Christmas Joy
Christmas JoyIs it legal to celebrate Christmas in public elementary schools?
Author: mike | Filed under: Uncategorized
Hitmytotem asked:
My kid’s class read stories of jesus and sang Christmas songs. No Hanukkah or anything other than Christian songs. My family does not subscribe to the teachings of Jesus so this makes me uncomfortable.
- Tags: Christian Songs, Christmas, Hanukkah
Nrassm
October 23rd, 2008 at 5:48 pm
Wow, it shouldn’t be. I had no idea they did that. When I went to school, we didn’t do that. I would be uncomfortable too! I’d bring it up with the Board of Education. Make things happen!
Amy J
October 26th, 2008 at 1:47 am
I am a public school teacher and this seems inappropriate. If the teacher is reading stories/songs about xmas, same should be done with every other religion. Basically we are told to focus on winter and not direct religious holidays.
If you are uncomfortable, talk to the teacher and school.
KA
October 27th, 2008 at 9:46 pm
Okay, lots of people are going to tell you that this is America and therefore celebrating Christmas is what it is all about, so now that that is out of the way…public schools are to discuss different types of celebrations, Hanukkah among them. I have a couple kids that celebrated Eid this year and we talked about Dutch celebrations and German celebrations and Chinese celebrations. We did mention Hanukkah but there is only so much time. We have a WINTER PARTY, not a Christmas one. We read the Night Before Christmas, had cookies and boxed drinks. Low key! Jesus only showed up when we listed nouns that were people. We also had a whole school sing-a-long where the kids sang lots of traditional Christmas carols.
Marilyn A
October 29th, 2008 at 8:34 am
It may not be politically correct, but it IS legal. It’s too bad that you are uncomfortable with Jesus. Are your spiritual beliefs being attacked? If they are, then they must not hold water…..or walk on water! Don’t let an over active imagination ruin CHRISTmas for all the little children (that Jesus loves) in your child’s school. Deeeeep down, your little one loved it! I’m glad that your child has this teacher. Our government screwls need more courageous teachers like her or him. Your child told you about the stories and songs, right? “The most important thing is to show pride and happiness that your child is curious about the world, and is seeking information. Encourage it.” (Your own words! Don’t waffle.)
My family does not subscribe to the hundreds of religous teachings out there, but we are not uncomfortable with learning about them. Our faith is Rock solid enough that being uncomfortable is not even an issue.
I trust you celebrated and had a wonderful Christmas? Yes? Then you do believe!!!!
Talon
October 29th, 2008 at 9:13 am
Separation of Church and State means we are NOT supposed to shove any dogma down students’ throats. If there are holidays you don’t want your child subjected to let the school know. You can ask to see what activities/packets are going to be used. If there’s something you object to it can be removed or modified.
Talon
oyvey223
October 31st, 2008 at 3:18 am
As a rule of thumb a public school should only teach religion in an objective or historically accurate manner. If class does involve celebration of a religious tradition, the school is supposed to do so in a way that’s fair to people of all faiths.
Often, Christmas stuff is acceptable because Christmas can be viewed as a seasonal celebration, rather than a religious one. However, stories about Jesus apears to be too religious. The best thing to do would be to inform your teacher of how you feel about such actions. (Such a conversation would be appropriate on the day that the uncomfortable lesson takes place, preferably in private before or after class so that nobody is embarassed.) If your teacher does not comply, talk to someone at the school’s office who can take care of the problem or refer you to someone who will do so.
In my school, there was a student who did not like that a certain teacher had a mini-Christmas tree on her desk. The student told the principal, who asked the teacher to remove the mini-tree. She complied and the dispute was resolved quickly. In your situation, the actions were more offensive, so you should have no problem getting results. However, the proper time to have taken actions would have been around the time when the teacher bothered you, not a month later.
Edit: Sorry, I didn’t read the question carefully and thought you were the student, not a parent. Parent’s tend to have more influence and school’s don’t want to annoy parents. Basically, write a letter to the school. If you do not feel that proper action was taken and/or religion is taught a second time, get an appointment with the principal and calmly explain your problem and what you feel should be done to remedy the situation. If things get really bad and you are feel very strongly about it, you can threaten to sue the school. However, such an action is only good as a last resort.
nubiangeek
November 2nd, 2008 at 2:19 am
Each year I do a study of Winter Holidays around the world. We talk about everything including Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and Eid el Fatur. At no time would I say that we were celebrating these holidays. I am simply informing the students. We also emphasize how the students celebrate. Some do not go to church but do give presents, put up a tree or send Christmas cards. So, since i can only speak for myself, I would say that what I do is fine. I have don it for several years and have never had any complaints.