Ways to support your students and colleagues during Ramadan: A thread
Don’t assume all your Arab or dark skinned students are Muslim and don’t assume all Muslim students are fasting either. If they are Muslim, we have varying degrees of spirituality./1

Some Muslims don’t fast because they are menstruating or have medical conditions. Don’t ask why either. How will you know if people are fasting? Through relationships and getting to know people. (Ask: Why don’t i know this about this person? /2

How can i do a better job of getting to know them without satisfying my need to ask this direct question? /3

Be empathetic: accommodate where possible (re evaluate your *where possible*)Consider re-scheduling assessments. Consider HOW you assess. Are there other ways to gauge learning? /4

Can you assess this skill after Ramadan allowing your students the opportunity to focus on their whole self, including their spiritual self? Imagine no food or water for up to or more than 12hours? What kind of work would YOU be able to produce? /5

If making accommodations because of Ramadan makes irritated, annoyed or questioning why, that’s called Islamophobia. Yes,
Yes it is.
Ask why you can’t adjust your expectations? Can you offer more times to be mindful, more breaks? /6

Educate yourself, your colleagues and your students on Ramadan. Answer questions about why Farha isn’t doing this assessment or why she’s taking a break or why Salim has left the classroom to pray (in hopefully a multi faith prayer space).
/7

Tell them it’s because it’s Ramadan and this is part of her spirituality. YOU DONT HAVE TO BE MUSLIM OR PRACTICE ISLAM TO SAY THAT. Also, no one is making you believe in anything by saying that either. /8

Do not engage in microaggressions by saying things like: “I don’t know how you do it,” or “Not even water?” or “that’s a great way to lose weight,”or, “why aren’t you fasting?”

Even better yet, DISRUPT microaggressions when you hear these things.

Fin.

Ramadan Kareem