“I am now required to hang the Ten Commandments in my public school classroom” are words many teachers never thought they’d hear. In a video posted by @teachingwithmrswhite on TikTok, these words became a stark reality. One public school in Texas is blurring the lines between the separation of education and religion, forcing teachers to hang religious posters around their classrooms.
“I guess the separation of church and state no longer exists,” the Texas teacher says in her video. “Which is funny, considering how big this country is on talking about their constitutional rights to do whatever they want.” She goes on in the video, adding: “What does this have to do with teaching kids math? We can pass laws for this,” she says, pointing to the poster. “But we can’t pass laws that’ll help us put an end to school shootings. Got it.”
Viewers were overwhelmingly empathetic, sympathizing with the mixed signals this sends to students. “If you want the Ten Commandments to be displayed in schools, then send your kid to a religious school,” one user says. “It doesn’t need to be in public schools.” Another echoed this, saying, “Even though I’m a Christian, this shouldn’t be allowed! There are children who are raised in different religions, school is supposed to be a place for ALL.”
Others offered creative ways of dealing with the new requirements, some offering comfort in the form of humor. “Can you put it in a rainbow frame?” One user commented. Another says, “Have a world religion section on your wall, and post stuff about all religions. Including satanism.” A fellow teacher says, “What’s crazy is mine keeps falling behind my filing cabinet.” One follower even suggested incorporating them into the curriculum. “Use it for critical thinking lessons,” they said. “‘What are the shortfalls you see with these?’ ‘Are there any you would replace if you could?’ etc.”
However, one user found the ultimate loophole solution. “It says you are required to hang it up. It doesn’t say which way. Hang it up, facing it to the wall.”
