Parents what's your opinion about this?

[Shelties]

My sister-in-law and I were talking on the phone how teachers now a days telling kids what to do that would be against a parent's wishes rather than actually teaching kids math,reading, english etc...

Last year when it was right around the christmas holiday my sister in law's oldest daughter ( who was only 8) showed up to school and said "merry christmas" to everyone. The teacher then turns around to say " we do not say merry chrismas here so please do not use it".
The daughter goes home and tells her mom which pisses her off, the next day she sent her child to school with a santa clause suit ( minus the beard and the "gut" ) with a note for her teacher saying " please do not tell my child she cannot say merry chrismas! if you have a problem with that please contact me"...

Now i know that not everyone believes in chrismas and don't really celebrate it, but to scold a child who believes in christmas and is the happiest child on earth because santa clause will be bringing her lots of presents is really disturbing i love seeing children's eyes lit up around the holidays especially christmas.

I don't really like how the teachers are telling parent's how to raise their child now a days either. I made a decision that when i have a child she or he is going to a catholic school, i'm scared of public schools now. it's no wonder math & reading is a failing subject, it's because teachers are too wrapped up in raising another parent's child.....

If there's any parent's on this forum do you feel like teachers are too nosey or bans your kid for doing or saying something that is not entirely offensive?.

[trainingrixie]

well....i have input from the other perspective and it's the reason I didn't pursue a teaching career. I agree with you 100% i completely understand that many people out there are not christians and don't do the whole christmas thing...great. have nothing against any religion. BUT...i do have problems with people not letting other express their own religion.

Example...when I student taught it ran over "spring weekend" which is easter weekend. I remember when I was a kid we dyed eggs and made easter baskets and whatnot in elementary school...but now there isn't a HINT of the holiday anywhere. Sure I know its separation of church and state and all that bs...BUT they had kwanza stuff up all over and did a whole big thing on martin luther king, jr. it's like they can celebrate ANYTHING but christian beliefs. AND...the kids were not allowed to say "God bless you" when someone sneezed... they had to say Gesund Heit or however its spelled. soo...that along with a lot of other red tape in the public school systems is why i am pursuing fields other than teaching...even though I have a masters in it...HA!

[GSD]

I don't blame the teachers as much as society itself. I really believe the MOST of us could care less, we say merry christmas, happy holidays, a simple hello, whatever greeting for whatever time of year.

We call them christmas trees, when someone calls it a "holiday" tree, I look at them a little oddly, but hey, call it what you want.

But there are some in society that like to raise a big stink and impose their will on the masses. I find it hilarious and kind of sad that people are so hell bent against nativity scenes at christmas time. if you have a better Idea, do it, but don't do it out of spite, do it because you truley want to celebrate. Good intentions, more often than not, will lead to good results.

But back to the teacher thing, I think some parent's want the teachers to raise their kids, they certainly don't take time out of their own lives to raise them. I think some of the noise makers that like to impose their will on everyone have made it very difficult for teachers to do anything. I remember when I was in school, our teachers could actually discipline us. If you were acting like a 2 year old, they told you. You got embarrassed, and if you cared at all, you straightened up a bit.

One of my teachers had a set of stockades and a fake guilatine. If you were goofing off, or insulted another (even jokingly) another class mate, he'd put you in the stockade. Needless to say I spent a lot of time up there in the front of the room with my butt facing the class. Mostly because i'm a smart ***. I never gave ill intentioned insults, and almost always to friends who insulted me right back in good fun, but somehow he always seemed to hear me only. I wonder if he can still do that today??? I'm betting not. Now that I think about it, when I was in school he had to offer an option cause kids parents were grumbling about it, so it was either detention or in the stockade. Sorry, I'm reminiscing and getting off topic.

anyway, Merry Christmas to all

[britishbandit]

Originally Posted by Shelties

Last year when it was right around the christmas holiday my sister in law's oldest daughter ( who was only 8) showed up to school and said "merry christmas" to everyone. The teacher then turns around to say " we do not say merry chrismas here so please do not use it".
The daughter goes home and tells her mom which pisses her off, the next day she sent her child to school with a santa clause suit ( minus the beard and the "gut" ) with a note for her teacher saying " please do not tell my child she cannot say merry chrismas! if you have a problem with that please contact me"...

Ok, it's not that I disagree with what you and your sister are saying, but that's upsetting. What a terrible position to put the child in, after getting in trouble for saying "Merry Christmas" (which granted, I can't believe a teacher would say not to), to dress her up as Santa. IMO, your sister should have contacted the school and talked to the principal about it. Not be goofy about it and use her child to "get one over". That wasn't the way to go about it. I hate to see a kid get stuck in the middle of something because the adults in the situation can't or won't sort things out themselves.

