June 1987
What You Can Do to Introduce Hinduism in Your Child's School
Nalluran, Muni
Hindus all over the world have
the opportunity to correct the impressions that non Hindus have of their
religion and culture. It requires only the willingness to get involved and
a small commitment of time. Curriculums in the United States are open to
input now for supplementary teachings. Better education will help paint a
more accurate picture, and a fuller one, too, bringing the beauty of Hindu
culture to life for students throughout the world.
Last quarter
when Hinduism Today was researching how Hinduism is taught in U.S.
schools, Mrs. Cathy Lai, the Supervisor of Social Studies curriculum for
the San Francisco Unified School District, invited Hindus and Hindu
organizations to participate in the social studies program. She had three
suggestions.
First she invited help in developing a list of Hindus
willing to come into individual classrooms to show slides, give
demonstrations or just talk about their lives as Hindus. Such presentation
might show, for example, how a puja is done, what a Hindu wedding is like
or what a Hindu home or community is like. Teachers would welcome Hindu
women into classrooms to show, for example, how the sari is worn, or to
discuss the special role of women in Hindu society. Mrs. Lai pointed out
that many simple cultural things which seem ordinary to one who does them
every day are interesting and edifying to someone of a different
background.
Second, Mrs. Lai asked for lists of sources to include
in a bibliography for teachers to refer to in developing lesson plans.
Third, she is interested in organizing field trips to Hindu temples,
perhaps on temple open house days.
In the Bay Area, dancers K. P.
Kunnhiraman and his wife, Katherine, have already broken the ice. They
took their dance students into public schools to introduce the Bharata
Natyam and Kathak dance styles. Their work was so highly appreciated that
their projects have been funded by the National Endowment for the Arts and
by the California Arts Council.
The opportunities for involvement
are endless. Mrs. Lai assured Hinduism Today that other school systems
throughout the United States are as eager for help as hers is. Each is
organized slightly differently, so finding the right contact may take some
sleuthing. The logical place to start is with the director or supervisor
of social studies. Hinduism Today discovered Mrs. Lai by contacting the
SFUSD Board of Education and asking for the head of the Social Studies
Department. By the way, Mrs. Lai is open to calls and can be reached at
(415) 731-6616. In New York state, contact Mr. Elliot Salow at (718)
935-4250. Another key person in the Bay Area is Dr. Diane Brooks (916) 323
0887, director of the History Social Science and Visual and Performing
Arts Unit of the California State Department of Education. Dr. Brooks is
working toward a broad-based curriculum for social studies in a special
project named "Framework."
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