Teacher "ruins" lives of first graders by saying Santa is illogical

by Gopher 63 Replies latest social current

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  Gopher

  Should this teacher be teaching first-graders? Or are the parents being a little bit "precious" in their reactions to the classroom discussion?

  Mom objects when teacher blows Santa's cover

  Associated Press Published December 4, 2003

  MIRAMAR, Fla. -- Mrs. Jolly thinks her son's teacher is a Grinch.

  Sandra Jolly said her 6-year-old son's Christmas was spoiled when his teacher told the first-grade class Monday that ``Santa Claus is make-believe.''

  ``He had this sad, lost puppy dog look on his face. This unhappy, empty look,'' Jolly said. ``He said his teacher informed the entire class that Santa is make-believe.''

  D.J.'s teacher, Geneta Codner, was reading a story about the Tooth Fairy when the class started discussing what was real and what was not, said district spokesman Joe Donzelli.

  When the subject of Santa came up, the teacher started questioning parts of his story - How could a fat jolly man fit down a chimney? How could reindeer fly around the world in one night? - and told the children that wasn't possible.

  ``It's all been blown out of proportion,'' Codner said. ``I'm sorry (parents) think I meant it that way. We were just having a discussion. I don't know where all this hurt came from.''

  The teacher said none of the children acted upset or sad during class.

  But Jolly and others disagree.

  ``How do you destroy a 6-year-old like that?'' said Pam Sturt, whose son Bradley is in D.J.'s class.

  Donzelli said the school's principal ``had a real stern conversation'' with the teacher. But there will be no written reprimand because she did not violate any school district policy.

  ``We have no Santa clause,'' Donzelli said. ``We would think that teachers would use better judgment.''

  Source: http://www.startribune.com/stories/1451/4248548.html
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  Badger

  I never believed in Santa...I new no rich white guy would come into my part of town after dark.
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  SheilaM

  I would be furious...I remember my sister on Christmas Eve 1975 or 6 I was around 11 or 12 I KNEW there was no Santa but this is the one fun thing I had so I clung tightly to it. She felt the need to come and destroy my "illusion."

  Well, it did I no longer saw her as a harmless manipulative person I saw her for what she is a very harmful and and manipulative person who relishes in destroying anything she possibly can.

  PS: I made sure my kids didn't ruin it for others when they were in school
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  Nathan Natas

  I think that everyone here over the age of twelve will agree that there is no Santa Claus.

  That means the belief is a falsehood. It folows that this false belief offers no real benefit to those who cling to it.

  One talk radio guy (Tom Leykis) suggested that one reason Jews are more successful may be that they don't grow up with fantasies of supernatural payoff schemes - no santa claus, no easter bunny, while Xtian kids are taught to fervently hope that somebody will give them something for nothing.

  If the teacher taught the kids that there was no god, the teacher would be in LESS trouble.

  I'm an atheist, yet this seems highly illogical to me.
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  amac

  Yeah, I'm not quite sure how the teacher SHOULD respond to questions by children on what is real and what is not. Should the teacher tell the kids that Santa IS real, and lie to the kids who don't believe in Santa? Perhaps if questions were asked, the teacher should simply tell the child that Christmas can be discussed with their families and not at school. I'm all for taking holidays out of school, leave that for the families to decide how they want to celebrate.
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  Will Power

  You know, the minute you stop believing in Santa Claus, he stops coming.

  WP
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  undercover

  Aw, c'mon. Six years old and still believes in Santa? It's time he knew anyway. A teacher's job is to teach. A class full of students ponders on what's real or not. The teacher teaches them the truth. Would you rather have your child lied to? Their lives weren't "ruined". They were taught a life lesson.
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  Valis

  undercover I don't think so. I think that is one life lesson better left for the child to discover. Think of all the things we were "told" to be true, but which now we know better? Those things were of such an extreme nature that if anything we should have early JW childhood intervention squads. There are so many fun things children can imagine and explore about the holidays and the speial things that we can do for them, easter bunny, Santa, tooth faery, ALL of Halloween stuff, leprechauns, etc that can be f un and joyfull experiences for kids. They learn over time those things aren't real, but fostering immagination is far more important IMO than being so blunt as to disengage them from the normal fantasies the other kids around them entertain. It almost becomes a game really...the parents tell the kids Sanata is coming w/prezzies, then we stealthily wrap prezzies and try to get them under the tree before kiddies are aware. Those kinds of experiences are worth not letting on so early.

  Sincerely,

  District Overbeer
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  tink

  i never got to believe in santa. i always wondered what christmas would be like if i DID believe in santa. if i should ever have children of my own, i will make darn sure they aren't robbed of the experience. so it's a fantasy...so what?? they'll figure things out in their own time. why would you want to burst someone's bubble like that?
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  undercover

  To believe in Santa, the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny or the Great Pumpkin is all well and good, up to a point. I think it's harmless for very small children to enjoy the fantasies perpetrated by parents, tradition and capitalism. But when we unleash our children into the world by means of school we need to prepare them. Allowing them to head off into this brave new world still believing in fairy tales is setting them up for embarrassement and humilation.

  Just my opinion. I don't have kids, so I'm no expert.