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00:00:00 --> 00:00:04 Welcome to Your Morning Boost, your daily leadership advice to help you lead your school community.
00:00:04 --> 00:00:08 Brought to you by AWB Education and sponsored by Grundmeyer Leader Services,
00:00:09 --> 00:00:13 where together we are transforming education, one leader at a time.
00:00:13 --> 00:00:15 Now here's your host, Adam Bush.
00:00:16 --> 00:00:20 Hello, welcome back to Your Morning Boost, sponsored by Grundmeyer Leader Services.
00:00:21 --> 00:00:24 Happy Tuesday and happy National Maple Syrup Day.
00:00:25 --> 00:00:28 I guess this maybe gives me a reason to skip the diet this morning and enjoy
00:00:28 --> 00:00:30 a short stack on the way out the door.
00:00:31 --> 00:00:35 And then, of course, spend the rest of the morning trying to avoid needing a nap.
00:00:35 --> 00:00:38 But anyway, let's get on with our topic this morning. I had a listener ask us
00:00:38 --> 00:00:43 for some tips on how to celebrate the holidays in our public school in a way
00:00:43 --> 00:00:44 that is inclusive to all students.
00:00:44 --> 00:00:49 I think this is a great topic. And before we dive into those holiday celebrations,
00:00:49 --> 00:00:54 it's probably important to remind ourselves about the First Amendment's Establishment
00:00:54 --> 00:00:58 Clause, which prohibits the government from establishing a state religion.
00:00:58 --> 00:01:02 This means that in our public schools, we must be mindful of religious diversity
00:01:02 --> 00:01:07 and avoid promoting any specific religion. And that's the key.
00:01:07 --> 00:01:10 It is not about celebrating religions or celebrating cultures.
00:01:10 --> 00:01:15 We need to be careful about promoting a specific religion. So if we're looking
00:01:15 --> 00:01:18 for inclusive holiday celebrations, there are a few things that we can do.
00:01:18 --> 00:01:23 We want to really focus on secular traditions. Think about winter celebrations in general.
00:01:24 --> 00:01:27 Emphasize the winter season and the traditions that come with it.
00:01:27 --> 00:01:31 We have winter solstice celebrations. We can celebrate the beauty of nature
00:01:31 --> 00:01:34 or the joy of giving, which is common with this time of year.
00:01:35 --> 00:01:39 We can also focus on cultural diversity within the traditions that are associated
00:01:39 --> 00:01:41 with the holiday season. We have Hanukkah.
00:01:41 --> 00:01:46 We have Kwanzaa. We have many cultural celebrations along with Christmas that
00:01:46 --> 00:01:47 happen during this time of year.
00:01:48 --> 00:01:51 Celebrating all of these, again, not promoting a specific religion,
00:01:51 --> 00:01:56 but celebrating this diversity is something that we can do within our schools.
00:01:56 --> 00:01:59 Another thing we could think about is some community service.
00:01:59 --> 00:02:02 Think about ways we can give back to the community. It can be little things.
00:02:02 --> 00:02:06 It can be letters to senior citizens at the local senior center.
00:02:06 --> 00:02:10 There's many things that can be out there that don't take a lot of money and
00:02:10 --> 00:02:12 don't always take a lot of commitment,
00:02:12 --> 00:02:15 but can still go a long way as to celebrate that joy of giving.
00:02:16 --> 00:02:20 Now, when we talk about decorations, a lot of times we want to try to make our
00:02:20 --> 00:02:23 schools feel a bit more festive. That's okay. Just go with neutral decorations.
00:02:23 --> 00:02:27 Think about decorations that are not overtly religious, you know,
00:02:27 --> 00:02:29 snowflakes, winter scenes, colorful lights.
00:02:29 --> 00:02:32 Those things are great, and those things are not going to, again,
00:02:32 --> 00:02:33 promote a specific religion.
00:02:34 --> 00:02:38 Student-made decorations are awesome. Anytime we can see student work up on
00:02:38 --> 00:02:42 our walls or in our hallways, it's going to help bring some belonging to our
00:02:42 --> 00:02:43 school buildings. So encourage students.
