Lately I feel like every time I watch the news or go online I hear a story or article on schools banning celebrating holidays in school such as Halloween, Columbus Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas. And with each story, the underlying defense of these bans is that tolerance & inclusion is trying to be promoted.
Each time I hear these stories it really infuriates me and I want to shake these people and say to them:
"What kind of kids do we want to foster & educate? What kind of people do we want them to become? We need to think of who is going to be responsible for our welfare and who will be running this country and making decisions someday. The way we shape their education and educational environment and the activities associated with that, will have a big impact on the adults they become.
Banning some of these holiday celebrations I feel like doesn’t promote tolerance or inclusion, is just our society’s obsession lately of being overly politically correct onto our kids and I think in the long run make them afraid to voice their opinions and beliefs and start to miss the joy and fun in a lot of these holidays by being forced to focus on the negative. Instead of banning all these activities, and ruining it for everyone, let's teach our kids the background of these holidays, the good & the bad and teach them the lessons we’ve learned since those times, but not miss the positives that can still be derived from them, like being thankful, the selfless concept of sacrifice or the amazing adventures and hardships that explorers endured to discover America, and plain and simple just having fun and being carefree. Let’s teach them that you can stand up for what you believe in and where you come from and where our country started from but still be tolerant at the same time. Let’s teach them to appreciate and embrace the foundation that this country was built while still trying to teach about new cultures, different religions and continuing to promote tolerance. I don’t think we need to ban everything in order to protect our kids, we just have to be willing to show them the difference and teach them both sides of these topics and not let fear of what we don’t understand or are uncomfortable with limit what our children learn and who they become.”
A fellow student in my writing class said it perfectly:
Each time I hear these stories it really infuriates me and I want to shake these people and say to them:
"What kind of kids do we want to foster & educate? What kind of people do we want them to become? We need to think of who is going to be responsible for our welfare and who will be running this country and making decisions someday. The way we shape their education and educational environment and the activities associated with that, will have a big impact on the adults they become.
Banning some of these holiday celebrations I feel like doesn’t promote tolerance or inclusion, is just our society’s obsession lately of being overly politically correct onto our kids and I think in the long run make them afraid to voice their opinions and beliefs and start to miss the joy and fun in a lot of these holidays by being forced to focus on the negative. Instead of banning all these activities, and ruining it for everyone, let's teach our kids the background of these holidays, the good & the bad and teach them the lessons we’ve learned since those times, but not miss the positives that can still be derived from them, like being thankful, the selfless concept of sacrifice or the amazing adventures and hardships that explorers endured to discover America, and plain and simple just having fun and being carefree. Let’s teach them that you can stand up for what you believe in and where you come from and where our country started from but still be tolerant at the same time. Let’s teach them to appreciate and embrace the foundation that this country was built while still trying to teach about new cultures, different religions and continuing to promote tolerance. I don’t think we need to ban everything in order to protect our kids, we just have to be willing to show them the difference and teach them both sides of these topics and not let fear of what we don’t understand or are uncomfortable with limit what our children learn and who they become.”
A fellow student in my writing class said it perfectly:
"Honestly I believe if it isn't broke then why try and fix it. Our country seemed to be getting by fine with the principals that were in place when I was a kid. There seems to be more and more problems nowadays that everyone is so sensitive to their own beliefs.
I do believe that we should be taught in school about different cultures, but at the same time keep those guidelines in place that make this country great. I actually think that is what the social studies class is all about. The changes that some schools implicate seem like they want to make us less proud of this great country and really get my blood boiling."
Well said John and I hope America hears us! I don't want my son to have to be afraid to bring Christmas cards or presents to his friends at school and god forbid actually get in trouble for it, or not be allowed to wear colors related to Christmas or to not be taught the positive lessons of Thanksgiving because everyone is too fearful of offending someone! If we keep going in this direction as a society our kids will be afraid to do or say anything or stand up for what they believe or where they came from.
I do believe that we should be taught in school about different cultures, but at the same time keep those guidelines in place that make this country great. I actually think that is what the social studies class is all about. The changes that some schools implicate seem like they want to make us less proud of this great country and really get my blood boiling."
Well said John and I hope America hears us! I don't want my son to have to be afraid to bring Christmas cards or presents to his friends at school and god forbid actually get in trouble for it, or not be allowed to wear colors related to Christmas or to not be taught the positive lessons of Thanksgiving because everyone is too fearful of offending someone! If we keep going in this direction as a society our kids will be afraid to do or say anything or stand up for what they believe or where they came from.
