11 YO DD1 told not to bring Twilight book into school again because it's 'unchristian'

[AgentZigzag]

DD1s teacher from last year asked her what she was reading at playtime on Friday, DD1 told her it was 'New Moon' which we'd bought her for her birthday in December.

The teacher hurried off and had quiet words with the teacher taking her class this year, they both came back and said she wasn't in trouble, but they didn't want her to bring the book in again to school because it's at odds with the christian values of the school (it's C of E).

The teacher said she'd read the first Twilight book and it's fine if her mum and dad think it's OK for her to read it, but she didn't think it was for little girls and they'd 'get into trouble if anyone saw her reading it' (DD thought the trouble would be from the vicar, although I find this hard to believe).

There are a few things I feel a bit uncomfortable about -

-this teacher had asked DD what she was reading a few times when DD took in the first Twilight book in, and just smiled and said nothing.

-they're actively encouraged to read Harry Potter books, and if you're banning Twilight because it's 'unchristian' then shouldn't that go for HP as well, and anything else with fantasy characters in? So no more fairies or Father Christmas then.

-DD was reading it at playtime, so nothing to do with lessons. Are they expecting her to spread dissent on what the Evil books are about or something?

-I feel they're somehow insinuating we're being unchristian letting her read them, although I couldn't care less about them judging me on my religious views, it annoys me because it seems a bit of a random rule when she's gone all the way through the school and no other judgments on our christian values have been mentioned.

I'm pretty much hands off when it comes to school, letting them get on with their job and do what they ask of me re homework etc. So I'm not planning on storming down there to confront them or anything, but this has really got on my wick and I'm posting to try and sort out what I think about it really.

Am I being unreasonable?

iscream... my sympathy. Those books are brilliant. But I know that the books my children adore only partly overlap with the ones I loved. Tentative suggestion - dd loved the films of the Burnett books first, and then read the books repeatedly. No luck with Anne, though . Think the Twilight books are more popular with pre-pubescent girls than post, IME. dd's class had Twimania when they were all 8-9.

I posted on here when my dd was 11 asking if I should let her read them as I hadn't read them myself. The consensus was they are crap, but no harm in letting her. In fact I did attempt to read the first one, but it was so dire I didn't get very far enough though to get the gist of it. It led to some great conversations with dd about Bella being controlled by Edward, teen sex, etc etc.

Now she's in year 8 Twilight is 'for kids' .

wouldn't have any issue with school asking her not to read it in school - don't think anyones questioning your christian values - they're just enforcing their beliefs. I wouldnt' have any issue with her reading it despite crap quality of books on basis that you / she talk about it - also how will you ever recognise really good writing if you never read the opposite!

interesting sieglinde, same story here. Dds are still only 8 and 10 though, so I'm hoping there is still time for Anne: dd1 is definitely an Anne! (imagination, temper, speaking as she finds to adults, the lot)

"This is what happens if you send your kids to faith schools

They get indoctrinated by nutters"

LOL, so true!

But she HASN'T been indoctrinated, Bonsoir. Rant rant rant. She's actually showing some independence of mind, and so is the OP. Why are people so terrified about their children meeting people in authority whose views differ from theirs? It will happen to her all her life. The use of the word indoctrinate is just LAZY. If the Jesuits REALLY had children for life why are church attendance numbers dropping?

I've got no problem with the school and what/how it teaches, they've done a grand job with DD.

It's funny you've picked up on a faith school indoctrinating her Bonsoir, when there are so many posters saying they wouldn't let their DD read a book because of what they think of it, banning it for being shite and expecting their child to toe the line without question.

Of course I do tell DD what I think and things she has to do, but whether she's into a book or not she can decide for herself. She'll soon put it down if she finds it either disturbing or boring, that I know for a fact. I've bought her the secret garden, black beauty, little women, Anne Frank, but she's not particularly interested.

Why can't books just be books without the whole kerfuffle surrounding it. IMHO anything that gets kids reading is fine by me. All the sublimal messages go over most kids heads anyway.

DH and I read Famous Five and other Enid Blyton books when we were kids. DH didn't turn into a misogynist, and neither of us turned into racists or gypsy haters.

