MrsMo
12-15-2011, 07:26 AM
A teacher of a second grade class became upset when one of her students identified the North Pole as "where Santa lives," and told her class that Santa is a fictional character. Needless to say, parents and school administrators are up in arms.
Personally, I would have been in the lead of a lynching party. While I knew by 2nd grade that Santa wasn't real (I had two older MEAN sisters) I think it's such a sweet fantasy that there's no reason to push kids to give it up earlier than necessary. But my word isn't the be-all and end-all. So, lets hear what you think. Should the teacher (of a class of mostly 7-year olds) have gone along with the fantasy about Santa or was she right to break the news to them?
treefrog2
12-16-2011, 05:30 AM
Stories. Fantasy, fiction, myth, legend, religious scripts, autobiographies, encyclopaedias, first hand accounts by someone else, any education system that relies on something other than discovery and experience...... its all stories. Its all second hand. Its all someone else's "Truth", "Fact", ... whatever.. Unless you understand it as a subjective experience, its a story and even after that we very often tell ourselves stories too.
Whats wrong with a story? Nothing as far as I can see. Understand its a story and use it, enjoy it or do whatever you like with it.
Once the distinction is understood between story and tangible understanding from personal discovery/experience then its possible to see what a story can do.
When D tells a story about battles in far off lands, does it matter if its not exactly accurate to the Nth degree of his experience? No. Does it matter if he makes it all up while sitting on the toilet? No.
So what matters. What is it in a story that makes it useful, important and actually essential.
A story gives a possible perspective on something perhaps otherwise unknown. A story allows insight into dynamics and experiences we may never have.
A story caries a message beyond the words, sentences and paragraphs its made of. It may carry several messages too.
What message makes Santa important. The obvious one is about generosity but there are many others. Perhaps the biggest message is the one someone learns when they realise its just a story and then continue to share it and cherish it. Perhaps the biggest message about this particular story is that its possible to be caught by a conspiracy that we want to believe because of our own self interest.
There are more things to dig up on Mr HoHoho but the last has to be that he was created in his current form by Coca Cola! He is a beautiful and perfect manifestation of our super commercial society and consumer desires all warped up in a warm coat of hope, generosity and wearing a cap of deception.
So the question. Should a 7 to 8 year old be told that Santa cant fit down the chimney and that mummy and daddy (or significant guardians) are putting things in oversized sock things?
Should it be done through school even! and how can you deal with it in school anyway.
Is the question not really about responsibility for a child's education?
If there is a problem with what and when a child is taught then.... Do It Your Self lol and at the very very least take an active role in every way possible.
My answer is this. Stop pretending that typical schools are actually educating beyond consumer and worker indoctrination. Its only another Santa type story we tell ourselves and each-other because its apparently in our own interests. I guess we want to be sure someone will pay into the pension fund as we start to take it out. If you want someone else to show your children the way the world works then think carefully first and be kind after.
Keep Santa as long as you like but if you dont tell them who will? Big sis? Some bully in school? Who and when? Are you really going to lynch anyone who could possibly brake the news.
7 or 8 is old enough in my books but thats just me (when I was a lad we lived in a hole in the road and liked tar of passing car tyres lol).
They have to also enjoy a moment of growing up and looking after the dreams of others too.
..Oh! hey there guys .. Looks like I still have the old treefrog rant.. lol.
Seasons greetings to you all, humbug to the lot of you and understand that mistletoe is not a contraceptive. (Though some say if prepared right it is a really painful poison)