Should children have a multicultural holiday education?

Here's an e-mail I received:

A Christmas Witch in Wisconsin Public School

Wisconsin Elementary School Changes "Silent Night" to "Cold in the Night" While Decorating For A Christmas Witch!
Dear tim,

In Dodgeville, Wisconsin, Ridgeway Elementary School's "winter program" has changed the name of "Silent Night" to "Cold in the Night." Sung to the tune of "Silent Night," the lyrics include: "Cold in the night, no one in sight, winter winds whirl and bite, how I wish I were happy and warm, safe with my family out of the storm."

The "winter program" included decorating classrooms with Santa Claus, Kwanza symbols, Menorahs, and Labafana--a Christmas witch!

Also in Wisconsin, the Glendale-River Hills School District has banned every Christmas song which has any Christian "motive or theme." But while banning Christian Christmas songs, the district permits secular holiday songs as well as songs celebrating Hanukkah. In defending this policy, Frances Smith, the district administrator, says that the Hanukkah songs are more cultural than spiritual.

What these schools are doing to our children is not educating, but indoctrinating! And they are using Christmas as an excuse. Following the lead of the National Educational Association, Wisconsin educational leaders preach tolerance and diversity while being highly intolerant! Most of the residents of Wisconsin are tolerant, but not their educational leaders.

Banning nativity scenes. Banning Christmas songs in school. Banning Christmas in advertising. Calling a Christmas tree a "holiday" tree. Calling a Christmas parade a holiday parade. Refusing to mention the Reason for the season. It is time to take a stand for our children, our families, our faith and our freedom!

Educational leaders in your state could be the next officials to join this anti-Christian bigotry parade.

I urge you to email Wisconsin Governor Gov. Jim Doyle and Wisconsin State Superintendent Elizabeth Burmaster and ask them to stop this intolerant anti-Christian bigotry.

Click Here to Send Your Letter Now!
Very important! Please forward this to your family and friends. They need to be aware of this anti-Christian bigotry.

Thanks for caring enough to get involved.

Sincerely,

Don

Donald E. Wildmon, Founder and Chairman
American Family Association

P.S. Please forward this e-mail message to your family and friends!


So I SENT the Superintendent of the school district an e-mail:

If, indeed, the "alert" e-mail from the American Family Association is factual, I applaud you for providing the children of your district with a multicultural holiday education.

To assert that your choice to include an array of beliefs in your school holiday celebrations constitutes "indoctrination" is laughable and ignores the fact that children in American schools have been practicing Christian holiday celebrations exclusively for well over one hundred years.

Again, I thank you for having the fortitude to make what has proven to be a controversial decision. I'm confident that the children of your district will benefit.

Sincerely,

XXXXXXXXXX

Note the group circulating this e-mail...."The American Family Association"...

Wanna take on their "War on Christmas" bullshit? Send the superintendent a message of support.


elizabeth.burmaster@dpi.state.wi.us

I teach a history of Christmas every December. I have never had a Christmas witch in my classroom but I will research that and maybe I can include it next year.

anti-Christian bigotry? Ugh. I'm getting so sick of this!! I'm beginning to hate Christmas!!!!! I just want to scream and hit the wall and hide in my bed until this whole shit is over.

:puke:

But corporate greed bought into it big time. Kind of negates Christ's teachings, doesn't it.

Also, if my Catholic grandmother can get her Lutheran grandson a book called "The Story of Channukah" when he's 6, why can't these bastards accept a wee bit of neopaganism?

of what is legally required. This would prevent a high school choir from singing much of the world's great choral literature. I do support a multi-cultural approach with all major religions represented. I am uncertain whether there is an established cultural group that that celebrates a "Christmas witch," but, if so, it is appropriate and include that in holiday educational experiences, along with education about the seasonal traditions of other groups, including Christians.

they should be able to sing Silent Night. Especially in German. It's pretty in German. Maybe use that time to teach the kids how the lines were silent on Christmas eve, 1916? How, the fight had pretty much left the Tommies and the Jerries. And how, the war managers found this completely unacceptable. And how the war would have ended just fine, until the USA injected men and materiel into the mix. And how this fight simmered and festered for another two decades before exploding again. (might be time for a Channukah story here) And how, when it exploded again, the grandfather of the current president helped out. And how the USofA became the greatest country in the world, but had to get the Canadians to protect our shores, because we couldn't do it against teh U-Boats. etc. etc. stream of conscious history is exhausting