TL;DR:
- The next few months have several holidays to celebrate friends, family members, and loved ones.
- Make those moments count by counting all loved ones in!
I can count down the end of winter once February comes along, which is exciting. But more importantly, as teachers, we get long overdue time with family, friends, and loved ones. We get to intentionally spend time with them and cherish them. Here are three special holidays that celebrate love.
Important Considerations
- How do you embrace downtime with your family to celebrate these holidays?
- In what ways can you bring them into your classroom?
- How do you push equity and inclusion principles while celebrating the holidays?
Valentine’s Day
My favorite holiday is Valentine’s Day! I’m so very hopeful and believe in the romantic kind of love and feel that we should all celebrate it. I love Valentine’s Day and all that day holds. It is time to celebrate friendships and loved ones and make those valuable moments count. Also, I probably am not the only one who loves those Valentine’s Day movies on Hallmark and could watch them on reruns. Then one day a series like This Is Us comes along. It is so perfect for capturing the essence of “love in real life” with its moments of ups and downs and the rollercoaster ride where some have a much easier ride than others…but it is the path we are given to walk. In addition, consider the 5 LOVE Languages as you consider how you are going to celebrate special moments.
- What is the most inclusive way of celebrating Valentine’s Day with your students?
- How have you accommodated this for online celebrations with your class?
Family Day
Up north here in Canada, one of my favorite long weekends is the Family Day holiday weekend. It is the perfect opportunity to teach how families are very different, and how they have something in common—and that is called love. When people think about how complex a family can be, having this magical glue called love that holds members together is something that is important to note.
- What is a traditional concept of a family?
- How do we ensure as an educator we bring together an equitable concept of a family?
- This includes but is not limited to mixed-race families, same-sex families, blended stepfamilies, and extended family groupings that live together.
Mother’s Day and Father’s Day
- Cherish family time with loved ones.
- Do things with loved ones to make it special.
- Make memories that matter.
- Flowers, chocolates, gifts, cards.
- Make the moments count!
- Do make it special for everyone so that it will create memories.
- How do we celebrate but acknowledge loved ones that we hold dear who are no longer with us? Or memories of adopted families that do not belong to the traditional concept of mother and father?
- Do we teach and celebrate all types of families?
Wishing everyone happy moments of celebration just the way you love it!
Yours in Education,
Nilmini
About Nilmini Ratwatte-Henstridge
Nilmini Ratwatte-Henstridge teaches in Brampton, Ontario, Canada. She was born in Sri Lanka and immigrated to Canada with her family. As an elementary school teacher who is passionate about equity, social justice, and human rights in education, she enjoys teaching the younger generation to be global-minded citizens.
Discovering the world by connecting with others is an opportunity that we have today in our society today and she loves meeting new people! She is always learning while traveling to understand the inter-connectedness of this beautiful earth we live in! Nilmini LOVES cooking great meals, watching movies, and the latest fashion trends! Family and friends are close to her heart as she looks forward to balancing social media and navigating professional learning communities in education to network globally this year!
