ann
Soph
Posts: 52
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Post by ann on Dec 21, 2006 7:43:10 GMT -6
some notes..................... dressing up on oct 31 descended from a pagan (yes, it is a religion) tradition CHRIST MAS and St Nick....enough said St Valentines nuff nuff said Most of the schools on the coasts don't use religious based themes for parties Some have 'trick or trunk' after school that includes a costume parade for those who wish to partake Some have "celebrate your holiday tradition" days/nights where families get together and read, sing or explain what they celebrate It just hasn't caught on yet here in the good ole heartland Those sound like cool ideas....and yes as a Mid-Westerner all my life I do know that we here are the usually the last to try new things. I think a lot of people here want consistency most of all...IMHO Oldies but goodies....... "The only thing consistant is change". "It's a small world afterall." We need to think 'globally' while educating our children on what they can expect to encounter in the real world once they fly the coop. |
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Post by title1parent on Dec 21, 2006 10:00:08 GMT -6
Ann, I agree with global education. In fact, my child probably attends one of the most diverse schools in this district. At one time we figured there were 37 different languages spoken by our school community.
I remember when my daughter attended Prairie Children Preschool. They had a party where each room had a different holiday celebrated. Christmas, Hanukkah, Ramadan, Kwanza. It was wonderful and that is how things should be taught.
My 5th grader just had the International Buffet where students could share a favorite dish of their heritage and also talk about their culture.
My gripe is that activities have been taken away from some schools, who were told it was going to be district wide....and 5-6 years later, other schools continue to partake in them. And our school has made accomodations....but some of those accomodations are starting to become generic in nature. THe concepts of culture and traditions are starting to become taboo and that is sad .
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Post by gatordog on Dec 21, 2006 12:35:49 GMT -6
This great point is from a column from Beacon News. Its an American tradition to blend things, to celebrate as a broad community.
Blending the sacred and secular is just the American way
December 21, 2006
Let us, for the duration of the holidays, banish this talk of a war on Christmas. Americans have always squabbled over Christmas, its meaning, its proper celebration, going back to the Puritans who banned it.
Instead, let us think about the secular reason behind the creation -- "invented" is too hard and cold a word -- of the modern American Christmas. In the 19th century, writers, scholars and clergy began the transformation of a relatively restrained holy day, the feast of the Nativity, into something much larger and gaudier, and they did so with a laudable goal in mind -- national unity.
The idea was to have a true national holiday that united the different traditions, cultures and ethnicities of a largely immigrant country. And they succeeded: 96 percent of Americans celebrate Christmas in one way or another.
If a menorah is in the public square next to the creche and the Christmas tree -- a pagan custom, by the way -- so be it. That's the way the great public thinkers who healed the nation riven by a civil war wanted it. We are one people with one holiday who we are free to celebrate as we see fit and encouraged to share with others.
Having Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Eid al-Adha and the Orthodox Christmas all wrapped up into one great festival, a rich and exhilarating mix of the sacred and the secular, the commercial and the birth of Jesus, may be unnerving, but it is so very American.
The sacred Christmas is as old as the Gospels. The secular Christmas owes much to two rather more modern authors, Clement Moore and "The Night Before Christmas" and Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol."
Let us combine the two in closing and join with Tiny Tim in saying, "God bless us everyone," and the angel in Luke -- and we will entertain no charges of sexism here -- in wishing for "peace on Earth, good will toward men."
Merry Christmas.
Dale McFeatters is a columnist for Scripps Howard News Service.
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Post by momto4 on Dec 21, 2006 13:36:55 GMT -6
The secular Christmas owes much to two rather more modern authors, Clement Moore and "The Night Before Christmas" and Charles thingyens' "A Christmas Carol." Did anyone else notice what happens to the author Charles D's name when attempting to post it here? |
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Post by EagleDad on Dec 21, 2006 14:15:52 GMT -6
yes, the board will auto replace potentially offensive terms, hence the mutilation of Charles D's name. I havn't figured out how to add "Rosenthal" to the list of banned terms  |
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Post by EagleDad on Dec 21, 2006 14:19:17 GMT -6
On second thought, my replacment term for Rosenthal would probably undergo automatic replacement as well, so it would wind up in the end as "Ari Thingyhead". That wouldn't make much sense ;D
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ann
Soph
Posts: 52
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Post by ann on Dec 21, 2006 17:04:27 GMT -6
Ann, I agree with global education. In fact, my child probably attends one of the most diverse schools in this district. At one time we figured there were 37 different languages spoken by our school community. I remember when my daughter attended Prairie Children Preschool. They had a party where each room had a different holiday celebrated. Christmas, Hanukkah, Ramadan, Kwanza. It was wonderful and that is how things should be taught. My 5th grader just had the International Buffet where students could share a favorite dish of their heritage and also talk about their culture. My gripe is that activities have been taken away from some schools, who were told it was going to be district wide....and 5-6 years later, other schools continue to partake in them. And our school has made accomodations....but some of those accomodations are starting to become generic in nature. THe concepts of culture and traditions are starting to become taboo and that is sad . So you believe that parties should be a district wide yes to all or no to all??? And I love the Preschool concept !!! |
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Post by title1parent on Dec 21, 2006 18:45:56 GMT -6
That is a tough question to answer from a parent who has had 1 child have 6 years of parties and another child who only had 1 year of parties. My daughter often refers to the parties that her brother got to have, and how some of the curriculum parties she has had were duds.
I would love to see our parties reinstated, however, I do not see that happening. I don't see the SB making a blanket decision for the entire district, I see them leaving it up to each individual school, and sadly I don't think that is fair. Being the second school to be told that parties would be removed, 5 years ago, and then hearing about other schools still having them makes our community, and I am sure McCarty's, wonder why we became the guinea pigs in all of this. I believe our children deserve to have the same experiences as others in this district.
As mentioned before, we still have parties, but they became more educationally based. We still have a Halloween event, except it is in the evening. Though, by the numbers that come, it would show that the MAJORITY of the school community enjoy Halloween.
This year we have fewer parties. The parties are now coordinated by the teachers....if they want any. The teachers are the ones to contact parent volunteers.
In the past we had the curriculum based parties. Some worked; some were duds. I think one of the best parties we had was a service project party. All the children helped assemble boxes for needy families. One class made Birthday boxes for a battered women's shelter, one class made boxes that contained gloves, hats and scarves for needy children, and one made placemats for the local nursing home. I believe our children felt good about doing something for someone less fortunate.
So did I answer your question completely? No.
Would I wish parties to be banished? NO
Would I love to see my school's parties reinstated? YES
Do I think allowing some schools to have parties and others not is fair? NO
Do I have a say in the matter? TRIED 5 YEARS AGO....and it didn't matter, our principal made that decision.
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Post by wvhsparent on Dec 22, 2006 7:38:11 GMT -6
Ann, I agree with global education. In fact, my child probably attends one of the most diverse schools in this district. At one time we figured there were 37 different languages spoken by our school community. I remember when my daughter attended Prairie Children Preschool. They had a party where each room had a different holiday celebrated. Christmas, Hanukkah, Ramadan, Kwanza. It was wonderful and that is how things should be taught. My 5th grader just had the International Buffet where students could share a favorite dish of their heritage and also talk about their culture. My gripe is that activities have been taken away from some schools, who were told it was going to be district wide....and 5-6 years later, other schools continue to partake in them. And our school has made accomodations....but some of those accomodations are starting to become generic in nature. THe concepts of culture and traditions are starting to become taboo and that is sad . So you believe that parties should be a district wide yes to all or no to all??? And I love the Preschool concept !!! Yes and that is what I meant by consistency |
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