Knowing Your Students Religions And How Holidays Can Affect Planning

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Knowing Your Students Religions And How Holidays
Can Affect Planning

• Christie Wiemers
• 11/2/2006

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Introduction

• Students come from various backgrounds and
  cultures as we all know. Often we think about
  their culture but not their religious
  backgrounds. As educators we should be aware of
  our students religions and what holidays they
  celebrate in order to schedule tests and
  assignments appropriately.

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Overview

• This presentation will discuss religious
  practices that may interfere with the regular
  school day and holidays that are not recognized
  as national holidays. I provide lists of some
  major holidays, but others not listed may also
  result in absence from class.
• Due to the diversity of religious practices, I
  will discuss the top five most common religions
  in the United States but it is important to be
  aware of others you will encounter. I will also
  list resources for further research and
  statistics as well as guidelines that affect
  classroom practices. Although we cannot plan
  around every student, we must try to make
  education as accessible as possible.

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What Do Holidays Have to Do with Education?

• A few federal holidays are related to major
  Christian holydays (Good Friday, Easter and
  Christmas)
• For those students who are not Christian, there
  are holidays that they may need to miss school or
  class to celebrate, interfering with their
  assignments and studies
• Educators should try to plan tests, projects and
  other big assignments in order to give students
  the time they need to prepare for and complete
  them

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The Five Most Common Religions in the USA
(Christianity includes many denominations and
variations, including Catholicism and Mormonism,
for which some research provides separate
statistics.) Statistics from Adherents.com
Although Christianity has a large majority in the
United States, it is important to know the
religious statistics of your school and district
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Christianity

• Major Christian holidays typically coincide with
  Federal holidays.
• Although these are planned for in school
  calendars, teachers should recognize that it can
  be difficult for a student to study during the
  breaks from school. Scheduling a test shortly
  after Easter or winter break can be a bad idea.
• Other Christian holidays can interfere with
  curriculum depending on the denomination of the
  student, such as the Catholic observance of Ash
  Wednesday

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Judaism

• Jewish days are observed from sundown to sundown.
  Therefore, a Jewish student begins winter
  holidays earlier in the day than summer holidays.
  This can interfere with many aspects of
  assignments and test or project preparation.
• Some major Jewish holidays are
• Rosh Hashanah
• Yom Kippur
• Hanukkah (or Chanukah)
• Sukkot
• Purim
• Passover
• Depending on the denomination of the student(s)
  these and other holidays require one or more days
  of observance, including praying at a synagogue.
  This may require missing class or school and
  praying at the synagogue all afternoon, evening
  and the following morning allowing the student
  zero time to study or prepare for class.
• Also, Jewish observance follows the Jewish
  calendar so holidays are not on the same
  (secular/Gregorian) day every year.

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Islam

• Islam is the second largest religion in the
  world. It may be third in the United States, but
  it is growing very quickly.
• As with Judaism, Islam observes a lunar calendar,
  not the secular or Gregorian calendar, therefore
  days begin at sundown and end at sundown the next
  day. Always keep in mind not only what day a
  holiday is celebrated, but what time it is
  celebrated.
• Islamic holidays that students may be absent for
  are
• Day of Ascension
• Ramadan
• Id alFitr
• Id-alAdha
• Muharram
• Birthday of the Prophet Muhammad

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Buddhism

• Buddhism has variations as do the other religions
  discussed.
• Some Buddhists follow a lunar calendar and some
  do not. Knowing which denominations your
  students belong to can help you know when they
  celebrate the holidays.
• Major holidays that may require students to miss
  class are
• Buddhist New Year
• Vesak or Visakah Puja
• Uposatha
• Bodhi Day

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Hinduism

• Hinduism contains many variations. This may
  influence how students worship and which
  festivals they celebrate. Also, some holidays
  are celebrated at night and some during the day.
• Dates are based on different regional calendars
  (such as the Indian Calendar), not just lunar or
  solar.
• Festivals that may interfere with school are
• Dussera
• Diwali
• Ganesh Chaturthi
• Souramana Yugadi
• Holi
• Deepavali
• Makara Sankranti

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Adherents.com National World Religion
Statistics Church Statistics - World Religions

• http//www.adherents.com/
• This site provides statistics from various
  research that can aid you in finding information
  about your students religions.
• It contains some information on national
  religious concentrations as well as regional.
• There is also an alphabetical listing with
  statistics of religions, including denominations.

