Celebrating So Everyone Feels Included

12/06/2021

Celebrating So Everyone Feels Included

It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength.
Maya Angelou

When teacher and author Nadia Jaboneta was confronted with an unexpected conversation between two students in her early childhood classroom, she used it as an opportunity to explore new thinking about families and celebrations. Eventually, her explorations turned into a book she hoped would support other educators on a similar journey. Here’s an excerpt from that book, You Can’t Celebrate That! Navigating the Deep Waters of Social Justice Teaching, where she explains what prompted her thoughtful journey:

“I was eating lunch with the four-and-five-year-old children in my preschool class when Harry, a mixed-race child, began to tell us of his plans: ‘I’m so excited for tonight. I’m going to celebrate Shana Tova’ (his name for the Jewish holiday, Rosh Hashanah). ‘I’m going to eat apples and honey and my mom is going to read me my books about the celebration.’ His excitement was contagious. Children asked him questions about the holiday, and Harry had detailed answers. I noticed Kiley, a White child, looking at Harry for a long moment during the energetic conversation before she said firmly, ‘You can’t celebrate that! Only people with white skin can celebrate that! That’s what my Dad said.’”

Nadia’s reaction was very human. “My heart stopped,” she wrote. “I care deeply about addressing bias. I want children to know how valuable their differences are – to know that differences are what make us beautiful and unique humans. I knew I had to say something, do something. But what? What could I offer that would ease the tension, support both Kiley and Harry, and get us out of this deep water?” What followed that important and brave question was a series of phone calls and meetings, all held in a supportive and loving way, as the experiences that Nadia eventually turned into a book took shape.

Her encouragement for fellow educators is to do as she’s decided: “I’ve begun to listen for opportunities to take up the conversation about race and religion with the children as a way to plant the seeds for a more just society.”

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