Wait! I hear you cry. We've already had this story once!
But have you?
The Toronto District School Board here in Canada sent out a memo to their schools:
quote:TORONTO - Teachers should forego traditional classroom Halloween celebrations because they are disrespectful of Wiccans and may cause some children to feel excluded, says a Toronto District School Board memo sent to principals and teachers this week.
“Many recently arrived students in our schools share absolutely none of the background cultural knowledge that is necessary to view ‘trick or treating,’ the commercialization of death, the Christian sexist demonization of pagan religious beliefs, as ‘fun,’ “ says the memo.
In Canada, we take pleasure in doing things backwards from everyone else!
I think this is as silly as banning it from a Christian POV, but I also think that juxtaposed with the recent American efforts it's absolutely hilarious. We're not trying to ban it because it's anti-Christian (Pagan beliefs against Christianity) but because it's anti-Wiccan (Christian beliefs agains Wiccans/Paganism).
There's also the culture shock thing, which I totally understand having sort of experienced it myself even having come from a Hallowe'en celebrating country. However, I do not think it is any grounds to ban it.
Honestly...
Posted by Scott R (Member # 567) on :
I'm unsure what Halloween has to do with Wiccans-- since Halloween was around before the Wiccans (as a modern day movement) came about.
Are Wiccans in Canada claiming that their specific religion came up with Halloween?
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
Not at all. Read the article.
quote:Called Samhain by many Wiccans, Oct. 31 is the day the faithful celebrate the "turn of the new year," when the veil between this world and the underworld of departed souls is "at its thinnest," Ms. Cooper said.
quote:Nicole Cooper, a first-degree priestess of the Wiccan Church of Canada's Toronto Temple, agreed. "Frankly, Wiccans are a minority -- an extreme religious minority," she said.
The Halloween celebrations of North American pop culture, she added, are "not actually threatening to my religion anymore than eggs and cute little bunnies are threatening to Easter."
The school board are just nutcases, apparantly.
Posted by Scott R (Member # 567) on :
Most school boards are, I've found.
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
It's true.
Posted by Enigmatic (Member # 7785) on :
quote: An alternative to eating sweets in class would be to "write health warnings for all Halloween candies."
Because that's so much fun!
Actually, the article makes it seem like they're not exactly banning halloween, just watering it down to be PC and "safe." For school activities though, I always thought Valentine's Day was far more traumatic. When do we stop kids from giving out cards to the kids they like?
--Enigmatic
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
quote:When do we stop kids from giving out cards to the kids they like?
Most schools I've experienced in Canada have asked that kids either give everyone in the class a card, nobody in the class a card, or do it outside of school.
Posted by Olivet (Member # 1104) on :
Yeah. My boys' school didn't want any costumes or halloween activities, though they did make this past Friday "Crazy Hair Day" so the kids could do something fun.
I combed and sprayed an tesed their hair until it was all sticking up. Robert's satyed that way all day, but Liam looked normal when he came home. Next year I'll have to spray on some color or something.
The school also requires that they bring a Valentines day card for every kid in the class.
Posted by Narnia (Member # 1071) on :
I've missed this before, so I'm glad you linked to it. I've never heard of it being banned for the Wiccans, but I've heard of it from the Jehovah's Witness perspective. Are there other Christian groups who have attempted to keep the schools from celebrating it?
Posted by Stephan (Member # 7549) on :
Halloween has been banned in most counties in my state for a while now. More so to respect Jehovah Witness' (which there are a lot of in my state apparantly) then anything else. Though in some areas a big part of it is it not having any educational merit.
Posted by kojabu (Member # 8042) on :
My professor said that his child's school banned Halloween because of the whole witchcraft/Wiccan thing.
Halloween is just a fun holiday, dressing up is part of childhood and Halloween gives you a chance to get lots and lots of candy!
One of my favorite memories is from my 4th grade teacher telling us a vampire story each day leading up to Halloween, finishing it on Halloween. It was great and it was like a treat each day when we got more of the story.
