The first thing you may do is want to check your classroom agreed upon rules, the district policy, and the school policy. After you are sure you are acting ethically and in a manner that reflects what the code of conduct says, you could address the student privately and tell them that you support them, however, discussing off topic things could be detrimental to their learning. If it persists, you could come up with a special nonverbal cue that you and the student have to remind them to change the subject.

Since you're the intern in the classroom I think it would be absolutely appropriate for you to talk to the classroom teacher that your interning with. He/She would probably have the best advice for how to redirect the conversations in these situations because he/she would be present when these discussions arise. Additionally, the classroom teacher has probably experienced this before and he/she should know all the district/school guidelines on how to handle this situation. Lastly, if you feel you've handled the situation poorly in redirecting student conversations after the class is over you could ask the classroom teacher how they would have handled the situation OR if the classroom teacher handled the redirection a specific way at the end of the day you could ask him/her why they chose to handle the situation in that way. As an intern, the classroom teacher should be a huge resource for you as they know you're in their classroom to learn. :)

If the lesson does not concern religion, students need to be redirected and reminded to stay on task. Not matter what the subject is, if it's not relevant to the lesson taught students should not be discussing it. I would remind them of the classroom rules/ consequences and if there are certain students who are still not on task, they should be separated and sat in the front of the classroom near the teacher.

Great question! Redirecting the discussion to the proper instructional topic is necessary here. If a single student continues to engage in the religious talk when not relevant to the lesson, I would speak with them one-on-one with another employee nearby as a witness to the conversation. If need be, a call home might be necessary.

I would explain to the student that this is not the time to bring up religion and also let them know you are available to talk privately to discuss any concerns the student may have.

If the student is just mentioning a point and not expecting a response, sometimes the easiest thing to do is to avoid the comment. If it persists or the student expects a response, then explain that there may be a better moment in time to discuss the matter. Individually speaking to them after the lesson may help them if they become frustrated or sad, just to explain that how they feel is valid, but just to mention the comment at an appropriate time and not during class time if the lesson doesn't concern religion or God.

I would speak to the cooperating teacher and see what their thoughts are on the matter. If the comment on religion can be ignored I would just let it go, however, if the student continues to make those comments I would mention privately to the student that there are many different religions and cultures and in order to make everyone feel comfortable, it would be best not to discuss them unless it is part of the lesson.

I would pull the student after class and just have a conversation on why they keep bringing up religion. I would explain to the student that when we are in the middle of a lesson, we ask questions related to what is going on in the lesson. Maybe create a lesson on different religions so the students can interact and better understand their own and\or other religions. Make sure students know that all religions are welcomed and celebrated to be in your class.

I think if it's one specific student, then I would set them aside and speak to them about time and place. Of course, religion is a subject that many kids are curious about and that's okay but during a math or English lesson isn't that time. A lot of times too, students may be repeating what they've heard from home or church and once again, I would just remind the class as a whole that if the lesson is on mat, then we are going to stick the the discussion and not get sidetracked by an other topic, no matter what it is.

I would start with looking at the district and state policy when first handling this. To add, it is important that you set the expectations in the classroom relating to communication and respect. I feel as if the lesson does not concern religion, just redirect the students in a subtle way, as well as asking your CT for advice.

I would discuss your concerns with the teacher and ask for some guidance. If this does not help go over the classroom rules again and remind them to stay on topic while gently guiding them back to the main discussion.