Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think it's not appropriate for a teacher to express their political views to the class they teach?

81 replies

lottieandmia · 17/04/2013 16:33

Dd, aged 9 has come home from school saying that her teacher used their Geography lesson to lecture the children on how wonderful Thatcher was and how nearly everyone in the UK thought she was doing the right thing. Hmm

I think it is wrong for a teacher to express their political opinions to a class they teach, and particularly to misrepresent the truth about someone who divided opinion so much in the Uk, and make her out to be some kind of saviour.

This teacher has always seemed great to me in the past - what was she thinking??

OP posts:
HollyBerryBush · 17/04/2013 16:50

I'm in the middle of toying with complaining about a lesson from a left wing Trotski of a teacher who wasn't even born. But mine is on misinformation not the politics per se.

Original poster
lottieandmia · 17/04/2013 16:52

LOL BitOutOfPractice Grin

HollyBerry - what happened in your case?

OP posts:
Booboostoo · 17/04/2013 16:59

YANBU.

If the teacher was teaching a relevant subject in politics/civics/or similar subject he/she should have encouraged the students to critically consider all view points in a contentious issue and learn how to research evidence and arguments in the process to arive at a reasoned conclusion. At all other times the teacher's personal views on politics, morality and religion should remain unknown to the students.

HollyBerryBush · 17/04/2013 17:02

The poll tax, apparently, (quote) taxed children.

I've seen the slides.

silly cow

ArtemisatBrauron · 17/04/2013 17:41

Teachers are encouraged to share their own passions and enthusiasms with pupils so that the pupils feel they are being taught by an interesting human being, not a machine. Nothing wrong with sharing your views as long as you make clear they are your views and not facts.

If a pupil asked me what I thought of a political, moral or religious issue I would answer as honestly as was appropriate, but make a real effort to contexualise what I was saying with the opposing views.

yaimee · 17/04/2013 17:46

As long as it's made clear that she's expressing her opinion, not a fact, then I have no problems with a teacher expressing this. Children should hear a variety of views. Although if she's being paid to teach geography perhaps she should stick to that in class time.

echt · 17/04/2013 17:47

So teacher has to be morally neutral?

I think killing people is wrong and will say so very time.

manicinsomniac · 17/04/2013 17:48

I think YAB mostly U

She shouldn't have stated her opinion as a majority opinion but otherwise it was fine.

My class don't come till tomorrow but we will be using MT's funeral as a discussion point and I will be telling them that I think her policies did a lot of damage to the country. This is a private school so I expect a large proportion of the children's parents will disagree.

Maybe there'll be somebody on tomorrow slating me for doing the opposite of what this teacher did. But I think, if we're asking children for their opinions which we do, it's right to share our own too.

echt · 17/04/2013 17:48

Every time. Ipadding while reclining.

Roseformeplease · 17/04/2013 17:49

Try having a pupil in a class with a member of the SNP at the moment who is, incidentally, a colleague as I teach at my children's school. Or sit at a table at lunch while GROWN adults are singing "Ding Dong..." Makes me furious. Of course your views "leak" as a teacher, particularly in a small school in a tiny community, but your views should not be the focus of a lesson.

My pupils know by now that I am in favour of a woman's right to choose abortion and anti capital punishment. They also know these are my opinions (although I AM right) and are encouraged to (try ) to disagree.

fairylightsinthespring · 17/04/2013 17:51

I teach RS and history and will happily give my views on all sorts of religious, social and ethical issues, along with my justifications but I do make it clear that they are my views and I encourage them to think what the counter-arguments would be. We also sometimes set up a lesson where another teacher comes in who has a particular view and they get to quiz him. I suspect that as it was a geog lesson she was perhaps teaching about north / south divide, different industries etc which would make it a good topical lesson. The devil's in the detail of exactly what was said and its unlikely that your 9 year old can give you a verbatim accurate account.

Fairyliz · 17/04/2013 17:56

Sorry I think your daughter has misheard. I've worked in schools for years and haven't met a right wing teacher yet!

VerySmallSqueak · 17/04/2013 17:57

Some of my teachers were very political,but I was older before I was exposed to it,and it was no bad thing.
But I would be very annoyed at political opinion being presented at school to my children at primary school age.

ParmaViolette · 17/04/2013 18:05

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Roseformeplease · 17/04/2013 18:06

I am a right wing teacher - does "meeting" on the Internet count?

Wishiwasanheiress · 17/04/2013 18:06

Well, unsure why this came up in geography, but maybe a child said something? I would like to think he/she used it as a time to educate. Personally I don't mind some views expressed so long as arguement even in nine yr olds was encouraged.

If politics is removed surely there's feck all to talk about in life? U seem much more annoyed than I would expect or would u prefer Blair talked about instead....ugh.....?

YouTheCat · 17/04/2013 18:10

MT has nothing to do with geography (apart from the changing of ward boundaries for political gain Grin )

The teacher should keep her bad opinions to herself.

Fair enough to discuss politics in a secondary school in lessons where it is relevant though.

Original poster
lottieandmia · 17/04/2013 18:12

'So teacher has to be morally neutral?
I think killing people is wrong and will say so very time.'

Everyone can agree that killing is wrong - it's illegal in every society just about.

What annoys me about this is that the teacher said she was 'good' as if that's the absolute truth. Whereas the truth is that some people thought she was good and some people even thought she was evil.

But from reading this thread I can see that this happens in other schools as well. LOL at the comment about a private school. This is a private school - maybe that's why she thought she could get away with it!

OP posts:
CloudsAndTrees · 17/04/2013 18:17

I think it's great that current affairs are talked about in schools. My ds's class watch news round at school regularly, and they take the time to is us what they've watched. I also think it's great that teachers are allowed to be human and have opinions, even controversial ones. When I was at school we were given the impression that teachers did nothing but teach and their sole mission in life was to make us do work. It's so much better now that children can see that the adults in their lives have a place in the world that isn't about school.

Original poster
lottieandmia · 17/04/2013 18:18

Exactly - it's entirely different discussing politics with 16-18 year olds particularly when they are studying it, but a child of 9? I don't think so.

If some of you think a 9 year old is incapable of getting the facts straight then that kind of illustrates my point that they are not a suitable audience for anyone to get on a soap box about something as emotive as Thatcherism.

OP posts:
Feenie · 17/04/2013 18:25

It's Not Allowed, and is referred to in the Teachers' Standards:

Teachers uphold public trust in the profession and maintain high
standards of ethics and behaviour, within and outside school, by:
ensuring that personal beliefs are not expressed in ways which
exploit pupils? vulnerability

manicinsomniac · 17/04/2013 18:31

FairyLiz - depends on the school. Where I work there is only one teacher who's left wing! Then there's me (pretty central leaning slightly to the left or to the right depending on the issue) and everybody else is wholly Conservative!

JourneyThroughLife · 17/04/2013 18:31

Exactly, Feenie; I thought it wasn't allowed either. I work in education and although my pupils are 13-18 I still wouldn't give my own opinion as fact. I have one view but ALWAYS make sure the other view is put across too when I am talking to pupils (rather than adults/friends) so as to allow them to make their own minds up. As in, "people who liked Thatcher believed this, this and this but those who were against her policies for reasons of that, that and that..." Otherwise it's indoctrination.

Original poster
lottieandmia · 17/04/2013 18:36

Thanks Feenie - I was pretty sure it isn't allowed.

OP posts:
Fargo86 · 17/04/2013 18:38

When I was at school loads of the teachers were lefties. Our history teacher said that if he had a terminal illness he'd suicide bomb the Tory conference!