A Peek Inside the Classroom: IB World Religions at BHHS

Mr. MacLeod and Ms. McCoy welcome students into their shared IB World Religions classroom, with the wall down between two rooms in D wing. For this hour and a half, a guest speaker is here to share reflections on Hinduism, their current unit of study. Mr. MacLeod begins by reminding students to turn in their field trip permission slips, as next week they’ll visit a Hindu temple in Troy. Students are also reminded of their yoga lessons later in the week, before they are introduced to Sukla Doshi, a Bloomfield Hills resident and retired elementary school teacher, who is presenting on the background and nuances of Hinduism. 

Ms. Doshi launches into an informative slideshow on karma, samsara, and yoga. She clarifies common misconceptions, and provides background on the Sanskrit and Hindi words and their meanings, that are at the root of Hinduism. 

Next, Mr. MacLeod shares with the students a series of speeches by Swami Vivekananda, who was an Indian Hindu monk, philosopher, author, and religious teacher, and a key figure in the introduction of Hinduism to the Western world. The speeches by Vivekananda to the World Parliament of Religion in Chicago, in September 1893, are silently read by students, followed by small group share-outs and discussions facilitated by both MacLeod and Doshi. Students highlight the key concepts, and vocalize their takeaways from the readings. Doshi notes that the story of the frog in the well, in a key speech by Vivekananda, highlights the Hindi concept that openness to the world is key to understanding. And at the time of the speech in 1893, many rishis - who are the most important people in history in the Hindu religion - were women. Throughout the class, students ask questions of Doshi, relating to reincarnation and dreams, as well as the history of the caste system.

A total of 221 students in grades 11 and 12 take IB World Religions, with seven sections total. Co-taught by history teacher Matt MacLeod and psychology teacher Andrea McCoy, who has a background in visual arts, the course provides students with a range of lenses and tools through which they can understand the wide range of content. Henry Hutchison (grade 12) notes, “When we start a new unit, Mr. MacLeod gives an overview of the whole religion. The information is given in a way where it’s efficient and easy to digest, and then the rest of the unit is focused on understanding the information. It’s about gaining a true understanding. I had read a lot before, but talking with people who truly understand it - that cycle of question and response is so amazing.” And with multiple guest speakers and field trips in every unit, students are exposed to a wide variety of ways of learning. Raghad ElBashir (grade 12) shares, “I love seeing the guest speakers. You get more of an authentic feel of the religions and the cultures that are associated with them. It’s always very interactive. We learn about how ever-changing and diverse religions are, and it gives us a worldwide perspective.” Jenny Thibodeaux (grade 12) adds, “There’s a difference between being friends with people of different religions, and actually understanding the why behind religious practices.” It’s easy to understand why so many BHHS students take this fascinating class!