Posted by Will B (Member # 7931) on :
It's disrespectful to celebrate a culture's traditions. That's why we must erase every trace of American Indian culture, too: the only respectful thing to do is to pretend they never existed.[/sarcasm]
But then, they also try to prevent expression of my culture and religion, because they DON'T respect them (European, and Christian). Censorship has many excuses.
Posted by Tante Shvester (Member # 8202) on :
quote:I always thought Valentine's Day was far more traumatic. When do we stop kids from giving out cards to the kids they like?
True. I went to public school, and in the second grade, Valentine's Day was a BIG DEAL. We all had to bring in shoe boxes, which we laboriously covered with red construction paper and decorated to be our Valentine's Mailbox. We were given all kinds of construction paper, doilies, glue, paints and crayons to make our own Valentines. The teacher explained that we were supposed to make the Valentines cards and place them in our friends' boxes, and that we could either sign our name to them or sign "From your secret friend". The point, the teacher explained, was to see who was the most loved in the class, and that we should all be extra nice to each other so that we would be loved. ( ) On Valentine's Day, the teacher would count the cards in each box, to see who was "the most loved", and that person would be crowned (with an actual construction paper crown) "Class Valentine".
I wanted to be the most loved. I was sure that I was loveable, and I wanted a crown to prove it. So I hastily made lots and lots of Valentine's cards, signed them "Secret Friend" or "Guess Who", and stuffed my own box. When the teacher took out the cards to count them on Valentine's Day, she quickly figured that most of the cards in my box were from me.
(Here comes the excrutiatingly painful part) She mocked me in front of the class. I can still hear her say "Laura loves HERSELF most of all. Nobody loves Laura as much as she loves HERSELF. Laura is a selfish girl who doesn't love anyone but herself." Later, when we had our Valentine's Party, she gave me my cupcake last, so that I landed up with the smushed one that no one wanted. And when each child was supposed to hold up their cards for the class to see, she told me to never mind, no one wanted to see the cards that I wrote to myself.
I hated second grade. I hated my second grade teacher. And I really hated Valentine's Day.
[/end traumatically painful childhood flashback]
Posted by pfresh85 (Member # 8085) on :
Back in my elementary school days (which ended roughly 8ish years ago), everyone had to give everyone else a card or candy or whatever or give no one it. You could still be selective (like better cards for people you like more or better candy or whatever), but everyone still got something. I have fond memories of elementary school Valentine's Day. I got to make a crazy box (usually with hearts and such that actually popped out of the box), and I got kind words from everyone I knew. It's way better than Valentine's Day for me in recent years (where most people are all kissy kissy and all I get is candy from my mother).
Posted by Olivet (Member # 1104) on :
Geez. *I* hate your second grade teacher, too. Posted by Leonide (Member # 4157) on :
0_0
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
My god Tante, that's absolutely horrible! What could that teacher possibly have been thinking? I'm so sorry that you had to experience that.
.
Posted by romanylass (Member # 6306) on :
What a horrid woman, Tante.
Posted by Tante Shvester (Member # 8202) on :
<-- cheats in popularity contests Posted by Narnia (Member # 1071) on :
I much preferred the "You have to give everyone a Valentine" rule. I was one of the kids who would have had not very many.
I can't believe she gave a crown to the kid with the most Valentines. Posted by maui babe (Member # 1894) on :
Well it seems pretty obvious that your teacher wins the title of greatest villian ever. Posted by Boris (Member # 6935) on :
We had the give everyone a valentine rule. I still got the least. *sniff*
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
Yeah, Tante, I hate your second grade teacher, too. I think I'll mentally send her the lizards from my roof. May they pop up through her toilet during a very inopportune time. Posted by Papa Moose (Member # 1992) on :
Did you have the same second grade teacher that Geoff Card (and Stevie Fletcher) had? The similarities are scary....
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
There's always that one teacher who shouldn't be teaching.
