every parent should demand their child be moved to another teacher and next years class should demand a different teacher as soon as they know their child is assigned to her room..."Thank you very much for demonstrating your paper’s low level of journalistic integrity in today’s reporting of the “Santa Controversy.” I was misquoted in both ofyour articles, and much of what I had to say--including the main points of the interview I agreed to give to your reporter, Mr. Schuler, were omitted entirely. Perhaps these qualities is why your circulation is so low, why free papers show up at my door all the time, as well why I get frequent nuisance calls from your telemarketers wanting me to subscribe to your three-page paper. You really do need to give it away.
I never said in my telephone interviews with Mr. Schuyler that I want everyone to “agree with” my beliefs about teaching, or not teaching, Santa Claus to children. What I said, as I stated in my letter to the editor and evidently need to clarify further, was that 1) what public school is doing by promoting Santa Claus is promoting a form of religion; that 2) religion should not be promoted in public school; 3) a teacher should not be required to promote a religion in public school; and 4) the lesson plan requiring me to promote Santa Claus was imposing religion on me, not the other way around. I certainly am not responsible for, or interested in, making people believe as I do about anything, for that is definitely not my job.
Leonard Martin, a friend of mine, is without a doubt the gentlest, humblest, meekest man I know, a devout Christian who practices his belief in God with the highest integrity. He does not believe in violence or retribution or “revenge.” Mr. Martin never used the phrase “a form of revenge” in speaking to Mr.Schuler, and yet he was represented as saying this or believing in this.
You neglected to include my entire statements about freedom of speech and religion. Don’t you like the Constitution? It read: “Furthermore, freedom of speech and religion, no matter how unpopular the speech or against cultural norms the religion, are protected rights under the Constitution of the United States.” I also said, in full: that belief in Santa is “ a distorted substitute for the Judeo-Christian God; a false form of Christianity; a zealously-protected American idol.” I also said, without edit, “If people are upset about the revelation to children that Santa Claus is a myth-- which all children who are taught this lie find or figure out eventually-- perhaps it is because Santa is that zealously-guarded idol of their own modern religion.” This statment only makes sense if you include the phrases you omitted.
I spoke in trust with Mr. Schuler, who told me the article was to be a front-page story showing Leonard Martin’s sign, and that the inclusion of my involvement at the school was to be a small part of that story. It was under those terms that I agreed to be interviewed. Instead, your editors put me on the front page- rather negatively, in fact-- and Mr. Martin’s sign, small and off to the bottom, on page five. I would never have agreed to speak to this reporter at all, had I known that your paper would distort both my words and its intentions about the use of my words. Evidently a lame front-page “contoversy” beats stating quotations and sentiments accurately and without bias. Is this how you think you will sell a few more papers?
I would wish you to print this letter in its entirety, but based on today’s experience, I highly doubt all my words will appear as I intend them to appear, which means all of my words, none deleted, without your “editing.” It might even make your paper bigger."
Hmm, the lady whines about being required to 'teach religion' in school, then mentions Santa Claus. Well, today Santa Claus is not a 'religious' figure, despite his origins as Saint Nicholas. She said she wasn't required to 'teach lies'. Nor is she required to tear wings off butterflies. She could have held her tongue and allowed small children the wonder of their families' Christmas celebrations...which were none of her business. She sounds bitter and angry and took it out on the kids. She could easily have focused on Christmas and Santa as a wonderful American holiday where generosity and kindness is paramount. But no.
I am a grade A dope. I grew up and failed to connect the dots. Santa is a part of Christianity? I missed that in Bible school, I missed that in the public school. I blame the sloppy public education system for failing to teach me this fact, while educating me on the merits of earth day, kwanza and diversity. What excuse does the church have for failing to properly educate its youth about the Santa-Christianity connection?
Actually she just keeps digging deeper and deeper.
My impression from the original article was that she was a fool and a prig. She has now confirmed that initial impression, at length, in her own words.
Kudos, Theresa. The world needs straight-shooters like you.
Is there any doubt in anyone's mind that she has told these youngsters that the US invaded Iraq to get their oil?
If this sanctimonious, tight-*ss b*tch had to write a paragraph without using the words "I", "me", or "my", she would have nothing to say.
Guess what, sweetie, it ain't about YOU. You were asked to do a simple task in a first grade classroom, not sit there and pontificate on your beliefs.
