Teacher telling 7yo that Father Christmas not real

[Peaceandquietandacuppa]

Is it reasonable for a RE teacher to tell 7 year olds that Father Christmas isn’t real?

My 7 year old DS has just told me that his RE teacher told the class Father Christmas “isn’t real” today. He isn’t one to over-exaggerate. I asked if any of the kids prompted it by asking and he said no, she just said it.

If you think it’s unreasonable, would you say anything to the school?

YABU - teachers are fine to say FC is not real at the age of 7

YANBU - let the kids / parents decide if FC is real. Just don’t say anything!

Its just a comment dont overthink it.

No i'm not a parent

I’d be furious, I’d most certainly be speaking to the head teacher. It isn’t a teachers place to say that. Equally I would not expect a teacher to give their opinion on specific religions.
Seven year olds may hear from other children FC isn’t real but they don’t know and Father Christmas visiting with presents was always a magical highlight in our house as kids, so why spoil it.

It shows.

Of course 7 year olds aren’t too old for toys.

I think there are two relevant differences, whatever your own outlook or beliefs:

Firstly, religious parents who bring their children up with the same beliefs/traditions also share those beliefs; they aren't insisting to their children that they must believe something that they themselves absolutely do not believe.

Secondly, and more importantly, religious people know and acknowledge that not everybody shares their beliefs. Those who don't share the same beliefs are not usually verbally abused and denounced (in the UK, at least) for stating their opinion that the object of the belief does not exist.

Of course, it's a deeply unpleasant person who would go out of their way to wreck things for a young child who believes in Santa; but here, on a discussion amongst adults, I don't think the parallels are as marked as that.

I am not assuming this. However, Jesus called the Christ is accounted a prophet by Islam, for example, so the question 'can you prove he exists' is still apposite. Most RE teachers I have come across in my many years teaching have been Christians. Interestingly, RE teachers are very likely to become head teachers - possibly as RE teaching itself holds few promotion prospects?

I agree, seven year olds do play with toys, and for a few more years, that's normal. However they don't usually believe in Fr Christmas at that age, they're not daft. Parents are often the ones who want to perpetuate the myth :-).

Yes, actually. The definition of belief is that it cannot be proved in any way. Knowledge is provable - if it is not, it isn't knowledge.
E.g. Distance to the moon - a provable fact. Mermaids exist, a belief that cannot be proved (or disproved).

In our family they do yes!

Again, nope.
The person asserting they exist has to prove that.

Of course they still believe at 7. Obviously there will be a few who don’t, but the vast majority of 7 year olds do. I’ve taught primary aged children for 20 years and most 7 year olds are beyond excited for Santa at Christmas.

A Religious education teacher, a person who makes a career out of teaching what is basically fairy stories to kids, decides that kids shouldn't believe this particular fairy story.
The hypocrisy is strong in this one. 🙄

Read the thread.

Perhaps it's your assumption that all RE teachers have a strong religious belief which is the issue. 😵‍💫

Plenty still believe at 7.

Plenty don't.
Plenty never have.
It's not that big a thing, parents are often more bothered than their kids.

You clearly know very little about modern RE lessons.

An R.E. teacher saying that? That's a nerve - Santa is as real as any God/Jesus

How ironic. God isn't real either.

This thread is so frustrating. RE teachers (more commonly general teachers who have to deliver the RE curriculum) do not teach God etc as fact. They teach about a range of religions and their customs, they say "Christians/Muslims/Sikhs/ Hindus etc believe...". This has been explained over and over on here.

It is a big thing when you do believe and someone spoils it for you just before Christmas.