maybe Aisha is just simply being a teenage girl who cannot stand boys. Also, most school systems have campus data bases with student information in them. If Aisha interacting with the male students is a religious issue, technically, it should be logged into the school data base service. I do think it is a disservice to divide group work by gender every single time. Perhaps the first time, the teacher could listen to Aisha because she is a responsible student, putting her into a group with females only. The teacher should then call the parents to double check Aisha's claim in order to establish a solid answer.
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Kaitlin Stringer
Kaitlin Stringer
Reps: 116
I think contacting the parents is a great idea! This would also allow the teacher to become more educated on the students cultural beliefs. I like your idea of starting Aisha in a group with all females or possibly allowing students to pick their own groups. I agree that it is a disservice to not allow her the opportunity to work with male students and that she should be encouraged to participate in different types of groups.
  Posted on: May 19, 2015 8:23 pm

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Solution 124
Posted September 7, 2014 10:41 pm

HaBuMu
HaBuMu
Reps: 52
At first, I would accommodate Aisha and allow her to just work with girls. This will help her feel more comfortable at the school. She clearly has cultural differences indicating that she has a lot of adjustments to handle already. By allowing her to work with just girls, she will be more capable of maintaining her grades and behavior as she adjusts to not only cultural issues, but also high school in general. As time goes by, I would slowly add males to her group. If she adjusts well to having a male in her group, then maybe continue to add. I would watch her grades and behavior as each male is added. I would also never make her the only female in the group. I feel like that would be complete disregard and disrespect to her wishes. So simply put I would suggest accommodation at first and slowly try assimilation.
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Solution 125
Posted September 12, 2014 1:03 am

egyveW
egyveW
Reps: 103
I think that if we were already working in groups, and Aisha explained to me her beliefs that I would certainly put her in a group of all females. Then, I would speak to her parents and my administrators to make sure that she was sincere in her beliefs and not simply trying to avoid working. Based on the responses of her parents and the school, I would then decide what actions to take. I think that it is important to respect her beliefs, but also would ask her or her parents if there was any way that she could try to work in mixed group setting, so she could experience different ideas and view points. I would also give the opportunity to complete the assignment alone because on many assignments I give students the opportunity to work with a group or alone if the assignment is designed for either situation. I think making Aisha comfortable in her educational environment so she can learn is the most important thing, but I also think that part of our jobs as educators is to push students to be willing to try new things and hope that they can learn to keep an open mind while still remaining true to their beliefs.
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Solution 126
Posted September 12, 2014 3:05 am

zaSyNu
zaSyNu
Reps: 58
This is a complicated situation, I must admit. In my opinion, it is very important for her to learn to work with males. Beyond the classroom, the idea of refusing to work with a male will cause her great hardship in college and in the workplace. As an adult, we often have to work with several individuals we do not like at all. That is life. However, she seems to very adamant about the fact that she doesn't want to work with boys, so much so that her grade will eventually reflect on that considering she cannot fully participate in group assignments. I would first start her off with all girls and then slowly add more boys to the group as time goes on, and warn her of the idea ahead of time so she can begin to get used to the idea of working with boys on school assignments. It is something she must learn to do, but I feel the best way immerse into it is slowly.
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Solution 127
Posted October 7, 2014 7:04 pm

April Rozier
April Rozier
Reps: 110
I believe that you should accommodate Alisha during this activity. I feel that arranging the groups where she works only with females would not be that difficult and would respect Alisha's religious views. Many of us have religious views that we would not want violated and we should not judge another's views simply because we do not understand them. You should research her religion and have her explain to you how working with the male students makes her uncomfortable. After speaking with her and researching, you may be able to find a compromise that works for both you and Alisha in future activities.
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Solution 128
Posted October 7, 2014 8:29 pm

SaSyXu
SaSyXu
Reps: 105
My religious beliefs are what guides my everyday life, so I would have a hard time making Aisha do something that goes against her religious beliefs because I would not want to have to go against mine. I think that in this case it would be okay to make an exception for her and allow her to work with females. You could also start by talking to her, and asking her if she would like to try working with males, or if it was just one male in general she did not want to work with.
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Solution 129
Posted October 20, 2014 9:49 pm

Chanell Wolski
Chanell Wolski
Reps: 200
I think the best thing is to talk to her first. See if she feels comfortable working with at least one male. If she doesn't want to, at the end, incorporate the whole class, and have them compare notes and projects. Have a group discussion. Ask questions, after a couple of opinions and responses to answers, ask a guy one question, and say "Aisha, what do you think about what they said?" That way, she's indirectly interacting with all genders.
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Solution 130
Posted October 27, 2014 4:19 am

HyraLe
HyraLe
Reps: 73
I think that you should reconsider, and talk to Aisha about the importance of working with peers of both genders because this is really how it is in the real world. It is unrealistic to work with only females. However, I do believe you should accommodate for her because of her religious beliefs. Not only is this her religious belief but also something her parents have instilled in her I'm sure, since she feels so strongly about this. You should allow her to work in a group of girls while also explaining to her why it is important to work with peers of both genders. Also, by getting her parents involved you may be able to clear up any misconceptions and to be clear as to why.
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Ashley Lawrence
Ashley Lawrence
Reps: 70
Though it may be unrealistic for you and me, due to her religion, she might not ever have a job. Not working with males is part of her reality according to her religion.
  Posted on: May 20, 2015 6:43 pm

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Solution 131
Posted March 15, 2015 9:04 pm

yqeSeL
yqeSeL
Reps: 102
As teachers, we have to respect the culture of others. I believe it would be beneficial in this case to do so when planning group activities for this girl. If it is part of her religion then it should be taken into consideration when planning for her educational opportunities. Teachers want to strive to help their students succeed in all areas of life in hopes that they become lifelong learners. It is vital to students that their cultural aspects are respected in order to feel comfortable in multiple learning situations.
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Solution 132
Posted May 19, 2015 6:13 pm

Kalie Walker
Kalie Walker
Reps: 66
In this situation I think you should start out by grouping her with all females and one male and see what she does then. Make the group majority females so maybe she feels dominate. If this does not work, I don't feel as though you will be doing her a disservice by not grouping her with males. I think then if she feel extremely comfortable with her group, her full potential will shine and she will excel at her academics.
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vabehe
vabehe
Reps: 69
I agree. I had the same thought that by making her feel you had accommodated her by placing her in a nearly all female group, she may come out of her shell a little and complete work. I like that she gets an out, though. If she still won't participate, no one will be harmed by allowing her to work in a group of all females.
  Posted on: May 20, 2015 12:51 am

Kateline Vaughn
Kateline Vaughn
Reps: 106
I agree with your solution. I like the idea of putting her in a group where the majority is female and one male. This might make her feel more comfortable around males if there is only one in her group. If Aisha still does not feel comfortable, then it would be acceptable to put her in an all female group.
  Posted on: September 2, 2015 5:10 pm

