Posted on 12/23/2005 7:45:33 PM PST by mcg1969
LICKDALE Jamey Schaeffer stretched her mouth open wide, showing off a pair of twin gaps in her smile. With a mouthful of fingers, she said she has no interest in two front teeth for Christmas.
Instead, shed like a Barbie doll from Santa Claus and Santa Claus only.
But a substitute music teacher almost came between the 6-year-old and a Christmas Eve spent dancing cheek to cheek with sugar plums.
Theresa Farrisi stood in for Schaeffers regular music teacher one day last week. One of her assignments was to read Clement C. Moores famous poem, A Visit from Saint Nicholas to a first-grade class at Lickdale Elementary School.
The poem has great literary value, but it goes against my conscience to teach something which I know to be false to children, who are impressionable, said Farrisi, 43, of Myerstown. Its a story. I taught it as a story. Theres no real person called Santa Claus living at the North Pole.
Farrisi doesnt believe in Santa Claus, and she doesnt think anyone else should, either. She made her feelings clear to the classroom full of 6- and 7-year-olds, some of whom went home crying.
Schaeffer got off the school bus later that day, dragging her backpack in the mud, tears in her angry little eyes.
She yelled at me, Why did you lie? recalled Jameys mother, Elizabeth. Why didnt you tell me Santa Claus died?
Elizabeth Schaeffer said she was appalled by Farrisis bluntness.
I had to call the school, said Schaeffer, a part-time custodial employee for the school district who is on temporary leave after complications from her last childs birth. I had to do something.
Meanwhile, Farrisi, who is well versed on the history of Santa Claus the traditional and literary figure clarified her comments.
I did not tell the students Santa Claus was dead, she explained. I said there was a man named Nickolas of Myrna who died in 343 A.D., upon whom the Santa Claus myth (is based).
On Monday night, Jamey started to recite Moores famous poem while sitting on a couch next to a freshly cut tree, trimmed in tinsel and topped with a golden star: Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house. No creatures stirred.
She paused, looked up, and said thats when the teacher interjected, just a few lines before the verse that announces the arrival of a miniature sleigh and eight tiny reindeer.
The teacher stopped reading and told us no one comes down the chimney, Jamey said, curling into a ball on the couch, bracing her chin on her knees, her voice shrinking away like melting ice cream. She said our parents buy the presents, not Santa.
Sharing in the belief of Santa Claus is a very special event in the Schaeffer home. Jameys the second youngest of five children. The three oldest have already grown up and left the family nest. Only Jamey and her 18-month-old sister, Amanda, remain.
Last year, Elizabeth Schaeffer recalled, Santa left a trail of boot prints in charred ashes from his feet-first landing in the fireplace. And this year, the family will continue their tradition of leaving him a plate of cookies, a tall glass of milk and a ripe, shaved carrot for Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer.
The Schaeffer family wasnt the only one taken aback by Farrisis approach to Santa.
Tim and Beth Rittle said they found their 7-year-old daughter, Holly, in tears in the back seat of their car after they picked her up from school that day.
All of a sudden, Holly just started crying, Beth Rittle said. She said she had a substitute in music class, and she told the class theres no such thing as Santa Claus.
Schaeffer and Rittle both called Northern Lebanon School District Superintendent Don L. Bell.
Since the issue involves personnel, Bell said Monday, there is little he can say about the incident, adding that it has not been determined if any disciplinary action is warranted against Farrisi.
Bell said he was aware that several parents have expressed concerns about the incident.
He also noted that the handling of Santa Claus isnt covered in the school code.
We do not have a Santa Claus policy, he said. Its unfortunate, but I really cant say anything about it.
Farrisi said she considered approaching the schools administration with her concerns about how to handle Santa Claus in class. Instead, she said, she decided to add a disclaimer to her lesson.
Those same children are going to know someday that what their parents taught them is false, she ex-plained. There is no Santa Claus.
Meanwhile, Elizabeth Schaeffer was carefully thinking about her next step. She decided to make a photocopy of editor Francis P. Churchs famous response to a little girl, who wrote to The New York Sun many decades ago, asking the same question Schaeffers daughter struggled with last week.
