跨文化的饗宴 萬聖節系列活動 By Adam Woolfolk

跨文化的饗宴 萬聖節系列活動

By Adam Woolfolk

Halloween lessons are a waste of time. Honestly, I have been a teacher for 15 years, and I have never seen any value in holiday lessons. They take valuable time away from more important things. Our students need to be focused on reading and writing. They need to spend their limited time in class with me improving their listening and speaking skills. There was nothing to be gained by teaching children about an over-commercialized holiday that is divorced from its historical roots and used as a way for companies to line their pockets and dupe parents into buying costumes, decorations, and candy just to fit in with the crowd. I am a cynic, and I was proven wrong.

    As the student body that I teach has evolved, I have found that not all students respond to the same teaching method. There will always be some children who are fully motivated to succeed. These children will do whatever they can to maximize their education and ensure their success. But for a lot of students, it is not that simple. They need greater motivation and a more dynamic learning environment to spark their interest. This is where holiday lessons come into play. Children don’t see holidays the same way adults do. They don’t see historical conflicts or corporate profits. They see candy and costumes. Monsters and party games. They have the naivety of a child, which allows them to appreciate the holiday at a level that no adult could.

    It was a shock to me to see students who were habitually uninvolved in their classes perk up and participate. Students who may have trouble focusing on a lesson listened with rapt attention as I explained the history of Halloween's progenitor, Samhain. Students who had lacked teamwork skills suddenly began working together to decorate classrooms and design costumes.

    All of the students showed a level of attention and involvement that is rarely seen. They were active, engaged, and willing to try new things. Throughout the week of Halloween activities, quiet students spoke up and loud students muted themselves to hear the thoughts and opinions of their peers. And I did have the pleasure of chilling them to their cores with a series of scary stories based on real historical events but tailored to prey on their fears.

    I can admit when I am wrong. And this Halloween was one of the rare instances when I was wrong. My students were motivated, engaged, and, most importantly, they learned from this exercise. I will definitely be incorporating holiday activities into my future lesson plans.