AiBU to defend History teachers

[Wbeezer]

My social media feed is full of posts announcing surveys and petitions asking for improvement to UK history teaching in schools to include more info on slavery, racism, colonialism etc. Undoubtedly a good idea. The posts in reply are making me feel sorry for teachers because :

1. There is no such thing as a UK curriculum or exam syllabus, never has been.

2.I'm only familiar with my local history syllabus and it already has many topic areas that cover problematic British history, at least at high school level. Many of the improvements people are demanding have already happened.

3.you cant base opinions on experiences that are decades out of date. Yes learning lists of kings and Queens was boring and irrelevant but is scarcely taught now!. My DS is a current History student, he had to teach himself about King's and Queens by Reading Horrible Histories books to fill in some blanks before he went to uni as his overview of history timelines was a bit lacking. This was because he spent so much time studying interesting social and political history and learning how to analyse historical context etc.

4.i learnt about slavery and racism from the TV, in the 1970s, education doesn't just happen in schools. I'd argue that quality film and TV is more likely to reach people of all ages, more quickly.

I suspect a lot of the 'we didn't do that' was more a case of 'We did it, I didn't pay attention and pissed around in lessons, so now can't remember the teacher trying to teach us it because it was 20 years ago'.

My son got a GCSE grade 9, 2 years ago, so I think it's reasonable to believe what he said. I got a grade A decades ago. I remember what we did because I didn't piss around. My son wouldn't have got a grade 9 by pissing around.

@EuphieKat

Yes, also history of art is a good way in, plus English.

[quote Veterinari]@BlessYourCottonSocks
In Year 9 I teach about the treatment of minorities...Suffragettes, Black, Hispanic and Native American rights of the 1950s &60s. I also teach Nazi Germany, Holocaust and genocide looking at Rwanda, and other places as examples.

I think this proves my point nicely - all of these examples (with the exception of the suffragettes who were 'successful') are non-British examples. It perpetuates the myth that the British Empire was some benign improvement strategy and that we are not still living with the consequences of institutional racism and oppression today

Why not teach those subjects using some of these examples (then perhaps almost half of the UK population may not think colonialism and oppression 'a good thing'):
[[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/worst-atrocities-british-empire-amritsar-boer-war-concentration-camp-mau-mau-a6821756.html#gsc.tab=0]][/quote]
But you've ignored the fact that in Y8 I teach slavery and Industrial Revolution and British Empire. .

I certainly don't perpetuate the myth that the British Empire was some benign improvement strategy. I'm fairly offended that you think I do. What a bizarre assumption to make.

The non-British examples are there because we need to teach world history, and frankly it's difficult to teach Hispanic and Native American rights if you focus on England. Same with Holocaust. We didn't build gas chambers in Norfolk or deprive the Sioux of their hunting lands - but I do already teach the fact that we invented the concentration camp during the Boer war and that many women and children perished in British camps, though through incompetence mostly, rather than malicious ill will.

I am, however, coming to the conclusion as a teacher that whatever we do will generate complaints from someone.

Does the national curriculum for England set out some essential topics to be covered and other optional topics?

The national curriculum only applies to schools under Local Authority control, so academies can opt out for example, as can private schools.

However, we do try and roughly follow it, although there is no obligation to do so. It is fairly broad. I've linked the History one for KS3 below. This is what I am looking at incorporating some of into my Y8 and 9 teaching. They give examples, which are not statutory. This is why different schools do different things.

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/239075/SECONDARY_national_curriculum_-_History.pdf

@Kazzyhoward

I suspect a lot of the 'we didn't do that' was more a case of 'We did it, I didn't pay attention and pissed around in lessons, so now can't remember the teacher trying to teach us it because it was 20 years ago'.

My son got a GCSE grade 9, 2 years ago, so I think it's reasonable to believe what he said. I got a grade A decades ago. I remember what we did because I didn't piss around. My son wouldn't have got a grade 9 by pissing around.

I got an A as well. It wasn't difficult.

I remember doing these subjects - some of them were covered in RE instead, slavery in particular, as well as the Israeli-Palestinian-Egypt conflicts, but they were covered.

A pp suggested that we should go careful on teaching the atrocities of British colonialism and must put it in the context of "worse things happened elsewhere".

If that was me, as it sounds, that's not quite what I meant.

We do not teach history solely to teach moral lessons that are on current affairs agendas, at all. History is about different ways, different customs, different times. If you want to teach ethics, do feel free to do so. If you want to teach history, teach history.

I am also uncomfortable because right now there is obviously going to be a lot of moral outrage about racial prejudice. Believe it or not, there is more than one type of prejudice operating in Britain - sex and class, and national prejudices between England and Wales, god knows how many minor judgements made around accents and language, appearances, hair colour, etc etc. There always has been. This is a highly judgmental country. Prejudice is a much more complex topic than is going to be appreciated right now. I do not believe in trying to guilt trip everyone in this country, many of whom will have experienced prejudice of various kinds already themselves, for the actions of one very privileged group two and three hundred years ago.

I am, however, coming to the conclusion as a teacher that whatever we do will generate complaints from someone.
If you view a discussion as a complaint that's probably the case

Or if you give half the information it's difficult for anyone to get a full picture of what you're teaching. you did mention that you teach 'British Empire' in year 8 - it's rather a large topic so forgive me if I wasn't able to discern the specifics. Ditto Slavery. It would be really useful if you actually outlined what topics are covered so we could have a proper discussion, but you don't seem keen to do so

I can also see you'd be upset if you think 'it' (an approach to teaching) equals an accusation that you personally think the Empire was a good thing.... though why you'd assume that I've no idea.

Yes I can see with that approach a state of attacked offence could easily conflate a discussion with a complaint.

Or if you give half the information it's difficult for anyone to get a full picture of what you're teaching. you did mention that you teach 'British Empire' in year 8 - it's rather a large topic so forgive me if I wasn't able to discern the specifics. Ditto Slavery. It would be really useful if you actually outlined what topics are covered so we could have a proper discussion, but you don't seem keen to do so

You stated that the topics I teach "proved your point nicely and that they perpetuated the myth that the British Empire was some benign improvement strategy, so frankly it was clear that you'd put your own spin on this, with your own prejudices and assumptions. I can't give a 'full picture' of what we're teaching without providing my entire Scheme of Work, and frankly can't be bothered. I don't actually need a proper discussion^ with some randomer on a forum about what I teach in depth, and I'm genuinely not interested in arguing about it. I've got enough ways of filling my time - I was simply posting basic information to tell others that their ideas of what is covered in History in schools are perhaps misinformed.