Linda K. Wertheimer is an award-winning education journalist, essayist and author. Specifically, she is an educator teaching about religion. Not preaching, but teaching. And Linda makes sure that we understand the difference between preaching and teaching. Public schools are allowed to teach about religion. Teaching about different religions goes side by side with teaching about different cultures.
‘God was not kicked out of the schools. What was kicked out of the school was illegal preaching. Teachers have always been able to teach about religion, as a part of world history, a part of geography and a part of literature.’
Linda has traveled throughout the country finding out how teachers are teaching religion. Knowledge is key to how we act and live our lives among one another. ‘In order to be a global citizen, you need to be religiously literate.’
A very educational and important conversation with Linda:
- A young girl, a teacher and that’s not my religion
- Mothering and speaking out
- Teaching vs preaching
- Public schools and religion
- Varying ways of teaching
- Becoming religiously literate
- Fighting religious bigotry
Linda and Faith Ed
Linda is the award-author of Faith Ed. Teaching About Religion in an Age of Intolerance. Faith Ed focuses on public school’s ups and downs as they teach about world religions. Currently Linda is a Spencer Fellow in Education Journalism at Columbia University.
Linda is a veteran journalist and former Boston Globe education editor. During her nearly 30-year journalism career, she was a reporter at The Dallas Morning News and The Orlando Sentinel as well as for other publications. Her work has appeared in The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Boston Globe Magazine, USA Today, Time, and many other publications. Linda has appeared on several NPR radio shows, including KERA’s Think in Dallas; Radio Boston; and LA’s Air Talk, as well a nationally televised program on CBS about religion and democracy.