Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is st Patrick’s day a white holiday? I see black people drinking beer and wearing green. Are POCs also not allowed to celebrate Halloween (also from Ireland) or Valentine’s Day too??

What Trump is doing is wrong, but two wrongs don’t make a right.

OP didn't say that black people can't celebrate St. Patrick's Day. They said that if we can't have celebrations, or educational programming that celebrates or teaches about demographic groups, then St. Patrick's Day celebrations should be included in that. It's logical. It's also a good way to emphasize that this idea that, for example, boys in school can learn about and celebrate the success of the Women's suffrage movement, and white children can learn about and look up to Rosa Parks, just like POC can wear green.

Sorry but POC wearing green is not the same as white children learning about Rosa parks. False equivalency. Try again with your logic.

That’s not culture that’s Black history. Who said they couldn’t learn about Rosa Parks?

And I’ve never seen a celebration of St Patrick’s Day in any school. It’s not White culture it’s Irish specifically. Plus with immigration changes Ireland has new citizens coming from Asian and African countries.

There are plenty of reports of DoD schools and schools in red states removing any texts or other teaching materials that reference Black History.

In Fairfax county years ago our kids learned about leprechauns and made a leprechaun trap

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Idk what schools you all go to but my kids only learn about POC. They have a hero of the week and only POCs are taught. I think it’s a little off putting (heck Einstein was apparently too white even though Jews are targeted frequently for race) but I get it.

Not sure about your school, but in most schools I have worked in the POC content is an addendum to the “regular curriculum” that is primarily white - because it was the standard from years ago. Overtime, cultural content was added so that it is a representative of the school community. All people should be included and cultures celebrated.

The people who are wringing their hands over the end of DEI are often the same people who insist that all mentions of Christianity in public schools be banned.

That’s … completely wrong.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Idk what schools you all go to but my kids only learn about POC. They have a hero of the week and only POCs are taught. I think it’s a little off putting (heck Einstein was apparently too white even though Jews are targeted frequently for race) but I get it.

Not sure about your school, but in most schools I have worked in the POC content is an addendum to the “regular curriculum” that is primarily white - because it was the standard from years ago. Overtime, cultural content was added so that it is a representative of the school community. All people should be included and cultures celebrated.

The people who are wringing their hands over the end of DEI are often the same people who insist that all mentions of Christianity in public schools be banned.

If Christianity is brought up in history or English that’s fine. It’s not comparable to anything being discussed.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is st Patrick’s day a white holiday? I see black people drinking beer and wearing green. Are POCs also not allowed to celebrate Halloween (also from Ireland) or Valentine’s Day too??

What Trump is doing is wrong, but two wrongs don’t make a right.

OP didn't say that black people can't celebrate St. Patrick's Day. They said that if we can't have celebrations, or educational programming that celebrates or teaches about demographic groups, then St. Patrick's Day celebrations should be included in that. It's logical. It's also a good way to emphasize that this idea that, for example, boys in school can learn about and celebrate the success of the Women's suffrage movement, and white children can learn about and look up to Rosa Parks, just like POC can wear green.

Sorry but POC wearing green is not the same as white children learning about Rosa parks. False equivalency. Try again with your logic.

That’s not culture that’s Black history. Who said they couldn’t learn about Rosa Parks?

And I’ve never seen a celebration of St Patrick’s Day in any school. It’s not White culture it’s Irish specifically. Plus with immigration changes Ireland has new citizens coming from Asian and African countries.

Anonymous wrote:I don’t recall any public school celebrating St Patrick’s Day ever. How would one even celebrate? What is the tradition?

Maybe it’s just because I teach older students but we have not celebrated this in schools in the 20 years I’ve been teaching. Many wear green. Some don’t. That’s it.

Our kids built Leprechaun traps- but they are in Catholic schools. They also still celebrated BHM with book reports.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Idk what schools you all go to but my kids only learn about POC. They have a hero of the week and only POCs are taught. I think it’s a little off putting (heck Einstein was apparently too white even though Jews are targeted frequently for race) but I get it.

Not sure about your school, but in most schools I have worked in the POC content is an addendum to the “regular curriculum” that is primarily white - because it was the standard from years ago. Overtime, cultural content was added so that it is a representative of the school community. All people should be included and cultures celebrated.

The people who are wringing their hands over the end of DEI are often the same people who insist that all mentions of Christianity in public schools be banned.

That’s not my experience at all.

— Christian former public school teacher who believes that understanding all people’s religions, cultural practices and histories is critical for the survival of our nation, and supports teaching about religions (not proselytizing) and topics labeled DEI.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Idk what schools you all go to but my kids only learn about POC. They have a hero of the week and only POCs are taught. I think it’s a little off putting (heck Einstein was apparently too white even though Jews are targeted frequently for race) but I get it.

Not sure about your school, but in most schools I have worked in the POC content is an addendum to the “regular curriculum” that is primarily white - because it was the standard from years ago. Overtime, cultural content was added so that it is a representative of the school community. All people should be included and cultures celebrated.

The people who are wringing their hands over the end of DEI are often the same people who insist that all mentions of Christianity in public schools be banned.

Anonymous wrote:I don’t recall any public school celebrating St Patrick’s Day ever. How would one even celebrate? What is the tradition?

The only real ways to celebrate are to listen to Irish music, eat Irish food, drink beer or Irish whiskey, go to church, & maybe watch a movie associated with Ireland (e.g, the Quiet Man).

Good. Time to move cultural celebrations out of school.

My public school never celebrated St Patrick's Day

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Even if you cancel st Patrick’s day, people will still wear green.

This is not about cancelling St Patrick’s Day. It is about making sure that cultureal content within the school is treated equally. If no nuts are allowed, that includes cashews.

So no pumpkins and no valentines.

Honestly, if we're going with "no cultural celebrations", then we have to acknowledge that those are cultural celebrations. Does that suck? Yes. Would only having cultural celebrations that honor subsets of the population be worse? 100%.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Even if you cancel st Patrick’s day, people will still wear green.

This is not about cancelling St Patrick’s Day. It is about making sure that cultureal content within the school is treated equally. If no nuts are allowed, that includes cashews.

So no pumpkins and no valentines.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Even if you cancel st Patrick’s day, people will still wear green.

This is not about cancelling St Patrick’s Day. It is about making sure that cultureal content within the school is treated equally. If no nuts are allowed, that includes cashews.

Just because someone is white, it doesn’t mean they’re Irish or have any Irish blood.

And don’t forget that 100 years ago Irish weren’t even seen as white (same as Italians) They were the servants.

I am unclear what are arguing. We should make sure to celebrate Irish people because a long time ago they were servants and they overcome that, but it's fine to cancel Black History Month? Because overcoming being treated like servants is really hard, but overcoming being enslaved is NBD?

Irish people are white. In modern American society people of Irish descent are treated as white. If we aren't having cultural celebrations, or acknowledging the history of some groups who overcame diversity, then we need to apply that to groups that are white. That isn't to say that Irish people and immigrants from Ireland haven't faced significant struggles.

I'll add that our family is more than 50% Irish heritage. We even have multiple family members named Patrick! I love St. Patrick's day. I also love Black History month. I think we should acknowledge all kinds of groups in our schools. But if we aren't going to do that, I think that continuing to acknowledge the white ones while canceling the others is the very worst of the options.