Posted on 12/26/2005 8:11:14 AM PST by Conservatrix
To the Editor:
"Last week I substituted at a local elementary school in Lebanon County. The lesson plan required me to read the 1882 poem “The Night Before Christmas” by Clement Clarke Moore to two classes of students. While I can appreciate the poem for its literary value, the subject matter is offensive to me, and the reading of this poem to the children imposed values upon me which are against my deeply held religious beliefs. I could not in good conscience present the notion of Santa Claus as a truth to the children, and stated so.
No public school teacher should be required to teach a belief, or custom, or religion that he or she believes to be false, or be required to pass those purported falsehoods onto impressionable children, without the right to state a disclaimer. Furthermore, freedom of speech and religion, no matter how unpopular the speech or against cultural norms the religion, are protected rights under the Constitution of the United States. A secular public school should not be propagating any kind of religion. The belief in Santa Claus as a divine, magical, omniscient, powerful, giving, loving father-figure, to which children are taught to make supplications and requests, is a religion indeed-- a distorted substitute for the Judeo-Christian God; a false form of Christianity; a zealously-protected American idol.
In presenting the poem, I gave the children quick historical background about the Santa Claus myth-- its evolution from the historic Nickolaus, Bishop of Myrna in Asia Minor, who died in 343 A.D., to its amalgamation with ancient Western pagan traditions of German, Scandinavian and Dutch origins, to the current manifestation in the secular Christmas culture of today. (Dutch children, for example, would put their wooden shoes out at night for “Sante Klaus” to fill with candies.)
The current Santa Claus figure was popularized in the late 19th Century by artist Thomas Nast of Harper’s Weekly Magazine, who depicted “Saint Nick,” not as an elf, but a rotund, pipe-smoking man in a red and white suit. This is the deity to which countless public school children today are taught to make supplications, and about whom they sing their many songs at annual public school Christmas programs.
If people are upset about the revelation to children that Santa Claus is a myth-- which all children who are taught this lie find or figure out eventually-- perhaps it is because Santa is that zealously-guarded idol of their own modern religion. Therefore, as a religion, let Santa be kept out of the public school classroom (no more “Dear Santa” letters to line those school hallways)--or perhaps, in the interest of “diversity,” make his mythical, oversized personage share equal representation in literature, and song, and Christmas programs, with the other Person of the season: the Lord Jesus Christ, God made flesh, God with us."
I do hope this teacher went even further and informed the children that if they ever visit DisneyWorld (or some such) they aren't really seeing Mickey, or Donald, or even Cinderella; just regular people dressed up in costumes. And those fairy tales? Forget it, kids. Just stories made up to entertain. Fantasy is appropriate to that age group, including the concept of a kind, old man who flies in a sled pulled by reindeer. It is just mean to do what this woman did. The ugly realities of human existence will be plain enough to these children soon enough.
Such a good Christian reply!
Lord knows what she does with the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy.
In her world, they would be an endangered species, IMO.
"NOBODY better decide to take it on themselves to tell MY children otherwise.
"
Nobody? What about little Billy? He's in your kid's class, and he KNOWS that Santa is a "pretend" character. What will you do when Billy tells your precious little one? Go beat him up?
No kid gets through Christmas in 1st Grade in any public school without hearing that Santa is bogus. There's always a kid, or several kids, who blow that myth.
If I had a kid that age, I'd introduce him or her to the concept of Santa as a "pretend" character before they went off to school. Better the explanation is made by parents than some snotty-nosed kid.
Bottom line is that belief in Santa ends about then. It must end about then. We send our kids to school at age 6 to begin learning about the real world and what's in it. And learn they will, one way or another.
If parents want a choice about how kids learn about Santa, then they have to act in advance of the kids learning about it in another way, because I guarantee you that in every 1st grade class there are kids who already have that information and who won't be bashful about sharing it with the kids who don't.
Since liberals know, deep in their harts, that they are impotent they have to act out their fantasies of control on people who don't have the power to just run away. Its like a form of rape.
The kids can take satisfaction in one thing: This woman doesn't have one bit of joy left in her life.
L
I wonder how my 10 year old has made it to 5th grade without hearing that Santa isn't real. I'm so thankful that (at least in my area) it isn't a priority to crush the childrens dreams of Christmas joy.
Nice of her to decide for the children's parents. I'm sure she'll chauffer the kids to the local abotionist when they're older, since the parents need not know about that either. Hey kids, your parents only love you because they fear death. Why not just say Christ was only a man, or didn't exist, or that God is just a construct of a weak and needy mind? Morality and ethics are just a measure of a persons insecurity in taking/doing what they want, and to heck anybody else.
"No, she did not. She voted for George Bush and is a conservative republican Christian."
And she is a fine example of the reason that the Righteous Right is as dangerous as the loony left.
Maybe you, H., have major issues --- and it is about Santa Claus (and the reindeer).
*****
See your "so funny" (disgusting) post ..... (http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1546446/posts — post # 46) that my eight year old niece came across yesterday as we were "enjoying" a Christmas thread on FR............... until I tried to explain your demented post.
Having said that I think your advice has merit. Certainly, it is likely true that for many kids, the Santa Claus fantasy is blown by other kids, and it would be well to be prepared for that.
Very well said.
They may do that in the future, but she sure put a kink in this Christmas for some of the kids.
There is nothing more pathetic than a woman who has to slake her thirst for power by destroying some kids belief in Santa. Absolutely pathetic.
I think you said it all in those two sentences.
Uh, dude, this forum is for adults.
You let an 8 year old read Free Republic?????
"I wonder how my 10 year old has made it to 5th grade without hearing that Santa isn't real. I'm so thankful that (at least in my area) it isn't a priority to crush the childrens dreams of Christmas joy."
That's funny. Your kid knows. It's just playing along with you. Santa is fun. Even when you know he's a "pretend" character. I still sign Santa on some of the gifts I give my wife, and I promise that she knows where they really came from.
But...you go ahead and believe that your 10-year-old still really believes that Santa exists and lives at the North Pole and flies a sled pulled by reindeer.
I thought that's how all kids found out. I can't remember exactly how I did but I think that's what it was. It just helps create a bond between you and your peers when find out together. :)
Sheesh, people making such a big deal about a little fairy tale. I'm not speaking of you, just several on this thread. Leave the poor kids alone, if they wanna believe in Santa, let them. It doesn't hurt them. I'm sure I believed in him for awhile, my kids did for awhile. It's such a little thing in a big world of hurts, let them have a little fun.
No one asked you to present the notion of Santa Claus as truth. They just asked you to read the damned poem and shut the hell up. They also didn't ask you to tell the kids that it was their parents who bought the presents, denying them of the traditional Christmas fun that so many parents and children enjoy.
I bet you teach the "ozone hole" myth as fact. I bet you similarly teach the darwinist macroevolution myth as fact. I'm sure that your depiction of Martin Luther King is as mythical as most current depictions. Yet you pretend that you won't "teach" that Santa Claus is real when all you were asked to do was read a poem.
If you were my child's substitute teacher, I'd punch you in the mouth for this.
Well said!
Anyone who can't understand the concept of a time honored tradition of making the world look magical to little children is too stupid to be teaching them. Santa is not a religious figure to the vast majority and to make him so and then denigrate him is just plain mean.
And anyone who thinks this woman is really a conservative is just as dumb as she is. Just because a pig says it's a beauty queen doesn't make it so.
You're welcome! ;)
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