Need input
Monday, October 01, 2007
Our family does not celebrate Halloween.
I realize that it is a cultural, American celebration, but it also has roots in pagan mockery of All Saint's Day; in addition, I think that celebrating ghosts, witches, etc. breeds harmful familiarity. It also mocks the dead.
This post is not about celebrating Halloween.
It is about how to tell the school that we won't be participating in Halloween activities. Today is only Oct. 1, but Mr R came home with bookmarks to color ("Reading is Bewitching",with picture of a witch, for examply) and reports that his teacher's room is fully decorated with monsters, ghosts that make noise, and so on.
I'm tempted to write a tersely worded:
I think there is probably a less peevish way to word this... any ideas? I don't care if they are studying mummies if they are also studying Ancient Egypt - I do object to sensationalizing human remains.
I am also planning to keep him out of school on Oct. 31. Since the school is unable to NOT give the boy M&M's, even when I send bags of non-colored candy, I think it's just easier than to have a maniac for the next week because they fed him Hawaiin Punch, Skittles, and Candy Corn.
I realize that it is a cultural, American celebration, but it also has roots in pagan mockery of All Saint's Day; in addition, I think that celebrating ghosts, witches, etc. breeds harmful familiarity. It also mocks the dead.
This post is not about celebrating Halloween.
It is about how to tell the school that we won't be participating in Halloween activities. Today is only Oct. 1, but Mr R came home with bookmarks to color ("Reading is Bewitching",with picture of a witch, for examply) and reports that his teacher's room is fully decorated with monsters, ghosts that make noise, and so on.
I'm tempted to write a tersely worded:
We do not celebrate Halloween. Please do not require Mr R to complete worksheets, artwork, or other school activities featuring pagan religious occupations, such as witches, or to lurid depictions dead bodies, such as mummies, zombies, ghosts, etc., taken out of educational context.
I think there is probably a less peevish way to word this... any ideas? I don't care if they are studying mummies if they are also studying Ancient Egypt - I do object to sensationalizing human remains.
I am also planning to keep him out of school on Oct. 31. Since the school is unable to NOT give the boy M&M's, even when I send bags of non-colored candy, I think it's just easier than to have a maniac for the next week because they fed him Hawaiin Punch, Skittles, and Candy Corn.
Labels: Catholic, education, Rants and Raves
posted by Milehimama @ Mama Says at 10/01/2007 03:38:00 PM | Permalink |
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