The PC tyranny has reached its zenith with all out outlandish fancies! Of course, this extends to the holidays season, where anything remotely “Christmas” is banned and stifled! Even Santa can’t escape these grinches, as Time Foolery writes in to A Lady of Reason:
Recently a New Jersey substitute teacher took it upon herself to inform the children in her classroom that Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and other fancies such as the Tooth Fairy, weren’t real. Now, take yourself back in time to when you were seven years old, in the First Grade. It’s almost Christmas, and the decorations are going up and the stockings are hung. Naturally, your first thoughts are, “What is Santa going to bring me!?” I know this because I usually had dog-eared the heck out of our Sears catalog and written my Santa letter well before Halloween! Most kids I knew did. It was the highlight of our year!! Now, think to being a parent, coming up with other fun things like Advent Calendars and Elf on a Shelf to get your young’uns excited about the holiday.
Now think about someone swooping in and deciding for you that your child, or even you at that age, needed to know that something you’re so excited about, is all a BIG, FAT LIE perpetrated by you and your parents before you! If you are like me, you’d be incredibly upset from both vantage points!! To have your childhood so unceremoniously, and without cause or reason, crushed by someone barely qualified to teach!! And to have the right of when you let your children in on the secret so rudely ripped out of your hands – well, it’s no wonder this sub has lost their job. But I don’t want to harp on all the obvious issues that abound with this happening. I don’t think the majority from any party affiliation would disagree that this person seriously overstepped their bounds or crushed the dreams of little children. That’s an obvious.
No, it is the spirit of this season I wish to look at instead. This year I turned the ripe, old age of 52 and I proudly proclaim, I still believe in Santa Claus! St. Nicholas of Myra was an early Christian bishop who became the Patron Saint of Children. It is through his legendary habit of secret gift-giving that we find the traditional model for Santa Claus aka Good Saint Nick. It is this tradition that parents like to emulate and carry on traditionally with their children, and hopefully their children will grow up to do the same for theirs. But there’s many more reasons I still believe in Santa Claus.
Whenever I, or someone else, help someone out of sheer humanity, there is Santa Claus. Anytime someone donates their time to a charity, there is Santa Claus. Even just holding a door open for someone for no reason except to help, that is Santa Claus. But right now, I think Santa Claus is actor James Woods, who just recently played unofficial Twitter coordinator for helping fire victims find their families in California. A week later, he helped police find a homeless vet who was going to end it all because he thought no one cared. He got so many people involved with both situations who shared their love, concern and help for all. That is truly, truly Santa Claus. Indeed, we need look no further than our fellow man to see that the spirit of giving is what St. Nicholas stood for, and doing things like he would makes us all Santa Claus, and I certainly hope we all believe in ourselves!!!
I agree Time Foolery! While as I am non-religious but still celebrate Christmas, I too have experienced the magic of Santa Claus and I guess he’s been generous, as he still leaves a special gift from time to time under my tree 😉 You make the excellent point that when we stop believing in Santa, we become Santa for others!!! The magic doesn’t stop once childhood ends, it only continues through acts of kindness during the holiday season and all year round! Why ruin the magic though while it lasts??? The world is bleak as it is, and childhood is one of the only times we will ever see the world as mainly good and warm and fuzzy… I always advocate for forewarning and forearming our children of the dangers of the world frankly and openly, not shielding them in naivete to its many dangers, but that doesn’t mean some harmless fun and a little magic shouldn’t be experienced, and no longer believing a milestone in growing up… The magic of Santa Claus is something everyone can cherish even when all grown up!
A Lady of Reason 
Since it is a substitute teacher they just should go at the bottom of that call in list.
Santa isn’t a harmful lie. I always knew it wasn’t true but couldn’t have cared either way if my parents had pushed a belief in him.
If you look at even how they reteach Hitler. Skip taking about his belief in eugenics because that is cool now in science circles and you can’t admit he was socialist. So pretend he was right wing, becaue now you can demonize others as being like Hitler on the right that accept nothing that he believed.
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When I was a kid, I can’t even remember anything about Santa until later in the school years; maybe by about grade 4, when I started going to the next town for school. For us, not only was Christmas a religious holiday, but my background is Polish, so Christmas is HUGE (Wigilia – the traditional Christmas Eve feast – was the highlight of the days of celebration for me).
Having said that, the only time I see a problem with Santa is with those few parents who really take it too far. It’s rare, but holy smokes, some people are wack. But then, these same people tend to take things too far in other areas, too, so it’s not really a Santa or Christmas thing.
Santa can embody the spirit of the season. Let kids enjoy it!
As an aside; back when I was on a national homeschoolers email list, Santa was one topic that was discouraged. The flame war that happened the first time it came up was apparently astounding. After that, any time some newbie would bring up Santa, everyone would be like “no!!! Don’t talk about it! Alert! Alert!” LOL The battle was between those who thought it was a great thing to do with their kids and those who were horrified over the idea of inflicting this elaborate lie, with several people who were apparently traumatized when they found out Santa wasn’t real. Apparently, they could never trust their parents again or something.
Like anything, it can be taken to extremes, but why let the extremes take away other people’s joy?
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Bringing Santa and joy to both of you with https://soundeagle.wordpress.com/2012/12/03/soundeagle-bringing-santa-claus-with-gift-to-some-quaint-perched-eyrie-on-the-cliffs-of-time-an-introduction-to-english-literature-and-comedy-novel-three-men-in-a-boat/
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School: an institution for educating children
It seems to me the teacher did her job — so why the outrage? What is the value of deliberately propagating falsehoods for the sake of tradition? Shouldn’t facts trump personal feelings in an educational setting?
