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Sophia Bush

One Tree Hill star Sophia Bush still uses the skills she learned from English teacher Peter Goss to succeed as an actress. “He taught me to read between the lines, to see the hidden messages, and to live the stories on the pages,” says Sophia.

“The way he taught me to break down a novel is the way I break down scripts, today.”

Behind Every Famous Person is a Fabulous Teacher.

School Prayer

Last year, the Illinois General Assembly passed a law requiring all public schools to reserve time at the beginning of each school day for "silent prayer or silent reflection on the anticipated activities of the day." The law quickly generated controversy and a lawsuit regarding the separation of church and state. In an online poll that took place from July through September, 2008, visitors to TeachersCount.org were asked to offer their opinions on what role, if any, school prayer should play in public schools.

A total of 289 respondents, 136 of whom described themselves as educators, participated in the poll. Participants chose among the following possible responses:

  • Any sort of prayer, whether in groups or individually, should be outlawed in public schools.
  • Group prayer such as a moment of silence at the beginning of the school day should be required in every public school.
  • I do not have an opinion.

The majority of respondents, 64.8%, felt that group prayer such as a moment of silence at the beginning of the school day should be required in every public school. 25.3% of respondents said any sort of prayer, whether in groups or individually, should be outlawed in public schools and 9.9% of respondents did not have an opinion.

While in agreement overall, educators and non-educators differed slightly in the skew of their responses. Slightly more non-educators, 145, than educators, 136, responded. Amongst non-educators, most of them (70.3%) felt group prayer should be required at every public school. 58.8% of all educators felt the same way which is still a majority, but far less dominant. A higher percentage of non-educators, 30.9%, than educators, 20%, thought any sort of prayer should be outlawed. 10.3% of educators and 9.7% of non-educators did not have an opinion.

The poll invited respondents to comment, and many of them did. Below is a sampling of comments arranged by response.

“Any sort of prayer, whether in groups or individually, should be outlawed in public schools.” – 25.3%
  • “Required prayer is a violation of the separation of church and state. However, if a student has the urge to pray privately, there shouldn't be anything in the law against it.”
  •  “There is nothing wrong with silent reflection or introspection. However, laws of prayer have no place in public school. Children who wish to pray can find moments within any day to do so. There is no need for state mandates, which blur the line of separation between church and state.”
“Group prayer such as a moment of silence at the beginning of the school day should be required in every public school.” – 64.8%
  • “A moment to sit and reflect, to calm your mind, or pray, sounds like a good idea to me. In our society, where children are excellent multi-taskers at the age of five, need to have moments of solitude.”
  • “We have such a variety of students in our schools, some religious and some not. If a child wants to pray before beginning his/her day then they should be allowed that opportunity. If a student does not wish to participate, that is fine, however, that child may be curious about a particular religion and this may be his/her opportunity to learn. They may come from a non-religious home and this may be their opportunity to learn about God. What harm is there in allowing 5 minutes of silence for those who wish to pray?”
  • “I don't believe that you can require or force anyone to pray. However, I think that offering a few minutes for those who wish to pray is a terrific thing. Anyone who doesn't want to participate/pray can spend the time thinking about whatever they wish. No one's rights are violated by offering others opportunity.”
“I do not have an opinion.” – 9.9%
  • “Silent reflection/prayer should be allowed in the classrooms, but time set aside for it should never be mandated. It is a personal choice of the teacher, and no one should be required to set aside time for it or required to participate as this would be a violation of the separation of church and state. As an aside, our high school students are always saying silent (and sometimes not so silent) prayers every time they take a quiz or a test, turn in a paper/project or take a final exam!”