Teaching Hanukkah and Santa in school - but no Jesus?

[Caitsmama]

I guess, i am a little bothered..
First of all, i do NOT want any fighting or rudeness in this thread.. i am mearly looking for discussion. But,i know how religious threads can get..

Anyway - My dd's PUBLIC school has been teaching lately about Hanukkah.. they colored menorahs, learned about the story of Hanukka, played with dradles (sp?) and other things.. this has been going on for almost 2 weeks.

They also refer to Santa and all that jazz - and do activities for that..

However, i guess what bothers me, is that if they are trying to "Even" it out, by teaching about "Christmas" (a.k.a. Santa) and Hanukkah, then they are not going about it correctly... for alot of us, "Christmas" as they are teaching it - is NOT what we only believe in..meaning Santa and Reindeer, etc.. to me, that is a COMMERCIALIZED version of Christmas.

I guess, my problem lies, that if they are going as far as to teach about Hanukkah, which is clearly a religious Jewish holiday - Why can't they at least tell the story about what we believe in Jesus' birth for Christmas, as WELL as Santa and all that..

I have NO problem with my dd learning about Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa and whatever else -- none at all -- i think it will make the kids more rounded -- but, if you are going to start to teach one, why not mention the other??

 

[Mkrop]

ITA

 

[yasmina]

Perhaps they recognize that their community is primarily Christian, and are assuming that the children already know the story.

How are they covering the story of Hannakah? Are they learning about the customs, rather than the specifically religious reason behind the customs? That what it sounds they are doing about Christianity.

 

[dcgrumpy]

DS's school does the same but they are not learning about anything religious with either holiday.

 

[KyraS]

I agree!

 

[Disneyland1084]

 

[krcit]

I agree. In our school there are menorahs on the walls as decorations but there aren't any Christmas trees, only snowflakes and some wrapped gifts. I stopped into another school in the district last year and in the front lobby there was a Christmas tree and a Menorah right next to it Sometimes I think this 'political correctness' goes too far. I wish my Jewish friends a Happy Hanakuh and they wish me a Merry Christmas.

 

[Fitswimmer]

I wouldn't want a public school teaching about Jesus, beyond saying that Christmas is traditionally the day that His birth is celebrated.

 

[shelby22]

How are they covering the story of Hannakah? Are they learning about the customs, rather than the specifically religious reason behind the customs? That what it sounds they are doing about Christianity.

That was my thinking too. Are they learning about the meaning behind the traditions or are the learning about the commercial side of the holiday?

 

[JunieJay]

In our school neither Hanukkah or Christmas is discussed. You will never hear either of those two words pass a teacher's lips, which I think is a real shame, quite frankly. Some of my best discussions over the years with teachers were related to religion - not just my own but other religions as well. Having gone to Catholic school I had some of the best theoligists (nuns and priests) to exchange ideas with.

My kids go to public school, and I accept they won't discuss world religon like I did in school, but I think its ridiculous that holidays can't be mentioned. The only holiday our school talks about is Kwanza, because its a cultural holiday rather than a religious holiday.

My kids do have Jewish friends, as do I, so they do know about Hannuakah. Its not a threat to my Christianity for them to know about Judiasm or any other religion. I don't understand why any parent would object to the discussion of religion....yet the schools fear any mention of religion so obviously someone findsit offensive.

 

[JennyMominRI]

It may not be right but the school probably assumes that the kids there already know who Jesus is and want to teach them a bit about something they don't know about.
Chanukah is along very dubious religios lines ..Yes there is a miracle and al that but it's really about victory in war against the Maccabees ,and doesn't even come from the Torah..I'd say it has more similaraties to the 4th of July than Christmas or Easter. It's about the Jews as a people defying the odds and beating an enemy

 

[marshallandcartersmo]

In our school neither Hanukkah or Christmas is discussed. You will never hear either of those two words pass a teacher's lips, which I think is a real shame, quite frankly. Some of my best discussions over the years with teachers were related to religion - not just my own but other religions as well. Having gone to Catholic school I had some of the best theoligists (nuns and priests) to exchange ideas with.

My kids go to public school, and I accept they won't discuss world religon like I did in school, but I think its ridiculous that holidays can't be mentioned. The only holiday our school talks about is Kwanza, because its a cultural holiday rather than a religious holiday.

My kids do have Jewish friends, as do I, so they do know about Hannuakah. Its not a threat to my Christianity for them to know about Judiasm or any other religion. I don't understand why any parent would object to the discussion of religion....yet the schools fear any mention of religion so obviously someone findsit offensive.

Wow. How about Christmas parties? Do they have those?

 

[pansmermaidzlagoon]

Perhaps they recognize that their community is primarily Christian, and are assuming that the children already know the story.

How are they covering the story of Hannakah? Are they learning about the customs, rather than the specifically religious reason behind the customs? That what it sounds they are doing about Christianity.

this is what it sounds like to me.

(I do believe if you mention one religion, then you cover all the bases. You do not cover one to the exclusion of others. I have no problem with religious themed carols at school concerts if Hanukkah songs, secular songs, etc. are included. I do not believe you have to leave out the Christian carols. Many schools have taken this to an extreme - it is supposed to be about inclusion and respect, not exclusion )

 

[fan_of_small_world]

Wow. How about Christmas parties? Do they have those?

In the schools I know, they are referred to as holiday or winter parties.

 

[Sir Ron]

I demand that Festivus gets its day. I WANT TO AIR SOME GRIEVANCES.

 

[JVL1018]

My kids school does both Hannukah and Christmas(those two words are even on DD's spelling test ), but there really isn't a religious tone to it.

They learn the dreidel song and the light the menorah song in music as well as Jingle Bells and other non religious Christmas songs.

They have Christmas trees in the hallways and in art the kids all make ornaments, each grade has a theme, last year DD's class made Arthur ornaments, the year before they had a NYC tree and they made taxi ornaments.

There are colored pictures of menorahs and dreidels on the walls.
Their worksheets are Hannukah and Christmas and Kwanzaa related.

They also learn a little about Ramadan and Diwali. If kids celebrate something else, they are more than welcome to have their parents come in and tell all the other students about it.

I think it's terrific, they include everything so they don't have to exclude anything.
The kids really don't learn the religious aspect, instead they learn about the customs that go along with these events.

I am not comfortable with religion, any religion, in public school, beyond a passing mention, and I am a Presbyterian church goer, every Sunday.

 

[Caitsmama]

I am sure they probably aren't getting too much into the religious side of Hanukka, but, I guess i didn't think about it being the "commercialized" side of Hanukka that they are learning about, b/c truthfully, i just never associated Hanukka with comercialism and the holidays.. To me, it is a religious holiday.. But, i guess if i put myself in a Jewish person's shoes - and my son/daughter was being taught about the commercial end of Christmas - it would be the same.
I guess as i said, i really didn't associate Hanukka with having only a commercial side.

 

[JunieJay]

Wow. How about Christmas parties? Do they have those?

Nope! One year I wanted to bring some party favors up to the school that had Santa on them. The teacher shot that idea right down.

 

[pansmermaidzlagoon]

I demand that Festivus gets its day. I WANT TO AIR SOME GRIEVANCES.

is Festivus religious or cultural in nature - or both?

 

[addicted_to_WDW]

DS is in middle school and in the chamber choir. I'm surprised at how religious some of their songs for next week's concerts are. They do try to cover as many of the major religions as they can, but they definitely do not stick to the secular songs the way they did in elementary school. As far as I know, no one has complained.