Last week was my eldest son's school harvest festival and I was really looking forward to it as I used to love my own school harvest festivals. They are hazy childhood memories because as I got older the schools stopped observing them - it seems they were the stuff of infant school.
But I have to confess that the school harvest festival made me some what uncomfortable. My son's school had suddenly become Christian for the day. Day to day there's not a whiff of religion in school, and all of a sudden I was listening to children praising the Lord for His creation. If I lived in an outwardly Christian area this wouldn't surprise or bother me. However the little town we live in is very much multi-cultural. There are children in this school from all around the globe - plenty of children that are not in any way Christian. That the school should suddenly become all Christian in light of this bothers me.
This made me a little bit uneasy, but what really got my goat was listening to the headmistress stand and tell us all about 'the first harvest festival' which was the idea of a reverend in Cornwall. Now I have no problem with being told that the reverend decided to formally celebrate the harvest festival in church. What I find enormously irritating is how a so-called learned professional can dress the facts up and ignore the fact that the harvest festival was in full swing long before the church adopted it. I found myself walking away from the school's harvest festival feeling more than a little resentful and found myself ranting about it to my partner again in the evening.
I considered complaining. After all, if you are teaching children you shouldn't only teach them the half of the story that you approve of. It was the misrepresentation that annoyed me most of all and I certainly don't want my child spoon fed half truths. It would be easy to assume from this that I am against the school teaching my child Christianity, but that really isn't that case. I am eager for my children to learn Christian customs, just as I want my children to learn Sikh customs. What I take issue with is the blatant lie. Because the harvest festival didn't start when a Cornish reverend noticed that the harvest was an important time to people in his parish, it was going long before that and all he did was bring the festivities into the church. No mentions what-so-ever of the long history of the harvest. What other nonsense is my child being taught?
It is also interesting to note that the school does not celebrate Halloween.
I decided in the end not to complain. Simply because I have had dealings with the head mistress before and found that she makes all the right noises and then completely ignores everything I've said the minute I leave the room.
It's not in my nature to rock the boat, but this tempted me. Badly.
What does everyone think ~ am I being overly sensitive and critical?
No. Wanting your child to be taught correct facts in his education, not to mention when it coincides with your personal beliefs as a family is not asking too much. It is unfortunate that your head mistress is not receptive to your concerns. Perhaps another staff member would be more helpful? Also I would just constantly be checking your son's assignments and work to make sure that you can help him to learn to question information. Because as you've so aptly proved just because it's written down somewhere doesn't make it accurate.
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry to hear this... I think so many times when people are taught Christianity there is no questioning involved. In fact, it's blatantly discouraged. This story is likely passed on in ignorance, and I agree with the previous poster... the best course of action is to teach your children to question the things they learn, and how best to keep an open mind. Maybe this is a lesson in disguise... to talk about the story that was told at school... and how that is what some people believe, but here is more information... and so always be aware that there may be more to a story than is first communicated... in fact, it's a good assumption to make. This will not only teach good learning skills, but tolerance. This may be an opportunity for you to share what you know. Of course, that completely depends on how much you are ready to share of your own religion with your children. Good luck... it would've driven me crazy!
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