To think that a RECEPTION teacher shouldn't have said this ???

[AutumnalPumpkin]

My daughter goes to a catholic school (it was the only school available to us) we are not a religious family, but it does not bother me that she is being immersed in religion. After all, she will only make her own mind up later in life anyway. But this is relevant.
They use god in almost every part of the day, and in all aspects of learning.
As those who are not religious will know, we and a lot of others view god as "made up" or a myth, if you will.
Now this brings me to where I have a problem - her reception teacher has picked up on some of the class talking about unicorns. A typical 4/5 year old thing... and has proceeded to tell them that Unicorns, fairies and dragons etc are all made up, and do not exist.
This is absolute insanity to me!!? They are 4/5 and all have wonderful vivid imaginations.
We regularly take my daughter to "the fairy forest" and she immerses herself into it and tries to find clues to where the fairies could be hiding, and loves to think that at nighttime all of the magical creatures come out to play.
She's now come home saying that it's all untrue and they are made up.
I'm actually really upset about this.
How can you push the belief of god, and they go all out for Santa etc. but actively shut down the belief of magical creatures ??

Do they still make kids pledge to never drink alcohol, I had to at age 7. Ridiculous considering our local church had a fully stocked bar beyond the altar 😂

https://www.catholiceducation.org/en/culture/catholic-contributions/all-hallow-s-eve.html

I thought it was the Methodists and Calvinists who Signed the Pledge?!

@Malkin48 I obviously wouldn't complain to the school about this. Haven't even thought about it. Even before this thread. Don't be so ridiculous

I don’t get why it’s mean? I told my four year old they weren’t real, because she’s learning about where different animals live, and unicorns don’t live anywhere 💁🏼‍♀️. She’s still just as obsessed with unicorns . Little kids have amazing imaginations, they don’t need stuff to be “real” to enjoy it. Nothing wrong with teaching kids facts about the world. That’s what school is for!!!

I would hate to reply to this truthfully.. as I may get bashed by everybody

No idea, 1976, St. Agnes convent, Crumlin near Dublin and I had too.

I have relatives in Ireland who made the pledge.
Not in school though, they did it in church as part of a service and not compulsory.
They are in their 60s plus now though.

To the PP who just bemoaned we childish souls who believe in magick - yes, with a K, a very special K, the world would be very vanilla without us, don’t you think?

Essentially magick is about positive or negative thinking / intent. No different from prayer, mindfulness or any other mind focussing practise - any of which may or may not work.

Every single thing in existence starts with the “magick” of thought and is then brought into material reality by various steps. Some of it is now called science.

Unicorns do exist - in art and literature and animation, ergo they are as real as anything else….

We don’t fully understand our reality or our perception of it, how our brains work etc.

Let us have our fun and you can have yours.

You do what you feel is right and don't mind others

@Janieforever yes I never know whether to say agnostic or atheist honestly. I don't have a faith but I have dabbled previously so to speak..

@Lilithlogic I forgot this!!

Interesting. I'm in my 60s, raised RC and never heard of that, but it could have been a local practice.

I think you can have faith without the rules and regulations of a church.

I don’t get why it’s mean? I told my four year old they weren’t real, because she’s learning about where different animals live, and unicorns don’t live anywhere 💁🏼‍♀️.She’s still just as obsessed with unicorns . Little kids have amazing imaginations, they don’t need stuff to be “real” to enjoy it. Nothing wrong with teaching kids facts about the world.
Agree with this.
One of mine went through a phase of being obsessed about playing make believe dinosaurs.
I'd have been a bit surprised, and honestly confused, if adults had played along in a way that teaches that dinosaurs are real and prowling the earth.

DC knew that there used to be dinosaurs, they're now extinct, and sometimes authors and story tellers have fun being imaginative about what they were like.

I don't the magic was ruined.

YABVVU bringing the religious aspect into it.

you have put your child in a school which teaches core values you don’t believe in, and then as soon as you are unhappy about something you have weaponised those values against them.

it has nothing to do with the religion.

my DS is in reception and although he loves dragons and ghosts and anything mythical he is under no illusion they are real… he sees them as something that used to exist but no longer does. It’s doesn’t take the enjoyment away.

It does seem ridiculous to me to teach some things that seem like magic (parting of the red sea etc) but then tell kids other myths aren't real. If it upset your daughter I'd just reinforce that different people believe different things and that's ok; everyone has the right to their own beliefs.

I do think it's somewhat naive of you to assume that your DD will make her own mind up about religion later on. She'll have Catholic beliefs if she continues to go to that school. She may become a lapsed Catholic later, but what we learn in early years never really leaves us. That's why there are so many studies on the importance of the first 7 years of life and the impact what we learn during that period has on the rest of our lives.

As for faeries etc not being real, anything can become real in one's imagination, the beauty of being able to think

No, Google temperance movement - Catholic and CofE too. Lots of temperance societies in the 19th century. Shame they’ve died out!

@lilmishap I can truthfully assure you that this is to do with other commenters and not myself. I included the beliefs of the school as I deemed it relevant. It now seems it was not and that is my mistake.
The fact I explained that there is a high Muslim popularity in the school is because that's the case.
We live in/close to a very highly Muslim populated area and a lot of the families find this school easy to get to so that's where their children are.
There's nothing off about this thread at all other than some people bashing others.
I have dabbled in religion In the past but it is not for me. I do not have an issue with it though.

I actually rebelled for a few years and drank, but eventually admitted I hated the stuff and haven't drank since.

@MistressoftheDarkSide “Unicorns do exist - in art and literature and animation, ergo they are as real as anything else….”

I disagree. By that reckoning Holby City is as real as any other hospital. If I needed chemo, don’t think I’d want to be referred there though 😉

@MistressoftheDarkSide I don't mean this in a strange way but you sound very much like my mum in the way you type and your beliefs

I actually think that God's and Goddesses of old where morphed into Angels, so as to transition the heathens over to a new religions easier.

@CostelloJones I included this part as I thought it was relevant.
Forgive me for being naive about this I do apologise if I have caused any accidental offence. It was not my intention.
I genuinely have nothing against this, or any religion at all