Christmas in School?
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As an interfaith family this time of year presents so many challenges for us. We celebrate both Christian and Jewish holidays. But with the Christmas hype and stress adding a general anxious buzz to the air, it drowns out all of our attempts at balance. We have come to terms with Christmas being all places commercial, and even embracing light displays and shopping until we drop!
One consolation has been the refuge of school, not the same environment as when we were children. When I was a child we had trees, Santa, even nativity scenes right in my public school classroom. That buzz was everywhere! Both as a student and later as a teacher the comparative calm and return to a normal routine was so welcome after the holidays!
Now as a parent in this unique family, I have found it reassuring to know that some of that buzz has died down at least within the school walls. If classes approach the holidays it is in a multicultrual and academic way.
This week my 2nd grade son came home every day this week to announce they had watched a different Christmas movie. Disney Christmas Carol, Polar Express, Santa Claus is coming to town. OK WHAT? Not only did we not watch that much Christmas back in the day....why were they watching movies every day anyway? I am just crazed! I have contacted the teacher and explained my thoughts and she did promise balance among all the cultures represented in the class (Indian, Muslim, Jewish, Christian). But its only Dec 12th and Christmas really has a dominant position!
I know I'm ranting! What do you think? Whats happening in your schools?
One consolation has been the refuge of school, not the same environment as when we were children. When I was a child we had trees, Santa, even nativity scenes right in my public school classroom. That buzz was everywhere! Both as a student and later as a teacher the comparative calm and return to a normal routine was so welcome after the holidays!
Now as a parent in this unique family, I have found it reassuring to know that some of that buzz has died down at least within the school walls. If classes approach the holidays it is in a multicultrual and academic way.
This week my 2nd grade son came home every day this week to announce they had watched a different Christmas movie. Disney Christmas Carol, Polar Express, Santa Claus is coming to town. OK WHAT? Not only did we not watch that much Christmas back in the day....why were they watching movies every day anyway? I am just crazed! I have contacted the teacher and explained my thoughts and she did promise balance among all the cultures represented in the class (Indian, Muslim, Jewish, Christian). But its only Dec 12th and Christmas really has a dominant position!
I know I'm ranting! What do you think? Whats happening in your schools?
Tags: balance, christmas, hanukkah, interfaith, school
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Michele on -
At my sons' school they've wiped it off the map entirely. We're Christians, and my kids recently asked me if Christmas is canceled. They're not allowed to talk about it at school.
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Permalink Reply by JJ Blum on -
Michele,
Sounds like things swung to the other side at your school. I can't believe kids can't talk about what they do at home...I just don't think one side should come so heavily from the teacher.
Michele said:At my sons' school they've wiped it off the map entirely. We're Christians, and my kids recently asked me if Christmas is canceled. They're not allowed to talk about it at school.
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Permalink Reply by minnemom on -
I'd be concerned that the kids are watching that many movies at all in school, especially since there's no way they're experiencing "face-to-face instruction" with those titles, so unless the school has purchased public performance rights to those films, it's very illegal to show them.
My kids attend a parochial school, so Christmas is very much a part of it. :-)
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Permalink Reply by geekmom on -
Our schools here do "Christmas" to a certain extent; a lot of the curriculum at this time of year includes secular Christmas symbols like Santa, reindeer etc. They do a big food drive and a pancake breakfast to raise money for the Christmas Bureau which gives gifts to needy kids. So it's definitely part of our school but no emphasis is placed on the religious aspect of Christmas. This year they made a real effort to recognize the multiculturalism in our school community by putting on a concert that showed different holidays that are celebrated around this time of year - everything from Chinese New Year to a nativity scene. I'd say probably 75% of the families in our school are recent immigrants to Canada; we have a majority of Chinese students, lots of Japanese families, Indians and Pakistanis, Russians and eastern Europeans. So they all have their own traditions to share with their classmates, and that speaks volumes to the kids about how what's done in their own families may not be what everyone does.
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Permalink Reply by geekmom on
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Michele said:At my sons' school they've wiped it off the map entirely. We're Christians, and my kids recently asked me if Christmas is canceled. They're not allowed to talk about it at school.
This sounds really depressing :-( Hopefully you can compensate for the lack of Christmas fun at school with what you do at home.
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Permalink Reply by Michele on
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Yes we do. When I found out they were celebrating all the other cultures, and as well as religious traditions, but they're leaving Christmas out. "Holiday" concert minus Christmas all together, but celebrating all the others this time of year. I have been put in the unfortunate position of explaining to my kids that *their* religion and traditions are just as valid and important.
