My two daughters came home from school the other day singing along to a popular song that the school's third grade will sing for a holiday ensemble. The song was very familiar, written by Johnny Marks and performed by Brenda Lee in 1959, and went something like "Rockin' around, the holiday tree, have a happy holiday. ..."
Wait a minute. "Holiday tree"? Is there such a thing?
I corrected my daughters' poor translation of the classic Christmas song, only to be harshly criticized for my ignorance that everybody doesn't celebrate Christmas, so the school had changed the words.
Hold on. Since when did everyone have to celebrate Christmas to sing a Christmas song?
Do we change historic poetry because we don't believe in what the author envisions?
Do we change classic screenplays because we might offend a few people who don't believe what the writer has written?
Do we change our history books because there are some things written in them that everyone doesn't associate with?
Where does it end?
It ends with tolerance.
So what is tolerance?
The American Heritage Dictionary says: "The capacity for or the practice of recognizing and respecting the beliefs or practices of others."
I think it is important to instill this belief in my children. They are attending a public school with other kids who have many different beliefs and, of course, living in a world full of diversity. I want my children to be able to accept that other people have different beliefs, and I hope they have meaningful and fulfilling relationships with these other children as they grow up together.
And I had long been under the impression that, in harboring these hopes, I was among the majority of parents, teachers and school administrators. After all, who doesn't want everyone to "get along"?
I am bothered, however, about how our children are being taught what seems to be the complete opposite of tolerance in their schools. The lesson they are being taught is not that differences should be honored, celebrated and appreciated, but hidden and squelched. They are learning that to "get along," we all must check our differing beliefs and cultures at the door.
That's not tolerance. And tolerance needs to be a part of our children's education.
By the way, my children are being raised in the Jewish faith and, yes, I expect them to sing the correct words to the classic Christmas song, just as I would expect others to sing the correct words to the classic Hanukkah song "Ma'oz Tzur," if that's the song chosen to sing.
Please excuse my daughters from the exercise of changing history in the fear that we might offend someone with a different belief. I think they are better off recognizing and respecting the beliefs and practices of others.
If only we could all do that.
Johnny Knight is a mortgage broker in Southern California, where he lives with his wife and two daughters. Write to him by e-mail at firstname.lastname@example.org.