teacher sacked for telling children that Santa does not exist

[wannaBe]

here

pigleto - what exactly did the teacher say to the kids then?

I certainly don't think that "most children" have worked it out at the age of 4 and am surprised at those who think this is the case.

Certainly not the teachers place to tell the class otherwise and I can quite understand the parents annoyance at her doing so.

why is the truth being mean, pigleto?

i think your kids are clever, as most of them hide the truth from you, as it obvious to them that you couldnt handle it!

dont you feel a bit mean telling fibs to these kids anyhow?

clumsymum he is taking the proverbial if you think at 9 years he is clever and he believes elves fill chocolate advent calendars!
tis one or the t'other, no?

Why one or the other Dora?
Clever children can have very vivid imaginations and believe in magic.
I think it's wonderful.
I have a very bright nearly 6 yr old who believes completely. There is no reason not to.
I say keep magic in their lives for as long as possible, why not?
Why does smart mean cynical?

My ds was 10 before we had to tell him that Santa didn't exist, and he was being teased at school. He was broken-hearted. He still says how sad he was to learn the truth - which is quite funny coming from a 16 year old rugby player.

Dd was told in Yr. 5 by her English teacher - we were not impressed.

My children enjoy a little bit of christmas magic AuroraofDora. Do you stop the magicians at parties and reveal the hiding place of the white rabbit? Father Christmas is not a lie. I still partly believe myself.

Making children cry is mean.

I still believed in Father Christmas at 7, until about 9 actually. We didn't have a chimney but my dad told us Father Christmas had a magic key with which he could open any door. I was never told he wasn't real, I realised it by myself and it was a lovely way of doing it. I hope to be able to do the same thing for DD when she is older.

Completely agree that 4 is the magic age when Christmas is awesome for children. My DD barely registered Christmas when she was 3. This year she has been preparing for months already . And of course she believes in FC.

Why are some people so desperate to spoil the magic for their children?

I really do not get this "It is all a lie and they must be told the truth" attitude! They have a whole lifetime of cynicism ahead of them-leave them be to enjoy the magic while they can.

My Year 4 class (8 and 9 year olds) still all either believe or are at the "wondering" stage. It is not beyond the realms of possiblilty for a class of 7 year olds to believe.

I agree with the posters that said that the teacher showed a complete lack of common sense and sensitivity.

FC is only one fiction among others - and it's a particularly lovely one. All these FC haters who want their children to know the "truth" - do you never go to the cinema/read a novel/watch a series on TV?

Anyone talking to a whole class of children has to be sensitive about beliefs within the class.

quote from a parent 'what the teacher had done ?would be like telling someone religious that God doesn?t exist?. '

Well, no. Not really.

Anyway... I don't think teachers should be telling kids that Santa really does exist either, which apparently was what happened next. What are the Hindu etc kids who know its just a nice game going to make of that?

at "FC haters" "desperate to spoil the magic" oh fgs. Not at all. As I've said, I love "the magic of Christmas" and I don't hate FC. I think it's possible for this to be a grey area - for a child to know it is basically a load of bobbins but still enjoy the magic of it. What I don't like is people trying to ensure that 7, 8, 9yos 100% believe, and being all tragic and upset about it when they stop.

Just because I don't believe in forcing myths down children's throats and agonising about whether they "believe" doesn't mean there is no santa, no fun, no xmas magic in our house. Of course there is, but if amd when S starts asking awkward questions I will treat his enquiring mind with a bit of respect and not insist to him that it's all real.

Tbh I think building up a child's belief in Santa to the point where they are in for a horrible disappointment and/or being teased by their peers, is actually quite cruel. So there.

My sil was absolutely convinced that her ds still believed aged 10 as was his nana. He told my ds (his cousin) that "of course he knew there was no fc but not to tell his mum as he wouldn't get as many presents"!!

