Religious Holidays in Public Schools

[Diva]

Ya know? I'm wondering just how long it has been "The Rule" to have those 2 weeks off for what used to be called "Christmas Vacation"? But now, of course, we must be PC and call it "Winter Break".

As far as the length of the school year....I believe it was created in answer to the agrarian society in 'the old days' and set by the planting/harvesting schedule. School lasted around 4 to 5 months back in the oldern days. The farmers would certainly have poo~poohed the idea of a year~round school. (As would I!!!)

It's a very interesting discussion.....and I do believe it would take an act of Congress to change tradition and do away with that 2-week (or thereabouts) break in late December.

School years fit the overall culture....in Italy, for example, school doesn't begin until mid-September and goes through July. August? Oh hell no. No school in August at all!

Neat discussion.....and I'm fairly certain I didn't contribute much at all!

[Chancie]

I am not Christian, but I do enjoy celebrating Christian holidays with my friends and family who share those traditions. I very happily buy Christmas presents for the little kids in my life and I love making Easter baskets too.

I like having an extended period of time off for Christmas, but of course we celebrate those holidays in publically funded institutions because most of our 'Founding Fathers' were Christian.

[Soon]

I think there should be a pre-determined amount of School Breaks without any official naming of them--besides a Break.

In Australia, the year was divided into terms--after every three months of school, a two week break was given. In December/January it was summer break which lasted approximately six weeks if I recall. I really liked this system; there was always a break to look forward to instead of long stretches without a rest (for all concerned). There was no *official* naming or links/ties to any religious holiday--they existed solely as School Breaks.

In North America, yes some of our Breaks were designed around Christian holidays; however, I think any affiliation to the Christian roots of these holidays should now be removed--in a pluralistic society and in a publicly funded system, I don't see the need to favour one religious holiday over any other any longer.

I am not sure to do about Easter though; how to get rid of that (in Canada, students get Good Friday AND Easter Monday off) without calling it Easter--and this is in public schools. However, we also have one religion whose school boards are entirely government funded (R.C) in two provinces.

I don't want more religious holidays included in a public school's calendar, and I want the ones that exist renamed into neutral non-religious breaks.


If families want to remove their children for a religious holiday, that is their prerogative and all they need to do is call in their absence.

[UofMfan]

I haven't voted because I don't see a choice in your poll that reflects my opinion, which is the same as HSIN.

I believe in the separation of Church and State, even if said separation is getting blurrier by the minute. And also believe that there should be breaks during the school year, otherwise there would be burn out in the parts of both the students and teachers. I think those breaks should be named according to the time of the year, season or whatnot, but not to reflect any one religion.

I live in a country were we have 17 legal holidays, At least ten are religious. The country was also legally known, until about 5 years ago, as "The Country of Our Sacred Heart", even though our Constitution, rewritten in 1991 clearly defines the separation of Church and State. The thing here though, is that about 75% of the kids here go to Private schools and of those 80% are religious, and of those, 90% are Catholic. I say this because I can't foresee any change regarding religious holidays happening any time soon here.

So to even consider a change here would be dramatic at best. I do believe it should be done in the States but I can see the fight from the religious right already. During the Bush years the religious right was predominant in our culture and I think they are trying to make a comeback. All I can think of is the legal battle about "prayers in schools" to predict how difficult this would become.

That is all for now.

[Soon]

I voted the option "I think we need to take all holidays out of school calendars" b/c in my head I thought that meant removing the nomenclature of religious holidays. I didn't think that actually having NO breaks would be part of the options but maybe I am mistaken.

Of course, I think holidays/breaks should remain (!) but should be named or listed on school calendars without any religious affiliation.

[Julie]

As a parent of three son's - two who are Jewish and one who is Muslim. I found it to be quite hard on the children during these times. The rest of the year, children do not really notice religion differences and quite frankly color. Yet... When the holidays approach it becomes a club of sorts.

If we know this to be true... That it is religion which in so many ways is the culprit to war, then why would we not believe it would effect children the same way, when specific days and treatments are given to specific religions. It creates separatism and not unity.

I vote for removing all religion from the schools, as one poster said - Separation from church and state, as I believe the pledge of allegiance should be removed from school as well. Not all children believe in One God!

Julie

[Soft*Silver]

I have gone full circle on this topic over the years. I use to not want the schools have ANY religious activity, especially holidays. I felt it was not the job of the school to teach religion. And if they were going to do so, they should not teach just ONE religion.

And then the Change hit. Yes, menopause. Dont laugh. I am a different person even from a year ago because of this.

