A Pennsylvania elementary school canceled the fifth-graders performance of Charles Dickens’ classic tale, “A Christmas Carol,” an annual tradition for over 40 years, in part because two parents reportedly complained about the character of Tiny Tim saying, “God bless us, everyone.”
District spokeswoman Shannon Zimmerman acknowledged to WHTM that the complaints about Tiny Tim’s line prompted officials think twice about putting the play on, and somehow they decided that this year, the 15-20 hours of classroom time to prepare for the play were cause to jettison the production.
Zimmerman stated, “It’s not part of the written curriculum of fifth grade, but students and teachers were required to participate in it and we can’t allow that to continue.”
A local citizen, Jane Burkhart, commented, “I was surprised because it’s been going on for decades and it’s a tradition at the school that everybody looks forward to. The kids are very proud of themselves for what they do, and put that on, and it’s just very sad that it’s not going to just because of one little line. Charles Dickens is a classic author not a religious figure and I just think one little line shouldn’t ruin it for every kid in fifth grade, and to come.”
Centerville Elementary Principal Tom Kramer posted an explanation on the school’s website defending the decision, writing:
We understand that some parents are upset that the play was cancelled, but we have heard from families on both ends of the spectrum, including those who expressed appreciation that the play, as it had traditionally been prepared and delivered, was cancelled. We want to clarify that the decision to cancel the play was a building decision, based upon interactions between myself and the fifth grade teaching team. This decision was made based primarily on instructional opportunities for students. Producing and performing a play is not part of the written curriculum for fifth grade.
Over the years, preparations had evolved to take 15 to 20 hours of instructional (educational) time to produce this play. Given changes in state standards in recent years, we could not defend the commitment of this kind of instructional time to something not part of the fifth grade curriculum. The teachers agreed that they did not want our students to be put at a disadvantage relative to their peers from other schools in preparation for 6th grade; therefore, the play was cancelled. In addition to focusing on high quality instruction, our decision is rooted in the desire to be respectful of the many cultural and religious backgrounds represented by the students attending Centerville Elementary.
One rumor we’ve been addressing is that one or two families influenced this decision. That’s just not true. The instructional time issue was our primary concern. Alternative solutions were explored for offering the play differently, including the use of non-core instructional time, but it was decided by the building team to not go down this path. We also looked at having rehearsals after school hours, but, at this time, parents nor staff members have stepped forward to take advantage of this possibility.