Posted by Tante Shvester (Member # 8202) on :
Ah, but what would be the perfect career for Mrs. H? There aren't all that many jobs available where you can creatively torture 7-year olds. And you've got to admit, she did have a talent for it.
Posted by Goody Scrivener (Member # 6742) on :
Mrs. H??? That was my 3rd grade teacher, and I was thinking how much your 2nd grade teacher reminded me of Hurricane... {shudder}
Posted by starLisa (Member # 8384) on :
quote:Originally posted by Scott R: I'm unsure what Halloween has to do with Wiccans-- since Halloween was around before the Wiccans (as a modern day movement) came about.
Are Wiccans in Canada claiming that their specific religion came up with Halloween?
That's not the point.
It's interesting. Last night on Boston Legal, they dealt with this exact issue. They had two sets of parents suing a school together to stop a Halloween pageant. One set of parents was Christian, and their objection was that it's a celebration of paganism and Satanism. The other set of parents were Wiccans, and their objection was that the pageant was defamatory.
Neither family liked the other. They even got into a fistfight at one point. And they lost the suit. But the Wiccans, at least, had a valid point, IMO.
I hear Christians on this forum complaining all the time about the negative way in which Christianity is portrayed in the media and in literature. And I know how offended I would be if there was some fun holiday where people dressed up as Jewish stereotypes.
The fact is, there are a lot of self-identified Witches in this country who are good people and don't deserve to be mocked in a school play.
Posted by firebird (Member # 1971) on :
Tante Shvester ... that was just so mean of her.
(((Tasty)))
But thank you for sharing that, now I know that not getting any Valentines is better than at least one alternative.
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
quote: And I know how offended I would be if there was some fun holiday where people dressed up as Jewish stereotypes.
But as the popular perception of witches in this country predates the practice of Wicca, I don't think the situations are analogous.
Posted by erosomniac (Member # 6834) on :
quote:But as the popular perception of witches in this country predates the practice of Wicca, I don't think the situations are analogous.
People like to bring this up as though, but it certainly doesn't predate the ideas that became Wicca - not by a long shot.
Posted by Katarain (Member # 6659) on :
Don't wiccans make the point that they're not witches?
If that's the case, then dressing up as witches shouldn't be offensive, since they're not them.
Willow could be offended, though. Because she was a witch.
Posted by starLisa (Member # 8384) on :
quote:Originally posted by TomDavidson:
quote: And I know how offended I would be if there was some fun holiday where people dressed up as Jewish stereotypes.
But as the popular perception of witches in this country predates the practice of Wicca, I don't think the situations are analogous.
I'm not sure I agree with you about it predating it. I realize that much of the modern practice of Wicca is new and caught up in the whole new age thing. But Wicca as such is a lot older than that. A lot older.
Modern Wicca got started in England after the last of the anti-witchcraft laws was repealed. Needless to say, it wasn't a public religion for a good while prior to that, because it was against the law. And yes, Gardner certainly added things from other sources to the Wicca he publicized, but they were all consistent with the core beliefs and practices.
My partner has a very good friend who is the 47th in a hereditary line of Wiccan high priestesses. She lives in the US. I don't know offhand if her kids attend a public school, but I'm sure that if they do, they'd be likely to take cackling, green-skinned, long nosed, warty witches pretty much the same way I'd take someone dressing up with a big nose and a sign saying "International Banker".
Posted by starLisa (Member # 8384) on :
quote:Originally posted by Katarain: Don't wiccans make the point that they're not witches?
They're not, in the sense of the absurd Wicked Witch of the West stereotype. But most of the Wiccans I know use the word "Witch" for themselves (men and women, incidentally) the same way I call myself a Jew.
![[Eek!]](eek.gif)
) On Valentine's Day, the teacher would count the cards in each box, to see who was "the most loved", and that person would be crowned (with an actual construction paper crown) "Class Valentine".![[Blushing]](graemlins/blushing.gif)
![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif)
![[Razz]](tongue.gif)