00:02:44 --> 00:02:47 Create their own decoration. They can be fun. This can be an engaging activity
00:02:47 --> 00:02:51 for students to be able to do things and, again, work some camaraderie amongst
00:02:51 --> 00:02:52 the students in the class.
00:02:52 --> 00:02:56 We also have a lot of music and performances. We think about the secular music
00:02:56 --> 00:03:01 that we can do in a performance rather than religious significant music if possible.
00:03:01 --> 00:03:05 Or certainly if we have religious music, just have a variety of those and represent
00:03:05 --> 00:03:07 a variety of cultural traditions.
00:03:07 --> 00:03:11 All of these performances can really get to the heart of the students that we
00:03:11 --> 00:03:13 have in our building and be able to celebrate all of us together.
00:03:13 --> 00:03:15 We talk about holiday parties.
00:03:15 --> 00:03:18 This is common, obviously, during the month of December.
00:03:19 --> 00:03:22 And think about the food choices, options that we have. We have to also think
00:03:22 --> 00:03:26 about dietary needs, of course, and safe foods for students.
00:03:26 --> 00:03:29 But also think about some cultural preferences, if there's something that we
00:03:29 --> 00:03:35 can include in there to help all students feel welcome and feel inclusive within our programming.
00:03:35 --> 00:03:40 Same thing with games, activities, doing different games in our PE classes or
00:03:40 --> 00:03:42 during recess or doing other opportunities that we have.
00:03:43 --> 00:03:45 What are games that are very inclusive, fun for all students again?
00:03:46 --> 00:03:50 And then, of course, we will have religious observances that will happen during the month of December.
00:03:50 --> 00:03:53 Make sure that we're accommodating absences. Students, if they need to be absent
00:03:53 --> 00:03:58 for religious holidays, this is typically going to be an excused absence in
00:03:58 --> 00:04:01 most state law, and it's one that we need to allow students to be able to attend.
00:04:02 --> 00:04:06 Refrain from organizing our own religious activities. We want to avoid the prayer
00:04:06 --> 00:04:10 during school hours or those things in a public school, but we certainly aren't
00:04:10 --> 00:04:15 going to restrict those if students want to communicate and collaborate and do those on their own.
00:04:15 --> 00:04:19 Just remember, consult with your parents, guardians ahead of time, commuting with them.
00:04:19 --> 00:04:22 That's going to be really important to be able to make sure that parents are
00:04:22 --> 00:04:25 aware of the holiday celebration plans and ask for feedback.
00:04:25 --> 00:04:27 Be very sensitive to those individual needs.
00:04:27 --> 00:04:31 You may have individual students' beliefs and customs. We want to be respectful
00:04:31 --> 00:04:34 of their choices. We also want to promote the understanding and tolerance of
00:04:34 --> 00:04:36 all students during the holiday season.
00:04:36 --> 00:04:40 It's a great opportunity to teach students about different cultures and religions.
00:04:40 --> 00:04:43 But consulting with parents and guardians ahead of time to be able to get that
00:04:43 --> 00:04:46 feedback, to be able to make sure everybody understands that our intent here
00:04:46 --> 00:04:51 is to include all and to be able to teach all is going to be a way to be successful.
00:04:52 --> 00:04:55 Following a few guidelines, we can create a festive and inclusive atmosphere.
00:04:55 --> 00:04:59 It'll celebrate the holiday season while respecting the diversity of your school community.
00:04:59 --> 00:05:02 Thank you for your time and listening today. Have a great Tuesday.
00:05:02 --> 00:05:03 We will talk with you again tomorrow.
00:05:04 --> 00:05:08 You have been listening to Your Morning Boost by AWB Education in partnership
00:05:08 --> 00:05:09 with Grundmeyer Leader Services.
00:05:10 --> 00:05:14 You can find out more about our services by clicking on the links in the description.
00:05:14 --> 00:05:18 Remember, you are doing this vital job that only a few can do.
00:05:19 --> 00:05:22 So until next time, thank you for your service to your community.