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Practitioner Points
Because I am Jewish, this has been something my family and I have a lot of experience with. I think the first thing is teachers need to stop, pause, reflect, and look for people outside of the dominant religion or culture for perspective. Just as I shouldn’t assume all my students are heterosexual or come from families with a mom and a dad, we need to remember that not all of our students celebrate Christmas or Thanksgiving or any mainstream holiday. If we have that awareness, we will structure our lessons and activities differently. As Andrew mentioned, asking open-ended questions and allowing students to share their experiences and perspectives can help. For example, I once observed a teacher who asked students their favorite Thanksgiving food. Of course, this assumes they all celebrate Thanksgiving. Instead, she could have asked a broader question, like asking them all to share a favorite food that connects to a holiday that is important to them. My own children have had experiences where they feel uncomfortable or excluded (for example, when a music teacher had them all sing Christmas carols, and they didn’t know the words, nor did they feel comfortable with some of the more religious songs). I also liked how Andrew reminded us that we should not plan activities that require our students to assimilate or give up who they are to be included. I once observed a teacher who did a Christmas math lesson. When I asked him about it, he said all of his students were Christian except one, and he got permission from the Muslim student. Placing pressure on a 5th grader like that isn’t appropriate. Lastly, I think it is important to remember that even if our students are part of the dominant culture (i.e. Christian, American), that doesn’t mean that holidays are an easy or joyous time for them. Christmas may not be merry for a lot of our Christian students because of financial reasons or trauma/difficulties in their lives. Again, being responsive starts with stopping, pausing, and thinking.
