Monday, December 12, 2005

More folly from the UK

Via the Telegraph:
Children should be protected from "terrifying" Father Christmas, shielded from "alarming" pantomimes and encouraged not to send wasteful Christmas cards, a Government website has advised teachers.
When arranging Christmas parties in schools, teachers should also avoid arranging games of a competitive nature so that no child feels they have "underperformed", the website said.
(snip)
The advice, on the Teachernet website developed by the Department of Education as a resource for teachers, covered all aspects of arranging a festive party in school.
It said: "For very young children, Father Christmas can be terrifying, and if you are planning a visit from Santa, you'll need to make sure that fearful children are near an exit. Trips to the pantomime can cause alarm, so the same planning applies."
In separate advice on Christmas giving, teachers are told that children should be discouraged from sending Christmas cards to fellow pupils because they are a waste of paper.
(snip)
The advice suggested that head teachers hold school assemblies, called "The aftermath of Christmas", in which children act out opening presents and advent calendars and then throw the packaging on the floor to highlight the waste of paper at Christmas.
The site also suggested a list of non-competitive games to replace traditional games like pass-the-parcel, which it said can cause "anxieties" in the children who do not win.
"If you do have games with winners, make sure that all children are given an opportunity to succeed where possible," the advice read.

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