I really like your idea of Christmas around the World...that would let every student feel like they are being represented in the room!

I disagree that the parents were right to confront the teacher in this case. I always welcome conversation and dialogue, but it should remain cordial and non confrontational. I do think your Christmas around the world idea is a good compromise that still recognizes the culture of the community, but also allows for expression from other groups and students within the community as well.

I think the idea of Christmas Around the World is a great idea. Living in a small community, I have never experienced this issue because all of my students celebrated Christmas. I do think that teaching students about other religions and holidays would not only be educational but also "fair" to those who may have different beliefs.

I love this idea, Christmas around the world. I do something similar. I allow the students to describe and discuss what they do during "Winter Holidays". I also allow them to bring something that shows their unique culture. This allows students to see not all people celebrate the same thing or way. This also creates a learning experience for the students.

I really like your solution. Having a Holiday Around the World celebration would encourage children from many diverse backgrounds to learn about each other. I would try to get parents involved by sharing their traditions, foods and decorations. That would enable parents to help guide their children in better understanding their personal family holiday/religious celebrations while also supporting the school home connection.

I like your idea of looking at holidays around the world but I would not call it Christmas! I know that it is big to call things Christmas instead of Holidays but our society is sifting and therefore we need to respect all involved. Not everyone celebrates Christmas. However I do like your idea a lot. It could be a good learning and sharing experience for all students!

I think next time you begin teaching about Christmas you should send out a letter to the parents stating your intentions. I think the letter should ask the parents if they have a desired culture that they would like for you to present to the students to help them learn about Christmas around the World. -Kayla Mullins

I love the idea of Christmas Around the World! Being aware of the varying religious and cultural beliefs of the students in your classroom is crucial due to the very situation we are discussing now. Attempting to include something from everyone's background will show that you are a culturally sensitive teacher.

I also think exploring winter holidays of other cultures is a good idea. However, you may get the opposite affect from parents who feel like you are taking away form Christmas. No matter what somebody may get upset, but I think by addressing all cultures or at least those in your classroom, you can defend yourself easier when confronted. It would also be fun and broaden your students horizons.

I really love this Christmas around the world idea. I think it really gives students a chance to see how the holidays are celebrated in other countries. Having a classroom of diverse students makes this idea even better because they are able to share how their family celebrates the holidays

I think Christmas around the world is a fantastic idea because it introduces students to other cultures around the world. At Christmas time, it might even be possible for students to perform research on a religious holiday of their choice. This would give students that were not comfortable or did not celebrate Christmas the chance to explore their own religious holidays.

Christmas Around the World is also something that I suggested. I do think that the parents are right in the way they acted and they had a reason to. Celebrating each holiday is only fair because we have to remember that one is not more superior that another. Learning more about different holidays and countries will help tie in students and their cultures. The parents will be more impressed if they notice you are teaching their students about different cultures.

I love the Christmas around the world activity. I think this activity allows the students to learn about other holidays that may be similar or different than their own. I also think it will allow the students to feel more welcomed and comfortable in the classroom environment.

I really like your idea of Christmas around the world. I also made this suggestion. This would allow each student to bring in something that is part of their culture.

I think it would be a very good idea to have a "Christmas around the world" theme. As you stated, it gives the students an opportunity to learn about different cultures around the world. This is a great idea. I also liked that you suggested that you invite the parents. This gives them an opportunity to be involved in their child's education.

I also agree that Christmas around the world is a great idea. It will bring new cultures into the classroom. You could also have your students share about their respective holiday.

"Christmas around the world" would not solve any of these problems. The parents came in complaining about how their religion is not represented. I don't think demonstrating how your religion is celebrated in their country would solve any problems.

