Topic: This Teacher’s Valentine’s Day Letter to Parents is pathetic

[oldcoastie6468]

What This Teacher’s Alleged Valentine’s Day Letter to Parents Says Has People Calling It ‘Pathetic’ and Too Politically Correct
Feb. 11, 2014 10:10am    Billy Hallowell

An alleged recent note from a teacher to parents about how kindergarteners should handle Valentine’s Day greetings has some calling its contents evidence of political correctness at its worst.

In the brief letter, children are encouraged to bring in cards for their peers on Feb. 14, but with an important caveat: they must provide a greeting for each child in the class.

“If your child chooses to exchange Valentine cards in school he or she should have one for each classmate,” reads the note, posted by Twitter user kristinf416. “This will avoid hurt feelings.”

The brief letter also asks parents not to put any names on the outside of the greetings’ envelopes, as it “will make it easier for the children to pass out the cards themselves.”

SICKENING! And it's not an "Alleged" Note!!! "This will avoid hurt feelings." Good GOD! Where is this damned country going? 

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/02/11/what-this-teachers-alleged-valentines-day-letter-to-parents-says-has-people-calling-it-pathetic-and-too-politically-correct/#

[Pandora]

I read all the comments on page 1 and majority opinion is, as the kids are only five years old, and, as this has been commonplace for several decades, it's not a bad thing to teach the kids to just be nice to one another.  Plenty of time as they get a little older to make their friend-preferences known.  Most parents commenting are astounded that the teacher felt the need to send the letters home.

[oldcoastie6468]

I respectfully disagree, Pan. Kids must be taught and experience that "hurt feelings' are just a part of life.

[Pandora]

Not disagreeing, necessarily.  Not agreeing about five year olds, either, necessarily.  I just posted what I read in the comments. 

[Weisshaupt]

I read all the comments on page 1 and majority opinion is, as the kids are only five years old, and, as this has been commonplace for several decades, it's not a bad thing to teach the kids to just be nice to one another.  Plenty of time as they get a little older to make their friend-preferences known.  Most parents commenting are astounded that the teacher felt the need to send the letters home.

Yeah, I am afraid that I agree that this is appropriate for the age. Its also the age where we tell kids they have to share the toys and bring in enough cookies for everyone.  Why? because at 5 years old you aren't emotionally mature, and not doing this traumatizes the child AND the teachers who have to deal the emotional outbursts it causes. .  This was standard practice in my Kindergarten class as well..  not because it was necessarily the best lesson to teach a child, but because its the only practical way to maintain any semblance of order and peace in a classroom  of five year olds.  In the olden days we expected children to grow up, gain some emotional maturity and realize the kindergarten rules are for the little kids because they can't handle the burdens of  being grown-ups yet.
 
 The problem is that the left NEVER LEAVES kindergarten. They never grow up.  They never take responisibility for themselves and feel they are entitled to be cared for as if they were small children.. . For lefties, there is no adult reality that someone had to  pay for ingredients and bake the cookies,  or buy the toys.  That the School nurse needs to be paid for her services, and that in reality Fairness is getting what you work for, not an equal share of some imaginary pie that  the unicorns left for us. .

 The reason this stuff grates on us is because we are expected as adults to knuckle under to this juvenile demands made by adults with  Kindergarten ethics  holding guns.  All they need to know they learned in Kindergarten - LITERALLY.  They don't want to grow up and face the adult reality that life isn't fair, some people are luckier, smarter, stronger,  and better than others, and that results will vary, and are intent on turning the government into the Nanny/Teacher they long for to tell them what to do and when to do it - you will protect them from skinned knees, mean words and hurt feelings. Of course, someone still has to pay for the cookies, so they hold government guns at our heads and make us do so.

[Weisshaupt]

I respectfully disagree, Pan. Kids must be taught and experience that "hurt feelings' are just a part of life.

They are, but the question is when must they be taught that.  If you are a kindergarten teacher who will have to deal with the bawling child  I am sure you prefer they learn that a bit later when they can actually intellectually understand it and accept it...

After all, at some point they will have to deal with the facts of life, the violence, cruelty, and horrors evil men a re capable of, or even about the birds and the bees,  but I would argue that just because they need to learn sometime  doesn't justify teaching it to them in kindergarten.

[Pandora]

I respectfully disagree, Pan. Kids must be taught and experience that "hurt feelings' are just a part of life.

They are, but the question is when must they be taught that.  If you are a kindergarten teacher who will have to deal with the bawling child  I am sure you prefer they learn that a bit later when they can actually intellectually understand it and accept it...

After all, at some point they will have to deal with the facts of life, the violence, cruelty, and horrors evil men a re capable of, or even about the birds and the bees,  but I would argue that just because they need to learn sometime  doesn't justify teaching it to them in kindergarten.

That's the thing for me -- they're five.  And, as you wrote, this is the age we're teaching them to share and laying the foundation for how to be decent human beings.  I've been exposed to five-year-old "monsters" and that needs to be trained out of them before teaching any of them the principle of righteous discrimination.

[IronDioPriest]

They've been doing it this way since my oldest daughter (28) was in primary school.

Here's the thing: yeah, kids need to learn how to absorb disappointment. But at 5, 6, or even 7, most kids are completely oblivious to how their subtle actions affect others. They're still in the "don't hit/curse/mistreat" phase of their interpersonal development. Compound that with the fact that kids of that age are not able to reason their way out of hurt feelings, and I think this policy makes perfect sense at that age.

This way, the little kid with glasses, or the chubby girl, or the lone Black kid, don't find themselves completely in the lurch with no coping skills on a day when all the other kids are receiving something of perceived value.

Come to think of it, when I was a little kid in the 1960's, this was the policy. The only difference is that we wrote the name of every child on an envelope.

[Libertas]

Trophies for everyone!  Nobody is a loser!   

Wait...I think I may have lost out on this when I was a yute!

       

[ChrstnHsbndFthr]

They've been doing it this way since my oldest daughter (28) was in primary school.

Here's the thing: yeah, kids need to learn how to absorb disappointment. But at 5, 6, or even 7, most kids are completely oblivious to how their subtle actions affect others. They're still in the "don't hit/curse/mistreat" phase of their interpersonal development. Compound that with the fact that kids of that age are not able to reason their way out of hurt feelings, and I think this policy makes perfect sense at that age.

This way, the little kid with glasses, or the chubby girl, or the lone Black kid, don't find themselves completely in the lurch with no coping skills on a day when all the other kids are receiving something of perceived value.

Come to think of it, when I was a little kid in the 1960's, this was the policy. The only difference is that we wrote the name of every child on an envelope.

I will not cast stones here either. I think the teacher was well intentioned, if relatively inept, as most teachers are, in my experience. I have NO PROBLEM teaching children to LOVE ONE ANOTHER and teat each other as one's self. I think that might be VERY wise at that age. Life will beat the hell out of them later. Let early life be taught in how to love one another, where possible.

[LadyVirginia]

Yep, since I was a kid I've seen this. Bring for all when it's a class activity. (At some point you no longer do this as a class event then you'd slip them to your best pals.)

I get sending this note to parents. I mean have you met parents recently?

They have to send out class lists  to parents at the beginning of the school year so kids bring pencils and paper and folders to school. For gosh sakes, when I was a kid we just knew to do that!

Chicago has a parade every new school year to remind parents that school starting soon! Send your kid!