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Solution 133
Posted May 19, 2015 6:41 pm

emuZuW
emuZuW
Reps: 69
As many have mentioned in the previous solutions I think a combination of things should happen. If I were the teacher, the first thing I would do is accommodate the student. There is no reason that she couldn't be put into an all female group if that is where she is comfortable. However, after she has worked in this kind of group for a while I'd arrange a conference with her parents so that I may better understand their stance. During that meeting I'd suggest that we gradually add a male student (and later two) to Aisha's cooperative learning experience. I'd recommend this because I do believe that she'd be better adept for the real world if she had experience working with males, as it will be expected of her later. I would explain this to her parents and then describe the culture she might face in the US workforce as she enters adulthood. I feel that as her parents and I share our suggestions and reasoning we could come up with an adequate solution for Aisha as a team.
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yzaSeR
yzaSeR
Reps: 68
I agree with all of these points. I think there is no reason to put her in a group with all females, but I would like to know more about her beliefs at a later time. I would be interested to hear what her parents would say about their solution of her in a workplace with other men.
  Posted on: May 20, 2015 2:00 pm

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Solution 134
Posted May 20, 2015 12:49 am

vabehe
vabehe
Reps: 69
Aisha isn't trying to get out of work or not complete assignments; she is simply uncomfortable with compromising her religious beliefs. I have had a student in the past, in kindergarten, who didn't want to work with girls because they are "gross". In that situation, I privately talked with him about how his comments would make the girl in his group feel bullied and sad and that he needed to always be kind and work with others. In the situation with Aisha, this was not the case. She was willing to work, but felt she was betraying her religious practices. She should be allowed to participate in a group that she feels comfortable in. Forcing her to remain in the group with males is not allowing you to see what she knows, but rather hindering her performance in the classroom. If she believes strongly in her religion then she will continue these behaviors in the future, so you would not be doing her a disservice.
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Solution 135
Posted May 20, 2015 1:48 am

Sarah Davis
Sarah Davis
Reps: 69
I believe that the teacher should re-consider his original position on this issue in order to make Aisha feel safe and comfortable in the classroom setting. Aisha's religion should be respected just as other religions are in the school environment such as Christianity. I feel that if the teacher places Aisha in a group of all girls she will participate and produce activities successfully. I would suggest that the teacher research Aisha's religion and try to incorporate activities to help her adjust to male students.
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jamasy
jamasy
Reps: 67
I feel like this request is not a big deal because it does not effect what is expected during the assignment. Some requests could get outlandish but her being placed in an all girls group is a very small concession made that will keep her engaged in her work.
  Posted on: May 20, 2015 2:44 pm

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Solution 136
Posted May 20, 2015 1:58 pm

yzaSeR
yzaSeR
Reps: 68
I think the best thing to do at this point is to let her work in a group with all girls. I agree that she needs to learn to work with all people and I would like to learn more about her religion and why she would not work with males. However, I am unsure if the best time to do this is during a US History group project. I would assign her in a group with girls, let her work on the project, and then at another time try to find out more about her religion and if I think there could be anything I could do in the future to expose her to working with members of the opposite sex.
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Solution 137
Posted May 20, 2015 2:37 pm

jamasy
jamasy
Reps: 67
I think the teacher should accommodate her in this situation because it would not effect the outcome of the assignment if the group she was assigned to was composed of females. Some things would be a bit harder to accommodate because of the constraints generally associated with a classroom environment. This would not be one of those incidences so I believe she should be allowed to complete the project in a group made up of females if she feels like she cannot participate in a group with males because of her beliefs.
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Solution 138
Posted May 20, 2015 6:40 pm

Ashley Lawrence
Ashley Lawrence
Reps: 70
Due to freedom of religion, you have to accommodate her beliefs. Even though she may be in the United States, she will probably not choose a profession or job that requires her to work with males since that is part of her religion. Going to public school, she is being exposed to male students so she is getting the exposure you wish for her.
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Solution 139
Posted May 20, 2015 10:09 pm

Monica Rainwater
Monica Rainwater
Reps: 71
After analyzing this case study, I do feel as if you should reconsider your original position on the issue, especially since it is dealing with someone's religious beliefs. I feel that educators should respect the religious beliefs of all students. That does not mean that the educator has to agree with the student's religious beliefs, but it does mean that teachers do not have the right to impose their own feelings and beliefs onto the students, or judge them in any way shape or form. Freedom of religion is a fundamental human right that protects the conscience of all people. If your goal is the have the students learn to work together, exchange ideas, and complete a project, why should you really care if they are working with boys or girls?
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Nicole Turner
Nicole Turner
Reps: 70
I agree. Your job is to make sure that your students are put into the best environment for them and they are learning. I would try to allow the student the all girl group and then ease in a male student at a time.
  Posted on: May 21, 2015 12:58 am

vasere
vasere
Reps: 70
I agree. I also really appreciate that you reminded us that being considerate of someone's beliefs does not mean we all agree with each other's beliefs. It is certainly possible to be respectful and to disagree. You also made a great point that the goals of group work can be accomplished in any type of group, essentially.
  Posted on: May 21, 2015 1:26 am

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Solution 140
Posted May 21, 2015 12:50 am

Nicole Turner
Nicole Turner
Reps: 70
I believe that when it comes to religious beliefs, a teacher must be sensitive to how a student feels about a certain situation. If the student feels so strongly about not wanting to work with males, I would try an all girl group and then slowly integrate a male student one at a time. This is not only warming her up to the idea of males, but also preparing her for the future, because there are going to be other times where she must interact or work with those of the opposite sex.
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Solution 141
Posted May 21, 2015 1:24 am

vasere
vasere
Reps: 70
This is certainly a difficult situation which requires more consideration. I think you should speak with Aisha, and try to understand her position a little more before jumping to any conclusions. You do need to be considerate of her religious beliefs, and she needs to thoroughly consider what you are asking of her. Sometimes we respond quickly based on our beliefs without fully realizing what we are being asked to do or realizing whether or not the request truly is against our beliefs. Whatever is decided, it should be dealt with as indiscreetly as possible, both out of respect for Aisha's beliefs and for your authority in the classroom.
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Solution 142
Posted May 21, 2015 2:14 pm

deTusa
deTusa
Reps: 74

I would allow her to work in a group where she is comfortable. I don't think it would be doing her a disservice by only allowing her to work with boys. She would still be getting the activity accomplished and learning the material in the process. If she was in the group with boys and did not participate, she would not be completing the activity and would not be learning the material. Students need to feel comfortable in their work / classroom environment. They may be an underlying issue with males or a something personal with a male may have happened that's caused her to feel this way. We as teachers need to take this into consideration and make sure that she is comfortable in the classroom and is able to learn in a positive and inviting environment.
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Solution 143
Posted May 21, 2015 4:45 pm

