Celebrating Parent Appreciation Day: The Unseen Heroes of Our Children’s Education
🌈 Hats off to all the incredible parents who collaborate with schools to weave diverse experiences into our children’s education! Your dedication enriches learning environments and prepares our kids for a world as colorful as they are. Together, we’re building a brighter, more inclusive future. 📚🤝
Parents play a pivotal role in the educational journey of their children. Their involvement goes beyond just attending parent-teacher meetings or helping with homework. Parents are actively shaping the future by participating in school workshops, volunteering for events, and fostering a love for learning at home. This collaboration between parents and schools is crucial for creating an enriching and supportive educational environment.
Parent Appreciation Day is an opportunity to recognize and celebrate the vital role parents play in education. It’s a day to thank them for their unwavering support, dedication, and contributions to building a nurturing and inclusive educational environment.
Let’s continue to work together to create a future where every child feels seen, heard, and valued. To all the amazing parents out there – thank you for your incredible efforts and for being our partners in education. Your involvement makes all the difference. 🌟
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Making Raksha Bandhan Inclusive: Celebrating Bonds Beyond Siblings
Reflecting on Raksha Bandhan: An Inclusive Approach
Raksha Bandhan is a festival that traditionally celebrates the bond between brothers and sisters. As a parent of an only child, this festival posed a unique challenge for me. With no siblings or cousins nearby—Ruhaan’s only cousin is in India—we faced the choice of not participating. Yet, the festival’s core message of celebrating the special bonds between loved ones is so beautiful, and I was determined to find a way for Ruhaan to experience it.
Embracing Friendship: A New Way to Celebrate Raksha Bandhan
Then, it struck us—if a brother and sister can celebrate Raksha Bandhan, why not two friends who are growing up together, side by side? We reached out to our neighbors, and they wholeheartedly agreed! Take a look at the heartwarming pictures of Ruhaan’s Rakhi celebration with his two best friends. The joy and love in their smiles are truly priceless.
Join the Celebration: Upcoming Maya and Neel Book
Stay tuned for our upcoming Maya and Neel book featuring an inclusive Rakhi festival, complete with some exciting cricket action! Join our Facebook group “Raise Multicultural Kids” for the launch date, free storytime, and more!
Keywords: Raksha Bandhan, inclusive Rakhi, celebrating bonds, multicultural kids, Rakhi with friends, Maya Neel books
#MayaNeelBooks #InclusiveRakhi #CelebratingBonds #MulticulturalKids #RakhiWithFriends
A Children’s Book to Break Gender Norms
Growing up in a city steeped in gender bias, Raksha Bandhan always evoked a complex mix of emotions in me. From as early as age five, I began rebelling against the phrases “girls can’t do that” or “girls are weaker,” and the premise of Raksha Bandhan never sat right with me.
For those unfamiliar with the festival, Raksha Bandhan is an annual Indian celebration where sisters tie a decorative thread (Rakhi) around their brother’s wrist. The sister wishes for her brother’s long life, and in return, the brother promises to protect her. Protect. Only protect. Because, of course, she needs all the protection while he simply needs to live long 🙂
Looking at the stories associated with this festival, the same theme emerges repeatedly. The epic Mahabharata has a harrowing episode where Draupadi is protected by Krishna in a moment of crisis. The now-questioned story of Rani Karnavati being saved by Emperor Humayun follows the same pattern.
Efforts have been made to justify or tweak these narratives. “Ajanta, you are making a big deal out of it. Just think of it as a festival to celebrate the sibling bond,” people say. But then, why doesn’t the brother tie a Rakhi on his sister? Why don’t two brothers or two sisters celebrate it? Wouldn’t they also get a chance to showcase their love and care through this festival?
That’s where the idea for this book came about. The festival has such a wonderful overall sentiment. Why not extend it beyond gender norms? One of the main characters experiences this realization right in the book’s pivotal scene.
Don’t get me wrong—I am terrified. We are challenging the fundamentals of a centuries-old festival, and there is a significant chance we will face harsh criticism. But the desire and conviction to strip away the gender norms from a beautiful festival and transform it into the ultimate celebration of a loving bond triumphs every time.
#BreakTheBias #MayaNeelBooks #GenderNorms #NewBookRelease
#ModernTraditions #CelebrateLove #GenderEquality
Selected! WLA Conference Speaker!
So Excited to share that I have been selected as a Speaker for the Wisconsin Library Association’s Annual conference!
Not only do I get to speak about enhancing multiculturalism in libraries, but I also get to meet fantastic librarians from all over the state!
#conferencespeaker #multiculturalspeaker #raisemulticulturalkids
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“Effortless” is a Myth
“Effortless is a myth” Roger Federer recently said this during commencement speech and it struck a chord with me.
What you see on the surface of these pictures is me in my happy place, surrounded by curious minds who just finished learning about a different way of living through an incredibly fun mix of movement and stories.
What you don’t see are the years of fine-tuning the craft. I often have absolutely no information about the participants of a workshop I am about to conduct. I don’t know if it will be 5 people or 50; will they be toddlers or adults; will they be open to trying something new?
All I know is that I have to provide them with an experience that they will not only remember for a long time but will also propel them into the world of exploring different cultures.
It might seem effortless to an audience member but in reality, it takes years of trial and error and hard work to get to this point.
Here’s to all the educators, cultural or otherwise, in relentlessly working to improve their craft and making it seem effortless. Do not let anyone lower the value of your work because *you* made it look easy.
Watch the entire speech here.