I mailed (Farrisi) a copy of Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus, she said, giggling with satisfaction. I wish I could be there when she opens it.
As for Jamey, in an attempt to reaffirm her spot on Santas nice list, she drew up a new letter in bright red magic marker, a message destined for the Santa she refuses to abandon.
Dear Santa ... How is the North Pole? she said, reading her letter loudly and proudly. How is Mrs. Claus? You are Great. From Jamey.
But Dimples was my favorite one. Spoiler!@!!!&*&*&*^
One of my students came right up and gave me a dum-dums
Sounds like a coated message to me.
Sounds like unsweetened lemonade.
Sounds like a coated message to me.
Sugar coated. But after a while it sucked.
Sugar coated. But after a while it sucked.
I have no doubt you can lick this problem.
I have no doubt you can lick this problem.
Well, at least I can take a bite out of it anyways.
Well, at least I can take a bite out of it anyways.
You just want to get to the center of things.
You just want to get to the center of things.
Yes, the heart of the matter is where it's at.
The teacher is 100% right. Down the road, these children will learn who told the truth and who lied.
By the way, if a 7-year-old cries at learning the truth about Santa, he/she is emotionally immature.
I have news for her.
One day there will be schools and homes on other worlds. And during the earth month of December in a majority of them. There will be a tree and sleeping by that tree will be a child dreaming of Santa.
I am acutely aware of that lately, as my Sophomore daughter shares the insights of her basketball coaches. Sometimes their team makes the "Bad News Bears" seem like olympians, and I know she is disappointed by that because she always puts 110% into her efforts. But even after the most crushing of defeats, she's at peace with it. And it's all due to the perspective she's been given by her coaches. They get things across to her that I know if they came from me would fall on deaf ears. And they're lessons she'll not only use on the court, but through her entire life.
So you might not ever know it, but you have the power to impact MANY children in a way that a parent never could, and I'm sure you do. I thank you for that, and extend that thanks to all who are in your position and use it wisely. (And when you someday know the joys of parenting, you'll no doubt see your position as teacher in a new way, because you'll see it happen to your child too.)
Wishing you the Blessings of a Merry Christmas and a wonderful 2006.
Mr. Bell sounds like the kind of guy who has to consult the rule book to see how many sheets of toilet tissue he is required to use.
Ms. Farrisi ( sp.? ) just needs some sweet, sweet lovin' to adjust her attitude. Somebody up in PA needs to step up, help the old gal out, and think about England or something.
WOW!!! What nice comments. Someone is in the Christmas spirit:). I'll put in a good word for you with Santa. I REALLY appreciate it.
Yes, there are lots of good stories out there and that's why I try to share some of my own--not to toot my own horn, but to give a different perspective than the negative one we get from things like the MSM all the time. I'm not any better than the next person.
I've had my own bad experiences with fellow teachers. One time a group of them accused me of doing something really bad that I did not do. Luckily, the principal found out what was really going on. It took me a whole year to be able to forgive those teachers. But now I have learned that I need to do that more often.
There are bad teachers, but there are many good ones out there too, but it's too convenient and newsworthy to hear about the former rather than the latter. I appreciate the community newspaper here that is full of stories of students and teachers excelling.
I am acutely aware of that lately, as my Sophomore daughter shares the insights of her basketball coaches. Sometimes their team makes the "Bad News Bears" seem like olympians, and I know she is disappointed by that because she always puts 110% into her efforts. But even after the most crushing of defeats, she's at peace with it. And it's all due to the perspective she's been given by her coaches. They get things across to her that I know if they came from me would fall on deaf ears. And they're lessons she'll not only use on the court, but through her entire life.
I appreciate good teachers too. I had many of them. I had a teacher as a coach one time in baseball. He knew just who to pick at the tryouts. I did terrible, but he picked me. Our team went undefeated that whole year. Sometimes, half the team was on vacation or we had even just 8 players and we still won every time. We learned the value of winning and hard work, but also how to be gracious in doing so. It helped me later as I only played on one winning baseball team for the rest of my career. :)
So you might not ever know it, but you have the power to impact MANY children in a way that a parent never could, and I'm sure you do. I thank you for that, and extend that thanks to all who are in your position and use it wisely. (And when you someday know the joys of parenting, you'll no doubt see your position as teacher in a new way, because you'll see it happen to your child too.)