Chris Clark
Chris Clark
Reps: 70
This is certainly a complicated issue. On one hand, it could be argued that, in the real world, we must all work with different kinds of people, and it is part of a teacher's duty to prepare students for such diversity. On the other, if we violate a student's religious beliefs and force them to do something they are not comfortable doing, we risk crippling our relationship with that student and having them shut down in our classroom. Not to mention the ethical issue of forcing someone to violate his or her own religious beliefs. I think that the first step should be setting up a parent-student-teacher conference to open up the lines of conversation. Sometimes, once we learn more about another culture or belief system, we develop a deeper understanding of and even appreciation for it. During this conference, a solution with which everyone is comfortable can be created by all of the stakeholders in the conversation. For example, maybe a blanket "no boys" policy is necessary; on the other hand, maybe Aisha could work with boys on certain projects/interactions, but not on others. For a truly mindful and considerate solution to be found, however, it must be created on a foundation of true understanding and cooperation among the teacher, the student, and the parents. Of course, during the conference, the teacher should also share his or her feelings about why it is important for Aisha to work with a diverse body of students. If a solution cannot be reached that satisfies all parties, then I do believe the solution viewed most favorably by the parents/student should be the one used. Obviously, Aisha is not going to be successful when forced to work outside of her comfort zone anyway (evidence: she refused to participate in the group work), and I do not believe that it is a teacher's job or within our ethical boundaries to violate a parent's wishes for their child, especially in terms of religious belief.
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Solution 144
Posted May 21, 2015 8:55 pm

Tina Joiner
Tina Joiner
Reps: 63
First of all, I would definitely consider researching and looking in to Aisha's specific religious reasons for not wanting to work with males. Ethically, I would have to understand if I am failing to acknowledge the student's first amendment rights based on his/her religion. If I am trying to analyze whether Aisha can learn a particular academic standard, I feel that I should reconsider and have her work with mainly girls. If I am trying to have her understand gender diversity and cooperation by working with others, I would have to discuss with her the importance of working collaboratively with others and how it will affect her life beyond this particular assignment and classroom. As a teacher, I would have to try to tear down that wall of fear or complex she has toward male classmates. Real world scenarios, application, and examples may help Aisha understand. I'm wondering also if she has any male siblings in her family and if she works cooperatively with them as well.
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Solution 145
Posted May 21, 2015 9:43 pm

Amanda Morris
Amanda Morris
Reps: 70
I do believe that we need to respect ones religious beliefs. As teachers we focus a lot of time teaching students the importance of respect themselves and others. Sometimes we need to look in the mirror and realize that we need to respect our students as well, especially their religious and cultural beliefs. If the teacher doesn't fully understand Aisha religion, then maybe the teacher should research her religion so he/she can make the appropriate accommodations for her. If Aisha religion does not want her working with males than we should respect that and let her work with females.
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Solution 146
Posted May 22, 2015 3:20 am

Misty Coleman
Misty Coleman
Reps: 73
I would definitely be considerate of Aisha's religious beliefs. We make accommodations for students with special needs everyday. Aisha's request will not be difficult to fulfill. Her grade should not suffer because she did not participate in a group that she was uncomfortable with because of her religious beliefs. Teacher's must take things like this into consideration when forming groups. This could be used as a teachable moment for all students in the class.
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Syjetu
Syjetu
Reps: 70
I agree with you that teachers should be mindful and try to accommodate for all students; however, we are living in America. She will eventually have a male as a co-worker. If she is planning to work for a female company later in her life, then do you think she should maybe attend an all girls institution during her young years as well? Men and women learn from each other and I feel she would be losing a lot of learning opportunities by only working with females.
  Posted on: May 22, 2015 3:26 pm

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Solution 147
Posted May 22, 2015 3:22 pm

Syjetu
Syjetu
Reps: 70
I think every teacher should respect and honor religious rights as much as they can. Nevertheless, I agree that she will eventually have to work with males when she enters the workforce. If I were her teacher, I would explain to her that I understand and respect her beliefs. I would also inform her that she would eventually work with males. However, in order to accommodate and ease her into the uncomfortable situation, I would first pair her with all females. The next group project, I would add a male and so forth. This way she knows that you are honoring your word about respecting her but also valuing other students as well. As a teacher, you are suppose to challenge and teacher your students respect and openness to others. If she still had a problem working with males then I would contact her parents. Maybe it would be best for her to transfer to an all girl institution.
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Solution 148
Posted May 24, 2015 11:44 am

HyZery
HyZery
Reps: 70
This is definitely a difficult situation. As an American woman, my immediate instinct tells me that she should be taught how to interact with different people so that she will be better able to perform in a work environment later. However, if her religion is against such interactions, there is little to support that she will seek employment where she will be forced to work with males. Perhaps a meeting with her parents to ask about the cultural expectations regarding interactions between males and females would give the instructor a better idea of how to proceed. If her parents are adamant about her not working with males, it should be respected. If they do not think it would be harmful, perhaps they could speak to her about how she should approach group work.
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Solution 149
Posted May 24, 2015 1:06 pm

Farhat Ahmad
Farhat Ahmad
Reps: 68
I would let this one go. I have been in this position, and if a child doesn't want to work with someone because of religious or even personal beliefs that is fine with me, ti's not my place to force someone to be uncomfortable in something not directly related to academics. If she can't give a reasonable excuse though, then I would exercise some type of intervention or longer conversation as to what her issue is and how we can either accommodate it or overcome it.
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Solution 150
Posted May 24, 2015 3:35 pm

RuXuqe
RuXuqe
Reps: 67
I believe the first step would be to have a discussion with the student about her religious beliefs to try to understand if this really is a religious belief or if it is actually a cultural belief she is expressing. It should also be discussed with the student what would be acceptable in working with male students. Perhaps she might be willing to work in a group with male students if she did a part of the project with only the female students in her group. In the example above Aisha might be willing to work with the other female student on one section of the group project while the boys work on another section. However, in the end the teacher should probably reconsider their original position and put Aisha in only all female students. It is not worth ruining the entire year over.
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Solution 151
Posted May 24, 2015 5:07 pm

yBySuL
yBySuL
Reps: 70
As teachers, we become aware of the diversity within our classrooms. With this information, we decide on accommodations based on information we have collected to make a safe and comfortable environment for all students within our classroom. In reference to the Case Study, the teacher is aware or should be aware of her and her family's religious beliefs and should consider this while assigning groups for projects. Aisha feels as if she is doing something wrong and inappropriate. This, in return, makes her environment feel unsafe and uncomfortable. I believe the teacher should reconsider and reassign groups so Aisha can learn to work as a team to complete task and learn from one another.
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RuXuqe
RuXuqe
Reps: 67
I agree with you. I also think it might be a good idea for the teacher to request a parent conference and explain the situation to the guidance counselor who would be sitting in on the conference. At the conference I would simply tell the parents that the student felt uncomfortable working in groups with male students because of her beliefs and I wanted to understand better what guidelines the family followed so that I could support the student.
  Posted on: June 1, 2015 3:51 am

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Solution 152
Posted May 24, 2015 5:55 pm

