To speak to the school?

[Orchwoid]

I've just been to collect my son from his school and he's told me that he won't be cast in his school Christmas play but all the other children will.

I am fumming. I am going to go and speak to his teacher first thing tomorrow morning but I am so angry that I can't work out whether I'm being reasonable or not.

Sorry, very bad grammar there as I try to multi task too much.

You didn't want him to be a shepherd because you didn't want him to have a god part? So, what part, please tell me, would not be a God part - in a fucking nativity play???????

I would expect, for an important event in the calendar, that the school would speak to the parents and approach the issue simultaneously rather than excluding a child from an event which his class mates would be excited about and make him feel 'left out' or uncomfortable without the support of his family to help him understand why. I do not think that is too much to ask.

"the school would speak to the parents and approach the issue simultaneously"

filfeee77 OP requested her DS DIDN'T participate in any religious observation - so adamant was she, she put it in writing. The school are following OP's specific instructions and request

Exactly forumdonkey. But maybe they should have mindread and given him a role. Or are they expected to phone and double check the OP means what she has already put in writing at each important calendar event. Or photographic opportunity, for that matter, with parents who have said their child cannot be photographed.

I would suggest go in and say something like you would like him to be allowed to be in the school play. You might have to re-sign something though.

It's called having some respect for the child's feelings.

rather than excluding a child from an event which his class mates would be excited about and make him feel 'left out' or uncomfortable without the support of his family to help him understand why.

The childs mother has made him feel 'left out' not the school and why should the school explain why - surely that is his parents responsibility and would have been done when he is probably the only child not included in school assemblies?

"maybe the OP needs to home educate so her son doesn't get all this God shit."

Or maybe religion and state education should be kept well apart...

filee777 would you say the same if it was a JW family? Would you expect school to intervene to explain their religious view to their children?

This is just hilarious and has distinct Waynetta Slob overtones...
Can imagine head teacher with head in hands before and after meeting.
I would cast OP's son as the innkeeper, so he could answer the door and say 'I am only on stage for 30 seconds because I am atheistical and don't want all your God shit in my inn so f&£@ off and Bible bash somewhere else'.
Cue loud applause and 'that's my san tha' is' from OP (for some reason, I have her with a cockney accent, sorry), as she sidles out of the exit to collect her son so they can go late night Christmas shopping and not be offended by any more God shit.
Poor kid.

How have they not respected the child's feelings? If mum has withdrawn a child from "religious shit" the school cannot give the child a part. It is parent's responsibility to discuss their religious beliefs (or lack of) with their child, not the school. So if a parent takes the huge and serious step of withdrawing their child they should have taken their child's feelings in to account and discussed all the implications with them.

I think you are all being incredibly unreasonable. The Christians do not 'own' Christmas, regardless of how long they have acted like they do.

It is perfectly reasonable to think a child would be included in a group activity at Christmas regardless of the wishes of the parents not to have the child in assemblies.

If the school decided the child would not be in the play they should have spoken to the parents first and together spoken to the child. That is fair and right and kind.

Why are we being unreasonable filee777? Seriously? It is nothing to do with religion or Christmas its to do with OP's contradiction and attitude. It's like saying my DS is a vegetarian but you won't let him have a bacon sandwich at breakfast club!!! Ohhhhhhh and then complaining to school that they didn't ask him if he wanted bacon.

Nonsense, filee, this is the biggest religious event of the school calendar. The imaginary school were acting completely reasonably.

Just when you think you've got problems in life, up pops something like this to make you feel entirely normal.

Super.

But the group activity, i.e. NATIVITY play, is about religious shit! Regardless of the child wanting to join in school cannot let them if mum has withdrawn them IT IS THE LAW. The parent had withdrawn the child. I can imagine the AIBU "I wrote to withdraw my child from "religious shit" at school, but they made me go to school to ask about the school play. Can't they read; I wrote them a letter. They are clearly trying to put pressure on my to expose my son to belief in god".

If the school decided the child would not be in the play they should have spoken to the parents first and together spoken to the child. That is fair and right and kind.

I have known this to happen -the family were Jehovah Witnesses and the DC's sat out of assemblies and nativities etc. To go and question the parents on their decision for their children would have been insensitive and disrespectful to them, their views and their religion.

People should really learn to read. There is no reason why the winter celebration needs to be religious. The school should cater for all their pupils.

Once again, Christians do not own Christmas.

I said 'spoken to' not question.

Common sense and ability to read seem to have taken the evening off.

FFS its not a winter celebration though its Christmas rolls eyes

I started to read this thread last night but then had to go to bed. I've been at work all day and switched on the laptop to see if the thread is still going strong.
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I felt like utter s&*te today due to being ill but reading this thread has perked me right up!
Oh, and by the way, I am a teacher and this has made us all PSOL at work when I mentioned it!

Ahhh! Now I get it. Really what you are angry about is you don't want Christmas to have anything to do with Christianity in school. That is a completely different argument to the theme of this thread.

I said 'spoken to' not question.

Common sense and ability to read seem to have taken the evening off.