Teacher Tells Kids There Is No Santa Claus

[TWA]

What about the opposite situation? Suppose the teacher told the class there is a God?

If that's all she said, then I doubt anything would happen in either state. Simply saying that God exists is really a minor thing. In fact, I'm sure I heard my teachers say on a regular basis things like, "Just hope to god that. . . " or something else like that. No biggie.

If she was trying to indoctrinate the children to the point that it made some of them uncomfortable enough to tell an adult, then she'd most likely be punished/lose her job. Definitely in California, possible even in a place like Alabama as well.

 

[Daredevel7]

I wonder.....

if there is any correlation between people who are anti-"lie to your kids about Santa" and people who found out about Santa very late in life, that perhaps involved humiliation from their peers/family.....

and

if there is any correlation between people who are okay with lying to their kids about Santa and people who found out very early through deductive reasoning or their peers....

 

[Beach girl]

I wonder what people think about the elf dolls?

For those who don't know anything about it: About The Magic Elf Christmas Tradition - Elf Magic
You have one elf doll that pops up between Thanksgiving and Christmas to "visit" the home. At night they "come alive" and "move around and play around". So the kids have to look for the doll in the morning to see what it's "up to". Examples: The doll would be found "eating in the cooking jar", "hanging from the ceiling fan", "playing the piano", etc. On Christmas, Santa takes back his elves.

Someone said that the spirit of Santa doesn't have to be ruined if the kids knew the truth, but, dude, there is no way in hell the fun that the elf doll brings would continue if the kid knew the elf was fake. What kid would continue to do the elf doll thing knowing it's fake?!

Personally, I think the elf doll thing is creepy. I mean.. "comes alive"?! Sounds like a horror movie... but my stepsister's kids love it so much that they look forward to the elf thing more than the presents themselves!

A very creative friend of mine is playing with one of those elf dolls with her 6-year-old daughter. They dressed the Elf in a white felt skirt, so she is a girl Elf, called "Elfie."

"Elfie" gets up to all sorts of things overnight, and the daughter loves finding those things the next morning. Things like Christmas garlands magically appearing, and muffins for breakfast, and tinsel decorating the bookcase.

I don't know if the daughter literally believes in "Elfie," or realizes it's a fun game Mommy and Daddy are playing, or a little bit of both. I do think that when she grows up, this little girl is going to have so many fun memories of the magical world her mom created, in many, many ways.

 

[whatdidyousay!]

Heh. As long as those toys come from charitable Christian organizations and not the gosh darned gubberment!

Right?

So toys drives run by non Christian organizations are not good enough for kids?

 

[jillio]

Read more: Christmas outrage! Upstate teacher tell kids Santa's fake

First, whatever happened to objective journalism? Second, the parents and the objectors are the true hypocrites. After reading some of the comments, I have to say that the parents are the one who deserve the lumps of coal they will be getting for Christmas, not the teacher. They went as far to make death threats, call her a bitch and all sorts of names you can think of. It's just shameful.

This isn't what Christmas is about. Far from it. They have allowed the hate to take over whenever somebody tells the children the truth. The extreme consumerism and materialism is a big problem these days. Santa Claus is a mythical person and that should have been made clear from day one. It doesn't mean that our lives would be devoid of any sort of magic nor wonder if we are aware of Santa Claus being a mythical figure.

It's mind-blowing how hateful people can get when they want to go after someone for being a so-called Scrooge. They are the Scrooges themselves. Disgusting.

I agree. The comments and the actions of the parents are far, far more disturbing than anything this teacher did. *smh*

 

[jillio]

I wonder.....

if there is any correlation between people who are anti-"lie to your kids about Santa" and people who found out about Santa very late in life, that perhaps involved humiliation from their peers/family.....

and

if there is any correlation between people who are okay with lying to their kids about Santa and people who found out very early through deductive reasoning or their peers....

Just a guess...but I would say you would not find any correlation, or at least one that would not be statistically significant.

 

[jillio]

Parents overreacted.

Still... I think it's a bit weird and somewhat underhanded for a teacher to tell kids that there is no Santa Claus. What good can come out of that? Kids (who believed in Santa) find out eventually anyway. Is it really better to find out now at 7 than at 9 years old?

I can see both sides of this. Evidently it was in the curriculum for her to be teaching a section about the North Pole. How could she actually do a section on the North Pole if she had to support the idea that Santa and a workshop full of elves and flying reindeer populate the North Pole?

 

[jillio]

Lol, I don't know how the rest of you grew up, but even as a four year old, I thought the idea of a bunch of reindeer on the roof and a fat man in a red suit traveling all over the world in a single night was a bunch of baloney. Nobody "told me" Santa wasn't real. The whole idea was impossible for me to believe in the first place. But then again, I have always had a hard time believing in a lot of incredible and crazy shit that many other people believe.