Beth Jackson
Beth Jackson
Reps: 71
I believe the teacher needs to reconsider his original position on the issue. Allowing Aisha to work with strictly females would not give her an advantage when completing the assignment, therefore it would be equally fair to have her work with all females as opposed to a coed group of students. I also believe the teacher should have a basic understanding of the religions in his classroom, especially if those require different or unusual expectations and requirements on the student. Some religions do not allow you to eat meat, but there are not teachers forcing the student to eat meat in order to successfully complete an assignment. I do not feel as though Aisha's situation is any different than that, therefore the teacher should understand and respect her beliefs and not put her in an uncomfortable position by placing her with a coed group of students.
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Rebecca Ritch
Rebecca Ritch
Reps: 70
I agree with many religious beliefs comes stipulations into what they can and cannot consume, wear, etc.. As teachers we need to be respectful and mindful at all times about how we handle situations that involve us asking students to do certain tasks, especially if it will conflict with their religious beliefs. You are right she won't have an upper hand if she works with an all female group versus a coed group, so like you I really don't see the harm in adjusting who she works with.
  Posted on: May 24, 2015 7:00 pm

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Solution 153
Posted May 24, 2015 6:53 pm

Rebecca Ritch
Rebecca Ritch
Reps: 70
Legally, as a teacher we have to accommodate to her religious beliefs. The first step that I would take would be to educate myself on Aisha's religious beliefs. I would then talk to her parents of course and discuss what other accommodations if any might be needed for other situations besides just group projects. If the other students were to begin asking why it is Aisha is only allowed to work with other female students? Then I would definitely open up for a safe classroom discussion on the topic, but again only if she feels comfortable with me addressing it.
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RuXuqe
RuXuqe
Reps: 67
I agree that it is important to discuss with the student and her parents her religious/cultural beliefs. I believe it might be unlikely that the class would say anything, usually students know the reasons behind accommodations even if they are not talked about publicly simply because they would have already experienced her unwillingness to talk to or work with boys in social situations.
  Posted on: June 1, 2015 3:53 am

Amanda Robinson
Amanda Robinson
Reps: 98
I also agree that a parent/teacher conference should be set up to accommodate Aisha and her learning. Doing this would open up opportunities for Aisha and her learning.
  Posted on: September 7, 2015 1:53 am

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Solution 154
Posted May 24, 2015 7:52 pm

ezyXyh
ezyXyh
Reps: 57
I think you should reconsider your original position. If you let her work with just girls, you will still be maintaining your objective. You stated you wanted students to learn to cooperate, exchange ideas, and produce projects together. Aisha will be able to do this with just girls and maintain her religious beliefs. As a teacher, we should find ways to accommodate all students and putting her in group with just girls is pretty simple. I think when it comes to teaching we should pick and choose our battles. In this case, by accommodating her religious beliefs, you can still maintain the objective of the lesson and be sensitive to needs of your students. It's a win-win.
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Solution 155
Posted May 24, 2015 9:30 pm

zyWyma
zyWyma
Reps: 70
I think that there could have been a way to compromise. It is important for Aisha to understand that there is the very real possibility that she will have to work with males on projects at some point in her life. Such an unwillingness to cooperate could cost her a job in the work place. However, I think stubbornness on the student's part and the teacher's part resulted in a situation where neither party was happy. Maybe you could have worked a deal with her where the majority of group members could be female at first and as time went on, change the group composition to include more males students. Since you knew her before hand, maybe you could have used your prior relationship with her to ease her into this situation she was not comfortable with initially.
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Misty Coleman
Misty Coleman
Reps: 73
Very good point. I don't know that I would say she is stubborn because she wouldn't work with males, but that is how she was raised in her culture. I do agree, however, that in the real world she will be expected to work with males and females. I think a conversation with her explaining to her that she will have to work with males would be a good idea. I think the solution of groups starting out all female and transitioning to males and females is also a good idea. Discuss with the males her culture and that she is not used to working with males. Communication is key.
  Posted on: May 25, 2015 1:23 am

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Solution 156
Posted May 24, 2015 10:18 pm

Katy Fitzgibbons
Katy Fitzgibbons
Reps: 71
I believe that accommodating for Aisha would not be a disservice to her, as long as she understands that her cultural views will be respected but differ from that of mainstream American society. I would invite Aisha to share more of her religious views with me as the teacher, so I may learn more about her and her religious views. Furthermore, I would invite her to present her religious views to her classmates during a cultural diversity lesson. This would create a classroom climate that is more tolerant and welcoming for both Aisha and her classmates, for the male students would understand her reason for not wanting to work with them during small group activities. As a teacher I would stray away from giving her the chance to work alone on typically-assigned small group activities, for she does need to learn how to cooperate and work with others. Instead, I would invite her to complete the small group activities with other female students.
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Alyssa Wright
Alyssa Wright
Reps: 69
I too think that I would allow her to complete the activities with all female students. It is important for students to learn to work as a team. I like your idea to allow her to share her views as a diversity lesson.
  Posted on: May 25, 2015 1:27 am

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Solution 157
Posted May 25, 2015 12:24 am

Melissa Aspinwall
Melissa Aspinwall
Reps: 79
I would have a conference with the student before telling her she was in America and that she was expected to do as we do. Until I could conference with the parents and Aisha together to discuss the issue, I would simply place her in a group with females. I do feel that religious beliefs need to be respected. However,in the conference I would explain that when Aisha gets a job she may very well have to make a decision to work alongside males or not have the job. I also would watch her interaction with males throughout the day to see if she interacts with them. If she does, then I would definitely bring this to her attention and her parents and get clarification. I would possibly have her work in a group with at least one male at that point.
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zyzaSy
zyzaSy
Reps: 68
You bring up an excellent point; that is observing Aisha's behavior with male students. This would not only help the teacher understand Aisha's religious beliefs better, but also help the teacher determine the nature behind Aisha's plea for a same gender group.
  Posted on: May 25, 2015 2:03 am

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Solution 158
Posted May 25, 2015 1:24 am

Alyssa Wright
Alyssa Wright
Reps: 69
I think that rethinking the groupings for Aisha for the next project would be beneficial. As the teacher I would definitely have a conversation with Aisha and let her know that I may be thinking of putting her in an all-girls group. I think that this conversation should include examples pertaining to the real world to help Aisha realize that there is not a career in which she can have to completely avoid another gender. I think maybe working on possible solutions to this would not only help Aisha in her current classroom but for the remainder of her life.
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zyzaSy
zyzaSy
Reps: 68
I think that providing Aisha with real world examples is an excellent idea. That way the teacher can show Aisha that they aren't trying to have her renounce her religious belief, but rather to better prepare her for her future in the work force. Collaboration more and more is becoming an essential and vital skill for all types of workers to possess. Not simply collaboration, but sometimes collaboration with people that are difficult to get work with. Having Aisha see the reasoning behind the grouping will help understand and bring about a proper solution.
  Posted on: May 25, 2015 1:58 am

