Or is school out of order

[mazu]

Dd8 (yr3) while sat at the table spied a box of Nestlé cereal on the table and announced she would not be touching any of it (it wasn't hers and wasn't offered to her). She then goes of to say she would not be buying anything from them as they are horrible people and goes on full blown attack on the brand and palm oil and orangutans. I'm sat there stunned at are very strong beliefs and thought perhaps she's seen an advert on YouTube kids about it.
On the contrary it turns out her at school they were taught about the evil that Nestlé is and that they were told to write letters to the president Mr Schneider to tell him they hate nestle because they damage forests and kill orangutans.

She then spent the entire weekend feeling guilty anytime she has eaten anything with palm oil chocolate, Nutella , bread, crisps I mean everything! She pretty much stopped eating by last night.

While I am up for teaching children about environmental and ethical responsibility at a young age AIBU to feel the school went too far? I made me feel quite angry that they could pretty much teach my child the politics that could shape her entire life and little ones are quite vulnerable and without a balanced view of the facts I do not want this to be the way my child is taught about issues. I want her to read and form her own opinions not spew garbage based on someone else's agenda. Bear in mind the issue here is now the Nestlé as I'm fully aware of the atrocities they have committed in the past.

Firstly I would ask exactly what was taught and in what context. Then if it genuinely wasn’t balanced complain

Deforestation and forcing orangutans to the brink of extinction is kind of objectively A Bad Thing though, isn't it?
Sounds like it was used as a starter for letter writing.
Not something I could get worked up about tbh!

It sounds like the school used the opportunity for a persuasive letter. Many schools learn about deforestation for the same purpose.

I really wouldn’t worry. Children exaggerate and there are loads of foods that don’t contain palm oil. Children can eat perfectly healthily without Nutella or crisps...

Sounds like they used it as an opportunity to learn how to write ‘persuasive letters’.
Why was she not eating? There are plenty of foods without palm oil in.

I think I'm more miffed about the letter writing to a large corporation without consent to be honest and they were told to put their school names on the letter. I want them taught about deforestation I want them taught about global warming but for my mini interrogation all she cane away with was that Nestlé is bad. Rather than unethical practices in palm oil farming causes deforestation and habitat loss for a range of animals. She also wasn't aware that palm oil was in bread chocolate crisps etc.

Maybe speak to the teacher without preconceived ideas. Maybe they showed the iceland video of the orangutan and used it as a springboard for learning how to write a pursuasive letter. I seriously doubt the teacher said "lets all write a letter and tell Mr Schneider how much we hate him".

I would be delighted with the school.

It sounds to me like the school have used the iceland video as a starter to get students thinking about letter writing and persuasive writing.
I've used clips from pressure groups, different political campaign groups, emotive clips that are biased. Admittedly that is for secondary and they are given a choice which side they want to argue (clips are there to generate ideas and debate).

It's not something I could get riled up about. Kids take different things from lessons.

E.g. week I marked a set of books and despite presenting different ideas, around half my class had latched onto one interpretation and that was in their essay almost word perfect. It's happened a few times. You never know what the most sticky part of the lesson will be.

Well, if you are aware of Nestle's unethical practices- why are buying their products? Well done your dd and her school, I say!

I would be proud of my child and the school too

It sounds like a great persuasive writing activity, and I highly doubt the letters have actually been sent to Mr Schneider.

Wait until she learns about all the other wonderful (sarcasm) things Nestle do, perhaps you could write a letter together, lovely for an 8 year old to be so engaged.

You think the school should get parental consent for children to write letters?

YABU-it is fantastic the school is teaching children about these important things-how to write a letter,global issues,ethics.Were you planning on teaching her?

I won't but nestle and l certainly tell my DS why when he's older and starts asking for it

Maybe you should look at your family diet if all your food is nestle and/or contains palm oil. Plenty of other options, your daughter doesn't need to stop eating..........

YABU

I think yabu. I think the only way proper change is going to happen is if children are taught about these things properly. These corporations are committing atrocities around they world and no one does anything about it (boycotting) because it’s inconvenient.

What do you think is a “balanced idea of the facts”? is there some sort of justification for the way Nestle behaves? Aside from palm oil, you’ve got the baby milk scandal and what they’ve done to local communities water supplies.

It doesn’t sound like your daughter has been brainwashed. Just made aware of the facts.

They probably didn’t even send the letter, just wrote it as an task.

Brilliant opportunity to get her to help with meal planning, shopping and cooking. I reckon her ethical objections would last a fortnight tops —roughly how long I managed with zero palm oil—

Wait until she learns about all the other wonderful (sarcasm) things Nestle do, perhaps you could write a letter together, lovely for an 8 year old to be so engaged.

^ this
They're still misleading people with the marketing around their baby milk products - google Nestle baby milk scandal

As others have said, it was probably a stimulus for persuasive letter writing. You'll probably see the letter in your dd's English book at the next parents' evening. I doubt very much that the letters will have been sent to Nestle.

Really !
Well done to the school.👏👏

Nestle are bastards though. There actions have caused untold number of deaths, illness and exacerbating poverty.
Its no bad thing to feel bad about eating stuff with palm oil etc in. Hardly going to starve. We should all question our food sources and be aware of our impact.

This could just be a persuasive writing exercise and that there may be no intention to actually send the letters?
That said, if they do, good on the school and good on your daughter! Some of Nestle’s practices, especially around baby milk, are abhorrent.

Children take things to heart, so I wouldn’t assume her reaction means the teaching was especially extreme.

I also think that it’s not strictly possible to give A Balanced View of either nestle or palm oil. They’re both objectively pretty terrible. It’s ok to teach kids that terrible things are terrible imo. Kids don’t get taught a balanced view of the holocaust, for example. They get taught that it was terrible.

If she’s serious btw there are very good resources online for helping you identify products with no palm oil - I recommend www.ethicalconsumer.org/palm-oil-free-list