I know I have some impact, but it still doesn't beat anything that a parent can give. I had my students write something about heroes. Out of 23 who did the assignment, 13 listed dads, 7 listed moms, and 3 listed cops as heroes. I thought that was pretty good. I sure love the dads who support their kids (some have to work extra hours too but are good dads as well).
We teachers, though, love seeing kids succeed, especially later in life. I had one who didn't catch onto reading until late in the year when she took off. Now she's just thriving in junior high and is a great athlete too. I am proud as punch of her.
I live in the neighborhood I teach in. I try to always tell someone, either parent or teacher when I have heard a good comment from someone about them. But I can't compete with wagging tongues. Yes, there is deserved gossip, I do know that, but there is also undeserved and untrue gossip. It's the latter I detest.
But I sure can't complain, that's for sure. A year ago a mom went around to parents of students I had had and had and a bunch of them wrote up stories on how I had supposedly impacted their child's lives. I still think they overdid it a bit:). But I was SO grateful. You can't imagine what it meant to me. It was worth a whole year's pay to me.
My approach to things is that I deal with and acknowledge the bad and that I also acknowledge and emphasize the good. Since I was very young, I have learned from both good and bad things that have happened. I haven't had it easy and would be a zillionaire if I had a penny for all the times things have gone wrong for me, but I keep going and learning and hopefully I'm a better person because of it.
Wishing you the Blessings of a Merry Christmas and a wonderful 2006.
Have a wonderful Christmas. I will. Letters like yours are really encouraging and are what keep us teachers going. My next years' "political" agenda will be to see what good I can do for the community and to thank all of the neat people I know we have here.
Kudos to you and yours. Keep on being a GREAT parent. I know you are.
Another time I was at the library and saw the father of these boys who went to our school. Their mother is a teacher's aide and does a lot for the school. I went over and said hi to them. I mentioned to the father that I appreciated the boys for being the good students they were and the mom for all that she did for the school. I said a couple more good things. I later found out that the mother and father were divorced. The mom said she really appreciated me saying the good things, because all they ever heard were really bad stuff about their mom from their dad. I was so dang glad that I hadn't said anything bad. It taught me that I have to be careful what I say to others because you never know if it will come back to bite you.
As anyone who has received one of my posts knows, I am full of hot air and dum-dumness. But I REALLY appreciate your note again and hope that again, you have a great CHRISTMAS and that you receive many blessings in the new year. You deserve them for being a great parent.
Coal is too good for her...
Coal Now Too Expensive To Put In Christmas Stockings
December 21, 2005 | Issue 41.51
CHICAGO- With winter's onset driving the demand for surface coal to record-high levels, the mineral's cost is now beyond the reach of low- and middle-income Americans who wish to punish their naughty children.
"Coal in one's stocking is meant to serve as an admonishment or warning, not as a dependable grade-B investment," said William Menchell, a commodities adviser for T. Rowe Price. "In today's market, children should only have their stockings stuffed with lumps of coal if they have been studious and obedient, and show an interest in long-term investments in the energy sector."
For more affordable punitive options, analysts point to the relatively stagnant switch market, which could soon go the way of coal if demand increases for combustible wooden sticks.
Not so fast, oh holier-than-thou one. :)
In the December 2005 Touchstone, there is an article entitled, "Yes, Aquinas, There Is A Santa Claus", subtitled "Nathan Schlueter on a Disputation in the Scholastic Tradition." In it you will find a defense of the practice of the tradition of Santa Claus in the Christian context.
While you may not end up agreeing with the author, I think you will have to concede that the issue is frankly not as simple as you are making it. And as such, the teacher is not 100% right in presuming to know better than the children's parents what fantasies they are allowed to entertain. On the contrary, she should mind her own business.
Teacher's full, unedited statement here:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1547162/posts
Here is the article I was referring to:
http://www.touchstonemag.com/archives/article.php?id=18-10-011-v
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