As far as religion and the actual Christmas season. I don't understand why a school would be like that about a kid saying "Merry Christmas". If some kids at the school don't participate in the holiday, that's fine. We had a few kids in my class in grade school growing up that weren't allowed to participate in anything Christmas related, and they simply didn't have to do what the rest of us were doing. It wouldn't be the first time they've had to deal with other people enjoying the festivities, and won't be the last. But to the majority of the population, Christmas is a big deal, and a celebration. What's the point of "hiding" it in schools, when the second they get out at the end of the day, there's lights, signs, music, decorations and such all over the place. In stores, on the street, at peoples homes, on television and the radio. And that's not about to change. It's something they'll have to put up with as adults, so what's the point of it being such a frowned upon issue in schools when they are young?

[ewarp]

Is it over the top? Yes.

That said, holidays are all over the top these days.

And as far as sending your kids to a Catholic school so that your children can be excited about Santa bringing presents... well... I though Catholics celebrate Christmas because of Jesus' birth, not Santa and presents.

I think everyone needs to be taught a healthy dose of tolerance. It is unfortunate that children miss out on festivities because everyone is so darn lawsuit-happy.

Additionally, I agree with BritishBandit- what the teacher did wasn't particularly great, but what did that little girl learn from her mom? Very little of value, that's for sure.

Finally, if it were my child... I wouldn't care if someone said Merry Christmas or Happy Kwanzaa or Happy Satan's day or whatever. It's a sentiment for one of many different holidays that are celebrated by many different people. I have aspirations of raising very tolerant children.

That said, I hope that if I ever do have children, I never act like the parent in your anecdote.

[wehkah]

IMO I think this comes from years of bad parenting. For so many years I've seen or heard of teachers having to teach their students the difference between right and wrong or just plain common sense. There are too many parents that don't teach these simple moral decisions by the time their kids get to school it's just sick to me. The lack of discipline in the home is just nutz too. We should only rely on our school systems to teach kids school subjects not how to behave and act that's a parent's responsibility! Schools are not daycares and are not substitutions for parenting. So now we have school systems that are complying with the changing times and thus you get a teacher that did the above. It's just wrong!

[Shelties]

Originally Posted by britishbandit

Ok, it's not that I disagree with what you and your sister are saying, but that's upsetting. What a terrible position to put the child in, after getting in trouble for saying "Merry Christmas" (which granted, I can't believe a teacher would say not to), to dress her up as Santa. IMO, your sister should have contacted the school and talked to the principal about it. Not be goofy about it and use her child to "get one over". That wasn't the way to go about it. I hate to see a kid get stuck in the middle of something because the adults in the situation can't or won't sort things out themselves.

Not sister, sister-In-Law and the whole point of sending her kid in a santa outfit was no one has the right to tell her what she can or cannot say and the only person she's allowed to listen to is "mommy and daddy". The only thing a teacher needs to do is be teaching something alittle more important. I know that there are rowdy kids that are just trouble and need some discipline that's when a teacher should step in and call the parents. But if a little girl is innocent through the whole thing and just loves christmas i don't think anyone has the right to take that away from a little girl, to me that's bullying imo and the mother is just telling her daughter that she has the right to speak her mind, she is a very intelligent little girl.

Originally Posted by britishbandit

And as far as sending your kids to a Catholic school so that your children can be excited about Santa bringing presents... well... I though Catholics celebrate Christmas because of Jesus' birth, not Santa and presents.

Well it's far more than just that. It's just my own personal choice that i'd feel better if my child went somewhere he or she didn't have to worry about school shootings, drugs, teachers passing out condoms so kids can go do the deeds in the bathroom.... There is so many reasons why i rather put my kid in either a private school or a catholic school so she or he can become a responsible adult. I remember when i was a kid how the world was so much safer, now there's so too much violence, drugs etc in the world. But that's just the way i feel i'm sure every parent out there just hopes that their kid grows up into a decent adult. My cousin puts her 2 sons in catholic schools and they're doing excellent, probably better than if they were in public schools...

[britishbandit]

Originally Posted by Shelties

Not sister, sister-In-Law and the whole point of sending her kid in a santa outfit was no one has the right to tell her what she can or cannot say and the only person she's allowed to listen to is "mommy and daddy". The only thing a teacher needs to do is be teaching something alittle more important. I know that there are rowdy kids that are just trouble and need some discipline that's when a teacher should step in and call the parents. But if a little girl is innocent through the whole thing and just loves christmas i don't think anyone has the right to take that away from a little girl, to me that's bullying imo and the mother is just telling her daughter that she has the right to speak her mind, she is a very intelligent little girl.

So are you saying it was the little girl's idea to go to school dressed up as Santa? If not, it wasn't her own decision and therefore your sister in law forced her kid to do her dirty work. I just don't agree with that. And I find it hard to believe that an 8 year old would do that after already having words passed about saying "Merry Christmas". But maybe I'm wrong, still, what came out of it? Even if it was her idea, as a parent, your sister in law shouldn't have allowed it. Seems like it was all just to stir up something that could've been discussed between the adults. Instead, it became trying to make a point through an innocent kid.

