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18th December 2024
11:30am GMT
An anonymous teacher working in Ireland has come out and spoke of the gas behaviour she has witnessed during annual nativity plays.
She talked about seeing one man fall on other members of the audience after standing on his chair to get a better view while other parents have sang over their children's solos.
The woman has been a teacher here in Ireland for nearly 20 years, so they’ve seen their fair share of Christmas play shenanigans.
Speaking about a particularly funny incident, she said one dad decided to sing along with his son, but then decided to stand on his seat holding his scarf over his head before ending up on the floor.
“His son, up on stage, spots him and waves,” the teacher told the Irish Daily Mail.
“And, waving back, that’s when everything goes wrong. Dad’s chair gives way, buckling under his weight.
“He comes crashing down into the unsuspecting woman in front of him, who topples into the elderly granny in front of her, who ends up on the floor.”
They went on to say: “That Christmas, three years ago, stands out in my mind - but nothing is off limits when it comes to the nativity play.”
While some experiences are funny and wholesome, from parents genuinely bursting with pride, the teacher said they also have to deal with “selfish, chaotic, pushy parents” sometimes.
“One mother was fuming because her son had volunteered to be an angel,” the teacher recalled.
“She insisted - in a series of increasingly obdurate emails - that he be recast as a shepherd, as it was ‘a more manly role’.
“In the end we had no option but to cave in; the poor mite was utterly crestfallen when I broke the news to him.”
Teachers have had to resort to sending class letters asking parents to sign their kids up for specific roles, to avoid similar scenarios happening again.
However, even moves like this didn't solve the issue, because if some parents didn't get their pick in on time, they would send “passive-aggressive emails” demanding the teachers make changes.
“Keen parents now ask to be sent YouTube links of songs to rehearse at home. But when it comes to the big day, Mum and Dad know the words so well, their voices are often louder than the children’s.
“We’ve even had parents actually hop up on stage during the play, coaching their kids.”
As parents, have you witnessed any outrageous behaviour at the annual school play? Let us know in the comments
