As a former Catholic school teacher, the holiday season, while hectic, was focused on the Big Event--Christmas.  Not so for public school teachers who, depending on the student population, are expected to cover an increasing number of religious holidays at this time of year--it ain't just about adding Dreidle, Dreidle, Dreidle to the Christmas concert. When I was living in Princeton, NJ, the music teacher at our local elementary school simply gave up and started doing a Winter Concert with bland songs about cold weather that left most parents I knew, who attended Princeton Theological Seminary and were from the Heartland or the South, feeling flummoxed about the culture shift.

Teaching about religion is a tricky business, particularly if the teacher doesn't know very much about religions other than her own.  This teaching guide from Freedom Forum can help teachers navigate these choppy waters. Oh, and I meant this Diwali, not this one.