To have complained to school for showing Schindler's List to yr 9's

[jjazz]

Just that really. Dont know which parts they showed but DD was awake at 11.15 last night -upset as the scenes were still in her head. She is sensitive but not over emotional imo. she was 13 at end of August so is a 'young' year nine although the film is a 15 so none of the group would have been that age.

Tbh it is a shocking film and am not surprised the OP's DD is upset.

However, OP I would remember too that many children your DD's age and younger lived in those camps and witnessed the reality of what your DD saw....land it wasn't a directors interpretation of it either....

That's what I would be sharing with my child if they were upset.

It must never happen again...

I wasn't aware that OPs DD was able to leave the room if she wanted. Certainly wouldn't have been allowed to do that at my school!

I still maintain that 13 is too young to show this film. Far too young. There are other ways of teaching teenagers about the holocaust than to show them this film. Not only is it about the holocaust but it is also filmed and directed in such a way to amplify the horror.

Thank you Jingleflobba

I have read The boy in the striped pyjamas - was totally traumatised as I was absolutely not expecting the ending!!!! I watched the film too but the book was better.

The Ring sounds awful - I don't like horror movies :)

but the school wouldn't be able to show the whole film (even if they wanted to) in one sitting as it's very long. It would take 2-3 whole lessons to watch. I expect the school just showed certain scenes from it.

I'm all in favour of DC aged 13 watching it in the context of their history lessons and discussing it beforehand and afterwards.

I think YABU OP - It is at this age that all children must understand, must be shocked and must agree - never, ever again.

If showing a 15 film to 13/14 year olds is not a big deal - then why have a classification system in the first place? If parents would not be able to use their judgment and take a 13 year old into a cinema to watch the film, then the school should not show it. Not without parental permission. It's not so much about this particular film - it's the princple.

The teacher would have carefully selected scenes. They would also have given students the contextual information to make sense of what they saw.

It's important learning.

Phone the school and talk to the teacher if you are worried.

I would show a 15 film to my 13 YO if I wanted to but I would not expect the school to as that would be my choice.

I don't think it is particularly suitable for all 13 YOs.

There must be other things they could show that would be suitable or show particular scenes.

Ella I think you are absolutely wrong in your comment - it is not for the school to decide this at all!! Yes children should understand but in the right way!

"All the people saying that permission slips should have been sent home, do you really think that `not wanting your child to be upset' is a sufficient reason for them not to learn about the Holocaust?"

I think you can learn about the Holocaust very thoroughly without seeing Schindler's List.

Although DD3 saw the film, with my permission (teacher sent home a letter and permission slip) I had my doubts the year before as to whether she would be able to stomach it. This particular teacher had DD2 also and I knew what to expect. DD3 had matured enough by the time she was 13 going on 14 to watch it. But I would have refused permission had I not considered her ready for it.

The classification thing is not the issue. They don't see the whole film which actually got the rating. They see selected scenes from it.

Incidentally the whole film has a 12 rating in Germany and Holland.

my sons class read the boy in the stripedpyjamas in year 6

they then sent home slips asking for permission to show the f ilm. ds begged me not to allow him, so i said no. he went to the computer suite while the others watched it-at home time they were all sobbing.

ds said 'the book was bad enough'

Blimey - DS got a letter home asking us permission to watch Toy Story 3 or was 4 the last one as could have some scary scenes in.

I think the least they could have done is ask your permission although DS has watched The World at War with DH before and was very interested in it - asking lots of grown up questions and really thinking about what it was all about. I don't think it is a bad thing for children to see what adults can do to each other and the lesson they get about tollerance and peace is a good one to learn.

The DCs' school sends slips home for every film.

I have a dd in year 9 and would not have a problem with her seeing the film.

I was at secondary school in Europe. when I was in year 9 and we were learning about the holocaust we went on a trip to Auchwitz. It was incredibly harrowing but an experience I will never forget. I think teaching about this kind of tragedy is extremely important and I think 13/14year olds is an appropriate age to learn about it.
I cant really understand people shielding their children from everything bad in the world, we are not living in a rosy peaceful world and children have to learn about the bad stuff to be able to cope in the real world.

SL came out in 1993, 12 Certs weren't introduced until 2002. SL would prob be a 12 if released today.

Age Certs are not awarded for harrowing scenes (Simba and Bambi seeing their parents killed is harrowing) but for scenes containing sex and/or violence.

YABU. However,

My mum once complained to my school: we were doing the holocaust in History, we watched 'Threads' (nuclear holocaust) in PSHE and were reading a really depressing (and badly written) book in English (that I can't now remember). All in the same week. She complained that it was bad curriculum planning as we weren't having any laughs. I didn't care, I was a teen and enjoyed being miserable.

Thinking about it now, she was probably trying to blame the school for my moody behaviour so, yes. She was being unreasonable too.

In America SL was rated R, even though at the time PG-13 was available. I'm not sure 12 would have been used in UK even if it had been available.

why can they not learn through real historial document though? there is lots out there and I'm sure alot produced for age appropriate levels.

i don't really get why they need to see an feature film when real footage exists

there are lots of documentaries out there

Fair enough MrsMelons you are allowed to absolutely disagree!

I have taken groups of 15/16 year olds to Auschwitz and I have seen that by then it is too late. I have seen them yawn, scoff and even once graffiti....

I have done this subject with 13 year olds, and they really get it.

I can't comment on what was or wasn't done in terms of this showing - maybe the teacher selected appropriate scenes, maybe they didn't but I don't agree that this isn't the responsibility of the schools......if schools don't, who will?

I haven't wathced Shindlers List because I don't think I could handle it. I'm nearly forty.

When we were shown a film about the holocaust when I was 14/15 I stared at the floor the throughout, I found it so horrendous.
But I think it's an incredibly important subject which needs to be covered in schools (and not just by those taking history GCSE). It's a part of history we need to learn from so nothing like it ever happens again.

A friends DD watched a film about Anne Frank at school in Y6 and I said "But it's horrific at the end! to which she very dryly replied "Lynette, I don't think you can study the holocaust without it being horrific." She had a point, and I hope she will always have a point.
Yawning and graffitiing makes me wonder if these young people have been de-sensitised somehow.

it will happen again and does genocide happens all the time all over the world

Because I think it's such an important subject, I let DS watch Boy in the Sriped Pyjamas when he was in Y6 (but I knew he wouldn't be upset). I will struggle letting DS watch it at 12, because I know she will be very upset. But part of me thinks her being upset is worth ensuring history is never repeated.

not appropriate to show a 15 film to a 13 year old. end of.

Whatever anyone thinks about whether 13 year olds in general should watch the film, YANBU to tell the school you weren't happy with the teacher's decision to use the film in your daughter's age group. That is your right, and it's up to them what they do about it in terms of future lessons.

There are many other ways of learning about the holocaust that are less emotionally draining than watching a film - the pupils could have learned the same information in other ways without having those visual scenes to replay in her head with all the techniques film makers use to enhance the viewer's emotions.