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So what? Those skills could be taught by parents, not the school. Where do you draw the line? Oh boy we better not the little dears talk about their favorite movies and tv shows. That's a waste of time! And we might offend someone! OMG and we might learn we have different ideas and preferences. OH NO. Can't have that!
Why do these arguments always have to be taken to an extreme? No one is talking about removing references to pop culture from the classroom. We are talking about a separation of Church and State, a fundamental bedrock of American life, crafted by the founders of our nation.
You make it sound like these children go to school for free. Their parents pay taxes. Time for school systems to realize who is in charge and that should be the parents of the children. Don't want your child to see Santa, don't send them. Let them remain in the classroom. Christmas is a historical fact that changed the calendar from B. C. to A. D.
Remain in the classroom? They can't. The class and the teacher are on a field trip.
So the kids will end up shoved in the back of someone else's classroom for the day.
No you can't keep them home, it will count against them as an unexcused absence.
The parents of those kids also pay taxes.
Santa has nothing whatsoever to do with changing the calendar from BC to AD, for goodness' sake.
There are fat dudes in beards and red outfits everywhere. Everywhere!
Why a school needs to take a special trip to see yet one more is beyond me.
I don't get why parents are into this to that extent. It's something families would want to do together, no? I don't get the appeal of having teachers take your child to sit on some strange guy's lap when you're quite capable of doing it yourself.
That's actually a very good point...about "everywhere".
Television is filled with Christmas programs right now. Most of the sit-coms have already had their Christmas show and many are additionally rerunning Christmas episodes from previous years. Then there are the Christmas musical/variety type shows. Christmas t.v. movies, along with Christmas films from previous years. Christmas-related commercials out the wazoo. At the movie theaters there are a couple of Christmas films. The malls and stores are full of Christmas decor and Santas. There are Christmas outdoor lights all over town and the burbs. On Sirius XM radio there are at least 3 radio stations dedicated to nothing but Christmas songs, as well as Christmas songs on other XM stations. The churches all have their Christmas services scheduled and other events related to Christmas (I've already been to the senior Christmas luncheon). The vast majority of us have our trees and other decorations up. I even went to an estate sale the other day that was decorated for Christmas. There's the lighting of the national Christmas tree, the Congressional Christmas tree, publicly financed Christmas displays of lights, Christmas "gardens", zoos with Christmas light displays, carolers, people with their cars decorated, people paying hundreds or thousands of dollars to have the exterior of their houses decorated, Christmas concerts in most every school, Christmas concerts at at least 3 public concert halls in my moderate-sized city (some free), 2 Christmas concerts at the Air Force Academy that were open to the public, and Christmas parades.
I'm trying to think of an hour in the past 3 weeks that I haven't been reminded in some way or another that Christmas is just around the corner.
And yet, some people without eyes and ears keep complaining about the "war on Christmas". Apparently the "war" is not going well!
That's actually a very good point...about "everywhere".
Television is filled with Christmas programs right now. Most of the sit-coms have already had their Christmas show and many are additionally rerunning Christmas episodes from previous years. Then there are the Christmas musical/variety type shows. Christmas t.v. movies, along with Christmas films from previous years. Christmas-related commercials out the wazoo. At the movie theaters there are a couple of Christmas films. The malls and stores are full of Christmas decor and Santas. There are Christmas outdoor lights all over town and the burbs. On Sirius XM radio there are at least 3 radio stations dedicated to nothing but Christmas songs, as well as Christmas songs on other XM stations. The churches all have their Christmas services scheduled and other events related to Christmas (I've already been to the senior Christmas luncheon). The vast majority of us have our trees and other decorations up. I even went to an estate sale the other day that was decorated for Christmas. There's the lighting of the national Christmas tree, the Congressional Christmas tree, publicly financed Christmas displays of lights, Christmas "gardens", zoos with Christmas light displays, carolers, people with their cars decorated, people paying hundreds or thousands of dollars to have the exterior of their houses decorated, Christmas concerts in most every school, Christmas concerts at at least 3 public concert halls in my moderate-sized city (some free), 2 Christmas concerts at the Air Force Academy that were open to the public, and Christmas parades.
I'm trying to think of an hour in the past 3 weeks that I haven't been reminded in some way or another that Christmas is just around the corner.
And yet, some people without eyes and ears keep complaining about the "war on Christmas". Apparently the "war" is not going well!
So a field trip to see Santa is no big deal and why the school is placating a whining parent is beyond me
When all is said and done, the mother really did not think this thru. With the problem of "bullying" so rampant in schools today, she basically put a target on her kids back. An entire class can't go see Santa because of that "Jew" over there????? Way to go mom.
She caused her poor kid more trouble than it was worth.
1. Inappropriate field trip for a public school.
2. Nothing significant to do with the curriculum.
3. Taking kids to see Santa is the job of the parents.
4. Taxpayers should not be paying for that kind of field trip.
This doesn't happen too often, but I'm in agreement with phetaroi on this one. If the school wanted to do a field trip to see Santa, they should have done it during off hours (after school or on a weekend), using funds provided by PTA dues or voluntary contributions, open to everyone (in their class) but not required of anyone.
I just don't see how seeing Santa contributes to the school's educational mission.
In that vein, parents should be educating their own children on balancing checkbooks, cooking, theater, sports, etc.
Actually yes, they should. Those are all normal family activities that parents have been teaching their children for centuries before they got so lazy as to relegate them all to teachers.
Why do these arguments always have to be taken to an extreme? No one is talking about removing references to pop culture from the classroom. We are talking about a separation of Church and State, a fundamental bedrock of American life, crafted by the founders of our nation.
Because the actions of the school and the beliefs of those on this thread are extreme. We are talking about Santa Claus, not indoctrination. It annoys the **** out of me when people are purposefully obtuse believing they are fighting the good fight. You aren't. You are making it more difficult for people to compromise on the issue separation of church and state.
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