Grinchy remark sends kids home in tears

[Bob C]

The reading of "A Visit from Saint Nicholas" does not constitute teaching that Santa is real, any more than reading the hundreds of other storybooks teaches that The Cat in the Hat or a thousand other characters are real.

This teacher reveals herself in the last line of her letter - she is a christian extremist who feels the need to impose her beliefs on others, and cannot bear the thought that someone could enjoy a winter holiday without paying homage to her particular superstitions.

[Graham]

well as I said, I don't know the real circumstances...we've all seen how media reports get it wrong, misconstrue the facts etc, so I'm reluctant to believe all I read.

What I do know is that my wife is a wonderful, caring Christian woman who has been a teacher for nearly 30 years in both Christian and secular schools, in BOTH she has had her challenges with what is taught in schools and what she believes.

It's not always easy, especially when dealing with sacred cows!

[Shay]

Graham, I don't think anybody's saying anything against Christianity, or Christian people, this is more against someone pushing their relgious beliefs with no consideration for time and place.

If this were a story about a Wiccan teacher who told her class that Christmas's celebrated date was stolen from a midwinter Mithras celebration and they'd been lied to, or a Jewish teacher who took the time to explain the 'slaughter of the innocents' to show that the Christmas story is not all sweetness and light, we'd still be up in arms.

[Nick]

My mother absolutely HATES Santa Claus. She goes to all the trouble, and the old codger gets all the credit. I didn't find that out until after I realized that it wasn't a large man in a red suit that brought all the presents. But Mom never told me Santa wasn't real. She let me figure it out for myself. Since she's an early childhood development specialist, I've come to trust what she says about raising kids. Even my aunt, who's a professor of philosophy and ethics, calls her up to get advice on raising her daughter.

On a slightly off topic, apparently St. Nick is also the patron saint of theives, but I don't know if it's the same St. Nick. There's way to many saints to keep track of.

[Iolaus]

...On a slightly off topic, apparently St. Nick is also the patron saint of theives, but I don't know if it's the same St. Nick. There's way to many saints to keep track of.

That would make sense, after all, he does sneak in and out of houses in the middle of the night! ;)