Last year, teachers invited me to present to seventh-graders and chose the traditions of: Chanukah in Judaism, Greek Orthodox Christmas in Christianity, and Ramadan in Islam. These are excellent customs to teach as all three faith traditions share many of the same stories and all hold to a belief of one God. They also match the required North Carolina Social Studies curriculum as teachers are to help students “understand the implications of increased global interactions” and “guide students through patterns of change and continuity with a focus on conflict and cooperation, economic development, population shifts, political thought and organization, cultural values and beliefs and the impact of environment over time.”

In the last three minutes of the final presentation at Bethel, something wonderful happened. The discussion had been about the contemporary Jewish, Greek Orthodox, and Muslim communities in WNC. I was explaining that in Asheville there were the congregations of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, the Muslim Islamic Center, and the Jewish synagogues of Beth Israel (translated from Hebrew as “House of Israel”) and Beth Ha Tephila (“House of Prayer”). As we were in the Christmas season, I shared that Bethlehem translates as House (Beth) of Bread (Lechem) as Bethlehem was probably a large wheat growing area during the time of Jesus. A student then asked “Hum ... are there any other words in Hebrew that start with the world Beth?” It took a few seconds and then I, and the students and teachers were all smiling. 

We were at Bethel Middle School in the community of Beth El. Beth (House), El (God); “House of God.” Here was another heartwarming tale of the journey of language, faith, culture, and ideas that was in front of us all the time. Beth El translates the same way in Arabic. 

Having the opportunity to look at ideas from a different point of view, and being nudged by another’s question, is critical thinking; something the students at Bethel do very well. Critical thinking enlarges our understanding of ourselves and the 7.1 billion people with whom we share this world. As Scott McLeod shared in his excellent column (www.smokymountain-news.com/opinion/item/14476), “Getting an education is about reducing ignorance … learning is about gaining a better understanding of the world around us.”

Our students are confronted with 21st century opportunities and challenges that are unfathomable to most of us. We do them no favors by withholding knowledge. We do them great harm by not preparing them to understand the implications of increased global interactions; harm their ability to work and live next door with people different from them; and harm them in their ability to earn a living. We also do great harm to any hope of living peacefully in an increasingly interconnected world. 

(Deborah Miles is the executive director of the UNC Asheville Center for Diversity Education. She can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..)