Teacher sacked over telling children that Santa doesn't exist

Oh, please couldnt a simple apology help the situation. We need the teachers! They should have been more obedient.

Being inanest is one thing and being Naive is another take me for example I am 26 and still very naive but should that mean I ought to be lied to... NO! OMG you people are so ignorant!

What about that guy whose Grandma Gt Run Over By A Reindeer? You can say there's no such thing as Santa, but as for him and Grandma they believe!

Fired? That's a little extreme. At most she should write an apology to the parents and be advised to not discuss personal beliefs amongst students.

But, seriously.. not losing her job over it. Where the parents more upset that their kids weren't going to believe in Santa or that they don't have as much influence as a stranger?

They could have tried to convince their kids otherwise.

I swear... it's all that PTA roohaha shit.

I say dont feed your kids bullshit the sooner they know the better and that goes for peter cotton tail also.

I was the bad girl who told the truth to my fellow students, too. My childhood ended when I realized that lies run this world, not honesty. If those parents don't want their kids exposed to such radical truths, they should homeschool, I did, .

While I don't think it's quite a tactful way to spoil the news, I think parents placing such an importance on a jolly fat guy that leaves you presents, rather than teaching them about the real Saint Nicholas is absurd.

I don't mean any disrespect to you parents who choose to tell your kids about the magical obese man who breaks into your house and leaves you stuff.. but I think there are lots of more damage that comes from it.

First, when parents lie for years and years about Santa, it sets up the kids for discovering that they've been lied to by their parents for years. Who wants their kids to begin doubting everything else they've told them?

There's also a strange socio-economic element that there are poor kids who question why the richer kids at school get more stuff from santa than they do. I wonder how this might contribute to perpetuating feelings of inadequacy and injustice towards the poor. How would it make sense that Santa would give more abundantly to the kids who already have more? Granted they are just kids, but I think it''s worth thinking about.

Lastly, stop using Santa to control the behavior of your kids. How about teaching them right and wrong all throughout the year instead of just the months coming up to December? If I were a kid in that situation, I would act crazy as shit during January.. I mean... it's going to be another 11 months before the ol fat guy comes around again.

ah enough of my ramblings.. this just hits a very sore spot with me. sorry.

HE DOESNT EXIST? Well thats my life utterly ruined!

I'm 17 going on 18 and even though I have known for a long time that he doesnt exist, it just doesnt feel christmassy if you don't allow yourself that little bit of childish naivety and pretend that if you don't put out a mince pie and a brussel sprout at Xmas eve, the dude won't come down your chimney. It just ruins the whole thing. I unfortunately did get told by "friends" at 9 that Santa didnt exist and out of spite for finding out I told my 7 year old sister (she forgave me- eventually), and I don't think I have been any happier since then. I loved thinking he was real and it upsets me that someone like a substitute teacher told those 7 year olds just out of spite too. Kids- don't listen to her- HE EXISTS!

I doubt that she has children.

I wish the article told what grade she was teaching. I suspected the falsehood of the tale from the 2nd grade on. I heard rumors from older kids, I tried to stake out the hallway (but I fell asleep), etc.

Really, the story is quite ludicrous. It seemed pretty absurd to me even when I was trying to pretend I believed it for the sake of the family... for years.

I understand the tragedy of ruining a small child's innocence. But maybe there's such a thing as being TOO innocent... naive even.

I don't have kids, so maybe there is some undetected purpose in christmas but not one I can see. I stopped believing when I found some presents ahead of time, but I played along cause I liked getting stuff. The rest of my life I felt like it was some secret I had to keep, so as not to upset the cultural commitment of it (I didn't understand it like that at the time). The picked for tv comment was right. In a time like this, with so many unemployed already and a major drop in the countries economic stability, we are going to fire someone for telling children that stuff doesn't just come from nothing.

As a teacher she should tell the truth! Sacked & said not to teach any longer for teaching the truth what the HELL!

Well not totally surprised teachers are to teach that we came from apes too Hmmm I see I see! Tell only lies and get paid I get it now... What a perverse generation we have OMG!

JonnyQwest

If you think about it, it's a messed up tradition.... you basically lie to your kids for years about someone invading your home and actually LEAVING GIFTS.