We have some good friends who are Jehovah's Witnesses and therefore do not celebrate any holidays (including birthdays). The wife teaches at my son's school and instead of decorating for Christmas just does "wintery" decorations (snowflakes and snowmen). Our husbands used to work together and each year my husband and I would host a Christmas holiday party for their department. If we just called it a Winter Celebration then they would come (and bring their daughter) but if it was a Christmas Party they would not come. Initially we kept it as a Christmas Party (my husband likes to re-write "Twas the Night Before Christmas" and make it relevant to their workplace), but my boys always had so much fun playing with their daughter and their daughter enjoyed playing with our sons so we finally decided the point was to have fun with our friends so we stopped relating it to Christmas (however the house is still decorated with tons of Christmas decor and twinkling lights).

I agree with your school not associating with any holiday to avoid such issues as this. Sometimes it can be difficult to address each religious holiday and by addressing all holidays, it may offend other parents, not just the ones mentioned in this situation.

I can see the benefit in being accommodating to others, because the intent is not to offend, but to enjoy the holidays and the traditions of the culture, even though I would argue that trees and Santa Claus have no real religious affiliation. It is sad that we have come to a place where schools choose to not even reflect the culture of their place or students. Certainly if there is allowed a multiplicity of expressions, not only does the school environment become more enjoyable, but students are able to learn something about a people and group they otherwise might not have.

I think to avoid or not recognize any religious or cultural celebrations would be irresponsible. We can't simply avoid issues that may be uncomfortable in order to avoid conflict. What does that teach our children? If done appropriately students could be introduced to different cultures and traditions that are different from their own. This part of the learning process and should be incorporated into school lessons around the holidays.

I can understand why the school chose not to recognize any religious celebrations in order to prevent offending diverse families. However, traditional celebrations such as religious holidays should be mentioned and honored so that students can understand the value of their own personal beliefs. Perhaps mid year celebrations could include the child creating decorations or other elements that are uniquely personal to them that could be written about as a class assignment and then shared at the mid year celebration.

Most schools take this approach to avoid controversy. It is a good way to avoid hurting feelings, but it doesn't educate students about other cultures.

I like your idea of inviting students to bring their own decorations to decorate the classroom according to a variety of holidays. This would be a great way to get students interacting with one another and sharing their own beliefs and cultures with everyone else. This is a great way to represent all beliefs in your classroom.

I like this idea. I do something similar with my class. This shows others that not everyone celebrates Winter Holidays the same. Students are able to learn different cultural traditions as well. I think it is fun and interesting for students to share what they do or how they celebrate.

It is important to be diplomatic and respectful of the parents wishes. I like the idea of decorations representing each child's culture for the winter time frame. It'd be neat if this idea was extended for each season of the year.

This is a great idea! I think that by allowing students to bring in decorations that reflect their own cultural traditions, all students are represented, which provides a chance for students to learn about other cultures. This isn't about converting or trying to teach religion in a classroom; instead, it is simply about learning.

I like your idea of having each student bring in something to represent their culture. This would also allow the students to discuss their different cultures as a class discussion.

You are correct. Many people who celebrate Christmas are not affiliated with Christianity, but it is still a sticky subject in schools and work places. I love the idea of having students make their own decorations to bring into class. By doing this, they will have the opportunity to represent their culture and beliefs.

I love your idea of asking the students to help you with decorating the classroom. This is a good way to let them feel that their culture is welcome. It's also a good way to get to know your students better.

Very true! Our Kindergarten curriculum covers the holidays of Labor Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, etc. This is a great idea to help reassure the parents that the Christmas decorations weren't a way of pushing Christianity down their throats. But merely symbols used for Christmas.

I agree. The more students know the easier it seems to be for them to accept differences.

I didn't realize that holidays were covered in the curriculum. (I teach eleventh graders.) Like you say, as the teacher, you have to address the standards and the curriculum, but I think it is also beneficial to provide ways for students to learn about other cultures and create a culturally sensitive classroom.

I agree that it sounds like that it was not your intention to brainwash your students minds with Christianity simply by decorating with a Christmas Tree and watching movies about Santa Claus and Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. However, if you had taught the meanings behind the Christmas Tree and why Santa Claus is used in Christmas stories, that would be different. These two symbols of Christmas directly relate to Jesus, the Son of God. (The Christmas Tree is in the shape of a triangle, symbolizing the Trinity, and Santa Claus, A.K.A. Saint Nicholas, gave out presents secretly because he loved Jesus and wanted to share that love with others.) So my question is, what did your students really learn about Christmas? Obviously, not its true meaning. So what are parents so up in arms about?

