advice wanted from finns/nordics/scandinavians and people with social skills

[cimorene]

Pursuant to the misconception common to all the teachers on my hallway that Easter is the same thing as Passover, I've been toying with the idea of offering to help present the difference to the kids. (Keeping in mind that Swedish language uses the word Pesach ("påsk") to mean Easter as well, the confusion is understandable, particularly as the crucifixion took place during Pesach according to Christian mythology.)

You see, there's one practicing Jewish pupil, whose (converted) father is apparently the chairman at the synagogue, and apparently she's been invited to say a few words about her beliefs on the relevant occasions in the past.

So my idea was to point out the difference - my proposed phrasing would be something like, "Because the Jewish Pesach is actually the holiday about Exodus, you know, Moses and the escape from slavery" - and suggest that I could participate in said pupil's being invited to talk about it since Pesach itself starts on the 16th18th (that's the first night, even though my dinner party is going to be on the 25th or 26th, the last and 2nd-to-last night - which is totally abnormal, of course, but Wax is working on the 18th).

I'm just not sure about this idea, whether it would come off as weird or presumptuous. In the past when I've been uncertain about these kinds of things I've asked Wax, but she often says "Don't ask me, I don't have social skills either!" She does have a cultural advantage though. Nordic and Finnish people would better know if something is "weird" from their cultural perspective, and then there are bound to be people with good social skills on my friendslist, right? What do you guys think? Is it weird? Should I? Any advice?

Comments

[northern]

As long as you suggest it in a humble way, and do a lot of "do you think that would be a good idea?" to whoever is in charge, I don't think there's any way it would be presumptuous.

[northern]

Keep in mind - my social skills are not awesome.

[cimorene]

XD You function in the adult working world and you talk to teachers and parents and kids though, which is way more than I do! Thanks!

[mecurtin]

Passover begins on the evening of Monday, April 18 this year. The 25th & 26th *are* the last two nights, though.

[cimorene]

Fail, me! I googled yesterday while my mind was on trying to prevent the 2nd graders from playing the Silence Game at shouting volume and my brain must have swapped 18 for 16 when storing it.

[foursweatervests]

Would you be doing this in class? It actually seems like a really good idea to me, and you could even teach a small lesson around it. It's important to educate them while you still can, is my feeling.

[cimorene]

Talking with the students in class, yes, or at least, that's what I was thinking of. But of course circumstances wouldn't be for me to dictate, so in the above scenario, it would depend how the teachers responded to my suggestion. And also of course there are four classes. Potentially it would only be the one with the Jewish girl that would be affected - at least in the way I was currently thinking of bringing it up.

[alafaye]

Er, I'm always the person who was seen as the "smarty pants" and annoying because I was always correcting people when they did things like this. Even though I didn't mean it that way.

...yeah, I'm of no help. I wouldn't only because in my experience there may be one person who will jump up and be completely rudely stupid about not letting it happen from some place you least expect it. Because that's been my experience ._.

[cimorene]

Another fun prospect. -_- Normally I wouldn't hesitate to jump in and correct, or I should say, in everyday life/conversation; but it's different here because of how I'm just a temporary assistant-in-training with no official standing, and even if I were an employee, it's a subordinate role.

[foursweatervests]

That seems great. A lot of my students have never met a Jewish person (Well. They think they haven't, which ends up amounting to the same thing to them), and are really ignorant as to what it even means. While my curriculum really doesn't call for it, I try to educate them in all the religions of the Spanish-speaking world, and since most of them are Christian, it means I get to spend a lot of time on Judaism and Islam.