Atheists in classrooms

Should schools allow atheists to teach children?

The ideal thing would be agnostics I think, but you cannot avoid using people with opinions in one direction or the other.

School should be neutral
"Christians believe this. Muslims believe this. Buddhists believe this, atheists believe this and agnostics believe this"

Would you trust an atheist to be a role model in your child's life?

We have schools over here called "educate together". They are the only non-denominational schools over here. They do not ask or look for the religion practiced by the teachers in these schools because these schools teach children what they need to know in order to do well, get in to a good secondary school and ultimately the college they want to get in to. They leave the teaching of religion to the parents of the child and the church that child attends.

Personally, would I trust an atheist to be a "role model" in my figurative child's life? Well, no. I would hope that I would be my child's role model. Mind you, if I knew an atheist was teaching my child in the classroom, that really wouldn't bother me. When it comes to a child's religious teaching, the teaching and reinforcement in the home is what's most important. Schools should be concerned with curriculum. This is just my own opinion though.

I think that the classrooms should be neutral, but, rather than having the teacher tell what each believes the students should research it and write a paper, presentation, etc.

In Romania, professors are not asked about their religious beliefs and accepted or rejected on that basis. It is only children that are asked about their religion because in Romania "religion" is a subject thought in schools (by orthodox christians, not atheists). Those that are not of orthodox faith are not obliged to participate. The catholics, the greek-catholics, the protestants and the neoprotestants (baptists and pentecostals) have their own teachers of religion.

Come on, guys. There's no way a school or even an individual can be neutral in anything, especially worldviews.

Tintin is right. Human beings are incapable of objectivity. We all bring our beliefs and prejuduces to any situation, especially teaching.

I'd MUCH rather have full disclosure of peoples beliefs up front, and give parents a choice of where to educate their kids without an onerous property tax dictating that they choose a public school.

I would think so. In the Constitution we have freedom of religion, which includes atheism (no belief in any religious system). Denying because of religion (or lack of) would go against that right.