An elementary school in Winnipeg will send students home with “family gifts” this week, instead of traditional Mother’s Day and Father’s Day presents, part of a new trend among some Canadian schools downplaying or eliminating the traditional parental celebrations.
Grade 1 and 2 teachers at Sage Creek School in Winnipeg informed parents of the change last week, just days before Mother’s Day.
The student-made gifts will be distributed on May 15, to coincide with the International Day of Families.
Winnipeg Free Press reports that teachers wrote a memo to parents explaining that the change is intended to “respect the diversity of families that are represented in our classroom and community.”
The memo added that students could use quiet and free-choice time to make cards or crafts for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and other upcoming observances.
Some parents have expressed frustration with the change.
Ashley Dolphin, a local mother of two, including a Grade 1 student at the kindergarten-to-Grade 8 school, told Winnipeg Free Press: “Where is the line? What is next? At what point are you being more exclusive than inclusive?”
She said she supports schools introducing more holidays and cultural celebrations, rather than limiting existing ones.
Meanwhile, Tiffany Draper, who has two sons at the school, said: “They should be taking parent input. These are our children’s minds that they’re helping shape.”
She added: “Parenting is so hard… It’s just nice for the school to teach about how to appreciate someone and how to show gratitude.”
National Post spoke to Michelle Ferreri , former Conservative MP, media personality and mother. She said Sage Creek School’s new approach is “absurd.”
“There’s nothing inclusive about it at all, and I think it’s absolutely absurd. It’s removing one person’s rights for another person’s, instead of just adding to the conversation and saying ‘if your mom’s not in your life, you make a card that fits best to you.’ But why should you punish a child who wants to celebrate their mother or father?”
Ferreri added that ditching Mother’s and Father’s Day celebrations is akin to “shaming the nuclear family.”
Sage Creek School Principal Jason Dubeau has defended the school’s new approach.
In a statement to National Post, he said: “We strive to create learning experiences where all students feel seen, respected, and included. This year, our Grade 1 and 2 teams have chosen to focus on International Day of Families on May 15. This approach reflects the diversity of family structures in our community and supports all students in participating in a way that feels safe and meaningful to them.”
He added: “We recognize that Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are important to many families, and we continue to encourage families to celebrate these occasions in ways that are meaningful to them outside the school. Students may choose to create cards or crafts for their mothers through planned classroom activities connected to the International Day of Families, as well as at other appropriate times during the school day.”
Sage Creek Elementary might not be the only Canadian school to remove Mother’s Day and Father’s Day celebrations from the calendar.
According to a letter submitted to Western Canada news site Castanet , South Kelowna Elementary School “has quietly removed Mother’s Day and Father’s Day from its school calendar in the name of inclusivity.”
The author of the letter, Amy Mosset, said: “There was no meaningful consultation with parents. There has also been no transparent explanation.”
Mosset added: “Removing Mother’s Day and Father’s Day takes something meaningful away from every child who has a parent to celebrate. That is exclusion dressed up in a different word.”
Not everyone agrees with this stance, however. Responding to Mosset’s comments, another contributor, Sarah Korzinski, wrote in a letter to Castanet : “What many parents with this viewpoint do not see is the growing number of children in our communities that no longer have one or both of their parents. They do not see the pain and anguish on those kids’ faces when they are asked to make a card or a gift for someone they have lost.”
Korzinski, who claimed to speak from personal experience as a teacher and parent of two children who lost their father at a young age, added: “The shift places the responsibility for celebrating and honouring mothers and fathers where it belongs, within the family, rather than on educators whose primary role is to teach and support students academically and emotionally.”
Ferreri disagrees. She told National Post: “I’ve had the opportunity to interview thousands of people, and the number one thing that people say to me when they’ve lost a loved one is they hope that people keep saying their name and that they’re never forgotten. To honour somebody who’s passed away is to honour their memory and the memories that you have with them.”
Teachers shouldn’t be projecting what they think children want without consulting them, she added.
“You simply say to the students, we’re doing Mother’s Day cards, because it’s Mother’s Day. You get to choose what that looks like for you. This is what we’re doing, and everybody’s included.”
A spokesperson for Central Okanagan Public Schools, the school district office for South Kelowna Elementary, told National Post in an email: “Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are not on school calendars as they are holidays that do not take place on school days. Individual schools and classrooms foster learning about families in a variety of inclusive ways that honour the many caring adults in children’s lives.
“What is the same across our district is that learning always considers individual students and the diversity within any school or classroom; we are grateful for the thoughtful educators and administrators whose understanding ensures every child feels included. Families are vital partners in learning and celebrating (or not celebrating) holidays that occur outside of school is a family decision.”
Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here.
