Parents furious when video about opera depicting d

[Kaifu1]

BENNETT, Colo. - Some parents in this prairie town are angry with an elementary school music teacher for showing pupils a video about the opera “Faust,” whose title character sells his soul to the devil in exchange for being young again.

“Any adult with common sense would not think that video was appropriate for a young person to see. I’m not sure it’s appropriate for a high school student,” Robby Warner said after two of her children saw the video.

Another parent, Casey Goodwin, said, “I think it glorifies Satan in some way.”

Tresa Waggoner showed approximately 250 first-, second- and third-graders at Bennett Elementary portions of a 33-year-old series titled “Who’s Afraid of Opera” a few weeks ago.

The video features the soprano Dame Joan Sutherland and three puppet friends discussing Gounod’s “Faust.” Waggoner thought it would be a good introduction to opera.

Her critics questioned the decision to show children a portrayal of the devil, Mephistopheles, along with a scene showing a man being killed by a sword and a reference to suicide.

School Superintendent George Sauter said the teacher should not have shown the video to children below the fourth grade but will not lose her job. She has sent a letter of apology to all elementary school parents in Bennett, population 2,400, about 25 miles east of Denver on Colorado’s eastern plains.

“I was definitely not sensitive to the conservative nature of the community, and I’ve learned that,” Waggoner said in Sunday’s editions of The Denver Post. “However, from what has been said about me, that I’m a Satan worshipper, my character, I can’t believe all of this. My intention was just to expose the kids to opera.”

Waggoner, who is in her first year teaching vocal music in Bennett, said she doesn’t expect to stay in town.

“I know I’m not accepted here, that I’m not welcome here by the parents,” she said. “It’s a very uncomfortable position.”

© 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Thoughts coments?

I think the town folks are a bunch of ... n00bs to put it nicely.

[Beren]

Faust is timeless. Its a fucking story! They don't want to expose their children to culture? Okay, Faust is a bit dark, but this program was obviously geared toward children. Do they have the same battle cry when a teacher reads the story of Snow White. Little Miss Innocent has loads of morals to teach our youth like (1) running away from home, (2) living with SEVEN strange men, (3) following the status quo by domesticating herself to these SEVEN strange men and to top it off (4) the bitch takes handouts from a complete and total stranger and BAM, a fucking poison apple "kills her". Of course, the lesson is miscontrued when a handsome prince comes and wakes her from "death", so I guess its okay for little girls to take apples and candy from strangers as long as you believe that the boy down the street is going to kiss you to wake up?! That boy won't even be interested in kissing until he's like 15. What the fuck are you going to do until then little girl?! And what if you're an ugly little girl?! You think any boy is going to come kiss you to have to spend the rest of his days with a hag about as ugly as the witch that gave you that damn apple! Snow White was a fucking idiot. And its not that I'm just bitter that SHE got Prince Charming and I didn't, I just don't think . . .

Wait, I got off topic? What was this thread about? Oh yeah, that teacher is obviously in the wrong place for her calling. I wish her well whereever she goes and hope that the people there appreciate her drive to give our youth some culture in their lives.

[estara]

I don't think you were off topic Beren....

The parents of those kids have obviously never seen the end of the story when Faust burns in hell for, you know, selling his soul to the devil. The point of the story is to say, yes, this dude got mortal pleasure for a few more years, but then he spent ALL ETERNITY SUFFERING!!!!!! The story was written by a christian for goodness sake. I swear, people get their panties in a bunch over nothing.

They accept Snow White and the acceptable strangeness of her behaviour, because Disney sugar coated it. I bet if Disney made a movie of Faust they would think its ok...

[Kaifu1]

My brother is about to go into the 5th grade... and If he read this, he would laugh at "those people"

Its retarded.

Maybe its the way my family was brought up, but we know how to think for ourselfs, and act within reason to a given scernieo. At times I think my bro has more sense then me~ *most of you can atest(sp) to this* So, I don't know how these "Parents" could be so upset. Parents need to be parents, and let the Teachers, teach.

semi rant

I'm sure some of you may agree about this, but~ Parents are not being parents. They let teachers, daycare provides and TV raise their kids, while they go to work or whatever. Then wonder "what happen to my child?! I blame (insert item that can be taken out of context aka Video games here) for the way my child is today!"

Yes, you have to work inorder to raise a child, but that doesn't mean you don't have a say in what goes in their heads.

/semi rant

[_Code]

Gotcha beat, when I was in 10th or 11th grade (?? cant really remember which), we had a teacher go on vacation, he left a Video for the Sub to play for us and we were supposed to take notes. Well, apparently it was the same video for 3 classes... Class one goes in, she plays video, alls good. Class 2 goes in, Plays video halfway through it ends (she didn't rewind it) and a Hardcore Porno starts playing.... Which she lets play...... Class ends, Class 3 comes in (my class), she continues playing the Hardcore porno for us, and makes us take notes.

