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 ??

No not all schools sing religious hymns. They sing songs but more general cultural ones that don’t mention specific gods. Generally the schools affiliated to a religion would sing religious songs. To many people get worked up about it now. Even the girlguiding promise had to take out god. And many of the old songs mentioning god are adapted to not mention it.

I’m a catholic and my kids went to a catholic primary. I’m completely shocked how many refuse to then also take their children to church and have the make their first communion. There are plenty other non catholic schools in our area. They choose it because it’s a small school or because they attended and were brought up catholic but no longer believe or because the grandparents have some influence still.

when you teach in primary school one topic that often comes up is myths and legends and you have to explain the difference between these and religion.

I’m with you on this one; childhood is stripped away from children far too quickly these days; they should be allowed to wallow in the fantasy world of fairies; imps; goblins; leprechauns; unicorns & the like all the miserable; sarcastic people making comments about it not being hogwarts or change the school obviously didn’t read any children’s books, like Snow White, Cinderella etc childhood is about allowing your child to have an imagination to explore their thoughts & dreams; all little girls want to be a character in a Disney film etc the teacher was bang out of order to stamp on tiny children’s imagination; I’d be looking to move her if it was my child because I would not want my child being taught by people who have no nurturing abilities

Missingpop
Nobody is stamping on imagination or saying children shouldn't have imaginative play.

Knowing reality doesn't prevent make believe play, or creativity, or imaginary worlds.

Haven’t read all the message on here apart from first page but I think there are some proper nasty responses! Ofcourse 4 year olds want to believe in unicorns and fairies! It’s normal. Peoples responses on here as usual are not normal!

Your view that you can compare the belief in God to the belief in unicorns is a little offensive. Especially from a parent who has accepted a Catholic education for their child.

It wasn't the only school.

It was the only school convenient for you.

You should have lived somewhere else, paid for private or been prepared to take the child to a normal non god bothering sky fairy believing brain warping factory.

Yep, it's shocking isn't it? So many ppl on here seem so toxic and just aggressive for no reason. :/

@flowerNW66 i think people are very toxic and aggressive on here. Definitely agree

They don’t put their god in the same category as unicorns.
No idea why you would send your child to a faith school when you have no religious beliefs.

Speaking as someone who has taught in a Catholic primary school, I think that's totally unacceptable. God made two of each animal and we don't know that it didn't include unicorns and dragons. Also why should fairies not exist? The Bible doesn't teach this either way.

It makes me really cross when people think you can't have myths and legends or magick alongside Catholicism. I know some who think that magick is often the work of the Devil/Satan but where does that leave the people who God made empaths in the true meaning of the word? Or those with healing hands?

And as for things in kids' stories, I don't understand why it's not ok to be allowed to believe or enjoy them. The school I worked in had Harry Potter and Rainbow Magic on the shelves... And LOTR. And Star Wars. And Roald Dahl.

OP I can't believe how much grief you are getting on this post. I wholeheartedly agree with you. It's obvious that categorically telling a four year old that those creatures aren't real will affect their creativity and play. Believing in something that there is no proof of is the whole basis for every single religion out there! It's called faith. So why would you take away the faith a child has in something. I would never dream of telling any of my friends with religious beliefs that they are all wrong, who am I to do that?! So why tell a child their daydreams are wrong. Of course it stunts their imagination. There's also nothing wrong with going to a religious school if you yourself don't have a faith. I did and it didn't change my ideas, but it also didn't make me hate the ideas of others. Wow mumsnet.

Hang on, are you saying you believe Genesis is literally true, down to Noah’s Ark and the two by two animals? Bless.

Not a Catholic position, though.

You’d be best to move schools and let that place go to a Catholic child. Reception is the least intense this journey will be. They will soon embark on the intense path towards reconciliation, confirmation, and First Holy Communion. All happening in year 3. Also expect lessons about the stations of the cross, artwork of the Holy Family, the Priest busing the school a lot. If your child is not Catholic, and excluded from all this activity, they will feel set apart from their friends. Tbh, your attitude and views will not go down well with the other parents either.

I was brought up a Catholic and went to a Catholic school I can never remember being told there was no such thing as a fairy. Unicorns week's not a thing back then 60s&70s but there was a teacher in the school who was complained about in the 80s who told the children in her reception class there was no Santa. Thankfully my daughter wasn't in school at that time, she had a big family herself so I couldn't understand her wanting them to loose that innocence . And yes there is a big emphasis on religion in a Catholic school.

My kid went to a primary Catholic school, they would never have done that. They, just like most adults when it comes to kids, just went along with it, because they're young kids!

you think it is horrifying that 4 years olds don't believe in Santa? I think it is horrifying that any do - and I would certainly not care if they found out from me that he isn't real.

I never signed up to lie to small children

But don't worry, it is unlikely to happen, because no normal 4 year old is going to believe that crap anyway, and there is something very wrong with their understanding of the world if they do.

I don't understand some of these responses - why don't you want your children to know truth?

There are more than enough amazing things in the world to wonder at. Why is a unicorn more wonderful than a rhino? Which is more than likely what unicorns were originally based on

Why is it good to mix up reality and lies when telling a child about the world?

How is a child going to feel when they find out that some things they took for granted as real were lies?

As for fairies, pixies, gnomes, goblins, all "little folk" -all this is based on the myth that Jews shrank when Jesus rose from the dead, and perpetuating the myth in this day and age is incomprehensible, in my opinion

This reminds me of when my DS was 8 or 9. We had been to see some born again friends and they said that they had been quite short of money so they had prayed to God and cheque had arrived next day (I don't know who signed it). We were driving home when my DS piped up from the back 'How can I believe in God if I don't believe in Father Christmas?'.
Just keep reading the books, eventually your DD will choose what she believes.

pieinthesky don't* *a lot of those mythological creatures pre--date Christianity?

I expect there are a lot of "magical" creatures that predate christianity - bearing in mind that a mythological creature was often nothing more than chinese whispers about a real creature thousands of miles away.

But the wicked "little folk" in our culture originate in the myth that Jews shrunk when Christ rose from the dead.

A population of Jews disappearing around this time in Cornwall was the origin of Cornish piskies, etc

That's really interesting. Thank you.

@pieintheski because little girls want to dress up as unicorns and have unicorn tattoos. It’s not the same as dressing up as a rhino and having a rhino tattoo! That would’nt excite them. My little girl whose 5 just had a unicorn theme party and everyone was excited, wouldn’t be the same with a rhino party would it? Why not let little ones have a little magic and fun? Why make things boring for them? Childhood last a very short time, let’s not be miserable!

who's telling them that rhinos are not as exciting as unicorns? They are the same animal 😂I chose rhino because it is what unicorns are based on.

No reason to have rhino, there are so many other amazing things.

Or have unicorns, as long as everyone involved knows they are not real, no harm, it is the lying and confusing children that I don't understand. Why wouldn't they be real? They nearly are, so no reason a child would not believe in them if they are told they are real, then how are they going to know what to believe or not believe in the future?

Or have unicorns, as long as everyone involved knows they are not real, no harm, it is the lying and confusing children that I don't understand.

you sound so much fun, why don’t you become a kids party planner/entertainer in your spare time?! I would actually hire you just to make the parents chuckle 😂