While most months have the usual, common themes, I have attempted to introduce ‘unusual’ international monthly themes for teachers, parents and students to celebrate in their own creative ways. They can choose to celebrate the common Holidays AND the unusual themes!!!
January- Mentoring Month
(common themes are Celebration of New Year, India’s Republic Day, Martin Luther King’s Birthday, etc.)
A mentor is someone who can guide us, nurture us, help us evolve and inspire us to become better human beings. Find a mentor, be a mentor!
Quote by Author, Erica Jong:
“Advice is what we ask for when we already know the answer but wish we didn't”
February- Education Month
(common themes are Valentine’s Day, Chinese New Year, Black History Month, etc.)
Celebrate innovations in education, the power of education
Quote from Nelson Mandela, South African Civil Rights Leader:
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”
March- Women’s History Month
(common themes are Holi, Maha Shivrathri, etc.)
Celebrate accomplishments of women across history- Jhansi Ki Rani, Helen Keller, Mother Theresa, Florence Nightingale, etc.
Quote by Mohandas K. Gandhi:
“Woman is the companion of man, gifted with equal mental capacity”
April- Volunteering & Community Services Month
(common themes are spring, Easter, Ram Navami, etc.)
Celebrate ‘giving back’ to those in need
Quote by Albert Einstein:
“Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile”
May- Earth & Environment Month
(common themes are Mother’s Day, May day, etc)
Celebrate the earth, ecology, the environment and nature
Quote by Rabindranath Tagore:
“Trees are the earth’s endless effort to speak to the listening heaven”
June- Safety Month
(common themes are Father’s Day, Summer Activities, etc)
Celebrate safety at home, school and the community
Quote by Marian Wright Edelman, Children’s Activist:
“The challenge of social justice is to evoke a sense of community that we make our
nation a better place, just as we make it a safer place”
July- World Peace Month
(common themes are monsoons, Guru Purnima, American Independence, etc.)
Promote world peace, educate politicians, debate ideas
Quote by the The Dalai Lama:
“I believe that to meet the challenges of our times, human beings will have to develop a
greater sense of universal responsibility. Each of us must learn to work not just for
oneself, one’s family or one’s nation, but for the benefit of all humankind. Universal
responsibility is the key to human survival. It is the best foundation for world peace.”
August- Tolerance & Diversity Awareness Month
(common themes are Indian Independence, Gokulashtami, etc)
Celebrate differences in religion, class, and traditions
Quote by Elbert Hubbard, American Philosopher:
“Religions are many and diverse, but reason and goodness are one”
September- Crime Prevention Month
(common themes are Ganesh Chaturthi, Navrathiri, etc)
Celebrate freedom, equality and charity
Quote by Clarence Darrow, American Civil Rights Lawyer:
“You can only protect your liberties in this world by protecting the other man’s
freedom. You can only be free if I am free”
October- Reading & Poetry Month
(common themes are Gandhi Jayanthi, Halloween, Dassera, etc.)
Celebrate reading, books, poetry
Quote by Elizabeth Hardwick, American Novelist and Critic:
“The greatest gift is the passion for reading. It is cheap, it consoles, it distracts, it
excites, it gives you the knowledge of the world and experience of a wide kind. It is a
moral illumination”
November- Health Awareness Month
(common themes are Diwali, Thanksgiving, etc.)
Celebrate good physical and mental health
Quote by Izaak Walton, English Writer:
“Look to your health; and if you have it, praise God and value it next to a good
conscience; for health is the second blessing that we mortals are capable of; a blessing
that money cannot buy.”
December- Exercise & Fitness Month
(common themes are Christmas, Holidays, etc)
Celebrate physical exercise, walking, fitness and sports
Quote by Winston Churchill:
“Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm”