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.

For reference, you watch a specific part of the movie, with a sheet asking for information. Or at least we did.

Those who didn't like it could leave and go to the library, and nobody was forced to watch it. The teacher was around to ask questions and was very honest about how hard-hitting the film is.

These days a lot of places seem to show The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas instead.

What CajaDe said about being allowed to go to the library made me think about something else: at 13 I think that children should be allowed to make their own decisions about things like this. Within limits set by responsible adults, but not necessarily dictated by their parents.

IOW some children might decide they want to see it even though their parents don't want them too. Sadly this will include some children whose parents don't want them to learn about the Holocaust because they are anti-semitic (not necessarily Holocaust deniers but also those who feel it isn't a priority to learn about).

I feel the same way about religious/sex education for teenagers - beyond a certain point the school can be a liberating force if it allows them to access important things their parents want to censor from them.

Blimey, I think the boy in striped pyjamas is really upsetting too. I couldn't watch it myself.

It's true that you can read about all these things, but I think seeing them on a screen, whether it's Schindler's List or the World at War, seems to bring the reality home much more than a book can. When you see it before your eyes, you realise that your imagination cannot (in my case) bring the horror to the pitch that was the reality of the Holocaust. I have read fairly widely about WWII, Mao and Stalin, but it is the images of the people from the World at War that are sometimes in my mind when I read about atrocities. I was not capable of imagining for myself that kind of horror inflicted in humans by other humans.

Was she shown the whole film? I can't believe they had time. Probably just excerpts which would have been reasonable.

I'm in the YABU camp. Just because it's upsetting is not a reason to not show it. They have to come to terms with many upsetting things in the world. She is old enough to do some of it.

Yanbu. It is a 15 for a reason, why does the school think they know better...

I had no problem with my two seeing Schindlers List or The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas while at school. I think you have to trust the teachers to deal with the issues raised appropriately. Both films had a big impact and both DSs talked about them for ages after. I think they were shocked and disturbed and yet I had talked to them about the Holocaust years before when we visited Anne Frank's House.

It is important that they are all shown the film together to aid discussion and to dispel myths in class. Many children of this age have not been made aware of the background and that is fine but really at 13 they are definitely old enough to learn about it. At 15 they are too old I think

To all the posters saying "It is a 15 for a reason".

That reason is because it is considered a film which it would be undesirable for a 14 year old to rent or buy on his/her own and be able to watch in its entirety alone without any control by an adult.

It is not because it is considered that any part of the film could not be shown to anyone below 15 by a history teacher who knows the children who are going to watch it, who is present in the room, and who is going to discuss the film with them.

How many of the posters saying 'It's 15 for a reason' have 15 year olds out of interest?

At the age of 15 in DS1s year group we were discussing issues around getting into pubs and clubs (the girls were managing it!), hanging around the travelling fair until 3am, smoking, alchohol, drugs and two pregnancies. Not my DS (well maybe the alchohol) but it was going on with his classmates and needed discussion. Watching films while underage was low on my radar...

dd watched shindlers list at school last year and Boy in the stripped pyjamas she found Boy in the stripped pyjamas more upsetting and had to leave to stop her sniviling even though S L is a 15 they do edit what they show with younger children and tbh i don't think they are terrible films to show and it is ok for 13 yr old to know about these things and being a little affected by it, it is alright to be shocked and sad imo

OH dd was 13 and i meant to say young teens and not children,

Schools can show children films of any certificate, it's not a legally binding thing.
History is horrible yes. Sheltering your daughter from this will not help her in the long run.
I'm a teacher and while I wouldn't show it to year 7s, by year 9 I think they are emotionally much more mature and able to cope with this sort of thing.

I think YABU actually. Watching a bit of an upsetting film, based on upsetting facts, based on what you are studying with the teenage class... Well, it's not as if the teacher popped The Ring on one afternoon for a load of 8 year olds because it was too rainy for PE.

Well, it's not as if the teacher popped The Ring on one afternoon for a load of 8 year olds because it was too rainy for PE.

Just spat out my coffee - Thanks!

The Ring stayed with me for a long time. Really regret watching that

The ring Is evil i hated it and actually cried when i watched it had to turn it off DD also watched the japanese version I lasted 2 seconds and ran out the room

Oh dd was 18 at the time so she was allowed to watch

YABU. I wouldn't have a a problem with my children watching it.

My friend is a teacher at our local secondary, they use SL and the Boy in the striped pyjamas. They don't show the whole film, just particular scenes and sections.

My grandfather was at the liberation of Belsen. The horror of it stayed with him for the rest of his life. He would never talk about his own experiences, but always made sure my mother, then my brother and I knew what happened from quite young. Lest we forget.

Lots of deeply horrible things happened in the past ... Do you want her to be allowed to skip History altogether?

DS1 is in Y10, he's just got back from a school trip to Poland where they went round the camps and talked to holocaust survivors about their experiences. Grim, yes, but he wanted to go and I'm proud of him. They were shown Schindler's List before they went.

So I do think YABU, kids of that age need to be aware of the impact of race hate. I would be more worried about her if she hadn't been upset!

I hate the ring, that and hostel are the only films that really freak me out

I don't know which excerpts were chosen when it was shown to my two. I do know that there was more time spent on discussion and debate than there was watching a very small part of a very long film.

Schindlers List is long and the true horror builds. It's the same with the Anne Frank film, the one with Ben Kingsley, which moves very slowly to its horrific conclusion.

I saw actual footage of the camps while at school. I'd prefer schools to show Schindlers List

ya (a bit) u
I think it is a very important film that everyone should watch in school. it shows the reality of that dreadful time in history very well.
it must be followed up with further history lessons/discussions though.

I remember feeling very sad after watching it, it really touched me, but then my grandparents are german and were around at that time and told me about the people that were suddenly missing, not really realizing what went on.

IMO this film is not worse than many horror films that children of that age watch.

Just given permission for my yr 6 (10 yrs old) to watch TBITSP at school as they have been reading the book. Haven't seen it myself so don't know how graphic or upsetting it is. He has seen The Hunger Games which had distressing themes though.

YABU

To all those that say OP's DD SHOULD have been forced to sit through this harrowing and graphic film... I am gobsmacked. How sadistic of you!

Of course we shouldn't forget, no one is suggesting that but as another OP further up this thread said, we shouldn't be giving our children nightmares.

There are other ways of teaching our children about the horrors of the holocaust rather than plonking them in front of this film. How about reading excerpts from the book rather than this film, which was known for making audiences leave halfway through in severe distress. I would be massively pissed off if my child was made to watch it.

Who says she should have been forced? I'm sure noone tied her to the chair and as has already been said they probably didn't show the very graphic parts anyway