I agree that all of this was done in good nature. It is important to know your school's holiday policies before you start having parties/celebrations. We have 'holiday' celebrations and watch 'holiday' movies that you would see on every TV channel, most with no religious affiliation.

Even though the teacher decorated the classroom with no intent to push religion upon students, the parents were offended. Because of this, in the future, it would probably be best not to decorate the classroom with a Christmas theme. A winter theme would be a good idea as an alternative when a teacher has parents that object to their children partaking in Christmas celebrations that they do not agree with.

I agree that it is important to get to know your students at the beginning of the year. We also have "holiday" parties at my school to assure that we do not disrespect those who may have different beliefs. Knowing that all of the students in the classroom had different religious beliefs, I believe the teacher should not have decorated for Christmas. I like the idea of incorporating everyone's beliefs.

The parents weren't wrong for the way they reacted because they were not informed of the decorations. If they would have had a heads up they may have reacted differently.

I do agree that a teacher should tread lightly when it comes to religion. Your suggestion is great for those teachers that only have 30 students. As a high school teacher, I would just take the religious holiday away. Better safe than sorry.

I agree with your solution. I feel like the note home is a great way to determine parents feelings on Christmas. Once you become aware of their feelings it prevents future conflict in the area.

I don't think these parents were trying to say that Christianity is less than or beneath another religion. I believe they were concerned that the teacher was trying to force her own beliefs on the students, which is inappropriate. Although I like your idea of Christmas Around the World studies, perhaps it would be best to limit classroom decor to simply winter theme and then no one can feel left out.

I also feel that it would be ok to display Christmas decorations but it is critical to incorporate other cultures from around the world. This would all other religious views to be taught and provide a learning oppertunity for the other students. -Kayla Mullins

I would not take the decorations down. A Christmas tree does not represent religion-- it is simply a symbol. A symbol that is utilized frequently throughout the month of December. It is going to be fairly difficult for these parents to shelter their children from cultural symbols in a country in which they live.

That is a good suggestion to have the parents input on their particular culture's religious celebrations. Giving them the option to have their child opt out of Christian celebrations is also a good idea so there is no doubt in their mind that their child is being influenced against their wishes.

I agree with your solutions that an apology and open communication is needed to solve the problem. During my first year of teaching, I had a student that did not celebrate Christmas. His parents informed me of their religious beliefs at the beginning of the year. He was able to engage in alternate activities during the day, if we were working on a holiday activity. In order to not make the students feel ostracized during the seasonal socials, the student would leave school early to engage in a family-based function. I think it is important to remember that people have the right to celebrate religious holidays the way they see fit, but other religious celebrations must be welcomed in the classroom.

I agree. It allows students to learn more and broaden their knowledge about religion and culture.

What does a Christmas tree and a claymation Rudolph TV special have to do with Christianity? I think I may have missed those bible stories. I agree that the different voices and opinions should be heard but not necessarily because of Rudolph. I think this should first be explained to parents and but then you must also show that you are willing to learn about different cultures and to be open to their concerns. Letting your students show off and teach the class their holiday customs do both of those things.

I like this idea about having parents come to speak about some of the holidays. This would be a great way to incorporate other culture celebrations into the classroom to help students learn especially since this is a room of diverse students.

I am 100 percent with you. A Christmas tree nor reindeers have anything to do with religion. There was not Christan tree in the manger with Jesus nor did a reindeer fly overhead. Those things have nothing to do with religion. Now if you had a picture of Jesus hanging on a cross in the classroom that would be a different story. However, like you said it is important to make sure that all voices are heard. But it is possible to have both. You can show your both your Christmas spirit and let others show off their holiday spirit as well. I mean isn't that the point of the the holiday season anyways? To show love and acceptance for everyone. The parents aren't wrong but neither are you. Just show that you are open to listening and sharing and that should do the trick.

