by Bayla Maya

Created on: February 23, 2007   Last Updated: May 02, 2007

My experiences in elementary education over the years have painted a false faade to the value of holidays in the academic curriculum. Working in kindergarten, and 1/2 multi-level classes helped to create the illusion that the celebration of holidays was an enjoyable experience for all students. The Education in Diverse Population class along with my observations in both a high school, and middle school have helped to open my eyes to the fact that this may not be so. As I look back, it saddens me to think about the teachers who may have overlooked some of their students' feelings. Everyone going into an education field must be aware of taking careful consideration of the whole class community when planning a curriculum. By doing this the educator will be assuring that all students feel accepted in the classroom.

A student can feel like their not part of a class, and if this happens they may not participant in classroom activities. This can easily occur unintentionally. To my surprise, recently, I was the victim who felt like I didn't belong in the classroom community. This happened in a child development class at the high school level. The teacher was lecturing on family traditions, and the importance of sharing customs with children. As part of this lecture she asked the students to share some of the customs they learned from their parents. One student started saying, "At Christmas time we" The teacher interrupted stating, "We all celebrate Christmas, and know that holiday well." Not only did the teacher put down the student that was talking, she also made me feel really uncomfortable. You see I was raised in the Jewish faith. If I had been a student in that class, it would have been hard for me to share my own traditions. I would have felt very conscience about being different, and afraid that the class wouldn't accept me.

The teacher made me realize how easy it was to make a student feel out of place, and unaccepted by their peers. This feeling can create an atmosphere where the student may not trust the teacher. The student may even be fearful to talk in front of their class, and share their own experiences. As educators should we be creating an environment where students are embarrassed of who, and what they are? No absolutely not! If anything educators should nurture a student to share that very essence that makes them unique from all others.

Educators should be careful how they promote the diverse ethnicity of their classroom community. A teacher wants

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