Be horrified by teaching politics to children

[littlebillie]

order-order.com/2018/09/24/teacher-labour-conference-teach-children-not-tories/amp/

I find this very disturbing whatever the political view

They would complain it was totally unacceptable if it were the other way round.

"But that's different!" They would say, "We're right and Tories are wrong!" They would say.

[eyeroll]

We need an eyeroll smiley!

He didn't say that he teaches children not to be Tories though, he said he educated them properly.

... the end of democracy is in striking distance...

I teach my D.C. about politics.

I don’t have a problem with the school discussing political issues (climate change, world poverty etc) I wouldn’t expect a teacher to express a particular party view though.

This is fucking disturbing.

Politics should NOT be taught by teachers unless it's from an unbiased point of view.

When Margaret Thatcher died we had a staff briefing in the morning. We were told we are allowed to discuss it but please don't put your own personal views across to the children. Present the facts and that is all.

Children should be free to male their own minds up, to form their own opinions and not be influenced by people who are essentially role models or guiding them not only through education but also through life.

I've told my kids to go and vote - and get their friends to vote so ALL parties start making policies for the younger generation instead of appeasing the older generation all the time.

I think/suspect he meant if you educated children about values, fairness, compassion etc, then they wouldn't be Tories. No?

At my DCs school they had an election with political representation from each party. They learned from it and engaged but it wasn't indoctrination. This however is very different

This wasn't a teacher it was a teaching assistant.

and well Labour is without stain I assume, it's a complete basket case at the moment.

Sad to see the end of of central political views

Bees it wouldn't be Labour either

Some people shouldn't be let anywhere near a classroom.

I think/suspect he meant if you educated children about values, fairness, compassion etc, then they wouldn't be Tories

I think that's probably what he was saying but it can easily be taken another way, especially by anyone wanting a shocking headline.

I think/suspect he meant if you educated children about values, fairness, compassion etc, then they wouldn't be Tories. No?

Exactly

If you follow the link it takes you to the Guido Fawkes website. The blogger who founded the site is extremely right wing. He described himself as "anarcho-libertarian, or Thatcherite on drugs". If you just follow the link then you'll see a right wing analysis of the speech. I haven't looked elsewhere, but I should imagine the Sun, Daily Mail etc will have the same interpretation.

I actually watched the bits of his speech that are online.

He said that he'd never met an bad 4 year old. I think that implies that children are basically decent and if they're well educated then they should retain that decency, are likely to want a fairer and more equal society and that those can be seen as Labour values.

He also said that if you educate children properly then societal problems such as overcrowded prisons will also reduce. Since a high percentage of people in prison have literacy problems and a lack of qualifications that seems reasonable. A lot of people in prison also have problems with drink and drug misuse. Although addiction can hit anyone, it's more prevalent in deprived communities. A decent education can help to combat the problems in those communities.

He didn't say anything about teaching politics to children let alone endorse political indoctrination. Anybody disturbed by what he said is either scaremongering or has succumbed to scaremongering.

I think/suspect he meant if you educated children about values, fairness, compassion etc, then they wouldn't be Tories
I’m not a Labour voter but yes, he’s basically saying that if children learned about politics and social issues, few would end up being Torries.

I don’t agree with him but think the OP and the article linked are a misrepresentation.

I agree the article is a miss repressentation.

Howebver i feel it is good for children to learn about politics. Once able to vote i feel people should have an understanding of the political system other countries systems, and political history including both british and international relations. People in schools should be careful to only teach facts not swayed by their political views.

The whole thing just proves our schools are riddled with cultural Marxism. How about leave the politics out of it and teach them properly so when they grow up they aren't drains on the welfare state?

How does it prove that? He is one person. I think it’s more a case for you having a lesson in critical thinking..

teach them properly so when they grow up they aren't drains on the welfare state

Or teach them how to actually pay taxes, which would be far more beneficial to the country and a useful skill.

I was a bit taken aback by the title of the thread because I teach A-Level Politics!

I thought teachers weren't allowed to do that? (appreciate it's a teaching assistant).

I remember asking our form teacher who they were voting for in a general election and her saying that teachers weren't allowed to say.... Although in hindsight, that might have been a deflection to stop me being a nosy bugger..... 🙄 🙄 🙄

I think it's a really arrogant attitude held by many people of all political persuasions, that only if people were properly 'educated' they'd vote their way. It's nonsense. The man's a tool.

Op you've linked to a fucking Guido Fawkes article. What we DO need to teach children is critical thinking so they don't think people like Guido Fawkes should be taken seriously as a source

Children should be taught about voting, who can vote, the need to register, and what each part of government does.