Anonymous
12/30/2015 18:39
Subject: Diwali peition
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:
83 percent of Americans are Christians; 13 percent have no religion. I'd guess that many in that 13 percent (such as myself) are culturally "Christian" in that we celebrate Christmas in a secular way. So, acting like all religious holidays in this country have the same impact and should be treated the same way is asinine. It really is OK for the US to keep its own traditions.
However, all religious holidays are religious holidays. By definition. So your argument is basically: schools should recognize only recognize religious holidays if lots of people celebrate them.
By the way, do many people celebrate Easter Monday?
Basically yes; it's practical. Easter Monday? I don't think it's really it's own thing, but just a way to add more time off around Easter.
What kind of a holiday is Easter, and how come state law requires schools in Maryland to be closed on the day after Easter?
Anonymous
12/30/2015 16:02
Subject: Re:Diwali peition
To the Hindus who support the petition, can you suggest a criteria for deciding how we ensure fair treatment of other faiths, cultures, etc?
We have Jews, Sunni Muslims, Shia Muslims, Bohras, Ismailis, Iranians, Sikhs, Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, Koreans, Hispanics, Africans, etc. There are important religious or cultural days for each of these groups.
Having spent time in India I know that different parts of India celebrate other important days eg Pongal in Tamil Nadu.
I don't mean to be snarky but I genuinely don't know how one goes about recognizing the sensitivities of different groups and beliefs in a way that is fair.
We have Jews, Sunni Muslims, Shia Muslims, Bohras, Ismailis, Iranians, Sikhs, Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, Koreans, Hispanics, Africans, etc. There are important religious or cultural days for each of these groups.
Having spent time in India I know that different parts of India celebrate other important days eg Pongal in Tamil Nadu.
I don't mean to be snarky but I genuinely don't know how one goes about recognizing the sensitivities of different groups and beliefs in a way that is fair.
Anonymous
12/30/2015 15:48
Subject: Diwali peition
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:
83 percent of Americans are Christians; 13 percent have no religion. I'd guess that many in that 13 percent (such as myself) are culturally "Christian" in that we celebrate Christmas in a secular way. So, acting like all religious holidays in this country have the same impact and should be treated the same way is asinine. It really is OK for the US to keep its own traditions.
Actually, 71% of Americans are Christians, and 23% have no religion.
http://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/
Many, many atheists celebrate Christmas.
I know this one does. I've often said that Christmas would be perfect if they would just keep out all the Jesus stuff.
Anonymous
12/30/2015 15:47
Subject: Diwali peition
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:
83 percent of Americans are Christians; 13 percent have no religion. I'd guess that many in that 13 percent (such as myself) are culturally "Christian" in that we celebrate Christmas in a secular way. So, acting like all religious holidays in this country have the same impact and should be treated the same way is asinine. It really is OK for the US to keep its own traditions.
However, all religious holidays are religious holidays. By definition. So your argument is basically: schools should recognize only recognize religious holidays if lots of people celebrate them.
By the way, do many people celebrate Easter Monday?
Basically yes; it's practical. Easter Monday? I don't think it's really it's own thing, but just a way to add more time off around Easter.
Anonymous
12/30/2015 15:44
Subject: Diwali peition
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:
83 percent of Americans are Christians; 13 percent have no religion. I'd guess that many in that 13 percent (such as myself) are culturally "Christian" in that we celebrate Christmas in a secular way. So, acting like all religious holidays in this country have the same impact and should be treated the same way is asinine. It really is OK for the US to keep its own traditions.
Actually, 71% of Americans are Christians, and 23% have no religion.
http://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/
Many, many atheists celebrate Christmas.
Anonymous
12/30/2015 15:43
Subject: Diwali peition
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:
83 percent of Americans are Christians; 13 percent have no religion. I'd guess that many in that 13 percent (such as myself) are culturally "Christian" in that we celebrate Christmas in a secular way. So, acting like all religious holidays in this country have the same impact and should be treated the same way is asinine. It really is OK for the US to keep its own traditions.
Actually, 71% of Americans are Christians, and 23% have no religion.
http://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/
Interesting; I was going off of an ABC news poll, but I'd think that PEW would probably have better numbers. My basic point stands though.
Anonymous
12/30/2015 15:30
Subject: Re:Diwali peition
I would like Trump to weigh in on this ........... he will have some choice words I am sure! 
Anonymous
12/30/2015 15:17
Subject: Diwali peition
Anonymous wrote:
83 percent of Americans are Christians; 13 percent have no religion. I'd guess that many in that 13 percent (such as myself) are culturally "Christian" in that we celebrate Christmas in a secular way. So, acting like all religious holidays in this country have the same impact and should be treated the same way is asinine. It really is OK for the US to keep its own traditions.
