[House] Iconography question

[Boucher, Thor]

That is a great question and part of our school's work toward antiracist
teaching and learning. We have a whole district committee that focuses on
building into the curricula texts, materials, and resources that speak to a
variety of similarities and differences across (and more often, within)
cultures.

Best,


*~Dr. Thor*


*THORBOUCHER, Ph.D. *

Principal,
Monroe Elementary School

San Francisco Unified School District

260 Madrid Street

San Francisco, CA 94112

O: 415.469.4736

E: bouchert at sfusd.edu


<bouchert at sfusd.edu>

*"People who are closest to the pain should be closest to the power." ~
Ayanna Pressley*


On Tue, Nov 1, 2022 at 11:14 AM RJ Johnson <rmjwell at gmail.com> wrote:

> I appreciate making space for the people who are within the school
> community now. I also wonder how to prepare our learners to show respect
> for people and cultures that they haven't encountered yet. It is one thing
> to hold space for someone you know and engage with on a day-to-day basis;
> how is the concept of respect for differences being taught to apply to
> people with whom we don't have the benefit of familiarity?
>
> Thank you for all you the dedicated teachers and staff at Monroe do!
>
> RJ
>
> On Tue, Nov 1, 2022 at 9:47 AM Boucher, Thor <bouchert at sfusd.edu> wrote:
>
>> Happy to help!
>>
>> Our school does not participate in religious holidays as a mainstage
>> event. For example, dia de los muertos is a cultural event, not a religious
>> event. We also try to use more inclusive language like winter break (in
>> lieu of Christmas break) and spring break (instead of Easter). We ask
>> teachers to consider their families and students when having classroom
>> celebrations (we have a high percentage of Jehovah's Witness families that
>> do not celebrate birthdays) and several students where the mother is not
>> present, so Mother's Day could be a sensitive topic.
>>
>> If there are events that you feel may not honor your family's beliefs and
>> values, please let me know so we can work towards an amicable solution.
>>
>> Best,
>>
>>
>> *~Dr. Thor*
>>
>>
>> *THORBOUCHER, Ph.D. *
>>
>> Principal,
>> Monroe Elementary School
>>
>> San Francisco Unified School District
>>
>> 260 Madrid Street
>>
>> San Francisco, CA 94112
>>
>> O: 415.469.4736
>>
>> E: bouchert at sfusd.edu
>>
>>
>> <bouchert at sfusd.edu>
>>
>> *"People who are closest to the pain should be closest to the power." ~
>> Ayanna Pressley*
>>
>>
>> On Tue, Nov 1, 2022 at 9:11 AM RJ Johnson <rmjwell at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> Thank you for the prompt reply!
>>>
>>> My only other question is how is space being held for atheists during
>>> cultural celebrations of any sort that have religious connections?
>>>
>>> RJ
>>>
>>> On Tue, Nov 1, 2022 at 9:05 AM Boucher, Thor <bouchert at sfusd.edu> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Good morning,
>>>>
>>>> Yes, we have an altar for dia de los muertos, which is a cultural and
>>>> teachable opportunity for students to express their culture and heritage.
>>>> This is school-wide and a part of our Latino/a Heritage celebration.
>>>>
>>>> Kelly's costume yesterday was worn on costume/fantasy day, which is
>>>> imitating cultural traditions and could be interpreted as mockery.
>>>>
>>>> If Kelly was wearing her costume as an expression of her faith, I am
>>>> sure we can hold space for her to share that with her class/school. If it
>>>> was worn as a costume that imitated someone else's beliefs, that would be
>>>> considered cultural appropriation.
>>>>
>>>> Best,
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> *~Dr. Thor*
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> *THORBOUCHER, Ph.D. *
>>>>
>>>> Principal,
>>>> Monroe Elementary School
>>>>
>>>> San Francisco Unified School District
>>>>
>>>> 260 Madrid Street
>>>>
>>>> San Francisco, CA 94112
>>>>
>>>> O: 415.469.4736
>>>>
>>>> E: bouchert at sfusd.edu
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> <bouchert at sfusd.edu>
>>>>
>>>> *"People who are closest to the pain should be closest to the power." ~
>>>> Ayanna Pressley*
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On Tue, Nov 1, 2022 at 8:52 AM RJ Johnson <rmjwell at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Hi, Dr. Thor.
>>>>>
>>>>> It was relayed to me that Kelly's Halloween costume had to be amended
>>>>> to remove the wings and halo for concerns connected to religious
>>>>> representations on school property.
>>>>>
>>>>> This morning, Frances was telling me that an altar was being put
>>>>> together (I was unclear on if it was in her class or for the school as a
>>>>> whole) and she was invited/asked to bring in a photo of a deceased
>>>>> relative/loved one to display on it.
>>>>>
>>>>> Could I ask you to clarify Monroe's philosophy regarding these two
>>>>> situations?
>>>>>
>>>>> Sincerely,
>>>>>
>>>>> RJ Johnson
>>>>>
>>>>
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