Inequitable distribution of Holiday Homework

Julia Weisfield Staff Writer

As winter approaches, I am sure all students are excited for a fun and restful winter break, however, it is apparent that religious holidays such as Rosh Hashanah or Ramadan at MIHS are not exactly work free. Where many students who celebrate Christmas experience little school stress over the break, holidays for people of other religions can be the most anxiety inducing time of year. The struggle of discovering which classes are assigning work or assessments during a holiday and individually emailing each teacher defeats the purpose of an excused absence.

“Religious do so because I would have to miss days of school which would then increase the workload and stress,” said Tulin Alrouk, a student at MIHS.

Jewish holidays, and I have only two who excuse me from them,” said MIHS freshman Jack Rubenstein.

As a Jewish student at MIHS, it feels as though the school is more focused on meeting the needs of Christian students during the holidays.

“The school targets meeting the needs of larger groups such as Christians, and as a smaller group, they don’t attend to the needs of Jewish people,” said Rubenstein.

Christmas tends to be a uniting time of year where people get together and celebrate although it can single out certain students when continuously discussed in a school environment.

“The opportunity to unite through our differences yields learning opportunities for children and adults alike. As inclusive as this time of year has the potential to be, it can also be divisive without intentionality,” said Rundle.

The email that Dr. Fred Rundle sent out clearly instructs the district to respect the religious holidays of others and refrain from assigning work.

Even after this email directing teachers not to assign homework or give tests, I still found myself with a ridiculous amount of missed classwork during Jewish holidays. One of the only teachers that I have who assigned zero work and did not teach valuable information during Jewish High Holidays is Christine Kenyon. Rather than filling the class with busywork she took the time to talk about why she wasn’t giving assignments that day.

“I am glad that I met your needs although I believe you were in class during your High Holiday, so I felt a little sad that you had to be here in school because I know that your family changed how they were celebrating to accommodate your needs,” Kenyon said.

Many teachers will give an extra day or two to make up for the assignments missed but won’t excuse a student from them. While this makes it easier, is it really fair?

The amount of information taught in a single day in high school is crucial to a student’s grade in a class, and some students then find themselves having to choose between school or religious services. This is an extremely unfair expectation of nonChristians during holidays. Where any Christian holiday receives a week off or an entire weekend, the major holidays of other religions are barely excused.

“Oftentimes, yes, I feel as though I have to choose between having missing assignments or attending a religious holiday. I would say three to four of my teachers assign work on

GraphicbyTaylorHolshouser

December is an extremely busy time for students because finals are coming up, we take a long break, and winter sports begin. This being said, the addition of work on holidays for nonChristian students is not equitable.