<p>Overseas…that is an excellent position paper/policy and I also liked the one that Walkermom shared with a link in post #58. </p>
<p>For those who object to a parent coming into the classroom to teach about the origins of Hanukah and the traditions associated with it, again, I must say that I would welcome other parents to come into the classroom and teach their traditions and how they came about. The exposure for all is a good thing.</p>
<p>Again, that is not the same as being forced to celebrate or participate in a religious activity in school.</p>
<p>The position statement and guidelines of the National Council for Social Studies, as posted by Overseas, seems like the right approach to me. It sounds as if many schools are just not adhering to this policy.</p>
<p>The safest path, as discussed by Susan, would be to refrain from celebrating any religious holiday in public schools, or to include all the faiths represented by the student body. The latter choice could be problematic, in that I would think even questioning students about their religious life is borderline.</p>
<p>For those who want religion in the schools, there is the option of parochial schools. I wanted our children to celebrate Christmas as a Christian holy day, along with Easter and the various Holy Days throughout the year – so we opted for Catholic schools. </p>
<p>When we moved to Massachusetts I actively researched the various Catholic HS’s, but I didn’t even look at secular private schools. I was interested in a Catholic education, not a private one. At my son’s Catholic HS, they have students from 20 or more different faith traditions, including some of which I hadn’t heard of before my older son enrolled. They have religion class every day for four years, but they include study of the world’s major religions, along with ethics, interpersonal relationships and philosophy. </p>
<p>Given our strong preference for religion in our sons’ schools, I’m still not in favor of having it taught in public schools. Unless it’s covered in some depth by a minister/rabbi/priest then it’s unlikely to present the full picture. It’s safer to just leave it up to the families.</p>
<p>The only exception is if I get to eat the latkes and any other special foods!</p>
<p>Kinda funny Hanukkah cookie story <em>lol</em>:</p>
<p>Last year, I was SO proud of our local grocery! In an unprecedented show of inclusion, it decided to carry and feature a small selection of Hanukkah and Kwaanza cookies alongside the Christmas ones. One day, as I walked into the store, one of the employees called me over (she and I had been friendly for years). She told me that a woman had come in, seen the display and indignantly called over the manager, whom she proceeded to ream for DARING to offer Hanukkah and Kwaanza cookies in this town’s store! Can you IMAGINE? Not being able to quietly reach past those and grab the ones she wanted without making a scene?</p>
<p>So…I went to the display and picked up several boxes of both Hanukkah and Kwaanza cookies, and then I had the manager called over. I told him how appreciative I was to have these available in the store. He looked TOTALLY puizzled!! He said, “Wow, that’s weird, 'casue just yesterday, someone was COMPLAINING about them!!!” <em>ROFLMAO</em></p>
<p>Last year, some zealot mom tried to browbeat our local school board into making schools include Christmas songs in their winter concerts. I was among the parents who sent the school board congratulatory notes on their taking a stand against that.</p>
<p>Kudos to you, SJmom. You knew what you wanted in terms of education for your sons, and you researched and found it. I think if a specific religious tradition and education is important to a family, there are non-secular options.</p>
<p>Had we wanted our children to attend schools with other Jewish children only, there are plenty of options where we live. However, we really want them to meet a diverse population of people, who can share many different ideas, traditions etc. We have been fortunate that they go to school with Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists. We have 27 different languages represented, just in the elementary schools. There is a lot to be gained by being around children with so many different experiences and traditions.</p>
<p>I don’t expect the schools to cater to my children (although am grateful that we DO have school holidays on the High Holidays), but I also don’t want them to be uncomfortable with a predominant religious dogma. I think there should be no religious influence at all in public school, unless it is taught within the context of World History or World Religion classes, where it can be cross referenced and compared.</p>
<p>And here’s another perspective. My kids went to an alternative school through 8th grade. We had Kwanzaa, we had Chanukah, we had Diwali (Hindu festival of lights), we had Chinese New Year (gung hay fat choy in Cantonese…), we had Day of the Dead (Latin America). And then they always did a project in kindergarten on their cultural heritage. As a comical aside, one of my kids did Sweden because my stepfather is Swedish…</p>
<p>Anyway, I now am firmly convinced that all that early exposure has contributed to both my kids being extremely open to other cultures, emotionally, intellectually, philosophically. It’s true that when you learn young you learn for good.</p>
<p>So then, for high school, even though I am an atheist, the kids have gone to Catholic school. Because in this environment, it was the most socially conscious school to be found. And because of their background, they have each been able to learn about the Catholic tradition and their own opinions about religion without bias. Each has a different and highly personal feeling about religion, and I believe it has been extremely beneficial for each of them to be exposed to a religious system in depth, and to come from position neither of acolyte or inconoclast.</p>
<p>Aries, I totally agree with your distinctions about the teaching of religion. </p>
<p>As for parents coming into the classroom to teach about the origins and traditions of their religion, I don’t believe this works well, especially if handouts and participatory activities are included. Remember, that what one religion may hold dear could be anathema to another. For example, as a Christian, I believe that engaging in sorcery or witchcraft, contacting the spirits of the dead, and consulting astrologers is wrong and an offense to my God, as per the Bible. Therefore, I have not been particularly happy when my children have come home from school with astrology charts and an accompanying homework assignment requiring them to write essays about what the astrology charts indicated about their personalities and future. These projects were usually associated with the celebration of Chinese New Year, which the school considered to be a secular holiday. I tried to explain to the administration how astology has religious connotations, as do also the Chinese customs relating to expelling evil spirits from their homes at years’ end. Similarly, I would have a tough time allowing my children to do or eat anything at all associated with a Satan-worshipping cults or new-age witchcraft cults.</p>
<p>In addition, although I was invited to come to school to talk about our family’s winter holiday, Christmas, I was told I could not mention Jesus at all. Obviously since for us Christmas is NOT about Santa and Frosty, this would have been impossible.</p>