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December 02, 2011
Merry Christmas: Kentucky Teacher Makes Claim To Second-Graders That Santa Doesn't Exist
"Science."
The alleged revelation by a female teacher happened during a geography class Tuesday at George W. Miller Elementary School.
When the 7-year-olds told her they knew about the North Pole because of its white-bearded inhabitant, she reportedly responded that Santa did not exist and that Christmas presents were bought by their parents.
The alleged incident has touched off a commotion in the small school district. All day Thursday the school and district offices fielded questions about the incident.
And it's going on in London, too.
The arrogance.
And the falsity, of course. Obviously Santa exists. NORAD tracks him on Christmas Eve, after all.
The blunder came after the Year 5 pupils were given seasonal worksheets containing various festive classroom exercises.
One began by informing the children that 'many small children believe in Father Christmas'.
It then went on to explain that thousands of letters sent by these children to Santa every year are actually answered by the Post Office.
The youngsters were then asked to write a pretend letter from the Post Office to a child explaining why their requests for presents had been refused.
And this is actually the second outburst of what I like to call Santa Denialism in a week:
Last week a primary school teacher was sacked for telling her young class that Santa does not exist.
The supply teacher apparently decided the pupils - some as young as nine - were too old to believe in Father Christmas.
The teacher, who has not been named, is believed to have told the class at Boldmere Junior School, in Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands: "All of you are old enough to know there is no Father Christmas or fairies.
If you ask your parents to tell you they will say there is no such thing.
Amanda Piovesana, whose daughter is in Year 5, said: "I am upset because it has taken away a magical part of Christmas for my daughter and a teacher should not have the right to do that. My little girl was very upset."
Some teachers seem to overestimate their exact place in the childrearing chain of command.
And In Chicago... a news-reader proclaims his Santa Denialism on-air as well.