When the kids find out they were lied to for years, there's such disappointment. And later when they find out if strangers breaking into your house don't LEAVE GIFTS, they usually take THEM! SO Harsh!

But we are all pressured to do it anyway. Damn society.

this is a stupid reason to fire a teacher! All she did was ruin Christmas and told them that Santa doesn't exist...it's not like she lied to them. These kids were bound to find out that Santa didn't exist anyway

what is a supply teacher?

What is funny is all the people freaking out are not even paying attention to the story:

It says the students were being rowdy so the teacher shut them down by saying their is no Santa.

The teacher resorted to what she/he knew would make the students upset. And that is fucking pathetic.

This teacher obviously has not children skills or patience.

What the hell is wrong with everyone? I think it's cruel to lie to children.

Kid: Where do babies come from?
Me: Vaginas.

So teachers that tell the truth to children have to worry about their jobs? What is the education system coming to????

I think that because she did this to be cruel, she deserves to be fired. People that work with children have to be more patient, understanding, and MATURE than the kids!

Why should she be punished when it's the parents that lied to their kids?

Firing may have been a bit extreme... but why force children to grow up a little more than they have to just a little bit sooner than they have to?

NO SANTA?????? I suppose you are going to say no Easter Bunny either???

What a bitch. Those kids were only 7 years old. Once you found out the secret of Santa clause, nothing is ever like it used to be. I'm really fiery right now because i just took my little sister to see Santa.

why lie to your children in the first place, you might as well tell them the truth, it is better to know at an early age, than go most of the childhood celebrating their holidays in a lie

this story makes me lol

I told my cousin today after ten years old Santa doesn't stop by to give you any presents. You can believe all you want, but when you become a teenager and still believe in Santa, you will not get any girls.

U MAKE ME MAD teacher.. santa is real.. there is no seperation of church and state issue here... (and usually i scream that on every issue) .. nobody celebrates christmas for its christian beliefs..its all about presents.. wonderful presents.. and awesome food.. and no work.. and people.. that are happy no matter what... and SANTA!!!

kids need reality in there lives anyway.

"He was nearly in tears - and so close to Christmas. I thought it was wrong."

The "magic" she wants her kid to live through is nothing but a lie! Why would I want to lie to my kids? I would tell them exactly how the world is.

Whoever says it's mean and cruel to tell the kid the truth, is being ridiculous. It is mean to lie! Truth is what is important in this world.

When I was a kid, my grand-mother got mad because we were watching Santa Claus (the movie). Everybody was looking at her like she was crazy because she said "the people running these movies and different things are liars. They're the ones who bring a shock to the kids once they finally know the truth that it's not real." Even I didn't agree with her. However, now I understand what she meant back then. If only she was still alive. It seems like the older generations understand what is going on in the world more than us (in many cases) because we are brought up into the madness and we think it is normal.

Just wait until they start chipping our kids on their hands and forheads. But no, we will be used to this type of chipping as we see rfid/chips/cards already being issued to us regularly in schools, licenses, passports, metros, buses,etc. They will say "It's normal now, we've been doing it for years. Why not just put in on our skin?" The kids in this time will be like "Sure! What a good idea," while we (the now older generations) will think this is an absurd idea. The world is going crazy as time goes by and not enough people seem to care! We need the truth!

Whatever happened to "Thou shall not lie"

On top of that, we now have Obama leading the country and is willing to reforumulate the education. The reform here in Quebec is taking place and they keep conditioning the kids (even through music).

My mother was honest with me from the beginning about Santa, but I still played along that he existed. I don't have kids, but I think I would do the same.

I'm not sure what this teacher's idea was when revealing the Santa secret, I don't think it was her place to do so, but by no means should she have been fired for that.

It's not specified in the story, but I assume this was a public school. Why, then, are they getting involved in a religious issue (Christmas is, after all, supposed to be about Jesus)?!

