[mreinelt]

Help.h
I just got a student who is a Jehovah Witness and I'm under the impression that I will not be able to do my unit on Christmas around the world....Any ideas on what else I n ocan do without upsetting his parents and still discuss others customs? Dealing with him has really taken the fun out of the holiday season.

[imread2]

It seems unfair to the rest of the class not to do fun holiday activities. While I'm not opposed to choice of religion for families, it seems odd that one family can change the perspective for all.

I would talk to the parents and explain that this is a unit that teaches the class about customs and traditions of other cultures. You are not trying to talk him into anything by presenting the material. Explain that there will be some activities the kids participate in and you wanted to let them know that this is what will be happening in class. The parents can then decide if their child should participate or not. I've had kids who stay in the room and read a book silently while we're working and kids that have participated in the activities. It's kind of funny when they stay in the room; sometime you'll see them singing the Christmas songs louder than others! I also had a Jewish girl who gave a presentation on Hannukah. Her mom came and listened. It was cute.

[drewdlebug]

I currently have a JW student whose mom is so super supportive! Her child is also a special needs child, so she is unable to make a lot of the decisions herself. My advice: talk to her mom. Ask her how you can adapt/modify the activities to make them acceptable. You'll probably be surprised how supportive she will be! Good luck!

[superteacher0]

I agree that I would talk to the parents about it. Tell them what you usually do, and ask how they would like their child to participate/not participate. Have some ideas about it. Also, you could tell the parents that the students are not celebrating Christmas, but learning about how OTHERS celebrate Christmas.

If the child can't participate in certain parts, you could figure out alternate activities for him to do with a parents in the hallway, etc.

Let us know what happens! I'm curious in case I ever run into this.

[superteacher0]

One other thing I do with a lot of big units is provide parents with my objectives and rubric. You could provide that for these parents, and offer to help their child find a way to meet those objectives. I think it is good for the parents to see the educational value behind the unit, and what you are trying to accomplish, so they understand this isn't just a celebration their child is missing.

[mreinelt]

thanks for the suggestions--well I will keep you posted I have to call her tomorrow about out thanksgiving feast....wish me luck