Anonymous wrote:So tell if I am being unreasonable to be annoyed here--

DC is in elementary school that frequently touts the beauty and joy of "sharing your culture." At one point, parents were invited in to "share an activity from your culture." As a result of that invitation, my kid brought home a little lantern they made in celebration of Diwali.

And yet, when it comes to mainstream secular holidays like Halloween or Valentines Day, we get emails like this:

Valentine's Reminder

As Valentine's Day approaches, let's be mindful of our school community's inclusive approach to celebrations. While the holiday is often celebrated with parties, distributing Valentines, and treats, it's important to recognize its religious roots, and that not all members of our community may observe it. Additionally, due to serious allergies, our school has a no-candy policy in classrooms.

We got a similar message around Halloween. I can't help but get the feeling, based on these emails, that if I took up the teacher on one of these invitations to "share my culture" around Halloween or Valentines Day or any other secular take on a mainstream American holiday (e.g. Christmas), it would not be well-received. I am all for my kid learning and celebrating other cultures, but this feels like a double standard.

Frankly, I find it annoying that we not allowed to have any common celebration with these holidays. I remember Halloween and Valentines Day as some of my most fun in-school experiences and this feels like they are caving to an unreasonably intolerant minority. Obviously we can and still do invite classmates over to celebrate these holidays at home, but that is not quite the same.

Thoughts?

i am ok with them banning this valentines day and christmas from MCPS.

But I think we can all agree MCPS needs to be culturally sensitive to, and honor, the Muslim’s celebrations.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kindergartener got to learn about Ramadan including that "we kneel on the floor and say Allahu akbar, which means God is great " in a public school. But no Valentines. We left the school

You should have stayed. Your kid might have learned something.

Valentine’s Day is ubiquitously celebrated in our culture. Your kid doesn’t need special lessons about that in school.

The point is, we're not allowed to celebrate Valentine's Day in schools anymore but we are allowed to celebrate kneeling on the floor and saying Allahu akbar. That's the point.

Did your child actually celebrate Ramadan in school? Were they made to kneel and say Allahu Akbar? Or did they just learn that Islam exists?

Are they allowed to say that Halloween is not about devil worshiping but about creativity and freedom for kids and CANDY? No. We're not allowed to say a word. We have to respect their opinion by remaining silent, even though it's wrong.

This seems super hypocritical. You object to Ramadan traditions being discussed and explained in school, because there's something about the holiday you disagree with. But you don't think that people who disagree with Halloween (because they don't like holidays that include decorations or costumes that include death or gore or wtches or whatever) should be allowed to have that opinion because it's "wrong." Is your argument basically "no one should celebrate holidays I don't like, and everyone should celebrate the holidays I like and they're not allowed to have a problem with them"?

If MCPS says "celebrate culture" and a kid comes home with Diwali lamp, then MCPS sure as hell better be having the kids bring home a Ramadan lantern, Chinese New Year's dragon, Jewish dreidel, Japanese children's day fish, Christmas stocking, and mini Kwanzaa Kikombe cha Umoja (chalice). Or fire that teacher for teaching religion in schools. Either way is fine.

St. Valentine would be a great teaching moment.

His real life story is the evil King and Queen demanded a tax to be married and the poor people in love could not afford to be married.

He did it anyhow as a Priest and was put in Jail.

The Queen put him in prison because of that. Now poor people could no longer get married. The guards felt bad and let him marry young couples who stood outside his jail cell.

The Queen was furious when she found out and ordered them to cut his heart out and bring it to her.

The heart and blood turns colors after being cut out to a darker color. Which is why we have Chocolate Hearts on Valentines Day.

It is quite and amazing and true story. He gave his life for love.

In Japan it is hugely popular and not religious based at all. Just the whole story is of St. Valentine Day itself is the ulitimate sacrifice for love.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree OP. In my opinion, Valentines and Halloween are American celebrations that are only very loosely tied to religions. Growing up, every religion (except Jehovah’s Witness) celebrated them and they were just fun class parties. Now we are trying too hard to be PC and are not making anyone happy.

Honoring and learning about other cultures is fantastic, but we should not need to erase the American customs to do that.

Totally agree

NP - me, too.

This. Halloween and Valentines day are not religious holidays in the US. They are secular American customs.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree OP. In my opinion, Valentines and Halloween are American celebrations that are only very loosely tied to religions. Growing up, every religion (except Jehovah’s Witness) celebrated them and they were just fun class parties. Now we are trying too hard to be PC and are not making anyone happy.

Honoring and learning about other cultures is fantastic, but we should not need to erase the American customs to do that.

Totally agree

NP - me, too.

Anonymous wrote:I find this discussion odd and full of misinformation. Some schools allow classroom parties and some do not. It is an individual school decision. Sometimes this decision is based on school wealth —lower income schools are less likely to allow classroom parties since those require parents to ask for donations or if teacher run to have a teacher do the same. If your particular school does not allow a Halloween party or Fall party or Valentines day party sort out why, address this concern and then organize parents to support it and run it. My kids’ lower income leaning majority minority MCPS elementary school has a nice Halloween costume party as well as a Valentine’s Day party both funded, run and supported by parents with an opt out option for kids whose parents do not allow participation. MCPS allows this. So if you want this at your kid’s school make it happen. My kids’ school also had a great heritage night celebration that encourages families and students to host tables celebrating their heritage whatever that might be. We choose to represent Irish culture since that is part of our heritage. If your school does not have an inclusive heritage then organize parents at your school to create one. There is so much whining on this thread by parents who expect the school to run events like these. If you want this, organize it and run it. This is not rocket science. There is no double standard here. But there are parents and communities motivated to organize events versus others not motivated.

