Hi Reader,

Let's talk about a tricky topic. (No, it's not the mid-term elections. I'm trying not to think about that until the results are in. 😰)

How should anti-bias educators handle holidays?

We're about to enter a time of year when many educators who want to improve at recognizing a variety of holidays can fall into what's called the "balance trap."

This usually involves adding in a small activity about Hanukkah as well as one about Kwanzaa to the activities they were already doing about Christmas during December.

There are two problems with this approach to holidays in the classroom. The first is that in all likelihood there are many Christmas activities or references taking place in a school. Even those that have been renamed as “winter” celebrations often use the colors and symbols of Christmas. Meanwhile, learning about Hanukkah and Kwanzaa may involve only a single activity for each celebration. That is not “balanced.”

The bigger problem is that there’s often no attention to holidays celebrated by groups outside the dominant culture during the rest of the year. If children only learn about holidays during December, this can distort kids’ understandings of which holidays are most important to a faith or culture. If schools only attempt to offer "balance" during December, they're going to miss out on many groups' most important celebrations.

Want to offer something much better for your learners? Families, want to encourage your children's school to approach holidays in a truly anti-bias fashion? Then read my new blog post:

​Holidays in the classroom: best practices and mistakes to avoid​

As you read the article, I hope you'll think about how you'll approach holidays not only in November and December, but for the rest of the school year as well.

I also want to let you know that my 2027 Anti-Bias Children's Book Calendar is almost ready, and you can save 15% when you pre-order it. (Discount ends Nov. 10 at noon PST/3 pm EST.)

Do the books on your shelves challenge stereotypes, celebrate diverse identities, and encourage children to speak up for justice? Need fresh reading ideas for heritage months, holidays, and historical moments? Revamp your reading list and improve your book collection using my 2027 Anti-Bias Children’s Book Calendar! The calendar provides a suggested children's book for every day of the year. Many of the recommended books are matched to diverse holidays or to particular heritage months. Others correspond with important dates in history, telling the stories of leaders and movements who've fought for justice. On other days, I recommend books that provide joyful representation of diverse identities. There's such a huge variety of reads to discover inside the calendar. Also, for the first time ever I've made sure there are 0 books repeated from last year's calendar. (While I've always tried to avoid repeats, this was no small task!) The calendar will be released next Tuesday night, November 10th, but you can save 15% when you pre-order now. Pre-order the book calendar and save! Pre-order pricing ends on November 10th at noon Pacific/3 pm Eastern.

Happy learning,

Rebekah

Rebekah Gienapp (she/her/hers) | rebekahgienapp.com | Connect on Instagram | Coffees for Gaza | Knit 4 Justice​