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Solution 159
Posted May 25, 2015 1:47 am

zyzaSy
zyzaSy
Reps: 68
In consideration of the original purpose for working in groups, that being for students to learn to cooperate, exchange ideas, and produce the project together, I would advise the teacher to reconsider their original position on the issue. I would even argue that choosing to not accommodating Aisha's religious beliefs about working with male students directly hinders the teacher's purpose for group work. While I do agree that Aisha will need to find a way to work with male students, albeit in due time, in order to be properly prepared for the work force, Aisha's starting point for group work should be an all girls group. The teacher has already seen the negative impact on performance that results from placing Aisha in a group with mostly male students, so it would be foolish not to adjust the groupings. Furthermore, I suggest that the teacher do two things: research and learn more about Aisha's religion and then set up a parent-teacher conference with Aisha and her parents. By learning about Aisha's religion, the teacher's awareness and ultimately their sensitivity to Aisha and her religion will increase. Setting up the parent-teacher conference to include Aisha opens up a line of communication and also begins to build a relationship with Aisha's parents. This relationship and its resulting communication will provide some much needed insight into the specifics of Aisha's reservations. In such sensitive matters as the situation faced here, I believe that abundant and clear communication is essential.
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Solution 160
Posted May 25, 2015 3:17 pm

TyhyMa
TyhyMa
Reps: 84
I personally think that if you removed Aisha from the situation, and let her work with only females you would be doing her a disservice. I understand that she may not be comfortable working with males just yet, but she has got to learn how to work with other people. The reason I think you would be doing her a disservice is because when she gets thrown into the working world, she will have to work with both genders despite her preferences. if she doesn't learn now how to work with both genders she would be completely lost as an adult. I believe this is a skill she needs to learn early so she can be successful in life and in the working world.
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Solution 161
Posted May 26, 2015 2:13 am

Brad McMahon
Brad McMahon
Reps: 71
In this situation, I don't see any harm in accommodating Aisha's beliefs. I analogize it to this: what if Aisha had been recently assaulted by a male at a party? The assault has left her shaken and apprehensive to deal with males on a small-group level. There would be no harm in accommodating her in the second situation, so why not the first? It's a reasonable request, and as long as she completes the work, then it seems like an issue that can be avoided.

This solution may be bypassing the issue, which is, should her religious beliefs control the teacher's structure of the classroom? I think I would need more information. Perhaps I would ask for a note from her parents to corroborate what she has told me in class. I could also ask some of her former teachers. If that did not provide any information, I could speak with her more about it. Maybe her avoidance of males comes from another problem that she is masking.

Regardless, I think I would grant her request in this situation. I would be more likely to grant her request if it was made in private. If the request was made in private, then groups could be rearranged quietly. This would decrease the chance that other students would be upset or claim favoritism or unequal treatment. If the request and rearrangement was made publicly, the situation would be more difficult to handle, but I would still change Aisha's grouping.
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Solution 162
Posted May 27, 2015 5:44 pm

aQanaD
aQanaD
Reps: 67
You must take into account the religious beliefs of all of your students. There are multiple ways to get this assignment done without being culturally offensive. Communication is key here. Talk tot he student about her beliefs. Talk to her parents if needed. Not saying that you shouldn't require the work to be done, but you should be able to come up with an alternative. In life, Aisha will have to work with the opposite sex. Perhaps there is something else that you, she, and the parents cane come up with to prepare her for that!
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Solution 163
Posted May 30, 2015 12:44 am

Paige Lutes
Paige Lutes
Reps: 64
At the end of the day, what is more important--forcing her to "get use" to America OR learning the material. I think that there is an easy way to accommodate Aisha without making extravagant changes. You need to put her in an all female group and slowly see if she opens up to the possibility of a male group partner.
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Solution 164
Posted June 1, 2015 2:50 am

uqeXun
uqeXun
Reps: 69
Aisha obviously has a problem working with males and should not be forced to do so. Religious beliefs should always be respected. As educators, our primary job is to help our students succeed academically. We should not force our plans and ideas on students even if they are considered Best Practices and/or real-world based. I would recommend giving Aisha and even the other students choices of how to complete their work. For example, students can choose to work independently, with a partner, or in a small group. Gender shouldn't matter. Respecting Aisha's feelings will go a long way to eliciting her cooperation.
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Qybuse
Qybuse
Reps: 118
I think that the cooperative group would still be "best practice" and somewhat "real world based" even if it was an all female group. I don't know that the teacher would have to totally change the structure of the class simply by creating a group of all girls. In fact, it might be interesting to see what the female group comes up with vs. the male group. This could lead to future insights into how students learn!
  Posted on: August 30, 2015 5:53 pm

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Solution 165
Posted June 1, 2015 1:40 pm

ynyqaz
ynyqaz
Reps: 64
Just as many of the other solutions state, I think that it would be wise for Aisha's teacher to reconsider his approach to group projects. I believe this solely because of her religious beliefs. I think it part of our jobs as educators to be culturally sensitive and expanding our knowledge as to why she feels this way would be in the teachers best interest. It seems as though Aisha is loosing daily skills that she could be learning through these group projects based on her little to no participation. What is more important, having gender divers groups or improving student knowledge int eh classroom.
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Solution 166
Posted June 10, 2015 8:58 pm

Puzesu
Puzesu
Reps: 21
I believe that it is good to stand by your original decision. Maybe instead of throwing her into a group with three males and one female at first, start her off with one male and then proceed with more later on. I think you're right in telling her she is in America. It is good to remember your culture but at the same time, she will not be able to avoid working with males in the real world.
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Solution 167
Posted June 16, 2015 1:02 pm

Shirley carter
Shirley carter
Reps: 17
I think the teacher should honor her request. She is willing to sacrifice her grade for her religious and would have done the same thing. This country has several different type of religions and we should respected. The teacher would set an example of respecting the students religion by allowing her to work in a girl only group. I am quite sure the other girls in the group would not mine working with out boys.
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Solution 168
Posted June 17, 2015 8:08 pm

yteduM
yteduM
Reps: 77
On one hand I think Aisha needs to realize that schools in American its almost impossible not to have interactions with males. Unless she attended an all girl school. I would want to know more details of why she cannot work with a group containing boys. I think a parent conference would also be a good idea to discuss this issue with her parents. For the time being to make Aisha feel comfortable I would just pull a couple of girls together and let her join their group. If Aisha's parents are still strong in their belief and will not change for just classroom discussions then I would make accommodations for Aisha from here on out.
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Solution 169
Posted August 24, 2015 4:18 pm

