ESL Thanksgiving is an Annual Tradition
By: Brianna
For the past 24 years, ESL Thanksgiving has been an annual event that gives students an opportunity to experience a traditional American Thanksgiving. ESL Thanksgiving was started over two decades ago by Mrs. Schreck, an ESL teacher. The story of how this event came about is very interesting.
Before the Stroudsburg Junior High School was built, Mrs. Schreck had two Taiwanese siblings as students, who were not accustomed to American traditions. On their first day, Mrs. Schreck took them to the cafeteria with a food dictionary to teach them American foods. They thought that mashed potatoes and butter looked like ice cream. Clearly, there was some confusion. After a couple of weeks, a concerned lunch monitor notified Mrs. Schreck because the students were eating the same food every day.
This was when Mrs. Schreck realized that there needed to be a way to introduce American foods and traditions to her ESL students, so she came up with ESL Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving is a neutral holiday that anyone from any background can celebrate. Students learn that this holiday is about being thankful for what you have and sharing with your neighbor. It also allows ESL students to share food from their home country.
Mrs. Schreck said, “It is important for the kids to adapt to American culture but also not to lose a sense of their home country.”
Mrs. Bickart, school librarian, stated, “It’s really a source of pride for the kids to bring in their own dishes and share something from their home country.”
Over the years, this celebration has changed in a number of ways. It started in the Stroudsburg Intermediate/Elementary School and was then moved to the Stroudsburg Junior High School ten years later. In the past, all of the food was made by the students and teachers; however, now the food is catered due to a growing population of kids in the ESL program.
Although the ESL Thanksgiving has changed over the years, it is still greatly appreciated by the community.