Published June 9, 2008

A few months ago, the third grade had a Quaker Meeting in which the teachers asked, What makes your family special?

“Almost every child shared, with great excitement and pride,” recalled 3B teacher Kate Minear. “The other children listened carefully, fascinated both by what was similar to their families and what was completely different.”

The teachers wanted to build on this positive energy and give the children more of a chance to bring their families’ culture and traditions into school, so they set up an activity known as “Culture Shares.” Culture has been defined broadly, and the students, along with their parent – and often grandparent – visitors, have made fascinating presentations on a wide range of topics.

Cosi and her father Chris shared about the story of Chris’s great grandfather and his journey to America from Italy. Clare wrote a story about her great-grandmother, who was a princess in Bohemia and grew up in a castle, which is now a museum in the Czech Republic. Cade’s grandfather, Don, presented a lesson on the tenets of the Christian faith and the meanings of Easter and Christmas. James and his father James, Sr. told the story of their ancestor Isaac Anderson, the son of a slave owner, but born a slave.

Tyler’s parents both come from Trinidad/ Tobago and Tyler has traveled there several times. She described the islands’ marketplaces and fishing boats and brought along some of her favorite Caribbean snacks for everyone to sample.

Nat told the story of “The Wolf and the Little Seven Goats,” a German fairy tale, engaging everyone with humor and suspense. He and his mother Tamar also sang a German lullaby, and treated the class to German bread. Philip and his dad, Leonard, talked about life in the Philippines, where old army jeeps are painted with bright colors and fun designs and are used as public transportation. They informed the class that the yo-yo was invented by a Filipino-American, and Leonard showed the class several cool yo-yo tricks.

Twins Ben and Sam and their parents, Tracey and Peter, shared information in their respective classes about Scotland, England, and Jamaica. They talked about the favorite foods, popular sports and music from each place.

Noah brought his father and grandmother to the class. Grandmother Eva, although of German heritage, spent 15 years of her childhood in China during WW II. Their family incorporates several cultures into their traditions, for example, having both turkey and dumplings on their Thanksgiving table each year.

Not all the culture shares have been about ethnic traditions. Jesse talked about how her mom, Jenny, is from California and has brought her love of nature with her to New York. Hannah shared how creativity runs in her family and showed how it brings them closer to one another and to the world.

When asked to reflect on the the program, 3A teacher Susan Park said, “The Family Culture Shares have all been so rich and powerful. And we obviously couldn’t have done it without the support, time and help of our parents. Many families and other faculty have commented how great it was to see the whole class partake in this activity. It was clear that everytime we had a Culture Share scheduled, the kids would be so excited and genuinely interested in one another’s family. We were delighted to see each student be in the spotlight and own their history, culture and family’s uniqueness. We believe it’s through our differences that brings our community closer together and although they have know each other for years, they have grown to learn more deeply about one another.”