On March 19, a friend told me that at her son's school they had decided not "celebrate" Father's Day, that is, do not do with the children activities related to that date, nor the typical crafts to give dad ...
I don't know if the same thing will happen for the day dedicated to mom, but I wanted to know if you know schools that do not celebrate Father’s or Mother’s Day.
The reason for the school to decide, in the School Board, not to celebrate the date in question, was the different types of families among its students. Because (and it seems logical to me) if there are children from single-parent families, or homosexual parents, they have lost a parent or for whatever reason, there is no father or mother, there is no point in making an equal craft for everyone.
A different option, so that those who do have dads and / or moms elaborate their crafts, would be that they did not carry texts alluding to the gender of the parent or that they were too “sexist” (to say something, for not ascribing the stroller to dad and the flowers to mom).
At the end of the day, we all look forward to receiving any work from our children's school, and we won't mind framing it or sticking it in the fridge for a little while.
Different crafts can be done
Teachers are supposed to know the family situation of each boy and girl in school. It would be as simple as children who do not have a father, to follow the example of the previous school, did a craft with the text "mom" or "grandpa" and without hurry because it is finished just for Father's Day, but to take home like any other job without a specific date.
It would be great, if possible, for teachers to talk with the parent or guardian of the child in question to ask who they want to dedicate to the craft that is in mind. These children would do a job similar to that of their peers, and what does the final recipient matter, if he will be received with equal pleasure.
Sometimes it is easier to say: "It is not done" than to go student by student (in reality, students whose families do not respond to "typical" families are still a minority) to see what work each does.
But the personalization of education, the individually attend each student in their needs, also includes this topic. And, in the end, a couple of models for the works will be enough, there will not be necessary to get 25 different resources.
And what about Christmas?
I will give a personal example, somewhat removed from the subject by date (Christmas) and by the students I am addressing, who are from Secondary and Baccalaureate, but with the same background. A few years ago that a student told me that she was a Jehovah's Witness and that I did not want to do an activity that I had proposed, on Christmas dates.
I thought it was very good and I only had to change the statement of the exercise (prepare a wish letter, in this case, a “wish diary” for the next few months, but without referring to any specific recipient). From then on, on Christmas dates I worry especially about inviting Chinese and Arab students (they are the main foreign nationalities that come to us) to talk to us about their customs, we explain the Chinese New Year, for example, and wish letters They are open.
It does not mean that we do not talk about Christian traditions, where the Roscón de Reyes or the figure of Santa Claus comes from, very curious facts that are usually of interest to everyone, whatever their religion, beliefs or agnosticisms.
This Christmas, in my daughter's school I saw many Arab children dressed as Santa Claus, I found it strange, but I can imagine many reasons for their parents to make the decision to do so without giving up their beliefs at all (which I don't know which are in many cases, because I don't know the kids or their parents).
But should the school stop doing the Christmas function because there are Arab, Chinese, Jehovah's Witnesses in the school ...? And the Carnivals? Or the spring party? The birthdays? Any theater performance?
I believe that each holiday, such as Mother's and Father's Day, should be used in school to learn, to continue learning, knowing other parties, other customs, other modes of families, and always respecting students and their environments and enrich us all with the differences. Any activity should serve to integrate students into their diversity, whether they have a father or a mother or not.
