It's Christmas, it's supposed to be the season of joy, but the teacher acted like the Grinch.
Not only should teachers be kind, empathetic, and understanding, they should also conduct themselves in a way that models radical kindness. In this world full of rage, hate and mistrust, classrooms can be a hopeful place where young minds are trained to love. However, instead of re-imagining a kinder world, some educators replicate the ills of society in their classrooms. One such teacher came up with a rather ridiculous policy for her pupils that has left parents absolutely furious.
When Takaria Scott got a note from her daughter's school, she wondered what it could be. Once she figured it out, she went speechless by the contents of it. In a now-deleted post, an upset Scott took to Facebook to share a photo of the teacher's note. At first glance, the note appears quite innocent. Just a standard notice about the school's Christmas party, for which she was requested to contribute either chips or cheese balls, per Clarion Ledger.
However, a line highlighted in bold stood out from the rest. "My philosophy is: if they don’t bring anything they don’t eat anything," the line stated. Outraged by the school teacher enforcing such a cut-throat policy, Scott, wrote, "Now for these kids to be between 6-7yrs this should not be a philosophy. Kids are kids man. This is definitely not acceptable in my eyes."
“My philosophy is if they don't bring anything, they don't eat anything,” the teacher said in a letter to parents. https://t.co/bKgWDuCkI3
— Clarion Ledger (@clarionledger) December 13, 2019
As expected, Scott wasn't the only parent who found the policy problematic. Soon the school was flooded with complaints from other concerned parents, and it prompted the Meridian Public School District to address the parents' concerns. They sent out a letter to the furious people in which MPSD superintendent Dr. Amy Carter assured them that no child would be left out from the party.
"We want our students to view school as a safe space. Our students should know that the moment they come to school, they are in an environment where they are nurtured by their teacher," said Carter.
"I can't publically speak to specifics regarding the teacher, however, I want to assure our families and students that all students will participate and no students will be made to feel uncomfortable if they don’t bring refreshments. We know that so many of our teachers go above and beyond to make the holiday season a joy for so many," Dr. Carter added.
Just saw a thread discussing a teacher's note sent home to the parents for a potluck Christmas party for an elementary school class that says - "My philosophy is: if they don't bring anything, they don't eat anything."
— bethbethbeth (@bethbethbeth01) December 15, 2019
Speaking to Scary Mommy, Scott revealed that she wasn't fully satisfied with the way the school handled the issue. "I’m not completely satisfied about the [school’s] response because I’m not sure something happened to the teacher. I appreciate everyone who reached out in this matter. I hope this doesn’t happen to anyone else’s child," she said.
Having said that, this should serve as a lesson for people to speak up when they notice an issue, instead of remaining silent, because silence can be as a justification for harmful systems. If this mother hadn't spoken up, there probably would have been students who would have had to go hungry and watch their peers eat fancy food. This teacher seemed to forget that the holidays can be simply hard on some families, and not everyone can afford to splurge on things.
References:
https://www.scarymommy.com/teacher-says-no-food-kids-who-dont-bring/
Cover Image Source (Representative): Getty Images | lisegagne