Japuje
Japuje
Reps: 107
I believe it would benefit the teacher to allow the student to work in an all female group. It would make the student more comfortable and allow her to follow and respect her religious beliefs. It is the responsibility of teachers to accommodate the needs of each of our students to ensure they are getting the most out of our instruction. If the teacher refuses to accommodate the student based on her religious beliefs he could be creating a problem for himself as well. The girl's parents could make a complaint against the teacher for not meeting the needs of their daughter. As a parent I would be angry if my children were told they couldn't pray at school or were forced to do something that was against our beliefs. I do realize that many religious beliefs and customs can seem odd to many Americans. I often have a problem with some of my students refusing to say the pledge in the morning before class. Some religions do not condone pledging allegiance to the American flag, but I believe it is extremely disrespectful to refuse to recite the pledge of allegiance. Many people have fought and died for our flag so that we can enjoy our freedom, but that freedom also includes one's right to refuse to recite the pledge.
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Qybuse
Qybuse
Reps: 118
I once had a student who did not stand to say the pledge in my fifth grade class because of his culture. Even as 10 year olds, I had some students ask the student why he didn't stand for the pledge. I found it interesting that they went straight to the student, not to me. This particular student responded in a way that let the other students know that it was a part of his culture. After that, they left him alone about the issue and moved on with a little more of an open mind. It was refreshing for me to see kids handle an "adult" situation in a mature way. Sometimes I think we should all be a little simpler and understand that we all have differences and we can respect and celebrate each others differences, yet still work together as one.
  Posted on: August 30, 2015 5:36 pm

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Solution 170
Posted August 27, 2015 10:25 pm

Chelsea Abbott
Chelsea Abbott
Reps: 112
Aisha's request was due to her religious beliefs. For teachers, it is our duty to make sure that all of our students feel comfortable in the classroom. In order for her to be comfortable and do the assignment, she asked to be with all girls which should be taken into consideration. I would involve the parents and let them know about her reaction to the group project. Depending on the parent's response, I would have another talk with Aisha. She will have to know that in real life, she will have to work with men too, possibly. The main goal of the assignment was for the students to learn to cooperate, exchange ideas, and produce the project together. If Aisha is with all females completing this assignment and goals, I think that it will be fine that she is with the group she wants.
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aTudaR
aTudaR
Reps: 18
I agree. I think that instructors need to create an environment where everyone feels comfortable.
  Posted on: August 29, 2015 9:57 pm

Japuje
Japuje
Reps: 107
I agree that it is necessary to make our students feel comfortable in the classroom. I just try to put myself in their shoes and use that to help make my decision.
  Posted on: August 31, 2015 3:23 pm

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Solution 171
Posted August 27, 2015 3:04 pm

Amanda Robinson
Amanda Robinson
Reps: 98
I believe every teacher should be sensitive to a child's religious beliefs, no matter what that belief is. We accommodate our classrooms for our students. Therefore, as a teacher in a public school, I would put Aisha in a group with all girls. She is not getting an education that she is entitled to if a teacher is placing her in a group that makes her feel uncomfortable. All teachers should be sensitive to religious beliefs because this is the United States and the law states we need to give each child a fair education.
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Chelsea Abbott
Chelsea Abbott
Reps: 112
I agree that in order for Aisha to receive the best education she can, she will have to participate in class. Now, Aisha will have to understand that she will have to work with boys in real life situations. For teachers, it is important for us to consider religious beliefs because it is what they are comfortable with. I believe that the teacher should accommodate to Aisha if she excels academically.
  Posted on: August 27, 2015 10:27 pm

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Solution 172
Posted August 27, 2015 1:37 pm

Laura Doolittle
Laura Doolittle
Reps: 109
This has to be very difficult for the the teacher and the student. When it comes to a students religious beliefs, I feel like being opened minded and respectful of this is the best route. It seems like the student is not going to participate if she feels uncomfortable which does not help her, the teacher, or the group. The best solution to me would to put her in a group where she feels comfortable and can be productive. I will always pick my battles when it comes to situations like this.
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aTudaR
aTudaR
Reps: 18
I honestly don't think this is a very difficult situation. Allowing the student to work with girls is a simple request.
  Posted on: August 29, 2015 10:02 pm

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Solution 173
Posted August 29, 2015 9:01 pm

aTudaR
aTudaR
Reps: 18
First of all, I think you made a clear mistake by dismissing her request the first time, especially because you knew the type of student she was. Allowing the student to work with girls only, does not do a disservice at all. Clearly her religious beliefs are important to her and as an instructor; you need to respect that part of her cultural background.
I cannot think of another solution to this scenario other than allow the student to work with a group of girls. Last, I think that you need to keep in mind the student request when planning future activities.
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Kristen Bagwell
Kristen Bagwell
Reps: 107
I think that, despite the decision was made, the way in which the Aisha's request was handled affected the way she worked in the group. I think you're right in saying that clearly dismissing the student's request was an error.
  Posted on: August 30, 2015 5:08 pm

Edward Kim
Edward Kim
Reps: 106
So what do you do if you are in a class that has a lot more boys then girls? I have taught in classes where one gender outnumbers the other 5 to 1. If you had a class with only 5 or 6 girls then you are not letting the other students gain knowledge and experience from working with everyone in the classroom. How is that fair to the other students? I am not saying what the teacher did in the scenario was right, but I am saying that it is just not as black and white as letting Aisha only work with the girls all the time. That would not fix all the problems.
  Posted on: August 30, 2015 9:21 pm

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Solution 174
Posted August 30, 2015 2:59 pm

Tetygy
Tetygy
Reps: 90
I think I would personally consult my administrators. If it is truly part of her religious beliefs and you force her to do something that is against that then you could be crossing a legal boundary. I would consult my administrators and school counselors on how best to handle the situation. If I handled this by myself I am not sure what I would do since there are so many ways this could go. Small groups are important and very helpful but if working with males makes her so uncomfortable that she refuses to participate then another route should be considered.
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Kristen Bagwell
Kristen Bagwell
Reps: 107
You make a good point. If she is uncomfortable working with males, it's probably documented elsewhere either with a counselor or administrator. Because you want her to succeed and learn, I think that, if possible, she should be able work with all females; however, I think that it needs to be explained to her that at times, working with only females may not be possible (due to the activity and/or group arrangement).
  Posted on: August 30, 2015 5:12 pm

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Solution 175
Posted August 30, 2015 5:06 pm

Kristen Bagwell
Kristen Bagwell
Reps: 107
Although Aisha will have to undoubtedly work with males in life, this is a special case. If Aisha had asked to not work with a particular female because she and the other student did not get along, a teacher would probably have worked to make sure the students didn't work together. I think the same respect can be afforded in this situation, too. I would explain to Aisha that a lot of effort would be put forth to arrange groups in which she didn't have to work with male students, but that it could not always be guaranteed (depending on the activity and/or group assignment). Given this level of consideration, I think Aisha would be more willing to work with a group (even if there was a male student) because she knew that the teacher was being considerate of her wishes.
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Solution 176
Posted August 30, 2015 5:28 pm

yWasyD
yWasyD
Reps: 107
Cultural beliefs, religious beliefs are some of the things a teacher should respect and try not to delve into even if it does not make any sense to the teacher himself as this part of diversity. I f she is not willing to work with males, there is no point placing her with these students because she is not going to gain anything from the activity so the activity as far as she is concerned is pointless. We cannot give all the students in the class the accommodations they want but we can pick out the ones that are very important to the students and the ones which they are not likely to budge.
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Edward Kim
Edward Kim
Reps: 106
To say that she would not gain anything from the activity is a bit strong. If explained to her properly and some kind of compromise or solution could be met then she would learn how to work with different people, even people she do not really want to work with. As a teacher teaching student life lessons is just as important as teaching them reading, writing, and arithmetic and this is a life lesson that is just as important to learn as any subject. Plus, just be listening and following along, she is a good student after all, she may be able to gain some knowledge from the activity. However, forcing her every time to do something she did not want to do would not be the best idea either.
  Posted on: August 30, 2015 9:16 pm

