Since my children were young I have given there imagination the fire to grow. I do the typical things like wrap presents in different paper for them to know that Santa Clause has dropped by. I am the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny and even an Italian Witch. When my girls where younger they associated people to Disney Characters. We had a Disney Character for every one in the family. Well, do to the fact that I had blonde hair at the time, my girls said that I was the Disney Character ""Tinker Bell!"" Ever since then I have told my girls that they were half fairy. This sparked so much wonder and amazement. They would question on why I did not have wings anymore. So to keep the spark alive I would tell them that when I became an adult and had them, my fairy wings disappeared. The more creative the answer the better.
This has gone on for years and my daughter entered the first grade. At age 7, I believe that her imagination is still developing and she should be able to explore her own creativity. She has taken on a love of fairies and always wants to read books that has one in it. When she reads the books she is intrigued and always asks what type of fairy she is. We both came to the conclusion that she was a garden fairy. This pleased her and every time we were in a garden she would tell me that she is going to look for her fairy friends.
One day my daughter came home crying and was so upset. She refused to tell me why and just sat with a sad face. I let her be, but continued to ask how she was and if she needed me for anything. Same old, ""No, mom I am fine."" she would say. How can I help her if she did not want to tell me what was going on and, what in the world would cause a little girl to cry with such feeling that it hurt my soul to see. I got my answer the next morning. While I was going through her book bag I came across a not from her teacher. I am not going to quote word for word, but the basic feel was cold and said to me that I need to teach my child the difference of reality and make believe. That (the teacher) had to tell my daughter she was not a fairy and that she needs to stop thinking that she is one. All I could do was question ""WHY"" why would a person who teaches young children stomp on her in such a way that her heart broke.
I think that I could understand more if she was older and still believed that she was a fairy. But she was 7 years old and in the first grade. How can this be too old to have made her first grade teacher tell her that she needs to grow up. What are they teaching our children? Did anyone tell Sir J. M. Barrie that his imagination was too out there? If so, I do not think that we would have a novel that continues to entertain children.
I am the proud parent of young children. I have done so then and will continue to express on how my children's imagination is never to be crushed. Teachers are to help with creativity and imagination. In fact they expect it from them when they write a paper. Where is the balance? If there is too much imagination, it is wrong, and if there is not enough, there is something wrong. In my opinion, this teacher was not cut out to teach the first grade, she needs to be teaching in a higher grade level. Hey you never know, my daughter or any any other child who believes with a full heart may just write a novel that will be legendary.