My poor son actually went up to his teacher and whispered, "You know Christmas is Jesus' birthday, right." She whispered back, "Yes, honey, I know." He was just making sure.
It makes me sad. But we are continuing our religious traditions at home, and we're traveling to my in-laws this year, so they'll see that other people do indeed celebrate it too.
geekmom said:Michele said:At my sons' school they've wiped it off the map entirely. We're Christians, and my kids recently asked me if Christmas is canceled. They're not allowed to talk about it at school.
This sounds really depressing :-( Hopefully you can compensate for the lack of Christmas fun at school with what you do at home.
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Permalink Reply by JJ Blum on
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Michele,
I'm not for wiping out the conversation entirely....
But imagine what my kids, their dad and others have felt over the years. That their traditions didn't count, and that everyone else's were more important. Combine the school experience with the commercial experience of seeing Christmas all over stores, TV, restaurants, even doctor's offices (in these venues it is their right I am not suggesting otherwise).
In all honesty I would prefer Christmas be treated equally in an academic way, talking about the religious roots rather than the secular symbols....then maybe a little bit about pagan Yule to talk about Trees and such! I don't want to wipe it off the map...I just want balance.
Michele said:Yes we do. When I found out they were celebrating all the other cultures, and as well as religious traditions, but they're leaving Christmas out. "Holiday" concert minus Christmas all together, but celebrating all the others this time of year. I have been put in the unfortunate position of explaining to my kids that *their* religion and traditions are just as valid and important.
My poor son actually went up to his teacher and whispered, "You know Christmas is Jesus' birthday, right." She whispered back, "Yes, honey, I know." He was just making sure.
It makes me sad. But we are continuing our religious traditions at home, and we're traveling to my in-laws this year, so they'll see that other people do indeed celebrate it too.
geekmom said:Michele said:At my sons' school they've wiped it off the map entirely. We're Christians, and my kids recently asked me if Christmas is canceled. They're not allowed to talk about it at school.
This sounds really depressing :-( Hopefully you can compensate for the lack of Christmas fun at school with what you do at home.
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Permalink Reply by JJ Blum on
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Minnemom,
Exactly! I've already expressed my displeasure last year when they were forced to watch movies for 3 weeks during recess since it was too cold to go outside! And then they wonder why the kids are so wound up in the afternoon!
minnemom said:I'd be concerned that the kids are watching that many movies at all in school, especially since there's no way they're experiencing "face-to-face instruction" with those titles, so unless the school has purchased public performance rights to those films, it's very illegal to show them.
My kids attend a parochial school, so Christmas is very much a part of it. :-)
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Permalink Reply by JJ Blum on
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HI Michelle,
I'm in Northern VA right outside of DC
We don't have off for Hanukkah specifically but since this year it falls over Christmas...
We do not have off for the High Jewish Holidays here at all, we make sure our kids know why we are celebrating or observing and what the holiday means.
Michelle said:Where are you? I'm originally from Philly, and though we did not have off for Hanukkah, we always had off for Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah. Now, I live in Florida, and the folks down here just don't seem to realize that Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah exist. That offends me.
Personally, very few of us need to have our children home to help with the harvest anymore, so I think that the bulk of the time off from school should be from 10/30 - 1/2 instead of May/June - August/September.
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Permalink Reply by Lisa Survillas on -
Maybe you should offer to come to class and share your traditions along with a traditional holiday treat with the class to represent your families traditions. Many teachers don't know all that much about traditions that aren't theirs and therefore wouldn't do it justice teaching it to the class.
Remember the teacher is just a person and at least she is doing more than shoving standards down the kids throats...2nd grade is a fun age/grade...let the kids have some fun...they will have enough stress later in life!
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Permalink Reply by Ruthie Appleby on -
Sometimes I think adults take all the fun out of stuff...let the kids enjoy the birth of christ and have fun looking at santa etc...
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Permalink Reply by Cynthia Wise on -
We are an interfaith family as well. We celebrate both. My daughter's school calls it "holiday pageant, holiday party, etc." I like the term holiday. We got lucky we found a pretty diverse school where all cultures are celebrated and discussed. Music class sings jingle bells and the dreidel song and a kwanza song. I was pleasantly surpised when she came home singing them all. I went to a catholic school, and honestly I can't even remember learning about any other traditions or religions.
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