Here in France there are some very scary faith schools... I know plenty of adults who have been to them and, yes, I would consider them to have been indoctrinated. Their narrow-mindedness beggars belief.

But couldn't you argue that conversely the lycees don't exactly encourage critiques of the secular republique? no school will encourage too much questioning of its own authority, but mostly people survive. My sense is that narrow-mindededness comes not from 'brainwashing' at school but one of the above parental brainwashing; the whole community's agreement on values; the fact that the narrow-minded are somehow beneficiaries of their own mindsets.

In the case of schools such as the one I linked to, they are, IMO, far more narrow-minded than (a) state lycées (almost by definition) (b) families. Parents buy into them because of their academic records and the fact that they can outsource almost all aspects of upbringing to the school.

I thought we were currently being told how dedicated French parents are to making their cher enfants bons eleves. Okay, joke over, but don't you just mean narrow-minded about a particular range of things?

No, I don't. I mean subscribing to an absolute hierarchy of study and career options and a highly prescribed set of values. Some French parents prefer their children to be cloistered. Yes, they work hard at school and get good marks, but they know very little of the realities of life. They make for obedient, hard-working fonctionnaires who enjoy chamber music in their spare time and take their families on pilgrimage holidays.

Yanbu! Send her in with a copy of the Koran to read see what they make of that :)

They'd think she was either being bolshy or just plain weird Chundle

But they'd probably have less to say about the Koran than the twiglet Twilight books, even though it's just down to opinion whether it's unchristian or not.

As if your religious views are defined by a book!

Oh wait...

Both my DSs are at a C of E school, DS1 is a massive Darren Shan fan, (Vampires)and has often taken them to school, he also reads warhammer books at school.

I think you should send her in with a Richard Dawkins book

I think schools should encourage all reading materials from comics to bibles despite if they are faith schools or not!
I read all sorts of weird and crazy books doesn't mean I don't believe in god!

"Why are people so terrified about their children meeting people in authority whose views differ from theirs? It will happen to her all her life. The use of the word indoctrinate is just LAZY. If the Jesuits REALLY had children for life why are church attendance numbers dropping?"

I don't feel threatened at all by my daughter coming across opposing views but I would still never send her to a faith school, it is indoctrination, although there is the school of thought that says if you want to put your kids off religion forever send them to a CofE school. I want my daughter to trust her teachers, I don't want to have to tell her that on certain subjects she must respect their teaching but on others they're talking shite.

Anyway, OP, tell the school that you'll decide what your daughter can read and can't read.

They aren't telling her what she can or can't read, Rational (hi! :)) they're telling her what she can and can't bring to school. I don't agree with them about the Twilight books, but I think they're within their rights to say so.

It may well be within their rights but if it's unreasonable then they should be asked for a full explanation, if a reasonable explanation can't be given (I can't see a reasonable explanation in this case) then it should be overturned in favour of the parent. It's a school, it's ok to question their rules.

I'm normally as happy to join in a good faith school bashing as the next atheist, but on this case I think a primary school is within its rights to bar certain books on its premises - let it go.

SaggyOldClothCat:

Surely if you send your child to a faith school, you expect them to be taught religion from the point of view of that faith??

Some of us send our children to CofE primary schools because the nearest non-faith primary school is 15 miles away and we would never get into it anyway.

Not all of us live in big cities with loads of school choice. Village primaries are, for historical reasons, overwhelmingly CofE.

malinois

You poor thing, I think I'd move

DilysPrice
" I think a primary school is within its rights to bar certain books on its premises - let it go."

If you thought a decision made by your kids' school was unreasonable would you not question it then?

Well my Children are a a faith secondary school because we are Christian, but I still have no problems with them reading vampire books, Harry potter or anything else

Rational Why should we? My DP's family have lived here for generations. They were non-conformist farmers but have generally gone to the village CofE primary and junior (the only schools in the catchment.) To be honest it's not that big a deal because the schools and the church they are attached to are very 'traditional' CofE - i.e. actually believing in God is a bit optional as far as I can figure out.

But I do feel for non-Christians who have no choice but to send their children to very religious school.