A Letter From A Third Grade Teacher Sent Home To Pagan Parents

[DarkPhenyx]

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Thomas,

I write this letter in concern of your daughter, Aradia Moon. Please don't take this the wrong way, however, although she is a straight A student and a very bright child, she has some strange habits that I feel we should address.

Every morning before class, she insists on walking around the room with her pencil in the air. She says she is "drawing down the moon." I told her art class is in an hour and to please refrain until then to do any drawing.

And speaking of art class, whenever she draws a night sky, she insists on drawing little circles around all the stars and people dancing on the ground. And that brings up dancing, I had to stop her twice for taking off her clothes during a game of Ring Around the Rosey! By the way, what does "skyclad" mean?

Aradia has no problem with making friends. I always find her sitting outside during recess with her friends sitting around her in a circle. She likes to share her juice and cookies. It is nice how she wants no one to ever thirst or hunger. However, when I walked over to see what they were doing, she jumped up and told me to stop, pulled out a little plastic knife and started waiving it in front of me. I thought this a bit dangerous, so I took her to the Principal's Office. She explained to the Principal that she was "opening the circle" to let me in. She also said that her Mommy and Daddy always told her not to play or run with an "athame" in her hand, that she could put someone's eye out. I don't know what an "athame" is, but I'm glad she keeps it at home.

As for stories, your daughter tends to make up some whoppers. Just yesterday while I was talking sternly to Tommy Johson and shaking my finger at him, he started screaming and ran from the room. When I finally caught him, he told me Aradia told him and the rest of the class that the last time I shook my finger at someone, they caught the chicken pox. I explained to him that the Sally Jones incident was just a coincidence, and that things like that don't really happen.

One of the strangest things that happened was when I asked the children to bring in Halloween decorations for the classroom. Aradia brought in salt, incense, and her family album. I see she has quite a sense of humour.

One of Aradia's worst habits is that she is very argumentative. We were discussing what the Golden Rule was (Do Unto Others as you would have them Do Unto You), she firmly disagreed with me and stated that it was "Do As you Will, but Harm None" and she will not stop saying "So Mote It Be" after she reads aloud in class. I try to correct her on these matters and she got very angry. She pointed her finger at me and mumbled something under her breath.

In closing, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas, I would like to set up a parent/teacher conference with you sometime next week to discuss these matters. I would like to see you sooner, but I have developed an irritating rash that I am quite worried about.

With deep concerns,
Mrs. Livingston

P.S. Blessed Be. I understand this is a greeting or closing from your country that your daughter informs me is polite and correct.

[NewHampshireDem]

1. Very clever ...

Now do one for Christians ... that would be a hoot!

[brainshrub]

2. This is a cute letter.

[fujiyama]

3. HAHA

Pretty funny! :D

[2Design]

4. thanks that is cute

[ET Awful]

5. LOL . . . I'm suddenly reminded of . . .

The Christians and the Pagans by Dar Williams (a wonderful folk singer/singer songwriter if you've never heard her)

Amber called her uncle, said "We're up here for the holiday,
Jane and I were having Solstice; now we need a place to stay."
And her Christ-loving uncle watched his wife hang Mary on a tree,
He watched his son hang candy canes all made with Red Dye No. 3.
He told his niece, "Its Christmas Eve, I know our life is not your style,"
She said, "Christmas is like Solstice, and we miss you and its been awhile."

So the Christians and the Pagans sat together at the table,
Finding faith and common ground the best that they were able,
And just before the meal was served, hands were held and prayers were said,
Sending hope for peace on earth to all their gods and goddesses.

The food was great, the tree plugged in, the meal had gone without a hitch,
Till Timmy turned to Amber and said, "Is it true that you're a wtich?"
His mom jumped up and said, "The pies are burning," and she hit the kitchen,
And it was Jane who spoke, she said, "It's true, your cousin's not a Christian,"
"But we love trees, we love the snow, the friends we have, the world we share,
And you find magic from your God, and we find magic everywhere,"

So the Christians and the Pagans sat together at the table,
Finding faith and common ground the best that they were able,
And where does magic come from? I think magic's in the learning,
'Cause now when Christians sit with Pagans only pumpkin pies are burning.

When Amber tried to do the dishes, her aunt said, "Really, no, don't bother."
Amber's uncle saw how Amber looked like Tim and like her father.
He thought about his brother, how they hadn't spoken in a year,
He thought he'd call him up and say, "It's Christmas, and your daughter's here."
He thought of fathers, sons and brothers, saw his own son tug his sleeve, saying,
"Can I be a Pagan?" Dad said, "We'll discuss it when they leave."

So the Christians and the Pagans sat together at the table,
Finding faith and common ground the best that they were able,
Lighting trees in darkness, learning new ways from the old, and
Making sense of history and drawing warmth out of the cold.

[brainshrub]

10. I love that song.

Cows With Guns is my favorite Dar Willaims song.

[ET Awful]

11. I don't think I've ever heard that one. . .

This one I always loved just cause she sounds so chipper and cheerful, it's such a fun song :)

I've always been partial to the Pointless yet Poignant Crisis of a Co-Ed :)

Some of her more serious stuff is really good too.

[brainshrub]

12. Doh! I just embarrased myself!

Dar Willaims has NOTHING to do with "Cows With Guns." I was thinking about Dana Lyons.

Here's the link to the song. Enjoy. It's hillarious.

http://www.ampcast.com/music/12031/artist.php

[ET Awful]

13. LOL. . . this is hysterical :) n/t

[DarkPhenyx]

14. Awesome cool, ET.

Thanks for sharing that one.

[DemWitch]

6. Flawless...

Loved the part about sharing her cookies and juice... Never woulda thought about using a plastic knife as an athame though... hmmmm...

[SarahB]

7. Illustrates the concept to fundamentalist Christian types anyway.

If we allow one type of school prayer, we have to allow them all. Wouldn't tax-paying, American Wiccans, Buddhists, and *gasp* Muslims have the same rights for their children to pray as do Christian parents?

[LWolf]

9. They do.

That's why many Christians support the separation of church and state. We just don't hear them; they aren't nearly as loud or numerous as the other kind.

I worked with a very devout fundamentalist for a few years. When one of her students wanted to start a lunch time bible study group, she told him no. "...because then we'd have to let satanists teach about the devil at lunch, too." So she encouraged him, not to organize a group, but just to spend his lunchtime "witnessing" to anyone willing to listen to him.

In June we had a little dust-up when the local sherriff dept's chaplain did an "inservice" for teachers in our district. The subject of the "inservice" was "the influence of cults on gangs." Specifically, pagans were identified as "satanic cults" who were working actively to "recruit" our young people through gangs.

Unhappily for the chaplain, his little presentation was "leaked" to the local pagans, and caused quite an uproar. He was forced to apologize, and to point out that pagans weren't necessarily members of cults, and weren't automatically believers in satan.

[flamingyouth]

8. LOL - very funny

I'll be drawing down a little moon myself in a few hours. ;)

I especially love the part about the salt, incense and family albums for Samhain. :D