Oh, and for the record, that second quote you posted, I did not say. You added the wrong name to that one. But IMO, Christmas is about a lot of things, but in a child's eyes, I think it's has less of a religious meaning than it does concerning Santa and presents. But for me personally, Christmas is more about family and friends and a time where we all try and get together.

[mulroony]

I read this a while ago, and had to dig it up for this.

http://possummomma.blogspot.com/2007...-us-proud.html

I do not agree with the teacher calling the kid out on saying Merry Christmas/Kwanzaa/whatever (heck I consider it the kids right, and would fight to defend it), but this little girl does an amazing job showing how getting so wrapped up in the holidays can leave us blind to the plights of those around us. It does feel like most holidays have come so far from what they had originally been established to honor that it is a bit of a shame.

[mulroony]

Originally Posted by Shelties

teachers passing out condoms so kids can go do the deeds in the bathroom....

Then send your kids to public school and give them condoms, because teaching abstinence has shown time and again to cause higher rates of sex (also pregnancy, STIs, etc pretty much all the things we are trying to prevent) in teens than safe sex education.

[ewarp]

As far as safety in Catholic schools goes... I graduated from a co-ed catholic high school within the last 5 years. I spent two years there, with one semester at a public school (we were moving), and the remainder (three semesters) at an all-girls catholic school (opus dei run, to boot! very conservative). Prior to that, I was at a catholic charter school for junior high, and a parochial catholic school for grades k-5.

Drug use is just as bad. Sex? Probably worse at the all-girls school than the co-ed school, but definitely on par with the public schools. Violence? The co-ed school has metal detectors installed at every door, and we had multiple bomb threats. Heck, the high school I graduated from had a HUGE drug bust not too long ago- apparently some of the students in some of my little brother's classes were supplying cocaine for much of the Chicago suburbs. The chaplain at the all-girls school was recently fired due to allegations of sexual harassment.

And heck... maybe if the teachers did pass out condoms, 6 of the 150 female graduating students wouldn't have been pregnant when they walked.

Perhaps back in the day, catholic schools afforded some sense of safety or privacy. Today, not so much. It doesn't matter where you send your child, so long as you, the parent, can instill some sense of decency in them.

Opportunities at public schools are much better- there's better equipment, more sports, more extra-curriculars. I remember watching our chem teacher perform a science experiment because there weren't enough beakers to go around for us all to try it ourselves- even in groups of 3. That's what catholic school budgeting got us. We had a volleyball team, but no basketball team at the all-girls school. That was our option in terms of sports. No air conditioning either. Simply lovely in the Chicago heat, in wool skirts and polyester vests.

Really, weigh your options. I got a good education because I was a good student, not because a religion class was offered. I didn't try drugs or mess around with boys- because of what my parents had taught me, not because of the school. The opportunities were there, I chose not to partake.

EDIT: perhaps this would best be moved to the debate forum?

[Ilovemypup]

I am not a parent , nor an adult but may I speak my opinion?Since we are on the school thing..

I think that.. ok for example.. teenagers( not all but lately these days) do what they aren't supposed to , alot sometims..

Like for example.. a mother has a toddler , he is banging with pots and pans... mother says "can you please stop that billy" .. he knows he is going to get his mom rowled up so he keeps banging the pans..

isn't it just like alot of people?
If kids are told they shouldn't do this , shouldn't do that.. I am sorry but alot of kids are going to do it... more .
My point is that in a private school kids are usually taught , no drugs and don't do "stuff"

Well I am sorry but those kids are probably going to do it more , just for the thrill of "ooh I am not supposed to be doing this!!!"

Wheras in public school the are taught about what happens if they do these things , yes they also they shouldn't do them but yeah..

I don't know I just think that in public schools the kids are more.. knowing as whats in the real world

I am not trying to be mean.. this is my honest opinion.. mods delete it if needed.
Also want to mention that I think that there are alot of children in private school not like this...not trying to bash the whole private school system.

[Cassiepeia]

EDIT: perhaps this would best be moved to the debate forum?

The debate forum is reserved for debates relating to dogs only. This particular topic is fine here in the general forum.

Cass.

[RedWolf]

It's funny because I keep hearing about how the publics schools won't celebrate or even mention holidays and things because they are afraid to offend people or something, yet I have seen the opposite really...
Friends of mine have one child who goes to a public school (their other kids all go to/went to religious schools) because the school offers good programs for deaf children, and I've noticed their child often brings home holiday-related things like Christmas, Halloween, Easter etc... Her class went on a trip to a pumpkin farm for Halloween and I'm sure have done other activities like that for other holidays. Now, her family is orthodox Jewish so they do not celebrate any of these holidays at all but do her parents complain about the school? Nope...

[Novel]

Originally Posted by mulroony

Then send your kids to public school and give them c