First off, I didn't come up with that title! It's the name of the article, I promise. I have nothing against the 'ole guy. I chose the article
Kill Santa: Religious Diversity and the Winter Holiday Problem, to read this week initially to learn more about how to approach this in my classroom. I had expected the article to offer strategies for talking--or not talking about--Christmas in a diverse classroom. At this point in our lives most of us have heard both sides of the issue and may have even divided individuals into two categories...those who want Christianity in schools and those who do not. What I liked most about this article, however, is that it went a completely different route. Instead of focusing on those for or against the teaching of religion in schools or how one viewpoint is more right than the other, the article focused more on making the idea of privilege visible--noting that the primary way in which privilege operates is by virtue of its perceived normalcy. The author suggests that instead of speaking in code about Christmas that we should be using it as a platform to teach young people how to be comfortable with tension and discomfort so that they can become kind, compassionate, and well-informed individuals. I'm fascinated by this idea--but I'm still not quite sure what this would look like in a real classroom. The author is forthcoming with her opinions in regards to Christian privilege, giving examples of the many school activities that are clearly celebrations of Christmas, even if the name is left out of it. When I think back at my years in elementary school, Christmas and Christianity were everywhere. Our Christmas plays had Santa's, reindeer, and even a nativity scene. What I really think this article was getting at is instead of focusing so much on watering down our religion and faith based practices we should be acknowledging that some groups have dominance over other groups in society. The next step then, would be to determine what we should do next--how do we then create, knowledgable, compassionate students? The more we know--the more we are aware of one groups dominance over the other--the more responsive we can be. Regardless of whether you celebrate Christmas or not, I do think Children need to be aware of the role that religion plays in the world--how it has shaped our society. To do this, we can teach about world religions and their historical significance in our classrooms year-round, not just during Christmas.
The article made me think about my own experiences with Christmas activities in school. Here is a picture of me in my awkward stage (I wonder if I'll ever get of that?) in 3rd or 4th grade with my mom getting ready for our school play of The Nutcracker.
the angels and wise men from the nativity scene
Hey Jenny! A we discussed last night, it obviously is a touchy issue in that as a teacher, it's difficult to know how to approach religion. Particularly, as my article mentioned, if your religion or non-religion is a part of your identity. That said, I like the idea of discussing it year round as an issue of diversity, culture and history. My other thought about the idea of Christianity is do we really have privileges, particularly regarding multiculturalism,... especially if we aren't aloud to discuss it in school?
ReplyDeleteAnyhow, as always, I enjoying reading your posts and I value your input! Also, I loved your photos! I too was a flower in my Nutcracker play at school... at least it looked like you got to wear a tutu! My costume consisted of the flower bonnet and a GREEN LEOTARD! Ha!
Happy studying!