YOUR Education System Workin' for YOU!

NousDefionsDoc · 10-21-2004, 16:01

http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=184701&page=1

quote:
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School Says Halloween, Disrespectful To Witches.
PUYALLUP, Wash., Oct. 21, 2004

A Washington state school district is canceling its annual Halloween celebration, and the explanation has some parents baffled.

"Let them have their 30 minutes of dressing goofy and having candy," Silas Macon, a father of two school-age girls, said Wednesday outside Maplewood Elementary School after learning that the grade-school tradition of a party and parade in costume during the last half-hour of class before Halloween night won't happen this year in the district.

A letter sent home to parents Wednesday said there will be no observance of Halloween in any of the district's schools.

"We really want to make sure we're using all of our time in the best interest of our students," Puyallup School District spokeswoman Karen Hansen said.

The superintendent made the decision for three primary reasons, Hansen said. First, Halloween parties and parades waste valuable classroom time. Second, some families can't afford costumes and the celebrations thus can create embarrassment for children.

Both of those reasons seemed sensible to the parents who spoke to ABC News affiliate KOMO-TV in Seattle. But the district's third reason left some Puyallup parents shaking their heads.

The district said Halloween celebrations and children dressed in Halloween costumes might be offensive to real witches.

"Witches with pointy noses and things like that are not respective symbols of the Wiccan religion and so we want to be respectful of that," Hansen said.

The Wiccan, or Pagan, religion is said to be growing in the United States and there are Wiccan groups in Puyallup.

On the district's list of guidelines related to holidays and celebrations is an item that reads: "Use of derogatory stereotypes is prohibited, such as the traditional image of a witch, which is offensive to members of the Wiccan religion."
"I do lots of things that are not revolving around wearing a black outfit and stirring a cauldron," Wiccan priestess Cheryl Sulyma-Masson said in an interview with ABC News in which she explained that Wiccans, or Pagan Clergy, celebrate nature.

This is not the first time the district has expressed concern about offending followers of the Wiccan religion.

An internal e-mail from October 2000 warned that "the Wiccan religion is a bona fide religion under the law, and its followers are entitled to all the protections afforded more mainstream religions. Building administrators should not tolerate such inappropriate stereotyping (images such as Witches on flying brooms, stirring cauldrons, casting spells, or with long noses and pointed hats) and instead address them as you would hurtful stereotypes of any other minority."

This year, however, is the first time the superintendent decided to cite that concern as one of the reasons for canceling in-school Halloween activities.

"They're so worried about being politically correct anymore that we're not allowed to do much of anything," said Tonya Reynolds, whose daughter attends Maplewood Elementary.

"If you don't want costumes, call it a harvest party. We don't have to take out complete Halloween. We could still do something for our children," said parent Loni Andrews, who promised to challenge the ruling at the next school board meeting.

Some children said they will miss the usual festivities.

"Yeah, it does bother me because I would really like to go around and dress up," Maplewood sixth-grader Grace Macon said.

Macon said that while the Halloween celebration might take up a little class time, it also gives children a reason to like school.

"I think it's terrible," she said. "I think it just kind of takes away from the little stuff they get to do that's fun at school."

Hansen said questions of lost study time and disrespect for religious belief played into the decision.

"It's a little bit of both," she said. "I don't think you can balance respect with instructional time and we would always be looking to do both. We want to make sure our students are respectful of all religions and all cultures.

Hansen also said that the PTA and teachers have been notified that they can hold parties or other Halloween events after the school day is over. Classroom time, however, will not be used for Halloween celebrations. Hansen says concerns about other holidays and parties held in school will be decided on a case-by-case basis.

Bravo1-3 · 10-21-2004, 16:18

I've got a "Wiccan" store up the street from my office. I ought to tell my two sons to start crying, and bring them in there along with a copy of that story and yell "ARE YOU HAPPY!? LOOK AT THEM, THEY CAN'T HAVE THEIR HALLOWEEN PARTY AT SCHOOL NOW! ARE YOU FUCKING HAPPY NOW THAT YOU'VE MADE MY KIDS CRY!?" ...just be totally indignant about it

NousDefionsDoc · 10-21-2004, 16:26

Blaaaw! LOL! DO IT! You have to! Take pics!

pulque · 10-21-2004, 17:58

Quote:

The district said Halloween celebrations and children dressed in Halloween costumes might be offensive to real witches.

"Witches with pointy noses and things like that are not respective symbols of the Wiccan religion and so we want to be respectful of that," Hansen said.

LOL. Those stereotypes have been around forever. MORE people might be offended if they knew the origin of the broom-riding.

There are better ways to teach respect.

Roycroft201 · 10-22-2004, 12:22

This drives me crazy !

Why not seize that "teachable moment" instead ?

Yes, I KNOW they are ELEMENTARY aged children but brief overviews/introductions would fit quite nicely into their Social Studies/history "class time" :

1. American history: The Salem witch trials. (Oops, that might not be permitted.)

2. Stonehenge - Who built it and how ? The Romans ? The Druids ? Who were they ? The summer solstice and their observance of nature? And while we're speaking about Druids, -

Quote:

The more mystical Ancient Order of Druids also continued through the 19th century and into the 20th, claiming among its many members Winston Churchill (1874-1965), who was initiated into the Albion Lodge at Oxford.

