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

It's obvious people make up stuff....instead of what was actually said.
It didn't say anything about telling children who to support...it suggests that if you teach people to be decent...and considerate of others, and educate them about others lives, then they wouldn't grow up to be Tory.
It's not far wrong..

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 Guido is one of the best political bloggers and a great source of news.

Just befroe the last GE I had to do a cover lesson to year 10 about the election and the different party’s policies. The ‘resource pack’ that was being used was published by The Independent. You can imagine how biased it was.

I ditched it half way through.

I remember when Labour announced that they were going to change the history curriculum so it focused more on the importance of the trade union movement........ rolls eyes.

I remember when Labour announced that they were going to change the history curriculum so it focused more on the importance of the trade union movement........ rolls eyes.

What did you want instead? More kings and queens?

I think it would be great to teach children about the struggles that ordinary people have had to get the vote and to get decent working conditions.

That TA is talking about good education not teaching a particular political viewpoint. I actually think teaching children about "politics" as in the political system and the British political parties is a good idea. I have always thought that. Parents brainwash their children it is impossible to be neutral when talking to them about how you feel about politics, elections etc. I grew up in a politicised and politically aware household and I am ensuring my children are politically aware and aware of my standpoint. They need to know so they can make their own judgements as they grow up and development their own moral and political consciousness.

It is far more insidious to claim neutrality when no one can be neutral - the choices you make/ the opinions you express personally are political whether or not you are aware. So I make sure my children are aware where I stand in the political spectrum and where other people, media etc stand so they can make their own judgements.

I teach my 5yo about politics. Not the ins and outs of party politics but I help him to think and try my best to show him all sides of a situation, and if historical, the outcomes. (WW1 and it's build up, the revolutions it paved the way for, it's end and the ways in which the Versaille Treaty changed the path of the nascent German republic and may have played a part in the rise of Nazism and WW2. Are particularly great for teaching about opposing view points and assessing the consequences of actions.) Obviously he is very little, so I take his lead in what we learn about and discuss. But even small kids will surprise you with what they are capable of understanding and how they can think.

Why would I keep him needlessly clueless about how society has worked and does work? About the positives and negatives of various systems. That's what leads to voter apathy or entrenched thinking. I want my child to know how to examine subjects from all angles and reverse his opinion if he learns new information that contradicts his previous stance. And I want him to grow up with that ability as it's probably one of the most important abilities our species has and the one that our current culture seems to be quashing.

it suggests that if you teach people to be decent...and considerate of others, and educate them about others lives, then they wouldn't grow up to be Tory

Well I taught both of mine those things. Both have turned out to be very helpful and decent people.

Older dd votes conservative. Ds not able to vote yet but knows more about politics than any of us is definitely a Tory. Looking to join the Conservative party when he is older.

I let them do their own research and work it out for themselves.

Why would you find this disturbing? It’s an inflammatory headline attached to an article about a self congratulatory speech given at the Labour Party conference, which is exactly where you’d find such a thing, by one teaching assistant. Aka. It’s meaningless. Come one, it’s easy enough to find actual problems with mainstream party politics without being all ‘far left brain washing, schools are Marxist indoctrination’ blah blah blah.

Also as a PP mentioned trade unions with accompanying eye roll - you realise how shit we are in England at acknowledging that at any point we might have actually benefited from socialism? You don’t have to be a dyed in the wool communist to think unions and labour rights are a good thing. Weekends off? Holidays? Equal pay? Maternity pay? Yes I like those things and they weren’t handed over by benevolent aristocrats.

@PinguDance and @cariadlet to answer your questions, I have an issue with any political party re-writing the school cucciculum in favour of the organisations which fund them.

If you can’t see the problem with this, fair enough.

Yes, whereas teachers telling children bible stories are factual, and presenting Christianity as the one true religion, is not problematic at all.

Politics affects all our lives. Children should be taught about it at school, although not indoctrinated the way they are into religion.

@seeetsummerchild - it wouldn’t have to be in favour of trade unions or in any way likely to be current. The curriculum Wouldn’t be ‘and in week 5 you all need to do a rigorous biographical study of len mccluskey’ teachers do actually plan lessons and such. Arguably the tories don’t need to rewrite the curriculum to benefit themselves as by ommiting most vaguely recent or unpleasant British history they can maintain a status quo that already benefits them.

Like the teaching of religion in schools. the teaching of politics, should contain information about the whole spectrum, where possible, and not be biased.

When I teach RE, I would say that 'Christian people believe that xxx; Muslim believe that xxxx, Jewish people believe that xxxx' and to on.

If I were to teach Policits, it should be done the same way 'The Conservative party believes that xxx, The Labour party believe that xxx' etc. And it should be done in a none based way - simply referring to actual party policies, and not opinions.

AnoukSpirit That isn't the way RE is taught in the schools I have worked in, nor where DD has been to school.

He's not saying he teaches them to follow a specific political party. He is saying that if children are taught proper humanitarian values they probably won't be Tories. Sounds fine to me. Like Alan Bennet saying that if anyone gets to the end of a private education without thinking that private education should be banned, private education isn't working!

The education system is a swamp of cultural Marxism. Especially in the way it forces more able children to be dragged down by their mediocre class mates.

I see Sir Buffon-Tufton has arrived!

teachers do actually plan lessons and such

Having taught in schools for 14 years I am well aware that teachers plan lessons.

I have also seen the damage, expense and unnecessary workload caused by politicians continually interfering in and tinkering with the curriculum based on their own pet peeves, personal beliefs and passing fancies. So much for trusting teachers to teach and all that...

Workers rights, human rights, political rights and every other rights issue are already covered ad nauseum in Citzenship, history and PSHCEESESE (however many bloody letters it is now - it was far simpler when it was just PSE).

The last thing teachers want is another set of changes to the curriculum and another set of ‘values’ that must be taught on top of all the other ones. I therefore reserve the right to eye-roll at this particular suggestion.

You want to try living in Scotland under the SNP.

They are very fond of shoe-horning Scottish texts, history from a Scottish perspective, "Scots" language works and everything else into the curriculum.

It's not enough that history students learn about the horrors of the WW1 trenches. It has to be done from a purely Scottish viewpoint. So much for education expanding how you see the world.

The education system is a swamp of cultural Marxism in the way it forces more able children to be dragged down by their mediocre class mates

You couldn't get a more Tory view than that.
Unbelievable!

I don not think politics are a necessary part of education - there are far more important things in life

What's more important than having an informed, aware population?

Politics dictates your life how is that not important

Look at the threads on here with tax credits housing NHS lack of services kids paying a high price for education tuition lack of school and doctors spaces

Politics is important and kids need to realise the impact of it in themselves and get out and vote

Anything is more important than politics - all politicians lie and all policies have a hidden agenda - everyone knows that - what's the point in being involved or knowledgeable about something so farcical?

but regardless of whether you vote / agree or understand, ultimately it makes no difference. The sad fact is the majority of people who vote are blissfully unaware of how it all works anyway