The December Dilemma and the Holidays in the Classroom

Happy Holidays! This time of year can be especially difficult for families who do not celebrate Christmas as part of their family tradition or religion. There are many families that celebrate Christmas because it is an "American" tradition, but this is not true for all families. As teachers, it is important for us to remember that if we choose to include holidays in the classroom we need to include ALL holidays and traditions, regardless of the time of year. 

Dr. Maura Cullen, a well-known diversity and education trainer, suggests that education about religion does not have to wait for the holidays. It can begin in September by teaching students about the Jewish high holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur as well as the Islamic Ramadan festival Eid al-Fitr (when it lands in the fall). 

“By opening our hearts and minds to all religious traditions, we are serving the greater good and our connections with others grow deeper,” Cullen writes."

Below are some articles that I have read about celebrating religious holidays in the classroom and how we can make sure that our classrooms are safe and inclusive for all of our students. 


Teaching Tolerance- Religious Holidays in Schools
CNN Article about The December Dilemma
Webinar for Educators about The December Dilemma

As an Educator, What Do You Stand For?

I am about 1/3 of the way through my second year teaching third grade at Burke's. As we come into the holiday break I have spent a lot of time thinking about what I stand for as a teacher, friend, daughter, sister, ally, etc. I think this graphic and the important question that it asks can spark conversation amongst both adults and children. I try to teach with all of these in mind, but around this time of year I sometimes need a reminder. Maybe you do too.

Also, if you happen to be looking for some information about teaching gratitude, empathy or kindness to your students please check out this article from Edutopia. It has some great resources for lessons and activities. 

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/teaching-kindness-the-kind-campaign-lisa-dabbs

A Reminder to Teachers to Think Before We Speak

I recently read a blog post entitled "The Bully Too Close to Home" by Handsfreemama. While reading the post I was reminded that often when we, as teachers/parents/guardians, are busy, overwhelmed, overscheduled and frustrated we may not appreciate the spirit of the children in our lives. It is easy to snap at a child when your head is someplace else. It is easy to snap at a child when you think they should already know what they are supposed to be doing and how to do it. My challenge to parents and teachers is to take this woman's message to heart and "Only Love." Remember that how we speak to children is how they will speak to themselves.

http://www.handsfreemama.com/2013/12/10/the-bully-too-close-to-home/

Third Graders Study San Francisco Native Plants

San Francisco is at the heart of our social studies curriculum in third grade! The first couple months of the school year are devoted to developing a strong classroom community and then we move on to studying the rich history of San Francisco. We begin by learning more about the native people of San Francisco, the Ohlone. The Ohlone used many of the native plants in San Francisco. Science is integrated with our social studies for this unit. Each girl is assigned the task of studying, observing and becoming an expert on an assigned plant. While learning about their own plant, they also learn about the parts of a plant and how to use and make a dichotomous key. We began by going on a field trip to the San Francisco Botanical Garden, where we had a chance to learn more about our plants. It was a great experience! We are also lucky enough to have a Native Plant Garden at our school which gives the girls the opportunity to study these plants up close and personal. They recently spent some time in the garden drawing and measuring their plants. Check out some of the pictures below!