Although I like Christmas decorations too, I think it is important to realize their are other cultures and religions out there. Certainly it may be upsetting to others who do not celebrate Christmas, so they should learn about many other cultures and religions. This could be done for many other months, not just December.

I like your idea of sending a letter home to parents as a 'heads-up' as to what will be taking place over the holiday season and then giving them an option as to whether or not their child participates.

Your comments concerning Christmas trees not being religious based are right on point. Christmas decorations, including trees, simply support the commercial side of the holiday season. Do these parents boycott shopping during the holiday season simply because of the time of year or because Christmas decorations are displayed retail stores? If a display of a manger and baby Jesus is present in the classroom, then the parents concerns can be validated.

I agree that your argument is valid. Displaying a Christmas tree and showing films about Rudolph have not affiliation with Christianity. In some cases, I have heard some Christians being opposed to Santa Claus because it takes away from the true meaning of Christmas in their eyes. You are correct in that it is solely commercially based.

I also feel displaying a Christmas tree in the classroom is simply a decoration to mark a holiday season and not an effort to "push" a religious belief on students. I have never thought of the fact that schools are closed during the holiday season, although often marked as "Winter Break". Do these parents object when schools decorate the hallways with Easter bunnies and hold Easter egg hunts in the Spring? Regardless of religious affiliations, all parents must teach their children the importance in understanding the diversity of cultures represented in a school and to be accepting of these differences.

I really did not think about it like this. We do have a culture as well and it you have the right to express it. This is why I feel like the parents getting upset about the classroom decorations is silly. I also like you idea about incorporating and sharing different religions/cultures in the classroom. This would be very interesting and helps students learn about cultures different from their own.

Your answer was very thought out. I like how you would invite the parents to help fix what they thought was wrong. However, I disagree when you say students need to learn to respect the culture of the teacher. I understand that teachers have culture too, however I don't think this is a case of people not respecting your culture. It is hard to disrespect or be intolerant of the dominant culture (in this case Christianity). All these parents want is for their culture to be acknowledged and accepted as valid and saying that they are disrespecting your culture, the dominant culture, for simply wanting theirs represented is not the way to handle a situation like this.

I think the teacher was one who did embrace the cultural diversity of her classmates to some degree; her diverse group of students were happy and getting along. Additionally, I do not think it is fear for the teacher to embrace the culture of all of her students and not share or celebrate her culture with her students. In my opinion, the teacher's only mistake was not fostering a stronger cultural connection between the students' home and school culture. According to Igoa (1995), one way this could have been done was by the teacher validating each student's culture by inviting their parents to play an active role in the learning environment. Reference: Igoa, C. (1995). The inner world of the immigrant child. Mahwah, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.

I like this idea of asking the parents to please participate in the classroom by telling the students about their own religious holidays. I think this will make the parents happy that the teacher can see where she made a slight mistake. I think this is a great opportunity for the teacher to learn from a very honest mistake.

I currently teach at a school with high parent involvement. I have a parent each day come in to help with literacy stations and two parents come in on Fridays. One to direct a craft with the class and one to read books to the class. This is a GREAT idea to have the parents come in to explain their holidays they celebrate and different cultures around the world. Students really seem engaged when it is someone else other than us, the teacher, providing information on a topic. Therefore, I think it is an awesome idea to have the parents involved in the classroom about the holidays.

I think that parent involvement would be great at this time of year. I have had parents bring in food from their culture before for our Winter Party. The parents loved being involved and celebrating with their child. Christianity is not the only religion in the world, therefore, other holidays need to be focused on too. As a teacher, it is important that you know the backgrounds of all your students. Students need to feel involved!

It could be, but what about the student that's beliefs consider Christmas a pigeon holiday. I suggest that we just have seasonal parties, because we have to understand that the church and state are separate. I know this off subject but I remember in physical science studying about Charles Darwin and the theory about evolution and some of the students and their parents protesting the unit. As a educators we always need backup assignments, tests and etc.

I think that is an awesome idea to let the students bring stuff in that represents their culture to celebrate Christmas and have the students explain it.

