Religious Education Update: September 7, 2008

Celebrating World Religions in Petaluma

Last Wednesday, I was in a second grade classroom at Sonoma Mountain Elementary School, while the teacher took the hot and cold lunch tally for the day. Each child said whether they were going to have hot or cold lunch that day, until one little boy said that he’d be having neither since it was an Arabic holiday. The teacher looked puzzled, until I noted that it was the beginning of Ramadan.

Later, that morning, I read a story to the class, called “Azeeza’s First Fast”. Most of the children had not heard of Ramadan, and were not familiar with the concept of ritual fasting. Jonathan asked, “Were they fasting because they were poor?” I answered that Azeeza’s family was fasting in order to be grateful for the food and drink that they enjoyed each day, and that rich and poor people alike observe Ramadan. Another child asked if Ramadan was a Jewish holiday, probably because that child had heard of Judaism, but not other world religions.

This classroom experience was a reminder to me of the increasing diversity of Petaluma’s schools. We know we have children who celebrate Christmas and Hanukah, but we also have kids who celebrate Divali, Ramadan, and many other holidays. This year, our RE classes will focus on World Religions. We’ll hearing stories from many faiths, and gaining an appreciation for the many ways of celebrating the holy. I’m excited to begin!

Marlene Abel
Director of Religious Education