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.

It's not about the feelings of the parents, it's about the feelings of the children.

The child might potentially be upset every Monday morning when he is schlepped off to photocopy while everyone else sits in the hall. Or when the vicar comes to visit. Or during RE lessons. Or for Christmas, or for Easter, or for a saint's day celebration, or....

If the school had to contact every parent every time their child MIGHT be upset about something, filee, they'd never have any time to do any bloody teaching!

The OP withdrew the child from all religious stuff at school - it was her responsibility to explain this to her child.

Orchwoid you don't have a problem with going against your 'atheistical' beliefs?

But the shepherds went to see the baby JESUS because they thought shitty god wanted them to! They were only there to give baby JESUS presents!

You could see if ds could be a non gift giving shepherd, maybe. Or he could take a bomb or some poison or something?

If there are that many children affected by all this religious stuff, they should be catered for.

If I spent time talking to parents about decision they have made that might upset their child I'd never do any teaching. Do we meet them to talk about the fact that mum and dad are divorced before we teach a session on families? Do we meet to talk about a blended family before we teach a lesson on homes? Do we meet ethnic minority families to discuss racial difference before we talk about racism in PSHE lessons? If we are following your advice filee777 about it we would because you can't just apply your advice to following a parent's religious exposure instructions.

filee have you ever been to a school? there are so many pupils and so few teachers they have to work on assumptions 'No God Shit' would mean he isn't in Nativity, His upset is not theirs to deal with. They would have to explain about religion to him. OP is upsetting him not school.If it should have been discussed it would have been common courtesy for OP to explain to school not the other way round.

It's not about the feelings of the parents, it's about the feelings of the children.

which is what the parents should consider BEFORE making such a decision. They can't then get angry with the school when they follow their wishes.

I want a like button for the originalsteamingnit's post.......

Oh dear, deffo can't be a shepherd, and I quote from Matthew: 'We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.'

Calm down

You might not have all the facts. I would ask an open question to his class teacher - in a non- defensive way

I suggest the OP asks for an animal role. Never sure that they actually worshipped or just happened to be there. But she must expect him to come home singing the songs.

No parent should feel pressured into putting their children through religious doctrine they feel uncomfortable with.

All children and religions should be accepted!

they aren't, but they need to accept that by making such a decision the child may miss out on some activities. That is because of the choice of the parents and not the schools fault.

Err, yes. There is no pressure to accept Christianity, hence OP withdrawing her child.

Yes but if they were told their decision may uspset the child what are you doing apart from challenging the idea that they aren't acceptable, Filee?

No parent should feel pressured into putting their children through religious doctrine they feel uncomfortable with.

So, for example, the school shouldn't phone them up and tell them how very upset their child would be if they didn't take part in the Nativity, because that would be called making the parent uncomfortable and guilt-tripping them?

Oh wait....

No parent should feel pressured into putting their children through religious doctrine they feel uncomfortable with.

That's right. They can tell the school that their child should be withdrawn from religious events. As the OP did. So why is there a problem?

No parent should feel pressured into putting their children through religious doctrine they feel uncomfortable with.

That's right. They can tell the school that their child should be withdrawn from religious events. As the OP did. So why is there a problem?

It sounds like the parent that told me they didn't want the child to learn to read the word "fat" because mum had weight issues. Sorry we teach phonics, once the child knows f, a & t they can work it out for themselves. She was not happy!

Obviously people think there should be pressure 'well the parents should have thought of that before excluding the child' just reeks of it.

Why? Why should a child feel excluded because of religious beliefs? Why is that okay? Why is it not okay to suggest things be dealt with sensitively?

How would you deal with it sensitively then filee77? What would you have said to the Op's child?

I've written it a number of times clay do I really need to type it all again?

How do you suggest they do that? OP doesn't want her children in the session not the school. They have been sensitive. OP is insensitive the way she is stomping around crying 'its not fair'
How on earth do you get that the school has't been dealing with this right?