This teacher did nothing wrong. She didn't do anything right. But she did nothing wrong, either.

Good point. These kids were 2nd graders. My son figured out on his own well before the 2nd grade that the whole Santa Claus story was a myth. He came right out and asked me if it was true. And I told him the truth and also offered an explanation of why, we as parents, sometimes allow children to believe little stories like this.

 

[JabberJay]

I figured it out at 5 years old and my sister never believed

 

[saywhatkid]

Because it is a show of love.

That warm fuzzy feeling inside ...

God bless us ... EVERYONE!

You mean, even Liberals? Illegal immigrants?

 

[jillio]

THIS post. Exactly. Particularly the bold part.

God forbid some of you actually listen to reason. :roll:

There are those that sought to ban Harry Potter books, as well.:roll: Parents that were, ironically enough, afraid of their children being exposed to the "magic" in the book.

 

[TWA]

So toys drives run by non Christian organizations are not good enough for kids?

It was a rhetorical question. Ask Steiny how he feels about non-Christian organizations providing toys for a "Christian holiday."

 

[VacationGuy234]

I asked my speech therapist why people have sex. (I didn't know anything about O's at the time.) She said "Ask your mother."

Smart answer. I don't think my mom would have appreciated her telling me about the pleasures of sex.

Sex isn't a lie your parents told you...

 

[jillio]

This Santa Claus fantasy needs to stop. It's making kids spoiled because they expect gifts. I'd prefer that kids to learn about the meanings of Santa Claus & Grinch rather than associating Santa Claus with toys toys toys.

We're probably the only kids in the world who have 24/7 access to clean water, food on table, and cable & internet. I certainly won't be coddling my own kids with gifts and toys. I refuse to disillusion them with such silly notion.

I didn't get much or any for Christmas even though my parents can easily afford to. Instead we participated in the spirit of Santa Claus by giving gifts to unfortunates.

Good for you and your parents.

 

[Beach girl]

I can see both sides of this. Evidently it was in the curriculum for her to be teaching a section about the North Pole. How could she actually do a section on the North Pole if she had to support the idea that Santa and a workshop full of elves and flying reindeer populate the North Pole?

She could have been a little better prepared for the inevitable questions. I could imagine a teacher saying something like "There is a North Pole of geography, that we're learning about today. Santa lives in a magical North Pole, and I don't know very much about that one."

Or something like that. Second-graders are just on that cusp of believing in magical things and learning about the real world. A good elementary school teacher should know how to navigate that passage for her students better than this one did.

 

[TWA]

There are those that sought to ban Harry Potter books, as well.:roll: Parents that were, ironically enough, afraid of their children being exposed to the "magic" in the book.

Those kind of people are absolute lunatics. I refuse to associate with anyone who would decry a work of imagination as being evil and "witchcraft." These people are the ideological progeny of the mobs that burned "witches" at the stake throughout history.

I sincerely trust that no matter the religious and political differences we all have here, we don't have anyone who thinks like that on AD.

 

[saywhatkid]

Hello class. Originally, we celebrated Christmas as the birth of Christ. We celebrated Easter Sunday as the resurrection of Christ. That is what they were created for.

How did we get where we are now?

What we have now is a advertising campaign that ignores those aspects (unless there is money to be made) and instead focuses on buying trees and decorations, giving countless gifts, toys, etc; or buying Peeps, colored eggs, and chocolate bunnies.

 

[jillio]

We do that too. Just some few toys for the little kids. We aren't wealthy, but I would rather give to help others less fortunate in the holidays.

For several years, my son and I have picked a name from the angel tree, and purchased gifts for a needy child. We also donate items to the Children's Network that has a Christmas party every year for low income children and has presents available for them.

For my family, who generally have all they need, I do handmade gifts and baking. I has been this way for many years. My family treasures the thought behind the handmades, and my gingerbread men have become a family tradition begun when my nephews were small. Traditions and family all together are what makes the holiday special for me and mine.

 

[deafskeptic]

Those kind of people are absolute lunatics. I refuse to associate with anyone who would decry a work of imagination being evil. These people are the ideological progeny of the mobs that burned "witches" at the stake throughout history.

I sincerely trust that no matter the religious and political differences we all have here, we don't have anyone who thinks like that on AD.

I hope you're right on this one.

 

[jillio]

Those kind of people are absolute lunatics. I refuse to associate with anyone who would decry a work of imagination as being evil and "witchcraft." These people are the ideological progeny of the mobs that burned "witches" at the stake throughout history.

I sincerely trust that no matter the religious and political differences we all have here, we don't have anyone who thinks like that on AD.

I would certainly hope that we don't have any book burners on this forum, as well. I was pointing out the irony of people who support teaching kids magical events in one context, yet forbid it in another. Santa Claus is a nice little magical story. Children should not be led to believe that it is absolute truth.