Christmas classroom lessons stir debate
State school board members voted Thursday on new social studies standards for public school students, but one addition has raised a concern for some educators — how do you teach kindergarten students about Christmas?
The Georgia Council for the Social Studies, an advocacy group for educators who teach the subject, raised its concerns earlier this year and at a public hearing Thursday.
“How do you teach that so (kindergarten students) understand it?,” Eddie Bennett, a retired social studies teacher and the council’s executive director, said in a telephone interview.
State education officials want kindergarten students to learn about all 10 federal holidays. Christmas is the only religious holiday of the 10.
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About the Author
Eric Stirgus joined The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 2001. He is the newsroom's education editor. Born and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y., Eric is active in the Atlanta Association of Black Journalists and the Education Writers Association and enjoys mentoring aspiring journalists.
