When School Traditions Hurt

Other Scholarly Work (Faculty180)

cited authors

  • Kovach, Lisa Pescara

description

  • <p><span>This blog describes how </span><span>well-intentioned </span><span>school </span><span>traditions, </span><span>such </span><span>as </span><span>father-daughter </span><span>dances, </span><span>Mother’s </span><span>Day </span><span>crafts, </span><span>and </span><span>grandparents’ </span><span>breakfasts, </span><span>can </span><span>unintentionally </span><span>cause </span><span>emotional </span><span>pain </span><span>for </span><span>children </span><span>who </span><span>have </span><span>experienced </span><span>loss </span><span>or </span><span>whose </span><span>families </span><span>do </span><span>not </span><span>fit </span><span>traditional </span><span>expectations. </span><span>For </span><span>these </span><span>students, </span><span>activities </span><span>meant </span><span>to </span><span>celebrate </span><span>family </span><span>can </span><span>instead </span><span>become </span><span>painful </span><span>reminders </span><span>of </span><span>someone </span><span>who </span><span>is </span><span>absent. </span><span>I </span><span>encourage </span><span>educators </span><span>and </span><span>school </span><span>administrators </span><span>to </span><span>reconsider </span><span>these </span><span>traditions </span><span>and </span><span>create </span><span>more </span><span>inclusive </span><span>opportunities </span><span>that </span><span>recognize </span><span>the </span><span>many </span><span>different </span><span>forms </span><span>families </span><span>take. </span><span>Schools </span><span>should </span><span>be </span><span>places </span><span>where </span><span>every </span><span>child </span><span>feels </span><span>a </span><span>sense </span><span>of </span><span>belonging, </span><span>and </span><span>sometimes </span><span>that </span><span>requires </span><span>rethinking </span><span>traditions </span><span>we </span><span>have </span><span>followed </span><span>for </span><span>years.</span></p>

authors

publication date

  • 2026

published in