posted on March 12, 2001 09:16:17 AM new
monkeysuit, I think you're doing the best thing to call the principal and talk to him. Maybe you could even go in and talk to him in person.
posted on March 12, 2001 10:22:15 AM new
I just got off the phone with the principal.
It turns out that my son was telling the truth about almost everything. The principal did tell me that he didn't actually force my son to apologize to the little girl. He said that my son did that on his own.
I expressed my concerns about bringing the church into his conversation with my son, and he agreed that he should have dismissed my son and then discussed prayer with the little girl when they were alone.
I told him that I was very unhappy that he felt it was his place to speak to my son about church, and while he didn't seem to agree that it was wrong, he did agree to refer my son to my husband and me if my son ever brought it up again.
I am happy with this. I could have pushed it, and demanded that he not bring his religion into the school, period, but I accomplished what I needed to accomplish without bringing the wrath of the comunity down on my son. I also have a son in third grade at this school.
posted on March 12, 2001 11:14:12 PM new
Monkeysuit, you did the best thing for your son.
My mother is an athiest and let me tell you, there is no getting around to even explaining that to people.
I know that at one point in elementary school one kid kept telling me I was going to burn in hell.
Not fun when you are 7.
In fact he bullied me on every issue imaginable.
Years later I asked a friend what had happened to him, somehow I had forgotten the who episode of 1st grade Hell. My dad told me that one day I decked him and that was the end of it.
I am not sure I broke a commandment of Jesus, or followed an ancient biblical tradition of an "eye for an eye?"
Most kids aren't like that, but nowadays it seems that people adopt and "us vs. them" over the silliest things.
Unless the Rapture comes tomorrow, I think we are all clinging to this little spaceship earth and it wouldn't hurt to get along.
posted on March 13, 2001 09:52:55 PM new
Very glad this worked out well for you. I believe you did the right thing. I think you taught your son a very valuable lesson... stand up for your beliefs.
Your son sounds like a good kid. I'm sure he is proud of, and grateful for, such a caring mom.
posted on March 13, 2001 10:17:59 PM new
Now if someone would teach that little girl that it is not polite to read over other peoples shoulders. I'm not making light of your problem, kids just don't seem to have any manners these days.
posted on March 13, 2001 10:41:30 PM new
Monkeysuit, I'm very glad this worked out for you and your son.
I have to say, though, that I'm horrified that the principal even needed to be talked to. He should have known better.
As I get older, I watch in disgust as my wonderful tolerant country gets more and more "Christianized." We're beat over the head with it every day. On the one hand, "those" people don't want their tax money used to fund museums that show "offensive" art, but on the other hand they want my tax money to fund vouchers so they can send their kids to religious school. (That's just one example.)
I'm so glad now that I opted to be childless - in today's climate, I'd probably move my whole family to some desert island and do home-schooling.
