Hispanic Heritage Month is a wonderful time to celebrate the vibrant cultures and contributions of Hispanic and Latino Americans. At Tessa International School, where a rich mosaic of Hispanic cultures is represented among our community of families and teachers, we are deeply committed to embracing all of our cultures and providing a global education experience. During this special month, we came together to honor Hispanic heritage in various engaging ways. Let’s take a closer look at some of the activities that took place this past month:

Embracing the Cultural Diversity of our Educators

We began by showcasing the cultural identities of our Spanish team. On the first day, they dressed in clothes representing their Hispanic backgrounds. It was a colorful way to highlight the diverse Hispanic community at our school.

“Cuentos del Árbol”

The highlight of our celebration was a bilingual play called “Cuentos del Árbol” (“The Tree of Tales”). It was performed by the PushCart Players, a group known for educating children through theater. The play was about a special tree that sheltered and nurtured many characters. This tree symbolized the shared heritage and experiences of Hispanic and Latino cultures. The kids loved the performance, and they got to practice their Spanish while having fun.

Exploring Hispanic Literature

During the month, our librarian and teachers introduced students to books that explored Hispanic culture. These books included stories, fables, and the achievements of remarkable Hispanic individuals. It was a way for our students to learn more about the Hispanic heritage.

Dressing Up and Dancing

Our youngest students represented different Hispanic cultures through dressing in special clothing. They received a visit from the PushCart Player crew, who were also dressed up in cultural outfits. Additionally, our Spanish teacher, Miss Miranda, taught some of her students how to dance the Merengue!

Astronomy and Inspiration

In one of their learning activities, PK4 students learned about Ellen Ochoa, a Mexican astronaut. She was the first Hispanic woman in space. Her story inspired our students and showed them that Hispanic individuals have achieved great things in various fields.

Hispanic Heritage Month at Tessa International School was a time of learning, celebrating, and coming together. Our students explored the rich Hispanic cultures and appreciated the contributions of Hispanic individuals. We look forward to continuing this journey of exploration, learning, and celebration in our multicultural world.

UN Day, Halloween, Dia de los Muertos, Diwali… Finding simple ways to celebrate different holidays in the classroom creates a culture of inclusion and deepens understanding. It is something that we really value here at Tessa International School. Our students and teachers come from over 60 different cultures and carry with them even more international backgrounds. Students come to class with their own unique cultures, traditions and languages. We, as educators, work to develop curriculum and practices that meet the needs of our diverse student populations. As our students learn more about themselves and the world around them, they come to understand what makes people the same—we are all human beings with the same basic needs and feelings—as well as what makes us different and contributes to diversity—such as traditions, skin color, foods and special practices.

We encourage our students to accept and celebrate differences all year long by celebrating their classmates’ traditions and creating an inclusive classroom. For Diwali 2021, our  parents came to school to celebrate and introduce the festival to the students. They created a beautiful display in the hallway, read stories, brought food, and organized crafts in the classrooms. Our teachers also studied the festival with the children: Diwali is India’s biggest and most important holiday of the year. 

Self-awareness in children begins to develop when they first start to distinguish between what is “me” and what is “not me.” Around the age of two, children begin to recognize physical differences and colors, applying what they’re learning to themselves and others. Over time, they become more aware of physical differences and go from questioning how people get different features—and wondering if they’ll change—to understanding that racial and cultural identity doesn’t change; it makes them a part of a larger group with similar characteristics.

As racial and cultural awareness develops in students, they gain a better understanding of how all of us can be (and indeed are) part of many groups, including various races, families, communities, cultures, regions and religions. 

At Tessa we encourage our students to celebrate the different cultures represented in the classroom and get them excited to explore these differences. Students seeing their own culture or the cultures of their peers represented in the classroom helps promote a deeper understanding of diversity through a collection of multicultural resources (books, toys, crafts etc.). 

Holiday celebrations are wonderful opportunities for students to learn about the beliefs, traditions and values that are important around the world. At Tessa we celebrate Chinese New Year; Diwal,Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr, Day of the Dead and more.

There are so many ways to celebrate diversity in the classroom! For United Nations Day, students dressed in clothing representing cultures they relate to or like. We organize show and tell, where students bring and present artifacts from their culture to the classroom. We celebrate U.S. cultures too! We help children to realize that people from countries outside the United States have cultural celebrations. UN Day, Halloween, and  Thanksgiving are important opportunities to underscore that we all have cultures.

Our parents sometimes join a classroom to present a tradition to the students, and organize a themed activity. Music, crafts and storytelling are all great ways to study cultures. 

One of the greatest reasons for us to observe all these traditions at Tessa is the opportunity it offers students, teachers, and families to encounter one another in celebration of what we all bring to the table. It’s an occasion to have fun while strengthening the academic connections to students’ knowledge, background experiences, and ways of viewing the world.