Hey there! Thank you for writing in and I hope you were able to find a caring adult who could help you specifically with that question. I’ve been thinking about your question and I feel like we can break this down into two fundamental issues: first, how to deal when your teacher says uncomfortable things and second, how to defend yourself without bigotry.
The first one is to do exactly what you’ve already done: reach out to a caring adult, like another teacher or your parent and tell them about what’s going on. Try to describe what’s been happening and then explain to them that it makes you feel uncomfortable. If you feel like you cannot continue in that class you should ask your caring adult about making an official report. You’ll need to document what’s been happening so make sure you write down the incident and give that report to your principal.
Second, you can totally defend yourself without bigotry. Your teacher crosses a line when she deliberately makes unfair comparisons between your religion and others. In turn, you must be able to defend your own religion without putting down another group or showing prejudice to people who are not part of your religion. If you find yourself in this scenario again, I recommend that you focus on the positives of your religion, consider pointing out the things that are untrue in their statements, and most importantly, find a way to end the conversation. You don’t have to sit through that, even if they are your teacher.
Best of luck,
Auntie Jane