Inviting all students to share about their beliefs and celebrations and help decorate for them is a great idea! I think it will help students feel more at ease in your classroom and will definitely help prevent parents from accusing you of indoctrinating their children.

I like your suggestion of having the students bring in items that represent their culture or religion. This would be a great opportunity for all of the students to learn about different traditions all while making sure all students feel included in the celebrations.

It is great to allow students the opportunities to learn from each other. They could learn all about various cultures and religions.

I think learning about one's heritage is a great idea and is very important! All students could benefit from this opportunity!

I agree that the Christmas tree should remain standing, but I don't think that was necessarily the argument the parents had. I think they might have just wanted to see some of their culture represented. Perhaps the teacher could get in contact with the parents of all of their students and ask what cultural representations they could would want incorporated into the classroom.

While I agree that the tree and other decorations should remain, I have to disagree with your reasoning. It is quite obvious that there are students in this classroom who come from different cultural and religious backgrounds. To essentially say that "this is the US and we celebrate Christmas, deal with it" is incredibly insensitive. I agree that the teacher should apologize to the parents for not being inclusive and then should have the students learn about other holiday celebrations around the world and add decorations to the classroom representing the different cultures and religions they have learned about.

I think it is a great idea to decorate the classroom with other things form various cultures and religions while also keeping some Christmas decorations.

It might be easier to do this if you get in contact with the parents- ask them what they'd like to see represented in your classroom. If the parents are worried that their children know more about Christmas than their culture's holidays, the students may not be able to be very helpful.

I agree with all statements. This is a very delicate situation and it would be best to get the parents' input.

Art, some good points raised. To add to what you have shared, I would certainly recommend that the parent and teacher work together to assist the child in first identifying with her own culture before been acculturated to another. In doing so, the teacher can engage the student in one-on-one dialogues to assess where the child is at regarding her attitude towards her home culture; such information can then be used to formulate a plan (with parent support if necessary) for a cultural intervention.

i think it is important to teach students about other holidays, cultures, and religions. You could still bring in Christmas decorations and even have the students bring in things that represent their various cultures and religions. This way the students could learn about a variety of different cultures from around the world.

I love this idea! Teaching "Christmas around the world" is a great concept. This can get the students involved in learning about other holidays that are celebrated. Also, this will allow students to bring up and discuss their own holidays. They will love bringing in items to talk about and share.

It is a good that you ask your students if they would be offended by you playing the Christmas music. In the case however, the parents were the ones being offended. It may be a good idea to ask the student's parents as well if they mind whether or not their children learn about Christmas and listen to the music during the holidays. This way, parents will not feel as if you are trying to push the Christmas holiday on their children if they object to this particular holiday.

I love your idea--celebrating Christmas around the world not only incorporates all of your children's culture, but allows them the opportunity to learn about others as well. It pays tributes to cultures of all types, while still allowing your students who are the most familiar with American Christmases to celebrate them as well.

So are we to stop all celebrations out of the fear of offending someone. Why not have the parents come in and talk about their religion to the class. There is no need to throw the baby out with the bath water. pretty soon, nothing will be allowed out of the caution that doing something might offend someone.

I agree with not speaking about one holiday if that is all you would speak about. It is really neat to cover all holidays that are celebrated among the classroom and even if no one celebrates it to learn bits and pieces to it. One year I did not have one child in my class who was Jewish, but the class still read books and learned songs and games to promote the different holidays that are celebrated around the world. To promote a culturally aware and acceptable classroom, students need to be surrounded by the information to gain knowledge of our similarities and differences.

While I appreciate and respect your view on the issue, I think eliminating all signs of holidays is not the solution to the problem expressed in the case above. Disregarding everyone's beliefs will cause more issues to arise when individuals are not able to express their ideas. I think the teacher should try to inform students about various religious celebrations to help raise awareness about the diversity of the people living in this world. Students could make comparisons about how culture is appreciated by different kinds of people. Individuals have the right to associate Santa, Elves, and Rudolph with Christmas…if they choose to do so. Our country was founded on the religious freedom that should be practiced for years to come. It is possible to enjoy Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, Bodhi Day, Al-Hijra, Deepawali and many more in schools across this country.

