Deborah Perry, a sixth grade member of the school choir, asks to be excused from singing at the concert since participation would violate her religious beliefs. Penalties to scholastic records may not be imposed upon students who are absent for religious holidays. This Celebrating National Holidays lesson plan also includes: Worksheet. Pros and Cons. Families may find certain holidays stressful due to the amount of commercialization and the media pressure to buy. 1. box-shadow: none !important; These events can and should be a way to build awareness of others, sensitivity and responsiveness to other ways of thinking and doing things, and not a way to create divisiveness among students by creating a "my cultural celebrations are better than yours" environment. The advantages and disadvantages of holidays abroad. Phil Wyman, author of The Reformation of Halloween: rethinking Christianitys relationship to Halloween, believes Halloween is the most Christian holiday in our calendar. All the captivating fairy tales of our childhood contain evil ghosts, witches, wicked queens and jealous rulers and yet we read these stories with our children, helping them to explore ideas of a scary and dangerous world in safety. What if vulnerable strangers feel threatened by the child? Training for Early Childhood Professionals, Mem Fox writing, teaching, learning, loving, living", North American Reggio Emilia Alliance (NAREA), The Hurried Child growing up too fast too soon, by David Elkind, Beyond the BookZero-to-Three Model (A Parents Perspective), Beyond the BookInspiration for the New School Year, Beyond the BookOrganizing the Moving Parts of a Child Care Center, Beyond the BookThe Mentor Teacher Program, Beyond the BookMaking Successful Transitions, Beyond the BookSetting the Stage for the Children, Beyond the BookThe Teacher-Parent Partnership. Pros of Celebrating Holidays: Only shows limited view of a culture. However, we should be thoughtful about how we approach the subject, and create inclusive dialogue about how, when and why we celebrate each other. Typically, major national holidays such as Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas . Religious symbols such as crosses, creches and menorahs may be used as teaching aids in the classroom provided that the symbols are displayed as examples of the cultural and religious heritage of the holiday, and are temporary in nature. Every educator wants classroom and school celebrations to be just that, Business Management, Services & Risk Management. var ajaxurl = 'https://www.casa-italia.italiandiplomaticacademy.org/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php'; 163 Articles, By The world from immigrants of different jurisdictions around the world or evolution people! Setting aside the legal questions for a moment, teachers and school administrators should be extremely cautious in using these symbols as decorations. Celebration of Christmas is a staple in preschools and elementary education settings. An Abundance of Options. Discovery of the New world by none other than christopher Columbus also enjoys status. Similarly, holidays such as Mother's Day and Father's Day can bring painful reminders of parents who are no longer living, are absent or who have been abusive not all students have a loving relationship with their parents. 2. There are many pros and cons that come with being a principal. padding-bottom: 15px; We had a blast learning about and celebrating Cinco de Mayo! Non-Thinking Use Holiday Biased Curriculum An Anti-Biased Approach Celebrate children and families - the birth of a sibling; moving to a new house; a new puppy. An Irish Christmas with Keith and Kristyn Getty, Justin Bieber and 5 more pop stars singing worship songs. The parents of James Mitchell, a Muslim student in her class, complained to the principal that Ms. Thomas only included Christianity and Judaism in her holiday lesson, and ignored their child's faith completely. How To Get Rid Of Mites On Humans Home Remedies, Celebrating Holidays in Early Childhood Programs Reprinted with permission from the National Association for the Education of Young Children. Off work and school is why each key point must be individually evaluated determine! So, when I observe very young children overly excited and melting down as the holiday frenzy swirls around them; when I observe very young children disengaged and clearly not understanding what is going on; when I observe very young children being pulled from a child-centered, age-appropriate experience like shaping play dough, to a teacher-directed activity like making look-a-like Santas from glue and paper, it begs the question, What are these very young children receiving when we celebrate traditional holidays (Thanksgiving, Kwanza, Hanukkah, Christmas, and others) as part of our child care curriculum? Sadly, I think that after all of the effort and the energy expended, the positive results for the children fall short. height: 1em !important; If we are doing it for the families, we must choose carefully what to celebrate so that we are inclusive. Cultural and holiday celebrations have been a part of the fabric in U.S. schools for decades. /*