The resources listed below provide more insights into activities teachers may consider as they plan to engage students in meaningful learning experiences regarding winter holidays:

 

Rethinking Winter Holidays by Learning for Justice

 

Avoiding the Holiday ‘Balance Traps’ by Learning for Justice

 

Rethinking Poverty and Casual Conversations by Learning for Justice

 

The December Dilemma by Learning for Justice

 

Winter Holidays by Responsive Classroom

 

Additional resources that teachers may consider will be available on the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion website under November and December National Celebrations. In addition, the organization ADL in a Article, Winter Holidays: December Dilemma or Teaching Opportunity shared the following strategies that could be used in the classroom:

 

1. Be accurate and sensitive – This is an excellent opportunity to incorporate the culture, religion, and the historical importance of cultural holidays celebrated by your students.

 

Examples: Hannukah, Winter Solstice, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Ramadan

 

2. Be inclusive and focus on more than one holiday – Survey your families to learn what winter holidays they celebrate to allow a breadth of winter holidays in order to not endorse one religion or holiday over another. Consider the questions below when creating or finding a survey:

 

3. • What winter holidays does your family celebrate?
   • Are you comfortable with your child participating in classroom activities related to holidays from a number of different cultures?
   • Does your family have any special holiday traditions that you would be willing to share with the class?

 

4. Provide the opportunity for students to have the option to engage in activities because some religions teach that celebrating holidays and birthdays is unacceptable.

 

5. Do not make assumptions.

 

6. Collaborate and get feedback - Examine what you are doing and ask others to help you critique your practices to work out imbalances and to effectively present holidays equally.