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The CIA World Factbook

• https//cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/
• The CIA World Factbook provides profiles of
  countries that can be helpful when researching
  religions as well as cultural backgrounds of your
  students.

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Interfaith Calendar

• http//www.interfaithcalendar.org/index.htm
• This site offers calendars that show the dates of
  many religious holidays. It also has links to
  external sites providing information about many
  religions.
• It contains definitions of all of the holidays
  alphabetically.
• Having access to an interfaith calendar can make
  scheduling tests and projects easier.

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University of Kansas Medical CenterEthnic and
Religious Cultural Holidays, Celebrations, and
Festivals

• http//www3.kumc.edu/diversity/ethnic_relig/ethnic
  .html
• This is another religious holiday calendar that
  provides information helpful to planning tests
  and projects.
• It is different than the Interfaith Calendar in
  that is has links to descriptions of the most
  common religious holidays within the calendar.
• It contains only the year 2006 at this time.

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Wikipedia

• http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holiday
• Wikipedia is a great source for information on
  various subjects and it provides links to other
  websites as well.
• The Holiday page has lists of public and
  religious holidays, definitions and other
  resources.

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A Teachers Guide to Religion in Public Schools

• This guide discusses how religion can be
  addressed in public schools under the rights of
  the constitution. Teachers should be aware of
  the guidelines in order to protect the rights of
  their students.
• This can help when trying to decide how to
  address religious topics in the classroom.

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Minority Religious Practices The Need for
Awareness and Knowledge

• This is a research article that discusses whether
  teachers are aware of different religious
  practices.
• This study was conducted to investigate whether
  educators have knowledge regarding various
  religious groups. Results indicated that few
  educators possess knowledge of (a) which holidays
  are religious in nature and would necessitate
  that children be absent from school, (b)
  religious prohibitions and restrictions, and (c)
  the names of prophets and founders of various
  religions. Although significant differences in
  knowledge were found between educators who had
  completed a course in religion and those who had
  not completed such a course, completion of a
  multicultural education course did not produce
  significant differences. Recommendations for
  acquisition of knowledge, techniques, and
  strategies are also included.
• The study shows the need for teachers to know
  more about their students religions.

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Conclusion

• Religion can be a big part of students lives and
  educators should recognize how religious
  practices and holidays can interfere with
  learning. By becoming aware of what religious
  observances can affect students studies, we can
  make school and education more accommodating.
• Along with understanding how religious holidays
  can affect scheduling, educators should also
  research attitudes associated with different
  religions so they can better understand students
  behaviors.

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References

• The CIA World Factbook. Retrieved October 2006.
  Website https//cia.gov/cia/publications/factboo
  k/
• Haynes, Charles C. (1999). A Teachers Guide to
  Religion in the Public Schools. Nashville
  First Amendment Center.
• Ribak-Rosenthal, N. Kane, C. M. (Jan. 1999).
  Minority Religious Practices The Need for
  Awareness and Knowledge. Counseling and Values,
  43(2),142- 152. Retrieved October 2006, from
  ERIC database.
• Top Twenty Religions in the United States, 2001.
  Retrieved October 2006, from Adherents.com
  National World Religion Statistics Church
  Statistics - World Religions. Website
  http//www.adherents.com/rel_USA.htmlreligions

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References Continued

• University of Kansas Medical Center Ethnic and
  Religious Cultural Holidays, Celebrations, and
  Festivals. Retrieved October 2006, from
  University of Kansas Medical Center. Website
  http//www3.kumc.edu/diversity/ethnic_relig/ethni
  c.html
• The World Factbook. Retrieved October 2006.
  Website http//www.interfaithcalendar.org/index.
  htm
• Wikipedia Holiday. Retrieved October 2006, from
  Wikipedia. Website http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki
  /Holiday