A Meher School kindergartener once asked his teacher, “Is this a Jewish school?” If she gave a qualified “Yes, this is a school that Jewish students attend,” she would also have to explain that we are also a Christian, Muslim, and Buddhist school, that our community represents many spiritual paths, and that we are equally a school for those of no religion. Here everyone is included. As the winter holidays approach, it’s wonderful to encourage understanding of different religious and cultural traditions.
Countering misinformation
Sometimes children have misinformation. One year, when one of the second-grade teachers asked students what they knew about Hanukkah, many children in the class said, “It’s about monsters.” They had read the Caldecott Award-winning picture book Hershel and the Hannukah Goblins. Luckily, the students brought up their perceptions and were able to learn facts about the holiday. This year Hanukkah begins on Christmas evening and continues for eight days, until January 2.
Sharing memories
Fortunately, we have many parents in our community who help us experience and understand the celebrations of different religious and cultural groups. Parents have created an ofrenda to honor the Mexican holiday Día de los Muertos, which take place November 1 and 2. This holiday involves remembering friends and family members who have died, and last year many families placed photos of relatives on the ofrenda. At a recent grandparent event, we were touched by hearing about one of our grandmothers who teaches her grandchildren about the life of their deceased grandfather on Día de los Muertos.
Diverse forms of New Year
In mainstream American culture, we think of New Year’s Day as January 1. However, many cultures celebrate the start of the new year at different points in the calendar. In March last year, a group of parents created a beautiful display for the Persian New Year, or Nowruz, a holiday that marks the vernal equinox. The honoring of these diverse traditions also occurs sometimes within classrooms when there are students or teachers who want to share their traditions.
The basis of pluralism
We live in a pluralistic country, and learning factual information about what other people value and hold sacred is an important part of understanding others. Talking about how we value other people’s beliefs and holidays is an important path to becoming more inclusive. Children also learn that people the world over celebrate holidays in similar ways, through gathering together to share food and conviviality.
In 1991 Professor Diana Eck started the Pluralism Project at Harvard University, an organization dedicated to researching the changing the landscape of religion in America and promoting understanding. Their website offers images and articles about current happenings as America becomes more religiously diverse, a resource for families who want to understand more about the positive potential of people living in a country with many traditions.
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