More on that topic at: http://witcombe.sbc.edu/earthmysteri...onehengeC.html

AND that site also has a picture (which we all Know I have NO IDEA how to post here !!) which has the following caption:

Quote:

Winston Churchill (center) hosts the Ancient Order of DruidsWinston Churchill (center) hosts the Ancient Order of Druids

This exclusionary, PC, censorship in the classroom is total BS. NOT exposing them to other thoughts, beliefs, religions, history is crippling their ability to THINK. Teachers are not INDOCTRINATING them ! They/we are exposing them to the world and its history, and how so much of the past factors into the events they see around them in the world today, every day.

Do we stop teaching about EVERYTHING that in anyway is based on RELIGION or PHILOSOPHIC thought because it might offend someone ? Well, swell - there go my lesson plans on the Puritans, and my high school unit about the Holocaust, and while we're at it, let's not mention Islam in my Global Studies class - I'm sure they can just figure it out for themselves, or how about the unit on Chinese history - gee, we cover lots of philosophic thought there.

Fine - let's just censor everything. Let's not expose them to fascinating periods in world history. So what if it doesn't spark an interest for them that might encourage them to pick up a BOOK and READ more about it. So what if the young men don't learn about ancient warriors and battles that changed the face of history.

Swell - let's just babysit the kids for 7 hours a day so they can go home and become zombies in front of the TV or, better yet, pick up their x-box or play station.

God forbid that we try to expose them to fascinating bits of history.

Oh, and someone will have to censor that last sentence I typed. I used the word God.

(Somebody, please go trash all lessons about Thanksgiving for our elementary kids - a connection can be made to PILGRIMS, and giving THANKS, and we know that giving THANKS implies that there is a GOD, so we'll have to trash all that stuff in the classroom, too.)

Bravo1-3 · 10-22-2004, 12:34

Karen Hansen was interviewed on the news about this last night.

Her basic argument was thus:
"It's President Bush's Fault"

You see, because of the No Child Left Behind Act, they now have to realign the school year to accommodate professional development, and the only way that they could accomplish this without decreasing class time was to eliminate the fluff from the curriculum.

She stated several times that the Wiccan thing was not a real consideration, but then went on to say in the same breath that it was.

She was then asked if any Wiccans complained. One complained in 2000. About 3 questions later, she was asked if any Christians had complained. They get about 20 complaints from Christians every year. I guess they don't count as much since a Christian will turn the other cheek, while a Wiccan might turn you into a newt.

I'd rate this interview as a "bullshit festival".

**Kyobanim** · 10-22-2004, 12:52

Well, the christians got together here in seminole county and now the kids have a fall festival instead of a halloween party. Guess you can't get any more politically correct than that unless you just eliminate any sort of celebration.

My sister-in-law is a wiccan. The only thing she complains about is her spells, to make Ewan McGreggor love her, aren't working.

**Jack Moroney (RIP)** · 10-22-2004, 12:58

And this surprises anyone? Pick any holiday, festival, reglious date, hell any date or group and some peckerhead is going to be put out or insulted by something. And damn don't ever recognize or celebrate someone's success in anything unless you can document that dispite the fact that he/she made bad choices everyday allday for their entire life they were able to rise to the level of achievement one notch above shit house sewer rat with government assistance and a myriad of social programs. Rant over.

Jack Moroney

**Razor** · 10-22-2004, 13:42

Ok, I'll bite...what's the origin of the broom riding concept?

**Bill Harsey** · 10-22-2004, 14:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by pulque

LOL. Those stereotypes have been around forever. MORE people might be offended if they knew the origin of the broom-riding.

There are better ways to teach respect.

Pulque, I guess I could Google this but what are the origins of the broom stick relating to witches?

Post Script, Jack is getting better, I can tell by his post.

pulque · 10-22-2004, 14:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill Harsey

Pulque, I guess I could Google this but what are the origins of the broom stick relating to witches?

I almost got away with this and nobody asking. sigh. Innocents please close your ears. Witches in medieval Europe were known to use herbs such as belladonna, mandrake, henbane, and datura. They didn't do this with "pells". They made an ointment to be applied to membrane. . . . . . . [. . .]

**Bill Harsey** · 10-22-2004, 14:46

I'll assume you are referring to sensitive tissues and not the inside of your nose. That stuff doesn't sound very good for you.

NousDefionsDoc · 10-22-2004, 14:51

pulque.
I know you just dint make fun of pells. Pells are serious business.

pulque · 10-22-2004, 14:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill Harsey

I'll assume you are referring to sensitive tissues and not the inside of your nose. That stuff doesn't sound very good for you.

"In rifleing the closet of the ladie, they found a Pipe of oyntment, wherewith she greased a staffe, upon the which she ambled and galloped through thick and thin." a 1324 witchcraft investigation

pulque · 10-22-2004, 15:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by NousDefionsDoc

pulque.
I know you just dint make fun of pells. Pells are serious business.

no I di'nt.

I meant the round ones the nurses give Sir Jack.