Current Events
Sikhism Should be on the Curriculum in All Schools
MANBEENA KAUR
As an education director at the Sikh Coalition, I write because never before has our work to educate our neighbors about Sikhi been more important. Sadly, the Oak Creek tragedy reminded us that most Americans still don’t know anything about Sikhs.
But with effort, we can make a difference. I want to share a story with you that illustrates how your support has made real change towards ensuring Americans not only know who Sikhs are, but think positively of us.
A world history teacher, Tanya Richards, from Mansfield, Texas, e-mailed me a few months ago. She had just finished teaching her classes about Buddhism and Hinduism, and was preparing to teach Sikhism for the first time -- thanks to the Sikh Coalition’s 2010 campaign to include Sikhism in the Texas public school curriculum.
While researching Sikhism, she came across an article that described the Coalition’s work with the Texas Board of Education. She immediately contacted the Coalition to help her teach this “new” religion.
A few weeks later, I found myself in her 10th grade world history class teaching her students about our basic beliefs, the 5Ks, Vaisakhi, and the role of the Gurdwara in the lives of Sikhs.
The Sikh Coalition has given hundreds of Sikh awareness presentations and provided countless resources and lesson plans to school districts. However, this presentation was different – it left a lasting impression on me.
I had stepped out for lunch and when I got back to the classroom, Richards told me she had spent her lunch break discussing our presentation with other world history teachers. As she described what she had learned that day, one of her colleagues cut her off to erroneously “correct” her pronunciation of “Sikh.” However, because she had just listened to three Sikh awareness presentations in her classroom, she quickly corrected her colleague and said, “No it is ‘Sikh’, the education director of the Sikh Coalition just explained that.”
She then proceeded to tell them that one of the other misconceptions about Sikhism is that it is a branch of Hinduism. Her colleagues responded that they were under that mistaken impression while teaching their students.
Richards then assured me that the other teachers would use the Coalition’s materials when they teach Sikhism so that they were providing their students with accurate information. She told me how grateful she was that the Coalition was doing these presentations and creating teacher-friendly materials. She knew she had “come to the right place,” and thanked me for spending time with her students.
After I walked out of her class that afternoon, I kept asking myself, what would have happened if Sikhism were not included in the Texas curriculum? What would have happened if we did not continue to stay engaged with educators and textbook publishers? What would have happened had I not delivered the presentation? What would those teachers have used to teach Sikhism if the Coalition had not created teacher-friendly resources?
I am so grateful that, because of your support, I have the opportunity to tell teachers, students, police officers, interfaith leaders and so many of our neighbors about Sikhi every single day. I get to see first-hand how minds can change and misconceptions can be corrected. In fact, just last week, there was a major effort by some congressmen requesting the FBI to also monitor hate crimes against Sikhs.
Because of your support, I feel empowered to know that when my nephew grows up, and starts his first day of kindergarten, his teacher will be getting the most professional and kid-friendly materials on the market to explain the significance of his joorrah, patka and karra.
Today, I ask that you continue your support so that my nephew and your kids won’t have to go through the same struggles as earlier generations of Sikh Americans.
Your support will help us continue to get Sikhi included in state curriculums. Your support will help us continue to create education toolkits for community members to use.
Your support will help build a brighter future for generations of Sikhs to come.
The author is Education Director of The Sikh Coalition.
[Courtesy: India West]
March 15, 2013