Hmmm... well, unfortunately, I don't get the full context of the situation by merely reading the tidbit that blanch presented. In which case, what if the teacher was asked something like, "Is Santa Claus real?" or "Does Santa Claus exist?" That sounds like a tight situation. What do you do? Lie to the children? They're asking because they want the truth, so it is in their best interests that you tell them that Santa Claus doesn't exist. But yea, I dunno, some people might say that its not like they are permanently lying to the children, but rather, just giving them something fun to look forward to while they are children.

Anyway, that was all purely hypothetical. I don't know what the context of the situation was.

Talk about Scrooge! Maybe she heard that the average person gains 5lbs during the festive season.

why tell children about Santa in the first place wouldn't you rather make christmas about showing love between family and friends with the exchange of gifts.

OH, great ! Thanks for ruining Christmas for me by posting this story saying there's no Santa !!!

I just finished cleaning the chimney and baking cookies to leave out for him....

Most children over the age of six have already been told by their buddies that Santa isn't real. This doesn't mean that they will quit pretending that they do. No way are they going to miss out on the cool presents that he brings.

And you wonder how religion has controlled man for so long?

I said it once but I will say it again.

Santa Claus is St. Nicholas ok.

I mean, come on, don't folks understand that?

If Jesus never lived, St.Nicholas would not have existed either and no Santa.

Santa is spanish for Saint.

lol but what is the point though santa don't even exist

I still get a stocking - I think my mum believes more in Santa than I do. I wouldn't have the heart to tell her (plus I'd stop getting sweeties by my bed on Christmas morning...)

Actually Santa Claus is a secular replacement for Jesus Christ.

He is based on the Dutch Sinterklaas and Saint Nicholas. So he really did exist as Saint Nicholas and made wooden toys for boys and girls.

When comparing this story to one about a teacher who was merely suspended for tying up children as part of a history class on slavery, firing seems over the top.

A teacher should not be fired for speaking the truth.

what a loser! she must be really miserable with her life to crush lil kids hopes and dreams...let kids believe in something for a little while...this world's reality is crap! she probably bites the head off the Gingerbread cookies first too...she will be getting COAL for Christmas this year fo sho!

Kids should know the truth. Good for her.

She should be sacked!! That's mean and cruel.

I got into a fist fight in the third grade because I told this girl that Santa didn't exist. My mom never lied to me about the Santa thing and I'm glad she didn't. I find most people walk around living in fantasy land because its easier not to have to deal with reality. Why set your kid up for such a devastating truth? I just don't get it.
Oh it's magical, it's magical! I'll tell you what was magical. The fact that we had anything to eat all in my house while growing up. Mom had to pay all the bills and scrape whatever she could to get us our gifts. Not some fat guy in a suit with flying reindeers. It makes me appreciate everything she did for us, and for everything I have now. Cut the Santa crap!

I'm glad we live in a world where teachers can get fired for telling thier students the truth.

Those of you who agree with the sacking should get together and make a list of all the true things we're not supposed to tell young children, and at what age we're finally allowed to reveal it to them. Don't forget to check it twice.

That's not a very Christ like way of handling the situation.

No tooth fairy either.

really? with the lack of good teachers out there this is what we are firing people for? lame

How do Christians let their children believe in Santa, but also ban the Harry Potter books? That mother even called Santa part of the "magic" of Christmas!!

We all grew up thinking that it was Santa that left us presents, and it made it fun to be naive, and for someone to steal a child ignorance is unacceptable.
We all found out he was not real we should give them the opportunity to find out the same thing.

Santa conspiracy!

it was going happen sooner or later. but should a teacher be doing that.

on one hand, someone had to tell'em. on the other, c'mon it's christmas!!! who doesn't like the idea of santa, even if it isn't real. anyway, she's going on the naughty list this year.

There has to be a separation of church and state issue in here somewhere.

wow.

She should have told them that Wilford Brimley was fake, not Saint Nick.

Oh, the kids will be fine. I never believed in Santa Claus, my parents were straight honest about it.

This is a stupid reason to fire a teacher.

she's screwed up those poor kids for life.they'll learn he doesn't exist in their time-or should.hope teacher is happy now

I say good. Why spoil Xmas for the little kiddies? Life's shit enough without miserable f**kers like this making things worse.

hahaha, imagine what would have happened if she explained what christmas actually celebrates (Jesus' b-day) she may well have been linched...