Too much Christmas Education in my Public School

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This sounds like a elementary school in flyover country circa 1983.

^ an

[Anonymous]

We celebrate Christmas and I agree with you completely, OP. Sorry that happened at your school. I think my kids’ school spends way too much time on Christmas also.

[Anonymous]

Unless you are in the Deep South of Midwest this is hard to believe. Public schools go to great pains now to make everything genetically winter/ambiguous holiday themed. No teacher I know including myself touches the Christian aspect of it and if any Christmas music is played at all it's highly secular stuff like Frosty the Snowman.

[Anonymous]

Generically*

[Anonymous]

When my kids were in ES, the December party had rooms, one for Christmas, one for Hanukkah, one for Diwali,, one for No Ruz and one for an Incan Sun holiday. If someone complained that their tradition was not represented, the were asked to chair a room for that tradition the next year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She made a Christmas tree, a Rudolph ornament and an Elf ornament, and a Santa hat pencil holder. They were gifts from her to us. All the kids had to make the same thing. I would have been fine with one or two Christmas themed and then a snowman, snowflake, etc.

Those are all secular and non religous things.

They learned about menorahs. Did they learn about advent wreaths? That would be an equivalent religious item.

A menorah is religious.

Santa, elves, reindeer and Christmas trees are not.

But it’s all Christmas, a holiday my kid doesn’t celebrate and is excluded from because we are not Christian. Do you get it? The menorah was a 5 min activity. This was all day everyday for a month. And they learned about the nativity, the wise men and baby Jesus.

If this is really true - name the school

And if it did happen, did your kid really feel excluded or did she happily participate and then you made her feel bad at home with your faux outrage?
And if she did feel excluded, so what? The every kid must be happy every moment environment has been such a disservice and now that my kid is in middle school I wish they had not had the “every kid is a winner! Every kid most never, ever have an uncomfortable moment, ever. No feelings allowed! “

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Unless you are in the Deep South of Midwest this is hard to believe. Public schools go to great pains now to make everything genetically winter/ambiguous holiday themed. No teacher I know including myself touches the Christian aspect of it and if any Christmas music is played at all it's highly secular stuff like Frosty the Snowman.

I’m guessing that she lives in either Oklahoma or Georgia.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What school is this?

My kids are out of elementary school now, but their schools were always very careful to make everything about winter holiday fun, and never, never did anything directly Christmas related, other than situations where they learned about many different religions and cultures. I’d be curious to know what school is allowing what is described in the OP to happen: it sounds as though they are going backwards instead of forward.

I know, right?! This was never the case when I was younger. I was surprised and kind of sad for her. They did do a thing where parents can come in and talk about your holiday and we did that over Chanukah... but the last three weeks have ONLY been Christmas. I do t want to call the school out, but it’s in DC.

Doesn’t sound like Ga, Tenn, the Deep South, or the Midwest.

[Anonymous]

^^sorry, meant OK, not TN

[Anonymous]

Elves, santa hat, Rudolf ornament, one kiddie movie related to Xmas, Spanish class doing something related to nativity, Xmas music.
Perhaps your kid chose to do a reindeer ornament. What was the Xmas move?
Kids are in class, not watching movie's or listening to music

I think it was far more innocent than what you make it out to be
This is a loosing battle. Next year your kid is in a higher grade and it will not be an issue.
You should explain that while you go not celebrate Xmas, there are a lot of celebrations you do have that others don't

You will just embarrasse your kid by starting a fight now

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Send her for a jewish education.

Really? So her child isn’t eligible for for free public education? She has to pay $35,000 a year in tuition for her daughter because the teacher can’t syop with this nonsense? When county and state funds are used to fund this girls’ Jewish education because they can’t provide her with her free appropriate education then she should consider a Jewish education for her daughter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What school is this?

My kids are out of elementary school now, but their schools were always very careful to make everything about winter holiday fun, and never, never did anything directly Christmas related, other than situations where they learned about many different religions and cultures. I’d be curious to know what school is allowing what is described in the OP to happen: it sounds as though they are going backwards instead of forward.

I know, right?! This was never the case when I was younger. I was surprised and kind of sad for her. They did do a thing where parents can come in and talk about your holiday and we did that over Chanukah... but the last three weeks have ONLY been Christmas. I do t want to call the school out, but it’s in DC.

Doesn’t sound like Ga, Tenn, the Deep South, or the Midwest.

It sounds like Oklahoma to me - though they would have thrown the 10 commandments in there too, it’s true.

[Anonymous]

Twenty some years ago, in an FCPS elementary school, we were tasked with making Christmas decorations. A classmate pointed at me and cackled, he’s Jewish! He doesn’t even celebrate Christmas!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Elves, santa hat, Rudolf ornament, one kiddie movie related to Xmas, Spanish class doing something related to nativity, Xmas music.
Perhaps your kid chose to do a reindeer ornament. What was the Xmas move?
Kids are in class, not watching movie's or listening to music

I think it was far more innocent than what you make it out to be
This is a loosing battle. Next year your kid is in a higher grade and it will not be an issue.
You should explain that while you go not celebrate Xmas, there are a lot of celebrations you do have that others don't

You will just embarrasse your kid by starting a fight now

She will be saving the next kid from this nonsense next year if she points out the inappropriateness of this ‘skewed holiday environment’ .
And how would her child be embarrassed by her mom’s request to keep religion out of school exactly? It would seem to be a good lesson for the girl really.

There are many other religions that don’t celebrate ‘Xmas’ this all just seems very ignorant.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She made a Christmas tree, a Rudolph ornament and an Elf ornament, and a Santa hat pencil holder. They were gifts from her to us. All the kids had to make the same thing. I would have been fine with one or two Christmas themed and then a snowman, snowflake, etc.

Those are all secular and non religous things.

They learned about menorahs. Did they learn about advent wreaths? That would be an equivalent religious item.

A menorah is religious.

Santa, elves, reindeer and Christmas trees are not.

But it’s all Christmas, a holiday my kid doesn’t celebrate and is excluded from because we are not Christian. Do you get it? The menorah was a 5 min activity. This was all day everyday for a month. And they learned about the nativity, the wise men and baby Jesus.

If this is really true - name the school

And if it did happen, did your kid really feel excluded or did she happily participate and then you made her feel bad at home with your faux outrage?
And if she did feel excluded, so what? The every kid must be happy every moment environment has been such a disservice and now that my kid is in middle school I wish they had not had the “every kid is a winner! Every kid most never, ever have an uncomfortable moment, ever. No feelings allowed! “

DP. You're missing the point. We have a constitution that provides for separation of church and state. This is a public school. One of the driving forces for our forefathers coming here was freedom of/freedom from religion. It's troubling how many Americans have no clue about our constitution and the principles on which our country was built.