AIBU to be annoyed the teacher was telling the children how she didn't believe in the moon landings ?

[SpaceAhoy]

My 10yo DS came home from school today and told me that his teacher didn't believe in the moon landings.

I asked how this conversation started but he wasn't sure as he was reading his book as instructed.

He said the teacher did a class wide poll and everyone agreed with her accept him and one other pupil.

AIBU to be annoyed at the teacher for bringing her personal beliefs into the classroom?

Oh wow, I do not usually encourage saying negative things about teachers but.... Ten year olds can understand about conspiracy theories as a thing and maybe that would be a good conversation to have.....

To clarify YANBU

YABU. Lots of people are skeptical about the moon landings, she was giving her opinion but wasn’t forcing it on others.

How bizarre. Wonder (hope) if your son just misunderstood if he was focused on his book? Maybe she's trying to teach them to think for themselves/ not be sheep..maybe she will do a follow up lesson next week.

Teachers need to keep their personal beliefs personal ~ unless they are prepared to debate with 6th formers/University students. They just need to teach facts, the variety of opinions around these facts and teach kids how to discern information to make conclusions.
Does she believe in flat earth thinking too?

This is batshit crazy.

400,000 people worked on the Apollo programme over the years, and this looney thinks it's more likely they have all kept quiet!

Complain about this tool, they have no place in the classroom and aren't encouraging critical thinking.

What next from this tool, flat earth and creationism?

Wanker.

Does she also think the earth is flat?

TBH my DS wasn't bothered, he dismissed her views as unproven. Talked over a few points that he was amazed the teacher believes, that he didn't.

It was interesting as we have not specifically talked about this conspiracy with him, though we encourage him to stick to facts and evidence.

It looks like our 10yo is a better critical thinker than his teacher. Which makes me so sad and also a little worried about what other rubbish she is going to try and teach him this year.

There was another thread about this last week.
Since your DS missed the start of the conversation, I wouldn't get het up about it. She could have been illustrating peer pressure with a public poll or explaining conspiracy theories or how we differentiate between facts and fiction.
It's also odd to expect all teachers to believe in the landings. I'd imagine the stats to be the same as across the general population ie 25% of Britons think manned landings were faked.

25% believe that ! Wow, that surprises me.

I won't be talking to the school on this occasion, as he didn't hear the context.

But it brought home how influential teachers can be to their pupils and how essential it is for teachers to teach facts not feelings.

I would never be able to take her seriously.

We had a lovely class debate about the flat earth nonsense and every single child thought it was a daft idea.

I think until we know the context none of us can have an informed opinion as to the merits or otherwise of what the DS has said teacher said. As he has admited he was reading he does not know either. Maybe a child had seen a tv programme about it, maybe teacher was using it as an example that we dont have to believe things just because its been on tv ???

If it troubles you why not ask the teacher the context.

I think it's utterly bizarre that people don't expect or want teachers to be people with opinions. Apparently teachers aren't allowed to think for themselves, just regurgitate the mantra of the mumsnet police. As it happens, I disagree with this teacher about the moon landings. But you know what, if it makes your son think harder about why he also disagrees with her, that's a great lesson for him to have learned. Also that teachers aren't automatically right and that he should think for himself. He's 10, that's plenty old enough to be realising these things.

X posted

It was more the class wide poll, on the children's thoughts that struck him as strange.

I'd imagine the stats to be the same as across the general population ie 25% of Britons think manned landings were faked.

I would hope then that teachers would not be so ignorant or deluded at the same rate as the general population.

He is use to teachers giving factual answers and this time she didn't.

That said, pp are correct. He is old enough to realise his teacher will have differing opinions to him on certain issues and that doesn't make him wrong.

He will be off to high school next year. I just have to watch his younger brother who will still be at the same school and make sure he understands the same.

I thought it was fairly well known nowadays that the conspiracy theories regarding the moon were nonsense? Maybe a few decades ago, this was an old wives tale that got too much attention, but I thought that my had gone now?

I think it's utterly bizarre that people don't expect or want teachers to be people with opinions.

Well, just for one example, I don't want my child being taught science by someone whose opinion is that young earth creationism is a better explanation than evolution.

She is so young as well, which is why this surprised me. I would expect a young woman in her early 20's, to be better educated and less susceptible to conspiracy theories.

Teachers should not be basing science education on their opinions.

Please raise it with the teacher and then further if needed. Teaching, especially the sciences needs to be fact based.

I would hope and expect that the teacher was just putting forward that stance as a provocation for debate.
People stupid enough to think the moon landings were faked don’t tend to have postgraduate qualifications.

do you believe the moon landings were a hoax? This might help share some perspective.

do you believe the moon landings were a hoax? This Second attempt!

At least half the teachers in my kids' school believe in God! Moon landing faking is at least a vaguely credible theory.