I really like the idea of sending a newsletter to parents and creating a calendar that includes all different holidays and celebrations from different cultures and religions. I think the kids would have a lot of fun doing this and it is a great learning opportunity for all.

I like the calender idea then students could see other student's holidays year round.

A newspaper or just classroom calendar would be a great way to involve parents and their cultures and be sure that you don't miss celebrating them yourself. I think a lot of times, students from different cultures already feel such a barrier to certain norms that we have here, that when we pay a lot of attention like we always do, to Christmas each year, they can feel even more left out. The trick is to include all of your students and knock down that barrier as best as you can. The best way to do that is to prepare yourself for things like this that can come your way!

A newspaper and calendar are great ways to involve parents in the festivities. I also think you made some great points about the culture of Americans. Even though America is a melting pot of different cultures, there is a dominant, more commercialized viewpoint on holidays that have very little to do with religion and shouldn't be undermined simply because it is the most widely used.

So, are you proposing that we celebrate no form of culture/religion in our schools? If so, then Multicultural Education is simply a waste of time. An educator cannot and should not have to disregard his/her culture to teach cultural diversity.

Allowing students to share their cultures' traditions and activities with the class is a great idea! This will allow the student to not feel left out or like they are alone in the classroom. Good point!

I agree with this. It may not be a bad idea to let the other students bring their own aspects of their religious holidays into the classroom for Show and Tell.

Having students explain what they do for the holiday season is a great idea. All the students can learn about other cultures and how they are similar or different to their own cultures. This should solve the problem with people saying that you are only looking at one religion. I would even have each student pick a country from around the world and research their holiday customs and let the students present it to the class.

Good idea to tell the parents that Christmas is a holiday that is widely celebrated throughout the United States! And yes, I would definitely apologize and reassure them that I wasn't trying to force my religious beliefs on their child.

How does your school handle holiday parties? Are characters like Santa Claus allowed or just winter themed items?

You're exactly right. However, we are teachers and should always be willing to promote teachable moments. Educating students about other holidays should be a welcome addition to our holiday lesson plans!

I like how you mentioned that the tree, Santa, and Rudolph are not religions symbols because that is so true. They are some of the most common symbols in America when it comes to he holidays. There are plenty of people who put up Christmas trees that are not Christians. However, the families could have been offended because their culture does not celebrate Christmas at all, in any form. I feel like the teacher needs to have a unit on the different ways that cultures celebrate and recognize the holidays.

I like the idea of using a winter theme if there are parents that feel like Christmas is a religious holiday. I don't feel like the symbols used in the case were religious, but the winter theme would keep people from being upset about the celebration of Christmas.

I like the idea of using winter as a theme if the teacher is concerned about offending any student or any parents.

A winter themed classroom would definitely be more appropriate and sensitive to all students from different cultures and different religious backgrounds. Maybe you could then incorporate assignment into the classroom where students can create a project on their holiday traditions. This way you are not focusing one just one and students have a chance to learn about different traditions other than their own.

I agree that this is a very difficult and touchy subject. In this case, I assume that the "politically correct" thing to do would be to have all students at least share their traditions with the class. As the teacher, you can also share your traditions. This would help the students feel as though they all belong, regardless of their differences.

Exactly, I feel nothing is being "forced" on the child in this situation.

I completely agree with your post. I should not have to abandon my religion just to respect yours.

I agree with you. It would be impossible to celebrate every religious holiday. This was not a religious celebration of Christmas to me, but more of a symbolic representation of Christmas and the symbols used in America. I also agree that talking to the students parents is the best way to keep an open line of communication to prevent feelings from being hurt.

I think it's great that you decorated your center with many different holidays. I think it's also a good idea to try to target your decorations or activities to your audience--maybe take a survey of student's religious practices to see if there are other decorations you could add to your repertoire. Or, maybe try to highlight a new decoration or symbol to teach about a holiday that is less well-known.

