By Chris Taylor
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wkms/local-wkms-939527.mp3
Murray, KY – !Disclaimer! As a warning to parents with younger listeners within earshot, you may not want them to hear the following story.
Most adults who believed in Santa Claus when they were kids can remember once upon a time when the realization hit them: That overstuffed and too-jolly-to-be-living-that-far-north annual gift giver was really an elaborate hoax perpetuated by grown-ups. Now, there's no mounting evidence to suggest the deceiving holiday illusion has any detrimental effect on kids, but all the same some adults still reflect on the subject with disdain, others are indifferent and many still live the magic. Chris Taylor discusses the issue with two elementary school teachers.
Girl- I'm not sitting in that guy's lap. Santa's laps are always really warm and that creepy.
Boy- We all have to sit on Santa's lap. If Britney sees we all still believe, it will make her strong enough to withstand all the Santa nay-sayers in the world.
Another Boy- Which is everyone over the age of six.
Girl- I'm pretty sure this isn't going to work. That guy doesn't even look like Santa.
Boy- Trust me, all Britney's going to see is the suit. She wants to believe in him.
That's a clip from this week's episode of Glee on Fox, where a highschooler reveals she still wholeheartedly believes in the magic of the North Pole. The plot, as one character points out, is a bit far-fetched from reality, where kids discover the Christmas secret a lot sooner.
Michele Dickerson teaches first grade at Murray Elementary School. She feels lucky in her 16 years of teaching: she's only had three instances where a student directly asked her whether the big guy was real or not.
MD- Usually I don't have to answer it because the kids will all chime in and they'll start talking about it and I just kind of stand back and let them discuss it. So, I've never had to answer that question directly.
Dickerson says the subject instantly conjures up conversation of "proof".
MD- And they'll say, Well, I know because I left that plate of cookies and it was gone and there was a note there,' or I saw footprints and my parents were asleep; I know they were asleep.'
Dickerson notes even at their six and seven age level, there's usually a skeptic or two in the bunch.
MD- Other ones will say, well how do you know that that was who ate the cookies? How do you know your parents didn't eat the cookies?' So, they do reasoning skills. It's so funny because if they're asked a question like that they'll come up with a reason of how they know.
While these discussions don't seem to happen very often in the public classroom, students at Christian Fellowship School in Benton may talk about Santa much more often. Brandi Haynes has taught Kindergarten there for seven years. She says her students bring up Santa all the time during class.
BH- I usually say, Let's not talk about that; that's something that you can talk about with your parents at home;' and they're usually pretty good about dropping the subject, but sometimes they'll keep on going or they'll talk about it with each other than they talk about it with me.
Haynes says her school teaches kids the story of Santa's Christian past with tales of Saint Nicholas, but she and fellow teachers tend to shy away from using Santa decorations and singing about him. She estimates about half of her students have parents who don't share Santa customs with their kids, and sometimes those students aren't shy to share the news with their classmates. Haynes recalls an incident a couple of years ago, where one of her students made the proclamation to the whole class.
BH- She said, I know there's not a Santa Claus and if you don't believe me then you can go ask my dad!' So, if their parents are very adamant about there is no Santa Claus, then they will ruin it for children. You know, because I don't care if they talk about it; that's fine. But if they get close, then I really cut it off because I don't want to ruin a family's tradition.
Michelle Dickerson says that's never happened in her classroom.
MD- They don't tell the other kids about it. They keep it to themselves because I think they understand what magic it is for everybody else.
When kids do find out early, some holiday innocence and fun may be lost, but then again it can be about as fun creating the magic as it is experiencing.
MD- I think it makes them feel more mature and more responsible, because that is a big responsibility that they have not to ruin it for everybody else.
Brandi Haynes agrees.
BH- They do seem to have this sense of maturity about them once they find it out, especially with younger kids. Like a third grader, for instance, that would know about Santa Claus would be very careful around my Kindergarteners because they remember how fun it was to believe.
Both teachers wonder if there could be any negative effects that can come from a child's abrupt or shocking discovery, or if that knowledge casts doubt on other fantastic stories like that of the Tooth Fairy or the Easter Bunny or even biblical miracles. Haynes says in some cases once Santa is out of the bag, kids can be more skeptical and it's a fine line adults must balance.
BH- Making children question what you tell them as a parent or as a teacher, What is fact and what is fiction?' because it's important for you to be honest with them, but they do need to have the sensibility to distinguish between fun stories and true stories.
Haynes and Dickerson doubt most kids come away from childhood feeling lied to and most come to quickly understand the setup. Some kids never even outright state their disbelief and many continue to receive presents from Santa even into their college years.
One Santa concept never leaves though, and if it wasn't taught in Santa-lore maybe it came from the bible. It's the idea of omniscience; that an invisible eye is always watching. Both teachers say that concept works pretty effectively to get kids to behave. Michelle Dickerson likens the concept to security cameras in her school.
MD- Anytime that they think there's an external source watching them, they are going to perform better or they are going to be better. I really think that works. They want to be good for Santa. They want Santa to think that they are that special person.
Whether kids believe in Santa, the Easter Bunny, God or the whole bunch at once, one thing's for sure: if they act like someone's watching their every move and behave themselves, they can certainly reap social and moral benefits.