Now I firmly believe our schools must introduce religion to the children, and to be inclusive and celebrate other religious holiday than simply Xtianity. I dont see this so much as a need for religious value, but to introduce diversity to them. But yes, spirituality is very important and while it should not govern our educational system, it should not be excluded from it entirely. When we broke humans down into parts and chambers of a physical being, and then conquered the mind and the way the brain works, we saw no need and even disputed the need for a spiritual base.

diversity in childhood would help raise children into less hateful kids...

[SassyLeo]

Originally Posted by HowSoonIsNow

I think there should be a pre-determined amount of School Breaks without any official naming of them--besides a Break.

In Australia, the year was divided into terms--after every three months of school, a two week break was given. In December/January it was summer break which lasted approximately six weeks if I recall. I really liked this system; there was always a break to look forward to instead of long stretches without a rest (for all concerned). There was no *official* naming or links/ties to any religious holiday--they existed solely as School Breaks.

In North America, yes some of our Breaks were designed around Christian holidays; however, I think any affiliation to the Christian roots of these holidays should now be removed--in a pluralistic society and in a publicly funded system, I don't see the need to favour one religious holiday over any other any longer.

I am not sure to do about Easter though; how to get rid of that (in Canada, students get Good Friday AND Easter Monday off) without calling it Easter--and this is in public schools. However, we also have one religion whose school boards are entirely government funded (R.C) in two provinces.

I don't want more religious holidays included in a public school's calendar, and I want the ones that exist renamed into neutral non-religious breaks.


If families want to remove their children for a religious holiday, that is their prerogative and all they need to do is call in their absence.

You said it way better than I. Thank you.

Originally Posted by UofMfan

I haven't voted because I don't see a choice in your poll that reflects my opinion, which is the same as HSIN.

I believe in the separation of Church and State, even if said separation is getting blurrier by the minute. And also believe that there should be breaks during the school year, otherwise there would be burn out in the parts of both the students and teachers. I think those breaks should be named according to the time of the year, season or whatnot, but not to reflect any one religion.

I live in a country were we have 17 legal holidays, At least ten are religious. The country was also legally known, until about 5 years ago, as "The Country of Our Sacred Heart", even though our Constitution, rewritten in 1991 clearly defines the separation of Church and State. The thing here though, is that about 75% of the kids here go to Private schools and of those 80% are religious, and of those, 90% are Catholic. I say this because I can't foresee any change regarding religious holidays happening any time soon here.

So to even consider a change here would be dramatic at best. I do believe it should be done in the States but I can see the fight from the religious right already. During the Bush years the religious right was predominant in our culture and I think they are trying to make a comeback. All I can think of is the legal battle about "prayers in schools" to predict how difficult this would become.

That is all for now.

This is an interesting thought for me. Obviously, because I grew up here in the US, there has always been the controversy about separation of church and state. We always said the pledge of allegiance and had breaks based around religious holidays. This was the 70's. It was later that holidays turned into -spring break- and -winter break- although we always knew it was because of Easter or Christmas. I mean, the only other holidays were things like Labor Day, Memorial Day, etc.

[Apocalipstic]

Originally Posted by christie0918

Come to our neck of the woods and you have businesses recognizing Easter Monday. *eyeroll* I'm not certain why its a holiday, but it is. Guess that stone rolling on Easter Sunday requires recuperation time!

(No offense to any who might celebrate Easter Monday, but with my hellfire and brimstone upbringing in the Southern Baptist Convention, this wasn't ever mentioned)

Maybe it is a Virginia thing? I have never heard of it either, but I also come from a nest of Southern Baptists.

Maybe it is so the girls who have corsages for easter can't wear them to school the next day?

[Bit]

Originally Posted by Chancie

I like having an extended period of time off for Christmas, but of course we celebrate those holidays in publically funded institutions because most of our 'Founding Fathers' were Christian.

I disagree, Chancie. There weren't any public institutions at the time of the Founding Fathers. Heck, there was barely an army! It was a fight to get banks; the first government fell apart and had to be replaced.

And schools? There were NO public schools in the US until the 1800s, and education was not compulsory before 1852. All the Founding Fathers were dead by then, so we cannot blame the Christianity ingrained in the system on them; it rightly belongs to the officials in the mid-1800s to the early 1900s.

I believe it's a mistake to confuse Deism and Christianity, btw. Deists believe in a non-specified Supreme Being, as well as in the ability of reason to explain the world, no faith or religion needed; Christians believe in a very specific God named Jehovah/Yahweh, in the primacy of faith over reason, and in the need for institutionalized religion. The majority of the Founding Fathers were Deist.