Opportunities Presented by Holidays (Redux)
by David Benson, Educational Technology Consultant ()
A year ago I wrote an article about how the December holiday season provides us with opportunities to introduce students to the diversity that exists around us. That December 2001 article came to mind when I was preparing an article about the upcoming Ohio Bicentennial program (more about that in a future newsletter). In the information packet, I read a very interesting statement about Ohio. To paraphrase, the state is often called the bellwether of America: when pollsters want to get a good cross-section of America they go to Ohio. The reason is because of its diversity.
Of course, diversity should not be relegated to just one month; it's something we should teach all year long. But December does provide us with some great holidays and festivals (some of which have already started) for teaching our children what is important to various cultures and religions, demonstrating how they dress, what they like to eat and how they choose to celebrate important cultural events.
In typical fashion, I turned to the Internet and, with the simple search of "World Holidays" as the subject, I turned up three very promising web sites where I learned more about the history, the dates and the traditions of several holidays. And that's just from three of the many sites available not to mention the many books and ITV programs, too.
Once again we find ourselves navigating through some confusing times, so maybe we owe it to our students to alter preconceived ideas, help them become more tolerant and gain a better understanding of the cultures around us. After all, this time of year does seem to present some grand opportunities to learn something new about different people.
So here's to wishing everyone a Good Ramadan (which started on Nov. 6 this year and runs to Dec. 6), a Happy Chanukah (which started on Nov. 30), a Merry Christmas, a Happy Kwanzaa and Good Boxing Day (which is celebrated in Canada, Britain, Australia and New Zealand).
Web Sites
Earth Calendar: http://www.earthcalendar.net/
Kid's Domain Holidays: http://www.kidsdomain.com/holiday/
Yahooligans Around the World: http://www.yahooligans.com/Around_the_World
Holiday: http://wneo.org/hotlists/holidays.htm
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