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Solution 177
Posted August 30, 2015 5:29 pm

Qybuse
Qybuse
Reps: 118
My first thought was along the lines of "she's going to have to work with males later in life, so shouldn't she start getting used to that when she is in school." Now that I have reflected on this case, I am somewhat ashamed that that idea ever crossed my mind. After all, we wouldn't make a student who doesn't celebrate Halloween due to their religious beliefs wear a costume and go Trick-or-Treating. In fact, we provide accommodations to meet the needs of individual students continuously in schools. It should be simple enough to accommodate this student's need of working in a group with females. As a teacher, it isn't our place to decide what is right or wrong within a student's culture. It is our job to provide a fair education to all students. In order for this student to learn and participate in the activity, she needs to work with females. I don't need to judge her culture and her future; I simply need to provide her with the accommodation so she can learn.
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Solution 178
Posted August 30, 2015 9:09 pm

Edward Kim
Edward Kim
Reps: 106
This is a very tricky situation. To force her to do something she does not believe in would not be effective teaching but having her completely avoid all males is a troublesome idea as well. If a class has an even number of boys to girls or more girls than boys then something like this can easily accommodated. However I have been in classes where one gender outnumbered the other 5 to 1. With Aisha, I feel like you were both right and wrong. I am trying to figure out a situation in life where she would never have to deal with men and I think a scenario like that is far and few between. As teachers we have to try to teach our students life lessons as well as lessons from the textbook. This means teaching life lessons such as "working with other," especially with others you may not want to work with. These are unavoidable situations in life. But then again as teachers we must do what we can to give our students the best opportunity to learn. I think completely dismissing her may not have been the best solution. I would have tried working out a compromise where she would work with only girls with some assignments and then with boys and girls in others after explaining to her all of this.
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Laura Doolittle
Laura Doolittle
Reps: 109
I agree with your statement about giving her the best opportunity to learn. If she feels comfortable then she will be more of an active learner. Making her feel uncomfortable might make her shut down.
  Posted on: September 16, 2015 8:19 pm

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Solution 179
Posted August 30, 2015 10:35 pm

Jill Elton
Jill Elton
Reps: 108
I believe as a teacher, you have to be willing to do whatever is necessary to help the student feel appreciated, safe, and respected. The teachers willingness to "change groups" for the benefit of a student should not be viewed as a disservice. The disservice would be if you were to make her stay in the group dominated by boys. If she were made to stay in this group, as with the first group, she would probably not participate in any of the group activities. However, if she were moved into a group where she felt more comfortable, she would possibly be more open to learn to cooperate, exchange ideas and produce a product with her fellow group members, which, after all, is the main point.
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Solution 180
Posted August 31, 2015 2:19 am

uPaSeW
uPaSeW
Reps: 209
I think you should conference with the parent and then decide how to move forward. If her parents have a problem with her working with the opposite sex, then accommodations should be made to meet their needs. If this was a private school setting, I would say that it is up to the teacher (school) as to what it is they should to do. However, if it is a public school, the parents should be involved in the decision making.
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Solution 181
Posted August 31, 2015 12:09 pm

ezajaV
ezajaV
Reps: 102
I feel that you should group Aisha with one make student and the other female students. By doing this it will give you an idea if she will work with groups if there is one male. If she works well this this group, for the next group project I would put her with one male and the rest females. If she shows that she continues to work well, for the next project I would take away one of the females and add another male and see how she does.
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ezajaV
ezajaV
Reps: 102
I totally agree with you. I feel that he should group her with one male student and the rest female students. By doing this it will allow her time to adapt to the fact that there is a male in her group.
  Posted on: August 31, 2015 12:11 pm

Japuje
Japuje
Reps: 107
I like how your idea allows the student to ease into the situation. We should respect her beliefs and culture, but at the same time she needs to learn to assimilate to our culture as well. She will not always be allowed to group with only females in the classroom. Do her beliefs even allow for her to have a male teacher? If not, it will be very difficult if not impossible to meet her religious needs.
  Posted on: August 31, 2015 3:26 pm

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Solution 182
Posted September 1, 2015 2:57 am

Jasmine Bringuel
Jasmine Bringuel
Reps: 102
When it comes to others religious beliefs, teachers need to be sensitive to this issue. It would be best to start her off in a group of just girls and possibly later try just putting in one male student, so that there can be diversity within the groups. This is a hard issue that does not have a simple right or wrong way to handle the situation, but maybe this consideration can be a way to help Alisha and also slowly diversify the groups.
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Amanda Whittaker
Amanda Whittaker
Reps: 114
I agree with your solution. There is not necessarily a right or wrong choice and I would just need to evaluate the situation as time went by and make an adjustment if I felt it was necessary.
  Posted on: September 3, 2015 1:06 am

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Solution 183
Posted September 2, 2015 4:02 pm

Kateline Vaughn
Kateline Vaughn
Reps: 106
I definitely do not think that Aisha should be punished for working with males because of her religious beliefs. It is, however, a difficult topic to address. If she does not have to work with particular students, then what are the grounds and guidelines for other students not working with particular students. As teachers, it is important not to have a double standard. There needs to be clear exceptions for working with particular students. If not, you are just going to have students that get upset because Aisha's beliefs were considered and not anyone else's. It is also important for Aisha to learn to work with others. When she graduates from high school, she is going to have to work with a variety of people whether she wants to or not. The same is true for when she gets a job after school. I think that you need to have a serious conversation with Aisha and even her parents about her not wanting to work with male students. This lets her and her parents know that you have her best interest in mind. After the conversation, I would come to some kind of agreement about who she works with in the classroom.
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Solution 184
Posted September 3, 2015 2:23 am

Daisy Dumler
Daisy Dumler
Reps: 106
By allowing Aisha to work with just girls you would not be doing her a disservice. It's very ignorant of a teacher to tell a student that they are in America and that they have to work with whoever they are grouped with. At the same time Aisha should also be willing to be a little more flexible with whom she will work with. She could easily be placed in a small group with majority girls and not have to physically interact with the male. It might be hard depending on the class size for Aisha to be placed in a group with just girls. Maybe she could be given and independent assignment or a partner assignment instead.
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Solution 185
Posted September 7, 2015 1:45 am

