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How are holidays celebrated at your private school?
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Anonymous
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And let us not forget the atheists, of which I am one. We just want freedom from religion in our institutions, so adding another 2 or 3 religions to the story time/ December concert / whatever isn't what I'd hoped for as a write the check each year.
That said, I agree with the PP who stressed that it's a private school, and it can do what it wants with the "curriculum." Although I am a staunch non-believer, I would never speak up about having too much or too little Christianity vs. Judaism vs. Hindu symbolism in December. I made our bed .... |
Anonymous
| Our school recognizes/ celebrates Christmas with great fanfare (both religious and Santa) and teaches about/ touches on Hannukah and Kwanza. It's perfect for us; I would hate to see things get more watered down. |
Anonymous
| It would be nice if there was a celebration for some Native American holidays. Are there at any schools? |
Anonymous
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OP here. Yes my child is Muslim. I know it's a private school and so those rules for public schools don't apply so much. But if schools, private or public, want to nurture goodwill between people of all faiths, it seems unwise to celebrate only some holidays with all the grandeur of a new years day parade and other holidays with a small scale parent presentation in a child's classroom only. I mean, it's simply NICE to help minorities not feel like minorities, whether that be a hindu, buddhist, jewish, african american, muslim, native american, whatever religion or color or background you are.
So what would I love to see happen? Either 1) tone the emphasis on only a few holidays a bit, OR 2) keep the holiday party strictly secular and make no mention of ANY religion, OR 3) Provide a equally celebratory event for other holidays. People of the majority faith should not disregard how other holidays of other faiths are treated for selfish reasons. Doesn't it say in Christianity do unto others as you would have done unto you (sorry if this isn't precise, I'm not Christian)? |
Anonymous
Oh, and let's see, how about a celebration of holidays meaningful to blonde, blue-eyed Southerners, and then the following week we can recognize the rituals of cowboys from Montana (but only Montana; those from other states will have to wait their turn), and please let's not forget New Englanders and their unique practices, and for the year-end bash, that can be National Aloha Surf Day .... have I and the PPs left anyone out? |
Anonymous
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Do you really expect every private school to celebrate the major holidays of every represented religion with the same fanfare that goes into Christmas? Do you expect the schools to close for two weeks around those holidays? And for parents to give the teachers gifts during those holidays (if gift giving is part of that holiday? etc. Really. How would that work.
While Christmas has a Christian element, most of what these schools do is very secular and part of this country's cultural celebration and not the religious celebration. Santa, Christmas trees, lights, and jingle bells have nothing to do with the religious celebration of Christmas. Hannukah and Kwanza are only thrown in because they are close to Christmas. I just don't know how there is any real way you can make all things equal, unless you do nothing for any holiday (like my friend's Montgomery County Public School). |
Anonymous
Whatever. |
Anonymous
That's not being fair. If we're celebrating Kwanzaa which is an African holiday, why can't this poster ask for a celebration of a Native American holiday too? Blonde, blue eyed Southerners, Montana cowboys, and WASP New Englanders hardly fit the criteria for any minority. African American, Native Americans, Jews, Muslims, Hindu's, etc...well, they are minorities. |
Anonymous
A friend said at her child's school they have a holiday party in December and each faith/group has a table there. Wouldn't this be a simple solution? Schools close for two weeks around the holiday time for many reasons, not only because of Christmas. It's mid year, a good time for a break. It's coincides with the beginning of the new year, which is another federal holiday, so an ideal time to take vacation time too. Gifts to teachers are not obligatory. I do not give gifts to DC's teachers - on Christmas on even on my own holiday. I give end of the year teacher appreciation gifts and we bring back gifts from our travels. But no gifts on their holiday or my holiday. As far as Christmas celebrations in schools being secular, as much as we might want to think of trees, lights, etc..as secular, they are all done around Christmas time, for Christmas time, and by Christians. Still, I agree it's different than the cross or the nativity scene. Evenso, symbols associated with Chrisitianity like the tree and lights are fine by me. But if schools sponsor one holiday they should be fair and sponsor others too. |
Anonymous
| Is it also a coincidence that spring break is around Easter? |
Anonymous
| Well then you should ask yourself WHY. How fair is it to the rest of the U.S. population which is growingly pluaralistic and so diversified. |
Anonymous
I'd love to see our school's holiday celebrations go the way of the dodo. They're expensive and elaborate and require the sacrifice of a significant amount of instructional time. I love the holidays, but we can celebrate at home! |
Anonymous
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Our former very liberal progressive school went through all sorts of contortions to honor every single religious holiday out there, no matter how small or how unknown. Parents exhausted by winter break having to help out with winter festival, gifting and untold numbers of parties where we had to supply all sorts of food.
New school has Episcopal base and other than a special chapel service and lovely music concerts, we were wonderfully surprised to find that there was no craziness. No Secret Santa stuff, no parties. The last week of school was focused on academics. Go figure..... |
Anonymous
At our public schools Christmas was sometimes a dirty word. Kwanzaa is not part of a religion. It was started in 1966 as an alternative to Christmas but is now a very welcome USA weeklong celebration between Christmas and New Years. |
Anonymous
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