Celebrating Culture

You don't have to have a "holiday" to recognize and celebrate something special or timely. This time of year, it's cold, rainy, and generally unpleasant outside. Inside schools, there's always something going on! 

One thing I appreciate so much about what I do, is the ability to recognize and celebrate the cultures and backgrounds of my students, including those in Multicultural Club. We have been spending extra time reading African folktales, and my 6th, 7th, and 8th grade classes are reading biographies of well-known African-Americans, and their valuable contributions to our society and culture. More on that project another time...

In the midst of all this, I want to enable the students to understand that different cultures intertwine, weave, and bind us together, not unlike a quilt. To this end, I am having a special lunch with my hard-working 7th grade class, where we will share (my treat) traditional Chinese holiday foods. I am hoping all of that class will be able to participate, because as with fabric, if you pull out a thread, it leaves a hole, or empty line. Like life, we are in this society together, and our cultures and differences are what bring us together, yet distinguish us as individuals.