Highly religious people often choose education majors, “stick with it and become more religious over time,” notes Debbie Viadero at Inside School Research citing a National Bureau of Economic Research study. Humanities, physical sciences and social sciences majors become less religious over time.
Viadero isn’t surprised.
I suspect that many teachers feel the need to turn to prayer quite often in the course of a day. What’s the old saying about “no atheists in foxholes”?
Business majors also become more religious. Praying for help?
Well, certainly folks aren’t becoming schoolteachers in order to become rich. It makes sense that the religiously pious are attracted to an altruistic profession like teaching.
I never applied for the teaching job I have. I tell people God called me up and told me to go teach at a high school I never would have chosen. I was called to a long term sub position and told not to get comfortable, I’d be gone by Christmas. That was 20 years ago. Teaching in a difficult inner city school could only be done with lots of prayer.