Amanda Robinson
Amanda Robinson
Reps: 98
I believe the best solution for this problem is to accommodate Aisha's religious beliefs. As a teacher, it is my job to make sure that each student receives the education that they are entitled to. Aisha has a right, as an American, to receive an education that accommodates her religious beliefs. If Aisha cannot learn with males in the group, she should be moved to an all girls group.
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Hedynu
Hedynu
Reps: 112
You are right, it is the teacher's job for students to receive an education. But hopefully along the way we can teach students appropriate social skills as well. I have had cases where my students were emotionally impulsive and caused disruptions in class. There were other instances where students were more passively aggressive and simply "shut down," becoming extremely reclusive when they were upset. To maintain a certain climate in my classroom, I had to teach both sets of students to harness their emotions. Such responses would never be tolerated in any work environment post-secondary. Moreover, such a case of a female student never interacting with a male in our country is highly unlikely. That said, it seems it would be more appropriate to at least present a more realistic picture to both the parents and the student without being offensive. The conflict is how to achieve such a goal.
  Posted on: September 10, 2015 7:30 pm

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Solution 186
Posted September 10, 2015 5:20 pm

Hedynu
Hedynu
Reps: 112
This is tough scenario. It is understandable that every culture has their own beliefs and practices; however, it is important that the student integrates with American culture as well, considering this is the culture by which she will obtain an education. The teacher is right to acknowledge that although uncomfortable, this is a growing pain that the student must overcome-especially if the plan is to integrate her into American society. The goal for the teacher should be to remain sensitive and respectful to the student's culture, while specifying and promoting the need for American social skills such as co-ed collaboration.

My recommendation is that the teacher arranges a meeting with the student's parents and hear their perspective. The teacher may or may not get the parents "on board"; however, I believe the meeting itself would illustrate an attempt to resolve the matter and even introduce a broader perspective. During the meeting, it would be helpful to express the purpose of co-ed group collaboration and discuss how it would contribute to the student's development and social skills in context with American culture. If the parents are unwilling to comply, the last result maybe to simply provide individual assignments in cases where the student must work within a group.

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Solution 187
Posted September 16, 2015 9:31 pm

ehyNyn
ehyNyn
Reps: 109
I believe that it is important to be culturally sensitive to Aisha's preferences. Just as it would be inappropriate to force a student with eat something that is not appropriate in their culture, I believe that forcing Aisha to work with male students in inappropriate. We must differentiate instruction for ALL students and this is a case when Aisha deserves some differentiation.
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Solution 188
Posted September 30, 2015 7:07 pm

neraXe
neraXe
Reps: 134
In this case I do not think anything bad will come out of having her work with only girls. I would suggest rotating the groups so that the other class members are able to work with the males in a diverse group. However, accommodating Aisha so that she can and will participate and complete work should be in the top priorities.
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Solution 189
Posted October 14, 2016 7:39 pm

Husava
Husava
Reps: 180
This situation is very hard to find a solution because we all have our beliefs but in the US we have to work together. We have to learn how work with males and females explain to Aisha that working in group does not mean we have to marry one another or touch or become best friends. It s simple exchanging one another ideas and working together in a group/team.
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Solution 190
Posted March 6, 2017 5:03 am

asygud
asygud
Reps: 101
I think if the issue is due to religious reasons, then it is not our place to make them work with anyone. We as teachers need to be sensitive to these sort of issues. If you suspected the student was not telling the truth about the reason she did not want to work with males, then I would contact the parents just for clarification.
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Solution 191
Posted July 9, 2017 3:08 pm

NaPeqe
NaPeqe
Reps: 201
Since this is a global society, you can't just be like "this is 'Merica. My way or the highway!" That's the same as telling a student he or she MUST speak English. Establish her actual religion. Make a call to her parents. Ask them if that is the way they practice. If it is, then you should probably make accommodations when possible. Since she is in a co-ed school, this should have been an issue before now. There should be some type of documentation. There is a chance she is using her religion to get out of doing something she doesn't want to do. If her parents say that this behavior is not in line with their religious beliefs, start deducting points on her assignments.
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Solution 192
Posted October 7, 2017 3:23 pm

napyze
napyze
Reps: 100
I think that due to the fact that they are religious beliefs you should try to accommodate her, without making it obvious to the whole class. If she participates then you know that it is okay. If she is still not participating it is time to re-evaluate.
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Solution 193
Posted October 11, 2017 11:55 pm

uryden
uryden
Reps: 205
Teachers should be sensitive to a students beliefs, no matter what, it is not there place to judge. Teachers need to lead my example and respect their students if they want respect back.
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Solution 194
Posted February 24, 2018 9:00 pm

Kady Schlemmer
Kady Schlemmer
Reps: 202
I would meet with Aisha and discuss the situation. Explain to her that you had specific reasoning for including her in a boy/girl group, but now are questioning your stance on the issue. Sharing with students that you are able to reconsider your position on things, admit to being wrong, and change your mind... all of those things hold valuable life lessons for students. I would make sure that she understood that you had her best interest at heart.
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Solution 195
Posted February 26, 2019 4:10 am

eBejaP
eBejaP
Reps: 201
I would not go against her religious beliefs at all. that is disrespectful to do. I would let her be in a group with just females to respect her and her religion.
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Solution 196
Posted February 19, 2020 7:45 pm

ehaJaT
ehaJaT
Reps: 202
I would not make this student work with boys when beginning small group work. I would figure out a way to incorporate Gradual Release Model (GRM) for working with the boys. I would consider this after speaking with parents about the situation.
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Solution 197
Posted October 7, 2020 2:22 pm

medega
medega
Reps: 202
I would reconsider the position, yes she is in the United States, but this is about religious beliefs and we should be tolerant of offers beliefs even if we don't agree or we are in a different country. It's a simple accommodation for her and it would allow her to feel comfortable and respected.
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Solution 198
Posted March 7, 2021 9:06 pm

Kasey Miller
Kasey Miller
Reps: 100
You would definitely be doing her a disservice. She needs to stop fearing working with people. That creates the division we are trying t prevent.
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Solution 199
Posted November 1, 2021 1:04 am

JyGaGe
JyGaGe
Reps: 101
I would rethink you’re original position and respect her religion, because if it got back to her parents that you weren’t respecting her religion, then that can result in a extremely negative response from her parents.
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Solution 200
Posted November 3, 2022 5:30 pm

aveSar
aveSar
Reps: 202
I do believe that you should just put her in a group of female if your class allows it. But if not that is her choice. Give her options. Treat it as if she isn't cooperative and doesn't want to do the work. If she cannot be at least friendly than her grade suffers.
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Solution 201
Posted April 2, 2023 4:53 pm

Valerie Burda
Valerie Burda
Reps: 100
I believe that if a student made themselves vulnerable enough to share some information like Aisha did, as a teacher it's your responsibility to accommodate them. Religion is universal, no matter the location, so while yes she is in the US her religious beliefs are a part of who she is and should be respected.
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Solution 202
Posted October 5, 2023 1:56 pm

zaSuNu
zaSuNu
Reps: 202
I would probably find some type of work around for the student regardless of it having to do with religion or simply does not want to participate with others. There could be ways like you said by putting her in an only female group or if she really did not want to participate in a group at all, you could have some type of alternative assessment or project that she does on her own.
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