Mumsnet Talk

Dd is in yr 7.

First couple of weeks there she mentioned something about a history lesson I thought was odd. But it was first few weeks and I thought maybe the teacher is settling them in.

Dd said they were watching a documentary and everyone was bored. Teacher realised this and stopped the film and let everyone come and draw faces on the board instead.

Then last week dd mentions that her history lesson was about the history of Nicky Minaj's breasts! Apparently this pop star has had a boob job so that's history. She used to have small boobs in the past, now she has big ones.

She's never had any history homework.

Dd says most of her lessons not just history are really easy and that she's bored.

Oh and drama homework this week is to write a leaflet of a fake illness and put the leaflet in your GPs surgery waiting room. I keep asking her if she's sure but she's adamant and she has written it in her planner.

I'm more bothered about the history.

History of Nicky Minaj seems strange and inapproptiate for Y7.You could ask to see a topic outline for the term,most schools would hopefully be happy to share with you.

very odd. Find the leaflet vey weird - not even a hisotorical illness? How will he mark them??

The first one sounds like a cover lesson to me, with a frazzled Cover Supervisor.

They've been learning about the made up illness in drama. It's called mouseophobia or something. I don't know what drawing leaflets has to do with drama.

Anyway I'm telling dd not to other with her drama homework at all. If the teacher wants to see the leaflet she can tell him she left it at the doctors waiting room as per instructions.

The first history lesson wasn't a cover teacher, it was normal one. Dd has been telling me how cool Miss H is.

Don't think there's a parents evening till
April which is a shame.

That sounds mad!

Perhaps the Nicki Minaj thing (clutching at straws here but bear with me) is a teacher trying (in some kind of weird way) to try and make the kids see how history is relevant/they are making history themselves kind of thing?????

The drs waiting rooms leaflet - odd again. I dont get the historical lesson there at all and how do all the local Drs surgeries feel about a loadd of 11 and 12yos leaving home-made fictional leaflets in their waiting rooms? How will these leaflets get graded and marked??

Are you sure your DC has grasped the concept correctly???

I would ask school about it.

The made up illness is drama not history.

Her friends are backing her up on this. I've not asked them about the history lessons but one of her friends has photos on her fb page of lots of kids drawing faces on the board which ties in with what she says.

Maybe in genuine confusion contact the head of year to query the homework/classwork '...she must have got the wrong end of the stick...can you have some clarification re the drama homework and the history focus/apparently no history h/w so you can help dd and potentially avert a few problems (have the teacher's names handy).

I am always one of the first to defend teachers as they often get a bad rap but this all sounds very strange and inappropriate.

I agree with schmaltzing - contact the HOY to check what she should be doing. HOY will generally go to Heads of dept or Assistant heads if they concerned about what is being set.

That sounds a good way of putting it Maltida, was trying to think how to word it. Thanks, will send an email saying I'm worried dd isn't bringing her history homework back, etc.

Guessing the leaflet one is a prop for their surgery in drama - sometimes drama teachers do try to make their make-believe world real to the students. Bloody mad though if she has to drop it into a real GP surgery though!

I'd ring - if you have the time - as then the tone is clear - sort of amused at dd surely getting the wrong end of the stick in a couple of subjects - want to spare her any embarrassment and to ensure she is doing what she is supposed to do and you're seeking clarification ...then you can be specific about what dd thinks she is studying in history/she hasn't recorded or done any history h/w/the drama h/w task...then HoY can enquire on your behalf.

And maybe you won't be the only parent contacting the school.

There may be some sense in the Drama work. She may want to work on illness but prefer not to pick a genuine illness because someone may know someone with it, and that can be personally upsetting. Drama is about thinking outside of your own shoes, so there may be a basis to it and further work.

History is just plain weird.

All weird, i saw your post before anyone had replied and actually wondered if it was for real! I would def phone the school and express your concerns.

The drama one i would be convinced that dd had got it wrong, I wouldn't allow her to put the leaflet in the GP's waiting room! This sounds utterly bizarre to me. It must surely be design a leaflet for a GP's waiting room, hypothetical.

Re history i would want to know what the hell the syllabus was and what those breasts have to do with it- and also the approach that is taken, i would not want those girls to start thinking about the size of their breasts, for e.g....

Its possible the nikki minaj thing is an example of historical time lines, famous figures and personalities and the effect if the digital age. But I think you could ask for clarification.

I would be concerned about putting a fake leaflet in a GP's waiting room.

It could be upsetting for very ill people and depending on whatever this fake illness is it could actually resemble a real illness or present symptoms of a real illness. I think it's not clearly thought out and irresponsible.

I think the surgery would not want unsolicited info being left on their premises purporting to be a genuine document.

Is it something along the lines of the big hoaxes schools have put in the past ie crashed spaceships / robberies etc. If so its for the potential to backfire on the school.

This could easily lead to complaints to the school.

I would clarify this issue too

To be honest my first concern would be that children are using mobiles in class to take pictures!

I thought that too!

This all sounds completely bizarre and nothing like the history my DC or those of friends at other schools do. Plus the leaflet in the GP's, mobile phones in lessons, faces on board....

Is the history curriculum for Y7 available on the school website or maybe you got a handout at a Parents Induction Evening or something? Otherwise, I would contact the school and say you would like to know what they expect the Y7 to cover in their history curriculum.

That is the most bizarre yr 7 story I've ever heard. If I hadn't regularly seen you posting sensible comments I would have thought you were mad.

Agree you should contact the HOY and say that you are really worried that your dd is not listening properly/understanding the syllabus/homework because surely these are not really what she is being asked to do in lessons/for homework?

Ds is doing the Norman Conquest in yr 7 history as are the yr 7s at my school and those of my friends in other schools...

Who the flip is Nicky Menaj? And I wouldn't be happy at all about the use of phones in the classroom. They are banned completely at ds's and our school, with infringements dealt with severely. There is a very good reason for this: child protection.

Together with other comments you've made, Id be really worried about this school (and I think you might be roughly in my area - so I kind of wish I knew what school you were talking about to maybe warn friends off...!)

OK history lesson sounds weird, could do with clarification.

Drama sounds completely normal assuming, as I would, that your DD has got the wrong end of the stick and the leaflet is to be brought into school for use in a drama lesson set in a GP waiting room.

Using phones to take photos in class - WTAF?

(Just to clarify my last paragraph, I have namechanged recently but we were both on a thread discussing specific schools a while back - at least I'm sure it was you...!)

Faces on the board to be fair could have a rationale. In my subject, English, I can see how I might use them as a quick recap or plenary.

Dd is still adamant about the drama leaflet. The teacher told them they could choose what level they wanted to do their homework at. They could either write a bit in general about the illness, more advanced could be to do a list of symptoms and high level would be to do the leaflet. The teacher according to dd then went on to say and you could leave the leaflet in your local doctors waiting room if you wanted to.

Maybe he was joking, but it was a stupid joke. I would normally make dd do the higher level of homework but I told her she could do one of the lower levels for this if she wanted.

I'm going to talk to another mum I know next week and try and find out if her DS has said anything about the history lessons.

Booksandcuppa, yes I'm worried the HOY might think I'm mad when I ring up. I've already had to contact her last week as some nasty kid was using dd as a punchbag. I've PM'd you details of the school by the way.