Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is a holiday that usually goes unnoticed in Spain. As an American, this can be disappointing as we are used to a little extra fanfare and family time during this part of the holiday season. However, I was lucky, and this year my school decided to celebrate Thanksgiving for the first time ever. Compared to other bilingual primary schools, this was not normal practice. Usually, a school will pick one American holiday to celebrate each semester, and because Halloween is more popular, it is usually chosen.

But, this year my school decided to go all out. Each grade made a poster that was hung outside of their classrooms, the kids dressed up in formal attire, and there was even a photo booth. Each grade was given a different Thanksgiving topic to focus on. For example, fifth grade focused on Native Americans, first grade did the foods of Thanksgiving, and third grade concentrated on thankfulness. In addition, each class made a different Thanksgiving themed craft, such as creating a turkey hat.

As the resident Americans, the Auxiliars were in charge of teaching the kids about Thanksgiving history and traditions. To do so, we made and gave a Thanksgiving presentation in each class. We also created a giant turkey and had the students trace their hands and write what they are thankful for to make the feathers. On the day of Thanksgiving, it was our job to take small groups around the school and explain each of the posters to the kids.

Overall, I think Thanksgiving went really well. The students enjoyed celebrating a new holiday and learned a bit more about American culture. If I were to do this again, I think I would try to do less at once. There were a lot of moving pieces and it made communication a bit confusing between the teachers and Auxiliars. Despite the challenges, I loved being able to share Thanksgiving with my school and I hope they make this a yearly tradition.