Today was my daughter's school christmas concert. Unlike schools in Canada, the Christmas concert in this English school was during the day only, with performances in the morning and afternoon. There were no stage lights, no fancy party dresses, and a conspicuously religious story behind the play set up to allow all the classrooms to sing a song; while the first bits of the show celebrated santa, presents, christmas dinner, the tree as the "star" of Christmas, the coda to the piece was to really celebrate the Star of Bethlehem as the star of Christmas, sneaking in the reminder of the religious basis for this holiday (for some, of course). This in itself was odd..in Canada, at least in public schools, religion has been outlawed since my years in primary school. If I recall correctly, the Lord's prayer and bible reading in class were made contraband in around my Grade 2 or 3 year.
What stood out even more, though, as I sit pondering creation, development, art.....was the effort and honesty of these students as they stood modestly on a low stage, with little costume and no light, in front of their adoring parents and the parents of their peers. Each child, even those terrified by standing in front of the crowd, had a look of extreme earnest pride as they sang their song, smiling with extreme joy. It was a gentle reminder of what little we need to make magic for those watching.
Keep it simple.
yeah most schools aren't allowed to say the Lords Prayer, but I do remember when I was working in Selkirk a few years back, there were a few parents who complained about this and they were allowed to have the Prayer in the gym every morning for the students who have that faith.
ReplyDeleteI did find an old Winnipeg Free Press article about this tho... http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/schools-ignore-prayer-rules-124478269.html
Now, being at a school with so many different religions, different faiths, one couldn't dream of having that forced upon students who don't practice it.