NP. Our school (which doesn't do Halloween) has an international night and there's always an Irish table and usually other European ones as well. Beyond that there's not really any "cultural sharing" going on at school, so I'm definitely not seeing any double standards.

I find this discussion odd and full of misinformation. Some schools allow classroom parties and some do not. It is an individual school decision. Sometimes this decision is based on school wealth —lower income schools are less likely to allow classroom parties since those require parents to ask for donations or if teacher run to have a teacher do the same. If your particular school does not allow a Halloween party or Fall party or Valentines day party sort out why, address this concern and then organize parents to support it and run it. My kids’ lower income leaning majority minority MCPS elementary school has a nice Halloween costume party as well as a Valentine’s Day party both funded, run and supported by parents with an opt out option for kids whose parents do not allow participation. MCPS allows this. So if you want this at your kid’s school make it happen. My kids’ school also had a great heritage night celebration that encourages families and students to host tables celebrating their heritage whatever that might be. We choose to represent Irish culture since that is part of our heritage. If your school does not have an inclusive heritage then organize parents at your school to create one. There is so much whining on this thread by parents who expect the school to run events like these. If you want this, organize it and run it. This is not rocket science. There is no double standard here. But there are parents and communities motivated to organize events versus others not motivated.

There is no such thing as a “double standard.” Always and everywhere, there is only a single standard and it is consistently applied. What that standard is, however, is often unstated and affirmatively concealed. Some animals are ever more equal than others. How that applies to this situation, I leave as an exercise for the reader.

Anonymous wrote:So tell if I am being unreasonable to be annoyed here--

DC is in elementary school that frequently touts the beauty and joy of "sharing your culture." At one point, parents were invited in to "share an activity from your culture." As a result of that invitation, my kid brought home a little lantern they made in celebration of Diwali.

And yet, when it comes to mainstream secular holidays like Halloween or Valentines Day, we get emails like this:

Valentine's Reminder

As Valentine's Day approaches, let's be mindful of our school community's inclusive approach to celebrations. While the holiday is often celebrated with parties, distributing Valentines, and treats, it's important to recognize its religious roots, and that not all members of our community may observe it. Additionally, due to serious allergies, our school has a no-candy policy in classrooms.

We got a similar message around Halloween. I can't help but get the feeling, based on these emails, that if I took up the teacher on one of these invitations to "share my culture" around Halloween or Valentines Day or any other secular take on a mainstream American holiday (e.g. Christmas), it would not be well-received. I am all for my kid learning and celebrating other cultures, but this feels like a double standard.

Frankly, I find it annoying that we not allowed to have any common celebration with these holidays. I remember Halloween and Valentines Day as some of my most fun in-school experiences and this feels like they are caving to an unreasonably intolerant minority. Obviously we can and still do invite classmates over to celebrate these holidays at home, but that is not quite the same.

Thoughts?

Valentine’s Day is from Europe. White is not a culture.

Anonymous wrote:11 pages in but isn’t it the Evangelical Christians who are opposed to Valentines Day and Halloween? So Christians are mad that a Diwali lantern came home and also mad that they oppose Halloween but want to celebrate Christmas.

All so-called christians are the same: Christian-Nationalists. The ones who deny it are just closeted MAGAs in hiding.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kindergartener got to learn about Ramadan including that "we kneel on the floor and say Allahu akbar, which means God is great " in a public school. But no Valentines. We left the school

You should have stayed. Your kid might have learned something.

Valentine’s Day is ubiquitously celebrated in our culture. Your kid doesn’t need special lessons about that in school.

The point is, we're not allowed to celebrate Valentine's Day in schools anymore but we are allowed to celebrate kneeling on the floor and saying Allahu akbar. That's the point.

Did your child actually celebrate Ramadan in school? Were they made to kneel and say Allahu Akbar? Or did they just learn that Islam exists?

Are they allowed to say that Halloween is not about devil worshiping but about creativity and freedom for kids and CANDY? No. We're not allowed to say a word. We have to respect their opinion by remaining silent, even though it's wrong.

This is hyperbole. But more importantly, you didn't answer the question.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kindergartener got to learn about Ramadan including that "we kneel on the floor and say Allahu akbar, which means God is great " in a public school. But no Valentines. We left the school

You should have stayed. Your kid might have learned something.

Valentine’s Day is ubiquitously celebrated in our culture. Your kid doesn’t need special lessons about that in school.

The point is, we're not allowed to celebrate Valentine's Day in schools anymore but we are allowed to celebrate kneeling on the floor and saying Allahu akbar. That's the point.

Did your child actually celebrate Ramadan in school? Were they made to kneel and say Allahu Akbar? Or did they just learn that Islam exists?

Are they allowed to say that Halloween is not about devil worshiping but about creativity and freedom for kids and CANDY? No. We're not allowed to say a word. We have to respect their opinion by remaining silent, even though it's wrong.

Anonymous wrote:The voters have spoken. The war on Halloween that people from superstitious cultures have waged is over
Long live Halloween!!

I think you're posting on the wrong forum.
This is not MAGA territory.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kindergartener got to learn about Ramadan including that "we kneel on the floor and say Allahu akbar, which means God is great " in a public school. But no Valentines. We left the school

You should have stayed. Your kid might have learned something.

Valentine’s Day is ubiquitously celebrated in our culture. Your kid doesn’t need special lessons about that in school.

The point is, we're not allowed to celebrate Valentine's Day in schools anymore but we are allowed to celebrate kneeling on the floor and saying Allahu akbar. That's the point.

Our school stills does Valentine’s Day. Folks would be fine with Xmas if we also acknowledge the multitude of other winter holidays/recognitions.