100% true, Nauren's seen the Newspaper clipping, if I can find my photoalbum i'll scan it for you guys. needless to say, that Sub was immediately fired, never seen her since. She was a regular sub... saw her for years. Old bitchy woman...

Anyway, kind of applicable. Shows the difference from then to now, now a days that would be nationwide news.

_Code

[Nauren]

It is kinda stupid.... in High school we watched Schlindlers Lists......and read Oedipus Rex. Now if we can read a story of how a guy killed his father, had kids with his mother, gouged out his eyes and roamed blind while his kids took over the throne and commited mass murders and suicides because they weren't right in the head from the inbreeding........they can get away with any opera.

[estara]

ahhh the classics....

that lady seriously didn't stop the porn? wow... did the teacher who gave her the video have something happen to him? since you know, he gave her a video with porn somewhere on it to show to the class....


I bet all the boys in that class enjoyed it.... >,>

[Kaifu1]

Aye, and what kind of notes did they take?

[_Code]

She was very very old... but obviously knew what was going on. It was a biology class tho, maybe had something to do with her reasoning.

as for the other teacher (who was a crackpot himself), he had the original porno on video, and then taped a discovery channel documentary over it, but apparently this was like, a compilation of pornos, and the documentary was only an hour, he intended her to rewind it. Dunno if he was yelled at or anything, but he was my teacher for the rest of the year.

As for notes, alot of our notes were really just goofing off... but most of us weren't paying much attention to the paper in front of us. It was a girl in our class that walked out and got the office involved. We still got about 30 min of viewing in before the principal shut it down tho.

[estara]

ya, girls always ruin porno time don't they

[Nauren]

estara said:

I bet all the boys in that class enjoyed it.... >,>

Just had to point this out. I work for Comcast Cable for those who don't know. MORE WOMEN ORDER PORN THEN MEN EASILY!

Seriously....men..when they do order is a really quick call.....I want this show at this time........women will tell you why they want to order it and stuff about their personal life etc lol.

[Nauren]

I had extremely strict parents.....couldn't watch R rated movies until my late teens type of strict........however...my parents taught me wayyyyyy back when i first started watching tv..that its not real..don't do what you see on tv etc.

Besides...these days watching the news could be horrific for your kids.

But i think 1st graders are too young to appreciate Opera at all. So the violence isn't at question with me...why would you show first graders Opera?

[Beren]

O.o I was listening and performing in operas BEFORE first grade. Granted I was in children's scenes back then and the music was just simple, but we had to learn the story and the language and the music. I guess it just depends on what you like and don't like (or what your parents want to expose you too when you're that young.) For me music > say sports or cub scouts (but I did that, too.)

[isabo]

Did you guys actually read the article? She didn't show them Faust. she showed them a video of Joan Sutherland and three puppets talking about Faust and apparently there were a few scenes from the opera in the video. She showed it to 1st, 2nd and 3rd graders.

The problem I have with it is that it is a 33yr old series. I'm sure there's a better, more modern way to introduce opera to kids. I do NOT think that 1st graders are too young to appreciate opera, if it is shown to them in a way they can understand and relate to. As a preschool teacher I showed and taught my kids things that some people would have thought were WAY over their heads but I got plenty of compliments from parents and my bosses when they realized that the kids not only understood the material but also enjoyed it and retained the information.

The violence is not the issue. There's no way to shelter children from violence in this day and age and Beren made a good point from the beginning - classic fairy tales are a much worse model of society than the story of Faust. The teacher probably picked Faust because she thought that the swordplay would get the kids interested (being products of modern society - violence is the children's version of sex sells). However, their interest did not go beyond the violence so that's what they remembered when they talked to their parents about the video they had seen in school. I think the parents reaction had more to do with the religious connotations than the actual violence. And that brings us back to the age old debate of separating church and state which I am not going to touch with a ten foot pole.

Bottom line for me: the kids weren't too young, the teacher was too lazy to introduce the subject in an innovative way and that came back to bite her in the ass.

[Nauren]

Maybe we are missing each other on "appreciate" To appreciate something, art, stories, books..you have to be able to almost relate, empathize with the artists as well as understand the history and the moral/story in which is portraying. I'm not saying a 1st grader would not like/enjoy/learn from it. But without the previous knowledge of what Opera might be, i don't think they would truely appreciate it.

For example..and this is a strain to relate to....but I love martial arts movies.....most of my girlfriends in the past did not. They thought it was cool and fascinating with some of the moves and stunts..but they did not appreciate it. me spending close to 10 years in martial arts, know all there is to know...present and past...and what each style/culture was trying to prove with this art. Its way off topic now lol sorry....I think I'm defining "appreciate" a little differently....it takes knowledge to appreciate knowledge sorta thing....with children and their sponge minds...gotta start with the basics...and normally they surpass the teacher.