I always knew FC was a myth spread by grown ups. I think it likely that my son will be one of the brats who lets the cat out of the bag and I shan't be apologising for it.

saying 'sacked' is ott, imo

as for the rest of the item, meh.

I haven't believed in Father Christmas and I still love Christmas. I think people can get hung up on details.

Sorry, that was meant to read "I haven't believed in Father Christmas for years".

By teh sounds of it, she wasn't fired just not asked to return. Probably out of sync with the school. Never mind. There is a lot of supply work for teachers and she can dine out on the story for years.

This bugs me every year. It is not the same as telling a religious person that 'God does not exist' because to many people including myself, God is a reality. Some people don't believe, but to those who do, it is truth.

Whereas NO adult believes in FC. Everybody knows it is a myth/lie/fable/whatever. There is no debate about whether he is real or not.

Personally, I don't think the magic of Christmas is anything to do with whether FC is real or not. I say this every year, but we didn't 'do' FC in that the children know the presents are from us, but since he was 3 ds1 has dressed up as FC on Christmas Afternoon while we are opening presents, and has delivered a present for everyone. The magic is SO real, even though everyone knows it is ds1. last year dd was leaping off the floor in excitement at FC ACTUALLY being there, though it was very clear it was ds1. But they are very creative and imaginative children, and they don't need to ACTUALLY THINK FC will be coming down the chimney. And therefore they will never be disappointed when they find out the 'truth'. FC exists in their imaginations, and that is good enough.

I don't think she was asked not to return because of telling the kids the truth. It's because she snapped and told them the truth as they were chattering excitedly about christmas. She got irritated, and a supply teacher really oughtn't be that tetchy. It was more her inability to cope with children by the sounds of it, rather than the FC debacle oer se.

I fervently believed in Santa until I was 10.

I'm a FC agnostic - my kids believe but I feel a sort of precious, middle-class, atheist queasiness about hammering it home and deceiving my darlings - on the other hand I enjoy the thrill and excitement chidren derive from believing in a mythical beast. I certainly don't think competent professional teachers get themselves in such a state/tizzy than they start shouting at their small pupils that there is no FC. It's terribly unprofessional, inappropriate and rather mean.

what snowleopard said

and
pigleto, i dont go around making kids cry nor do i like to see anyone cry and.. i love innocence and magic, its not just for christmas though is it

but i am saying that bright observant kids might think:

1. christmas paper why are yours and santa's and the same?
2. why is he everywhere, nursery, shops etc.. isnt he busy making toys in greenland

1. why do some people not believe (we live in multi-cultural area reflected in his nursery, naturally, some his pals do not celebrate this festival)
2. why does blah blah's mum say he is from lapland, you said greenland.. why do they pay santa? do we pay santa?

like any fib the truth will out, my friends tell their kids different stuff to us and ds listens to it all and these above are some of the questions ds asked me this year..

he also finds him bit scary and will not go near him, why should i encourage him to? any other time of the year I would be applauding his sense not to go near unknown man with gifts..

when i chatted to other mums at nursery it became apparent that others too thought their kids had caught on to the truth, but were keeping quiet

so i dont tell him elves creep around filling advent calendars but i dont deny him magic in his life, and he loves christmas very much is very excited too!

I agree, snowleopard, that building up a child?s belief to the point where they feel you have gone out of your way to lie to them or that they are teased by peers, is unnecessary. However, I do think there is a happy medium to be found that is not about being "hung up" on the details or having "naive and gullible" kids.
I remember the day my gran told me to grow up and not be so silly to believe in all that nonsense. I was heart broken. I knew deep down, just upset me that someone had to break the spell and actually say it - also that they were belittling the magic. suggesting I was too old to enjoy it any longer.
I do not openly lie to my 7 yr old and am careful in what I say, however I do not go out of my way to spell it out either.
I still think it is a shame that 4 yr olds are not helped to keep the magic alive a little but I can see that this is a very divided issue.