Education Week - February 7, 2024 - 24

19
How to Strengthen the Safety
And Security of Your School
20
Why I Told an Excellent Teacher
It Was Time to Leave
2 Billion People Celebrate Lunar
New Year. Your Class Can, Too
By Sarah Elia
N
ew York announced last fall that
all its public schools will have a day
off for Lunar New Year starting in
the coming school year. Schools in
the Empire State will thus be joining
those in districts in California,
Massachusetts, New Jersey, Ohio,
Virginia, and elsewhere that already officially recognize the
holiday. The day off for students is part of growing school
attention to a celebration important in many Asian nations
and among people of Asian descent in the United States.
This subject is of special interest to me. I spent a number of
years in China and am raising my two children biculturally-
Chinese and American. (Their paternal family is from China.)
Before celebrating the Lunar New Year in Beijing more than
10 years ago, I knew very little about the holiday. Now, as an
educator and a parent, I am developing ways to bring the holiday
into elementary classrooms, whether or not schools put
the day on their official calendars.
Any holiday celebration should have a human touch, which
is why a good place to start is by inviting people to your classroom
who already celebrate Lunar New Year. That includes
people of Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, and Singaporean
descent, among others.
To find someone, you might contact a local or regional
Chinese American or Korean American club. The club may
be willing to send a volunteer or two to share their culture as
a guest. If not, some members may be interested in Zooming
into the classroom or making a video of themselves sharing
what they'd like the children to know.
Another approach to finding a holiday visitor (in person or
virtual) is contacting a nearby college to seek faculty members
or students with the appropriate background. Classroom visitors
may be able to bring and explain traditional clothing, art
objects, or significant household items from their country of
origin. Something personalized like that is special and can be
more engaging than watching a YouTube video.
If you have access to older students in your school,
guardians or parents, or staff who celebrate Lunar New
Year, invite them to share their traditions with the class.
Welcome your students who celebrate the Lunar New Year
at home to share their own perspectives on what is being
discussed in class. Do they do the same as the class readings
suggest? Not all Chinese partake in a dragon parade,
for example.
On the eve or the first day of the new year, this year Feb.
10, have a variety of class activities centered around food,
monetary gifts, family and friends, which are all key parts
of the celebration.
Here are some ways to create a celebratory atmosphere:
1. Music. Play traditional instrumental music in the
background. (Students love this; many find it very
calming.) Listen to a new year's song on YouTube (for
instance, " Happy New Year " in Chinese), print the lyrics,
and have students try to sing along to the music.
2. Food. Food is central for the Lunar New Year, arguably
the most important part of the holiday along with being
with family.
If you cannot spend money on takeout or are concerned
about allergies, print photos of the myriad dishes that
are popular at Lunar New Year in one or more countries.
Cut them out and put them around the room or around a
table and simulate a meal. If possible, identify them with
labels including spicy/mild, sweet/sour/salty, fish/beef/
pork/vegetarian, northern/southern. Students can play a
game categorizing them or choosing the dishes that they
will " eat " at their Lunar New Year " meal. " Students might
choose foods based on appearances and write about what
attracted them to these dishes.
This is also an opportunity for students to become more
culturally aware of Asian cuisines and respectful when
discussing food that is less familiar to them. Foods should
not be labeled as " gross " based on looks or ingredients but
simply as " different. "
24 | EDUCATION WEEK | February 7, 2024 | www.edweek.org/opinion
3. Color. Red, symbolizing good luck and prosperity in
Asian cultures, is associated with the new year. Invite
students to wear the color red, or if they do not have it,
make red-colored cutouts that they can put on their shirts.
Decorate the room with the color red.
4. Language. Teach the students a common phrase
or two used at Lunar New Year in Mandarin or another
language that the holiday is celebrated in.
5. Money in envelopes. Bright red envelopes with
money inside symbolize good wishes and luck for the year
ahead. They are often given at the new year, including
prominently to children in a family. Kids can make the
envelopes on their own using a printable template, and
then the teacher can fill them with class cash or class
coupons.
6. Riddles. The end of Lunar New Year festivals is often
marked by a lantern parade with the lanterns featuring
riddles to be solved. Create curriculum-related (and ageappropriate)
riddles and post them around the classroom
for students to answer with a partner and collect LunarNew-Year-themed
prizes if they get them right. A prize
could be something as simple as a homework pass with
this year's zodiac animal on it. This year is the year of the
dragon for almost all the Asian zodiacs.
With engaging activities and human interactions like the
ones I've outlined, we are promoting not only an understanding
of the holiday but empathy toward people around
the world who celebrate Lunar New Year. It's a small step in
our greater mission as educators to help create a society that
welcomes people of diverse backgrounds and ways of life.
ELIA is an English-as-a-new-language teacher in the
Saugerties, N.Y., school district. She sometimes also
teaches Chinese enrichment classes to elementary
students.
Changyu Zou for Education Week
http://www.edweek.org/opinion
Education Week - February 7, 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Education Week - February 7, 2024
