Or is teaching 6 Yr old about crucixation out of order?

[Whostoblame]

I might be over reacting but after multiple nights on the trot sleeping no more than 45-60 mins at a time I'm at the end of my tether. 6 year old goes to a non dom school and we are agnostic/atheist at home. School have been teaching them about Jesus and Easter etc including how Jesus was crucified. I now have a sobbing child every night who can't get the pictures out if her mind (and I'm not surprised!!)and subsequently cant sleep from about midnight, crying. Aibu to complain to school that 6 is way too young to be taught this?!

In my primary the whole school had to take part in or watch the Easter play. Where a year six student "jesus" had to drag a huge cardboard cross around while being mock whipped and taunted and then scream in pain as they pretend to nail him to it.

Ah, right.

We had exactly the same thing. My four year old coming home at Easter asking why Jesus was allowed to come back but not her sister, and crying that it wasn’t fair. Then questioning if we were Christian her would her sister still be here.

I get that kids will have bereavements, make these leaps, but it just shows that the schools aren’t being clear enough in establishing that it isn’t fact and thinking about the knock on of what they’re saying; it’s heavy stuff. You aren’t being unreasonable.

My younger child is withdrawn from RE until they’re older, I’m much happier to cover the topics at home and address things as they come up.

This happened to me as a newly qualified teacher. I was sent to teach another class and a classroom assistant was sent to teach my class of 5 year olds RE on the basis her dad was a vicar. Monday morning I had a steam of complaining parents telling me of nightmares, sobbing children, a few thought baby Jesus had been nailed to a cross. Apparently she’d been pretty graphic in her description, It was awful. I vowed there and then that Easter would always be about spring flowers, lambs and chicks.
OP, tell your ds it’s a story from long ago, some people think it’s true, some don’t. And I hope he gets over it soon.

Tbh I think you have a sensitive child and because you aren't religious it's maybe clouding what's appropriate

People being religious is clouding what is appropriate to a young (naturally vulnerable and sensitive) child.

@AlexandriasWindmill yes, sadly I. was thinking this.
While every other faith is treated with respect.
It really is disappointing that some people still find having a faith bashing thread acceptable

Alexandrta I'm a pagan so yes I do see this as total nonsense, for a start christianity over laid Ostara which was a celebration of spring, rebirth, fertility.
I celebrate the religion of nature and things I can see and feel around me.

Agree with both of you and others - seems to be something more going on. I taught in a Christian school abroad and even the kindergarten class didn’t react like this.

The school is probably teaching about all religions and saying this is what Christians etc believe. Just because it’s non denom does NOT mean it won’t teach about any religions.

@Waitymatey

I just showed him one and asked if he knew what it was or seen one before and he said no!

1.It's part of the curriculum.

1. It's good to know how and why things are celebrated, even if personal celebrations are more secular .

1. Having some understanding of various beliefs, the reason for them, being able to contrast and compare and learning various stories helps with being more tolerant and understanding in the future .

1. Some exposure (I frankly find it quite limited) to a varied vocabulary, various cultures ,customs and even bits of language.

If you go into any Christian place of worship you'll surely see a depiction or sculpture of Jesus on the cross. Perhaps there are people in her class with one as an item of neck jewellery so it's a quite ordinary thing to see and discuss especially at Easter.
Your child seems overly sensitive, Perhaps you should explain it to her a little more to address her concerns.

They reckon more people recognise the golden arches than the cross. Make of that what you will.

How intensely are they delivering this? Is your child particularly sensitive? I’m RC and knew this story roughly from around age 3-4, could have described it in detail by 6, and work in a Catholic school now. No one has ever cried or had a nightmare… are they going into really gory detail or something?!

Mine learned about it in Reception, and I wasn’t massively happy about it either (also not too happy about Armistice Day being covered aged 4, though DS came home talking about the “Wild War” so obviously didn’t comprehend much of it).

I think there are ways of teaching it - unfortunately DS wanted to know all the gory details about how exactly crucifixion kills you, whereas I expect some kids would just think “oh yes, died and came back to life, of course” and think no more about it.

I was taught about it at that age but then again I was sent to a Catholic school. They've been teaching it to my DC (same age, standard mainstream school no religious affiliation) too although DC hasn't mentioned the crucifiction so I don't know if we had the same level of detail as yours. DC not upset about it but like PPs I've had to explain several times that no Grandad (who died a little while ago) isn't going to come back from the dead like Jesus did (& as an atheist I've also had to explain that its not true anyway), and no Jesus was not a zombie (which led to an argument because zombies are people that have come back from the dead, right?) Sigh. I understand your frustration, no-one likes seeing their DC upset and it felt like a complication I could do without even though my DC wasn't upset. It kept giving DC hope that Grandad would come back though & would cause tears every time I had to explain that he wouldn't.

crucixation

What's that?

@GlassBunion she is 6 y.old not in year 6 at school.

Hopefully though easter is also taught to children, that being that its a time of rebirth (hence eggs and bunnies make an appearance) and the origin of the word Easter in the first place.

Rather than just focusing on a particular political incident that occured (or perhaps didnt) around the spring.

Easter/spring is a time of ritual/cleansing/rebirth for lots of different belief systems and hopefully children are learning about all of those as well

What the heck did they do?

Show the class the most gory, brutal bits of "The Passion of the Christ"?

Your DD must be incredibly sensitive. Not her fault - she is what she is and I had a super-sensitive child (now a super-sensitive adult) myself so I know how difficult it can be - but this sounds really extreme.

Would you be ok with paganism being taught in schools as many others see that as nonsense/evil etc ?

YABU

Definitely normal at that age to learn about the Easter story including the crucifixion, even in a non-faith school. Your and your daughter's reactions are extreme.

Not true. Most Protestant churches don’t use crucifixes.

I went to a Catholic school and they made us sit through the film made I assume in the 70s/80s about Jesus which included the whole crucifixion/torture etc it was very graphic, I was 5 and can still remember it 34 years on! Absolutely 0 need to make young children watch it or even be taught about it, even in a Catholic school. I'd simply tell your daughter it's a made up story like fairytales. Easter is about spring time, bunnies, chick's and chocolate, not nailing bearded men to crosses. My children go to a Catholic school, I absolutely would not tolerate any graphic depiction of the crucifixion to them!

@Flounder2022 - where did you get it from, at such short notice, on Easter Saturday ?
And why does he think he is off school ?

My 5 and 7 year olds know about the crucifixion and find it fascinating but not scary or anxiety inducing. They know it happened thousands of years ago, to someone else, and won't happen to them or anyone they love.