Parenting

Parents Outraged After Teacher Tells First-Graders Santa & Elf on the Shelf Aren't Real

ParentingPublished Dec 1, 2022
By Lauren Gordon
fake santaYakobchukOlena/iStock

If your family celebrates Christmas, at some point you likely believed in Santa Claus yourself or taught your kids to believe in him. Although grownups know this is a little holiday farce, for children, believing in Santa is like being able to hold on to a little magic. Most adults who have lost that part of the holiday like to preserve that sense of wonderment for as long as possible when it comes to  the children in their lives. 

However, a substitute teacher at Cedar Hill School in Montville, New Jersey, totally took the magic out of Christmas by dropping a huge "bomb" on some unsuspecting first-graders, according to WKRG News 5.

According to reports, Principal Michael Raj 'immediately' spoke to the teacher and sent out a letter warning parents of the situation.

"I am sending this letter so that you are aware of the situation and if the conversation comes up at home over the next few days you can take appropriate steps to maintain the childhood innocence of the holiday season," Raj wrote.

Outraged parent Lisa Simek provided additional details on her Facebook page about how the children were given this rude awakening.

Simek wrote: 

"She told them Santa isn’t real and parents just buy presents and put them under their tree. She told them reindeer can’t fly and elves are not real -- Elf on the Shelf is just a pretend doll that your parents move around."

Evidently, she didn't stop there. She then went on to tell the children that the Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny, and all magic isn't real.

"A grown woman tried to crush our six-year-old‘s spirit, along with the spirits of the other 22 kids in CH’s 1st Grade class," Simek wrote. "Many of us parents have been doing damage control since the kids get home from school today, but coming from an adult this is definitely the kind of seed that was planted deep inside of their skeptical, perceptive and inquisitive minds."

Many parents were utterly outraged that the teacher did this to innocent children.-placeholder
Many parents were utterly outraged that the teacher did this to innocent children.

Many parents were utterly outraged that the teacher did this to innocent children.

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But a ton of parents felt that what she did was totally appropriate, and actually the best thing she could have done for those kids.-placeholder
But a ton of parents felt that what she did was totally appropriate, and actually the best thing she could have done for those kids.

But a ton of parents felt that what she did was totally appropriate, and actually the best thing she could have done for those kids.

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While the teacher's actions might not have been ideal, community members are helping to 'rectify' the situation.

Simek edited her original post to note that Mrs. Casey Daniel, an English teacher at Toms River High - East High School in Toms River, and her journalism class volunteered to write the children individual, personalized, whimsical letters from the North Pole as a part of a creative writing holiday assignment.

Whether or not parents agree with this teacher's methods, the school's only action thus far has been the letter warning parents.

Rene Rovtar, Montville Schools Superintendent, issued a statement noting she was "troubled" and "disheartened" by the substitute's actions. 

"The childhood wonder associated with all holidays and traditions is something I personally hold near and dear in my own heart," Rovtar said.

The teacher's name was not released and the school didn't say if she would continue to teach in the district.

schoollearningSantaSanta ClausholidayholidaysChristmasElf of the Shelftoyparentingkidschildren
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