Actually, 71% of Americans are Christians, and 23% have no religion.
http://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/
Anonymous
12/30/2015 15:15
Subject: Diwali peition
Anonymous wrote:
83 percent of Americans are Christians; 13 percent have no religion. I'd guess that many in that 13 percent (such as myself) are culturally "Christian" in that we celebrate Christmas in a secular way. So, acting like all religious holidays in this country have the same impact and should be treated the same way is asinine. It really is OK for the US to keep its own traditions.
However, all religious holidays are religious holidays. By definition. So your argument is basically: schools should recognize only recognize religious holidays if lots of people celebrate them.
By the way, do many people celebrate Easter Monday?
Anonymous
12/30/2015 15:11
Subject: Diwali peition
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:For the love of God, the kids will never be in school in Fall at this rate. Google says this is an Oct/Nov holiday. We have enough days off then already.
I disagreed with the Ramadan decision too though. We simply cannot recognize every single holiday anyone in the county might be celebrating. So long as kids can take the day off and not be penalized for missing things I do not see why a holiday is needed.
I hear you on the number of days, but then we should cancel Christmas, and only celebrate secular and federal holidays. I don't think the answer is f*ck you and your non-Christian holiday, which is essentially what the norm is.
83 percent of Americans are Christians; 13 percent have no religion. I'd guess that many in that 13 percent (such as myself) are culturally "Christian" in that we celebrate Christmas in a secular way. So, acting like all religious holidays in this country have the same impact and should be treated the same way is asinine. It really is OK for the US to keep its own traditions.
Anonymous
12/30/2015 12:55
Subject: Diwali peition
The General Assembly really, really needs to get the law off the books requiring schools to close from the Friday before Easter to the Monday after Easter. But what a culture war that would surely provoke...
While they're at it, they could also get rid of "Maryland, My Maryland" as the state song.
While they're at it, they could also get rid of "Maryland, My Maryland" as the state song.
Anonymous
12/30/2015 12:21
Subject: Re:Diwali peition
Anonymous wrote:
It's called personal leave. Yes, it's part of our leave, and we'd have to "pay for it." But even if they were "given" to us, it doesn't solve the problem.
Let's say a Jewish holiday rolls around and MANY teachers are off. There aren't enough subs to cover their classes. That's why the two holidays - Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur were noted as official holidays.
So it's not a "religious" reason; it's a number's game.
At some point in the early-to-mid 1970s. What would happen now? Nobody knows, including the Board of Education.
Anonymous
12/30/2015 12:19
Subject: Diwali peition
Anonymous wrote:Well, I want January 7th (Orthodox Christmas) off too. It is a major holiday for my religion and couple others.
This is so ridiculous! After all the "special interest" groups are satisfied we wouldnt have any school days left.
Yes, only the Western Christians should have their major holidays (Western Christmas and Western Easter) off. After all, Western Christians are the only ones who aren't "special interest" a group.
Anonymous
12/30/2015 11:09
Subject: Diwali peition
Well, I want January 7th (Orthodox Christmas) off too. It is a major holiday for my religion and couple others.
This is so ridiculous! After all the "special interest" groups are satisfied we wouldnt have any school days left.
This is so ridiculous! After all the "special interest" groups are satisfied we wouldnt have any school days left.
Anonymous
12/30/2015 11:05
Subject: Re:Diwali peition
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Where I work this problem is solved by giving everyone two floating holidays a year in addition to normal vacation time.
The idea is that these can be used to take off on religious holidays so that people are free to take off for theirs without everyone having to take off. But their use is not limited to religious holidays; everyone gets them and can use them as they see fit.
If it was implemented in a way that teachers would have to give sufficient advance notice for using them, why couldn't this work?
This is a fine idea, but it only addresses the teacher side, not the student side. If too many kids are missing, it becomes something of a lost instructional day. Now, I don't think there are enough observant Hindu kids at any given school that more than 10% would be missing, but I might be wrong.
Even for those who aren't religiously observant, it's a big cultural holiday as Christmas is for many purely nominal Christians or the first two nights of Passover for many strictly cultural Jews. As a teacher, I've noticed this with the Eids as well. It's not MCPS's place to police the actual religious faith of students any more than a supervisor could in the world of work for people who use leave for religious holidays. I have Jewish students who take the minor holidays off as a day to decompress or catch up on school work not go to shul. These are still marked "excused for religious". That's between them and God. I bet most of my Christian students used Thursday to shop and go to the movies not attend church services. Why should I care? I don't want MCPS to require a note from the priest, rabbi, or imam that the child attended services.
You are probably at a school with more Muslims and Jews, for that matter. In my HS, I remember one child who fasted during Ramadan and who was "excused" to pray. There are simply not enough faithful Muslims in the system - who, if absent - would inconvenience the system.
Not all schools have the same balance of religions. Keep that in mind. If a school is heavily Latino, Christian holidays will still "rule."
Your lens is different from mine, as our experiences are clearly not the same. So while I don't think an inquisition is necessary during religious absences, I don't know how equity comes into play when concentrations of religions vary from school to school. So while your school may have a high number of absences on minor holidays, mine doesn't.