This person is the kind who gives "Christians" a bad name.
This substitute teacher is a good example of the undereducated product of our liberal colleges. These young women have earned teaching degrees so they can go into our public schools and tear down American traditions. When they are not eroding American traditions, they are giving our adolescent boys hands-on learning experiences in sexual education.
The good news is that Theresa is a substitute. Kids never pay attention to the substitutes.
every parent should demand their child be moved to another teacher and next years class should demand a different teacher as soon as they know their child is assigned to her room...While I can appreciate the poem for its literary value, the subject matter is offensive to me.
LinkI have only one firm belief about the American political system, and that is this: God is a Republican and Santa Claus is a Democrat.
God is an elderly or, at any rate, middle-aged male, a stern fellow, patriarchal rather than paternal and a great believer in rules and regulations. He holds men strictly accountable for their actions. He has little apparent concern for the material well-being of the disadvantaged. He is politically connected, socially powerful and holds the mortgage on literally everything in the world. God is difficult. God is unsentimental. It is very hard to get into God's heavenly country club.
Santa Claus is another matter.
He's cute. He's nonthreatening. He's always cheerful. And he loves animals. He may know who's been naughty and who's been nice, but he never does anything about it. He gives everyone everything they want without thought of a quid pro quo. He works hard for charities, and he's famously generous to the poor. Santa Claus is preferable to God in every way but one: There is no such thing as Santa Claus.
I still love that poem. There are doubtless countless other "poems" that should not be read to children with "religious content" or transcendentalism.
Having found out abruptly that there was no Santa Claus when I found a bicycle basket that was, in retrospect, carelessly hidden (what did they/she expect?) :-). My first thought was that God must be a lie, too. So I brought up my three children from the start by telling them that Santa Claus was just pretend; there really wasn't one. We celebrated Christmas with all the trappings almost like everybody else.
Then granddaughter comes along. She was taught the same and one night before Christmas got very upset with me when she was quite young. She insisted that we put out some milk and cookies. So what can one do? I had to drink the milk and eat the cookies.
Then I left a hand-printed note thanking her and telling her that (as Santa) we need to clean out our chimney because I got my suit all dirty and I was tired of milk and cookies and next year, could she please leave put out a six-pack and tacos?
That was ornery. I will have to beg her forgiveness for that.
She still LOVES Christmas and is a professed atheist. She didn't get that from me as I used to pray regularly as I was a "new" catholic.
Then something really strange happened. She and her friend played here every night after school. I had in my bookshelf some of my father's old books. I think one was called The Golden Bough which looks like something esoteric, I did glance through it but was never interested in reading it. My father wouldn't have been into any of that I doubt, but I see it was considered some form of classic.
One afternoon after school, and her friend had set up a little altar with that book instead of the bible for some kind of pretend thing they were doing. Neither one of them I doubt knew what it was about because their reading wasn't that advanced yet. Maybe in a bizarre sort of way, they turned the tables on me. It still bothers me as I recall the two incidents. A lot. I will have to try to make some kind of amends with Somebody about it.
Including evolution?
It was a POEM for crying out loud!!
What is she --- Mrs. Scrooge??
1. The teacher's own statements here make it quite clear that this is not a matter of a brave woman standing up for her beliefs. Instead, it's just some delusional person who sees a "religion" where one doesn't exist, and decided that "Since I can't teach my religion to those kids, then I'm sure as hell going to screw up theirs!". In short, she's a sanctimonious hypocrite who took out her own psychological issues on a bunch of innocent kids.
2. Regardless of any other issues raised by this incident, there's only one that truly matters at the end of the day: This person has pr oven herself wholly unsuitable to hold the position of schoolteacher. Anyone who would do this to a class full of six-year-olds either was too stupid to realize that this sort of outcome was preordained, or was fully cognizant of that fact and proceeded to do it anyway out of spite. That's not the sort of personality type that ought to be in charge of any group of kids under the age of 12 or 13.
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! .... You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!" (Matthew 23:23-24)
GNAT: reading "The Night Before Christmas" as requested by the teacher.
CAMEL: Taking it upon herself to decide that she should force HER personal belief that Santa is incompatible with Christianity on the classroom -- creating this huge controversy due to her holier-than-thou attitude.
ww