Teacher Ruins Christmas

[Kean]

So once again I was reading some random stories on yahoo and found ths, Teacher sacked over Santa gaffe - Yahoo! News UK.

A primary school teacher in England somehow let it slip to his class that Santa isn't real and got himself sacked in the process.

One part of me thinks this is untterly hilarious but the other can understand wholeheartedly why the parents and school were so upset. I have to ask though, did the teacher really need to lose their job over it?

 

[Blondie Bear]

That's the dumbest thing I've heard all day. Seriously. *stomps off*

 

[Skanky Vamp]

Kean, from my understanding it was just a substitute teacher, and it was more or less an early end to the assignment. Not like FT teacher. Yes, I think if it was a sub, it was more than fair to fire them.

 

[Mozzymandias]

Wow, that school must be backwards.

'We sack people for telling the truth'

Yeah, Christmas sucks.

 

[Kean]

Wow, that schools must be backwards.

'We sack people for telling the truth'

Yeah, Christmas sucks.

In fairness the kids were just 7 years of age.

EVen if the teacher was sub I still think it was unfair to sack them.

 

[Lindsey McDonald]

Well, she wasn't actually sacked. The headline is misleading. The school dispensed with her services, but she were only a supply teacher. There was a complaint made to her agency. She probably does still have a job. It's not a good sign though - if she can say things like that to a class full of children, it kind of suggests that she isn't all that good with kids.

Edit: I'm so slooooow....

 

[Skanky Vamp]

EVen if the teacher was sub I still think it was unfair to sack them.

Why? Explain that to me. One, with it being as close to Christmas and two teachers are supposed to teach and educate (this goes for you too Bear!) its not a pulpit for them to express their political or sociological viewpoints. Granted, it's only Santa, but you have to start somewhere.

Two weeks before Christmas and you tell a class of seven year olds that Santa is a symbol of greed and tyranny and is a universal symbol of Elvish oppression? Goodbye! You're voted off the island.

 

[Faith]

The article I read in the paper didn't suggest how it was said, just that they were talking about Christmas. I imagined it along the lines of kids misbehaving and her coming out with it - must admit i've felt the urge myself.

 

[Lindsey McDonald]

scobro agrees: So what? now you are going to say that thats not the REAL Buffy that runs the board?

Lol, I think if someone told Lou's kids that, there'd be more than a sacking going down!

 

[Blondie Bear]

Why? Explain that to me. One, with it being as close to Christmas and two teachers are supposed to teach and educate (this goes for you too Bear!) its not a pulpit for them to express their political or sociological viewpoints. Granted, it's only Santa, but you have to start somewhere.

Two weeks before Christmas and you tell a class of seven year olds that Santa is a symbol of greed and tyranny and is a universal symbol of Elvish oppression? Goodbye! You're voted off the island.

Um . . . telling a bunch of kids the truth about Santa Claus--that he's not real--is expressing a political or sociological viewpoint? Huh?

 

[Kean]

Why? Explain that to me. One, with it being as close to Christmas and two teachers are supposed to teach and educate (this goes for you too Bear!) its not a pulpit for them to express their political or sociological viewpoints. Granted, it's only Santa, but you have to start somewhere.

Two weeks before Christmas and you tell a class of seven year olds that Santa is a symbol of greed and tyranny and is a universal symbol of Elvish oppression? Goodbye! You're voted off the island.

I don't think the teahcer went in there with the intention of telling children Santa isn't real. The very fact that it is being described as a 'gaffe' leads me to think it was a an accident, a slip of the tongue.

That's why they shouldn't be sacked, it was an accident.

 

[Skanky Vamp]

Um . . . expressing a political or sociological viewpoint? Huh?

You missed the whole greed, tyranny and Elvish oppression part of the rant dear. The teacher was clearly an antiracist.
EDIT: with a hidden agenda, kean!

 

[Blondie Bear]

Oh, you're being silly. Got it. I was about to get very angry with you and send you to your room without dinner.

 

[yellowcrayon]

Okay, I guess it's time for yellowcrayon to turn into an evil, harsh yellowsharpie... cold b**** that she is...

So the teacher told them the truth... why does it matter? Sure, they're seven, but what's it say about us and our society to day if Santa not being real causes a seven year old to dissolve into tears? Is there something so horrid about the idea of Mummy and Daddy putting presents under the tree for them? They'll learn it sooner or later, and their world won't spontaneously combust if they learn about it sooner.

Then again, I wouldn't begin teaching my kids that Santa was real, so I guess I'm really unfeeling. Maybe I just never saw the appeal that was Santa.

So maybe I'm not good with kids, but I can't think I'm all that bad... I have one younger sister and 7 younger brothers... 😛

And now you may return to your regularly scheduled programming... 😉

 

[Lindsey McDonald]

But, you have to remember - it's really not the teacher's place. Whether it's right or not should be left up to the parent.
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Edit:
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yellowcrayon agrees: If the parents are sending their children to that school they are abdicating some/much of their responsibility to the discretion of the teachers.

Yes, but it's not like this is something that a teacher is supposed to teach children. If it was, or if it was commonly taught, then I can see that argument applying, but a parent would not reasonably expect a teacher to tell a child this. Now, I don't really think the teacher should have been sacked (which she wasn't really), but I really don't think it's her place.

 

[Skanky Vamp]

but I really don't think it's her place.

Thats part of the problem that this world faces though, luvmuffin; if everyone say 'that's not my place, if their parents want to do this or that to them, thats not my place to make sure the child learns correctly or is properly supervised'

 

[Blondie Bear]

^ Especially if people also think that it IS the school's (and not the parents') place to administer birth control and abortions. . . . :whistle:

 

[Queen Mum]

My grandfather got into trouble with my mother for telling me that Santa wasn't real. She felt betrayed about not being able to experience an aspect of parenthood. I can understand her and I can understand that parents are upset with the teacher saying something like that. It shouldn't be up to teachers in the first place. I mean, they are 7 yr old kids and so it really shouldn't be a teachers obligation to say something like that. It's not a matter of life and death were the parent's choiced lead to easily avoidable consequences. Especially so close to christmas, I can imagine that some of the kids will think, that christmas was spoiled for them, as christmas in a way lost its magic. Of course it'll come back to them. After all it's christmas for christ sake and children love presents, though in fact christmas should be about more than presents and Santa. ^^

 

[PurplePoof]

Kids are gonna learn EVENTUALLY that Santa doesn't exist anyway...and seriously, they may be upset over it for a few days but they'll forget all about it once they have a mouth full of cookies and half their parents' salary worth of presents sitting in front of them.

But at the same time, teachers can't really afford to have "slip-ups" like that...especially with younger kids. I mean, Santa is relatively innocent when one thinks of some other things we occasionally let "slip" without thinking...

 

[JenniferAlice]

Ok, WHOA WHOA WHOA. WAIT A MINUTE.

THERE'S NO SANTA??!!

Blondie Bear agrees: Maybe this is a bad time to tell you about the Easter Bunny?

WHHHAAAT??!!