My daughter playing Donkey for school play

[sperit]

Dear all,

I needed your advise.

I am extremely upset with the my daughter school teacher that has assigned my daughter to play the donkey on the Christmas school.

She was previously attending a different school where she was being bullied so I looked for a private school.

My daughter is a girl of colour and on the previous school she was being called ugly and that her hair was not beautiful. So I enrolled to a private school. I did this as I had the same issue when I was growing and my father looked for a suitable private where I was extremely happy.

When I enrolled My Ella to the private school I mentioned the issues.

So I found out 2 days ago that my daughter has been assigned to play the donkey and wearing a dark brown suit. I feel upset to the that they could not assigned Ella with a different role.
So I had a discussion with her teacher and I told her how disappointed I am and whether she could find a different way for Ella to contribute on the play such as being on the choir. Her response was no as at this stage she cannot find nothing else and I know it looks but is not what I am thinking and the that is going to be a funny show.

What do you guys think should I still allow my daughter to play the donkey????

My white child was a sheep last year. It never occurred to me that it was because she is white and would make a good sheep I just assumed it was a part that had been allocated to her. Clearly I missed a trick there

Hang on. My son is a wolly mammoth. He's got rather large ears.

Am I to assume he was selected for this because of his lugs?

My DS was cast as Herod and then Judas in consecutive years. I thought that was quite funny. Teacher phoned me to apologise when she realised what had happened!

My child was a Nativity pig. Because pigs are a traditional Jewish stable-kept animal.

In year 2, the teacher asked the children which part they wanted and then drew names from a hat in front of them. The most contested part was the donkey.
Ds got it.

All of the reception/year ones in DC’s school are livestock. It wouldn’t occur to me that it could be an issue.

*cast as livestock in the play

As is Darth Vader Backin he was a regular in DS nativity.
We even have a very small Vader in our home nativity scene, in tribute to DS best friend A who could do the play but only in his Vader costume. Every year he had optional lines in case he couldn't speak but every year he did his lines in his Vader costume.
DS is adult now and can hardly remember primary but he hasn't forgotten that.

Aren't donkeys grey?

@SaltedPeanut
I haven’t got past your comment that your DD was a mince pie 🤣🤣🤣 my imagination is in overdrive thinking about a costume 🤣🤣

A Mince pie? Brilliant! I was a Shepherd and wore a tea towel on my head tied with my Grandpas pyjama cord. Sadly no mince pies in the Nativity circa 1974.

One Christmas play was a different story. My other child has been a donkey I may add...and a reindeer. I still have the outfits! so years ago!
Back to my post. My beautiful child was a black bag, a piece of rubbish. Easy costume. Obviously not over the head before anyone has palpitations...
So my child had to lay on the floor to be swept up. The other child with a sweeping brush seemed to take it with unnerving pleasure in hitting my little one!
I'm not happy with my child having the crap beating out of them so the next 2 evenings we were unavailable. Undignified I had reason...
Donkey role is nice. Get a grip!

AWooly Mammoth 😂 in bed with the lurgy and this thread had really cheered me up

A black bag literally crying with laughter now! Where do the teachers get their ideas?

My dd was a rhino. I made her mask from the bed bowls used in hospitals.

I have grips if you need them OP.

I don’t see why being cast as the donkey would cause other children to make fun of your DD. It’s a pretty standard role in a nativity.

Although how big a role it is depends on the version the school is doing. I’ve seen nativities where the donkey is one of the main roles, but also nativities where the donkey is just part of the scenery.

Your DD saying she wants to be an angel doesn’t necessarily mean that’s a better role. DS1 was a wise man one year. He had individual lines and everything. He was quite cross about it because he said he’d wanted to be a sheep. Half his class were a flock of sheep 🤷‍♀️

My niece has got the part of donkey in the school play and is over the moon to get a part and not be a star or tree. I do not understand the issue at all and think you are overreacting

My daughter is Mary and she’s upset that she’s not the donkey 🤦🏻‍♀️

My daughter was a talking cow complete with udders in her first school play

DD2 was a robot in the class nativity. The donkey was a bit of a star in her school play as I recall.

My surname is Shepherd. Guess what l played every single year🙄. 3 years in a row in someone’s nightie and a tea towel on my head.

Non-Christmas related, but I was always cast as old people, because "I had an old looking face." Meh, I was a kick ass fairy godmother. (that wasn't a nativity though, obv.) Nativity wise, I was always a shepherd in the choir, my best mate was Mary, I was super jealous until the stable ran over her foot mid show.

My ds was a pencil one year. I was shocked as I think it was a dig at his wooden acting.

The poor teacher. It is such a slog putting on the nativity and it’s awful when all you get is a complaint. In this case it’s a ridiculous complaint. There is absolutely nothing racist about any child being cast as a donkey, nor is it a reason for bullying. I think you should consider apologising to the teacher, and make sure you acknowledge all their hard work and commitment after the show. A simple ‘thank you’ goes a long way.

I wouldn’t be surprised if you are the talk of the staffroom.....

A parent asked my friend "are you taking the f* ing pss casting her as a sheep?" It was only after he stormed off she realised their surname was Lamb