I agree that explaining to the parents that the teacher is not trying to specifically teach about Christianity. You are correct, they may not understand that fact. However, I also believe the teacher could teach about other holidays rather than just Christmas because it's "popular in America."

This is a good way to address to the parents why you did what you did with Christmas. It is very important to communicate with the parents so that they know the reasons behind why you do certain things.

I would tell the parents that you aren't trying to force their children into a different religion that you are just celebrating your religion!

I totally agree with this solution. Initially I hadn't thought about the situation from this angle, but this solution is fair and firm, and also points out the biggest problem of properly educating the student of his/her religious affairs to the parents.

Honestly I think your solution in very bold on your part. As a parent I would be even more upset if you told me that Christmas is just apart of the United States (basically get over it) and that I should do a better job at teaching my religion to my child. I would probably then have my child pulled from your class because you are not very understanding. It is time for you to realize that the United States is a melting pot and everyone needs to be taken into consideration. Elementary school and middle school holds ages where students are learning about who they are. If you are providing one sided information, it can be very confusing to a child. I think you should support the parents one their efforts and just take the decorations down.

I agree that explaining that Christmas is not strictly related to Christianity for many people. Some people celebrate the season of giving and spending time with family rather than the birth of Jesus. Explaining this to the parents may help them to realize that you are not discussing the religious aspect of Christmas in the classroom.

Kind of a harsh way to talk to a parent, but I like it. As teachers we are not allowed to express our religious beliefs with students or try to indoctrinate them in any way. I also like that you pointed out that the decorations don't necessarily represent Christianity, but are related to an Americanized holiday version of the actual celebration of Christmas. This version ignores the actual meaning of Christmas and is somewhat secular.

I have to respectfully disagree with this approach. As a teacher in the United States, it is your job to separate your personal beliefs and your job. This being said, you have to think about each and every student within your classroom when making decisions for your classroom. Think about it like this...if you have decorations for a holiday and the parents of your students aren't comfortable with it, there is a likelihood that there are going to conversations at home about it. If parents aren't comfortable, the students may not be comfortable and this creates a situation where the students are coming to your class and can't concentrate on learning. I don't think any teacher wants that!

While Christianity is a major religion in the United States, it is not the only religion. As a teacher, you have to be aware of who you are teaching. I don't think that the teacher was trying to convert or teach students about Christianity; I think he/she thought it would be nice to have a Christmas tree and read books about Rudolph. I do not think that saying that Christianity is the religion of the teacher is the way to handle this situation. From my point of view, a teacher should allow opportunities for exploration of all cultural holidays or no exploration of cultural holidays. Make this about learning about and accepting new cultures.

I do not think this a good approach to take. As a public school teacher, we have to recognize all students in the classroom. All students do not celebrate Christmas which is in fact a Christian holiday. Christmas trees and Santa Clause both represent Christmas. If the classroom setting is representing one religious holiday, then it has to celebrate other religious holidays as well.

I feel that this is not a idea. I would be very offended if you told me that I needed to educate my child more effectively about my religion. Many may not know that teaching religion in school is illegal, but there is a better way to communicate this to the parent. Even though you say that the tree and Santa are just about the holiday, others may not see that and could be offended.

I agree that explaining to the parent that the teacher isn't trying to convert their child is a good idea but we should also include any other religion or holiday.

@Kristen Bagwell- You pose a great idea! Finding a way to integrate a variety of cultural topics maybe a supplemental way to appease the parents, while not compromising the integrity of either parties' beliefs. Considering inviting the students to share stories from their home country or work on an activity that explores that cultural background would likely make the parents feel that you, as the teacher, care about all cultures and welcome diversity in your classroom.

@ehyNyn- It does not appear that this situation is a problem for the student, only the parents. The teacher stated that all of the students seem to enjoy the festiveness of the classroom. I understand that a troubled child can disrupt a learning environment, but this does not seem to be the case in this example. The child does not seem troubled, just the parents. I just think that decorating the classroom in a host of world religions to pacify offended parents is a bit superfluous.