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It sounded like she just wanted to bust their little story though to be a party pooper, not for true educational or intellectual enlightenment. Just a way to be petty…
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Maybe. But we don’t have her side of the story. And the children wouldn’t be upset if they hadn’t been lied to in the first place — don’t you agree?
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I pretty much just stopped believing in Santa one day… No trauma at all. I think the best way is what is said on this other secular blog, the Memeing of Life, as he raised his kids believing in Santa, but let the fantasy go after the kids asked directly. Don’t tell a blatant lie if the kid asks you upfront, but let them decide when they’re ready to stop believing 🙂
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Then she should have said nothing. Leave it for the parents to do. In this case, she is overstepping the bounds, into parental authority – something that is already done way too often within the school system.
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This is the reason why non-believers advocate for the separation of the church and state. Let the schools teach facts and keep the celebration of cultural and religious myths a private matter outside of the school.
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The whole reason behind “separation of church and state” was to keep government out of the church, not the other way around. Culture and religion cannot be separated out any more than we can take off our skin. It is part of who we are.
What is forgotten is that parents are responsible for the education of children. Not the government. They can choose to delegate part of that responsibility to schools and teachers. They are the ones that are the final authority on their own children. Not the government. Not the schools. Not the teachers. That many parents abdicate that responsibility does not change that.
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Separation of church and state is the recognition that in a pluralistic society not everyone shares the same set of religious beliefs. Given that public schools accommodate children of varying cultures and religious beliefs, it’s best that such personal beliefs remain a private matter and be kept out of the classroom.
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Nope. That’s the modern re-definition of church and state. The source of this (in the US, at least; Canada does not have an equivalent) is from a letter, and it was very clearly about keeping the government out of people’s business. Remember; many of the first settlers came to escape religious persecution from government. That’s why the US constitution says that *congress* shall not make an official religion, so that people were free to practice their own faiths without persecution. The idea that this means no religion in public institutions is a twisted interpretation.
You also touch on a problem with schools, in that they are being used not for education, but indoctrination. The history of public schools is both interesting and kinda horrifying. The goal for government run public schools has never been education.
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If it was left to the parents most children would learn very little , in the UK state education is compulsory and you can be fined for taking your child out of school for a holiday. We must also remember some specialist subjects need trained teachers for good results. Education is no longer reading , writing and adding up , we all have to be prepared for university.
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My issue begins when the fine line is crossed from useful education not otherwise obtained, to social engineering, such as Leftist bias and agendas in school…
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Some subjects are wide open to interpretation , history is impossible to teach without a viewpoint , the social sciences are also viewpoint orientated . Gone are the days we chanted times tables and took turns to read passages from books , but even books are open to discussion and interpretation. I would go so far as to say to teach with neutrality is impossible. Most western countries have their own interpretation of war , often each nation comes out shining and hardly stained morally.
The only real way to create a balance is to have a mixture of teachers with different viewpoints but that is hardly likely to happen.
Fortunately although we are told children are putty in adult hands this it a huge exaggeration and we can add to this the fact that they are not born as blank slates as Steven Pinker makes very clear. Don’t underestimate your children they are smarter than you think.
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Interesting.
Your first point shows remarkable contempt for parents – and it is a very common position. It is not backed up by reality, which shows that home schooled kids, for example, consistently do better than public schooled kids, regardless of the parents’ education levels, or socio-economic status. The evidence shows that, when parents take the reigns, children do better.
The UK is not the only place notorious for state interference for parental authority. They are not a good example.
Do not confuse education with schooling. Education can happen anywhere, but doesn’t necessarily happen in schools. Especially modern public schools, which are more interested in indoctrination than education. And no, we don’t all have to be prepared for university; that’s one of the more damaging myths out there. Also, no, trained teachers are not needed for good results.
Education of children is the responsibility of parents. Not the government. The government’s job should be to help the parents, not take over for them.
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Among the less well paid many have mortgages that can only be met when both parents work , it’s an unfortunate fact of life , they certainly have no time to even attempt to educate their children in any way except good manners and obedience . In the UK the government subsidizes child care so women can work to help support their families.
Also university students have enormous fees to pay some ending with debts as high as 50,000 pounds. I was talking to young man last week hwho has at last had his debt written off he wishes he never went to university.
The problem is that the cry we keep hearing is everyone must have the chance of a university education and the universities of course go along with that as the finance rolls in. Equality for all regardless of their capabilities.
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I grew up with many NYC liberal teachers and most would’ve never dreamed of behaving like the liberals today! Many evolved into being conservatives me thinks just like many of us might’ve as we matured seeing the direction liberalism was going around sometime the Clintons came on the scene. What really burst my little girl bubble was finding out how amoral the Kennedys were! lol!
This is what’s happening in the public schools now; indoctrination by a far-left-liberal movement unlike we’ve ever seen before.
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What an ugly thing to do. Who gave that teacher the right to shatter the minds of children?
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The cry of facts facts give us only facts is becoming widespread not just in the Christian community but in the strictly scientific community as well. Richard Dawkins says children should not be misled with fairy stories his attack is mainly on religious ones.
I have to read Grims Fairytales in secret now , little red riding hood is forbidden , the only relief I have is pornography .
We need to read Dickens Hard Times where he deals with this issue in magical accuracy , the factual teacher Gradgrind learns his lesson the hard way but he survives by the skin of his teeth.
Let’s remove all non factual literature from our libraries ( except Bibles) close down all courses on English Literature , stop all poetry , so we can all take up trigonometry along with algebra and physics .
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