How do you ensure your holiday celebrations are culturally responsive?

[Carrie E.]

Focusing on unifying themes around the holidays like gratitude, joy, kindness, etc. makes sure everyone is included and connected in a holiday season that can feel very exclusionary, especially if you don’t celebrate Christmas. I also once did an entire unit in 3rd grade around light, and what roles it plays in holiday celebrations (not just the December ones).

[Andrew Haaheim]

I love that idea, Carrie! There are a couple of questions that I asked myself in the spirit of being culturally responsive during holidays (“The Holidays,” or any holiday), and like Dr. Hollie and his 2 Cents, I have questions and no answers:

– What are the important ideas of the holiday/celebration from a cultural lens? This could provide a link to the rings of culture. What is the balance of authenticity of cultural elements vs. equity and inclusion? (Example: I used to teach “snowflake science” around the holidays to avoid promoting one religious holiday over others, but the outcome was devoid of culture or holiday tie-ins)

– Does participation or engagement require students assimilate or adopt a different worldview (do they have to change who they are)? The goal may be to provide avenues for education, participation and celebration without implying the correctness of beliefs, implicitly or explicitly.

– Big picture, is equality applied to different groups and their holidays, or is there a bias/preference for one group?

…and LASTLY, how can this celebration or holiday be facilitated for students in a culturally responsive way? I’m thinking of activities that engage students in discussions with questions that are open-ended, subjective, and personal to students. I’m also thinking of ways to share space, promote student voice, and give ownership and agency back to students (so many of my teachers just made holiday celebrations a Christmas or “Holiday” movie, or sage-on-a-stage sit-and-gets).

Great question!!!

[GeNita Williams]

Excellent points!

[Felicia Homberger]

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.

[GeNita Williams]

Thanks for sharing this. It helps to put the points Andrew made in to real-life perspective.

[Bethany Ocar]

Just a small “yes-and” to one of Felicia’s points: there are students who anticipate a holiday break filled with stress or even DIStress; it’s difficult to see their reactions to assumed joy.