Public elementary school, District 66 in Omaha, Nebraska, had many memorable, spiritual moments! For instance in two different grades our teachers treated us to Uncle Arthur’s Bedtime Stories and Your Story Hour records. In sixth grade we discussed Noah's Flood, the long lives of pre-Flood people, the people of Hunza, why Pilgrim women did not wear make-up, and how our weekdays received their names from paganism.
In Glee Club and school choir, grades 1 through 12, we sang songs based on the Old Testament and this in Public School! However, when I checked out a Bible from the school library the principal promptly reprimanded me, saying Bible reading was for the home!
In Elementary School my class had four Jewish students and three of them were in the top five students! The reason for this, I believe, was their home life, which I witnessed first hand, even on Yom Kippur! In the Jewish home television was only for special events. After meals the dining room was used for study, the living room was for quiet play, and the bedroom was used only for sleeping. The parents were present, either in the dining room or living room, at all times to encourage, teach, and supervise.
In sixth grade all the students explained different aspects of their religions (Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, Atheist). From these discussions the varied backgrounds understood each other better. We were taught everyone has the right to believe as they wish despite anyone's opinion to the contrary. We were taught to believe in religious freedom, freedom of the press, and freedom to assemble peacefully.
