Black Lives Matter not allowed to be discussed in class

[Geppili]

AIBU to be shocked that my primary school DS told me that they are not allowed to mention or talk about Black Lives Matter. Apparently teacher said that it is a political issue and therefore against the rules to discuss? They are Year 5. I am angry and shocked.

I think it's a discussion many teachers wouldn't be able to facilitate well and the fear is it could get out of hand and cause disruption.

If it's going to be discussed, which I believe it should, then having someone who isn't knowledgeable enough on the issue will cause more harm than good.

As for if black lives actually matter.....has anyone suggested they dont?

It's this kind of comment that shows why it does need to be discussed. The comment demonstrates you don't get it....considering everything that's been going on it's shocking 😕

I haven't read the whole thread... so apologies if its been mentioned already...I would suggest watching a program called The school that tried to end racism

You can see it on catch up TV or online...probably on YouTube.

I think that's a bit off OP.
My DD in year 1 has been discussing it with her friends and teachers and they chanted BLM in the playground.
Trying to sweep it under the carpet as an issue is wrong IMO.

@solidaritea yes it would be number 2. I have explained in my other posts that a conversation about BLM can be done, especially with KS2 children, without the need to delve too deep into the BLM group. Having a discussion about the issues that black people face socially and economically is important IMO
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@Timekeeper1

It's been well over a month since the protests/rioting started. You'd think the teachers could have had a meeting and brainstormed a way through it by now. Or the education dept. They've left it pretty long. How much longer do they need? Don't forget Black Lives Matter has been trending on social media on and off for at least 2 years now. If they don't have a formulated plan by now, that's their fault and pretty slack of them. I would have expected it long, LONG before now.

@Timekeeper1 exactly! In my school SLT have been very vocal throughout this time about the importance of encouraging our children to discuss this issues, getting resources and sending them to children working from home

@Timekeeper1

It's been well over a month since the protests/rioting started. You'd think the teachers could have had a meeting and brainstormed a way through it by now. Or the education dept. They've left it pretty long. How much longer do they need? Don't forget Black Lives Matter has been trending on social media on and off for at least 2 years now. If they don't have a formulated plan by now, that's their fault and pretty slack of them. I would have expected it long, LONG before now.

You might not have been keeping up with the news, but ministers, teachers and many other have had quite a lot on their plate recently which has meant that lessons haven't been running as normal...

@netflixismysidehustle

My youngest is in y9. Ate trans matters on the primary syllabus now? There was no teaching about trans matters when he was at primary. (They did discussions on racism in general though)

Very much so @netflixismysidehustle My eldest is yr4 and her school has emailed us all a schedule of things to be taught from the next academic year and its quite heavy tbh

It's been well over a month since the protests/rioting started. You'd think the teachers could have had a meeting and brainstormed a way through it by now.

There's been a lot going on at the moment, has you noticed? School have been frantically dealing with creating an environment for kids to come back to school, cleaning stuff, re writing the curriculum to cover all the basic stuff that's been missed, cleaning madly, online teaching, moving furniture... I could go on forever. Do you really think they've had time to come together to discuss BLM in case it comes up randomly in a lesson about something else?

Idblow,

Chanting BLM in the playground is very off in my opinion.

There is a huge difference in a school educating children about all people being equal in every respect and how that has not always been so and the aims of a political movement which is solely for one ethnic group.

BLM is controversial in many ways and, regardless of whether you believe its aims are valid, needs sensitive discussion in class, at a time of the teacher’s choosing.

Latest Chris Evans 500 words comp for ages 5-13 is focused on BLM.

The feature in the link is dated the 29th June - the closing date for the competition was yesterday; 3rd July - very short notice! Something for homeschooling parents to supervise?

mum2b2017
There have been plenty of impromptu discussions with classes I have taught over the years in regards to current issues. Maybe its because I work in an inner city school so all of my children, except 2, in 5 years have all been BAME.

You previously referred to white people as "whites" - I would feel very uncomfortable if my dcs' teachers referred to "whites" and "blacks" in the classroom.

@larrygrylls

Idblow,

Chanting BLM in the playground is very off in my opinion.

There is a huge difference in a school educating children about all people being equal in every respect and how that has not always been so and the aims of a political movement which is solely for one ethnic group.

BLM is controversial in many ways and, regardless of whether you believe its aims are valid, needs sensitive discussion in class, at a time of the teacher’s choosing.

I completely agree with you.

[quote mum2b2017]@solidaritea yes it would be number 2. I have explained in my other posts that a conversation about BLM can be done, especially with KS2 children, without the need to delve too deep into the BLM group. Having a discussion about the issues that black people face socially and economically is important IMO
l[/quote]
thanks for clarifying. I think you and I are in agreement, but I would call this a "conversation about racism specific to black people" rather than a "conversation about Black Lives Matter" because the latter is a political group and a slogan, as far as I understand it.

solidaritea

I would call this a "conversation about racism specific to black people"

I wonder what the response on here would be when the discussion moves to anybody can be racist?

Which it will do.

@onemoreuser

BLM is definitely a political issue. a pretty bogus one at that. As for if black lives actually matter.....has anyone suggested they dont?

We live in a country, thank god, where people of all skin colours are equals in society and under the law. Of course there will always be pockets of racism here and there but as far as institutional affairs go we all have equality. This is not an issue for children in school.

In law we may have equality, unfortunately that doesn’t yet translate to real life.

I'm not sure how that links to what I said. Can you explain?

Although, reading that quote from my post I do recognise that it could be read as me saying that only black people should know about racism towards black people - not what I meant! I meant that it is important for all human beings to have conversations about racism as a whole, while recognising that the racism faced by black people has some specific facets that are not faced by, for example, people from southeast Asia (though I'd go further and say that racism faced by black people of African descent has facets that are different to that faced by black people of aboriginal descent, for example - even lumping all people with black skin into one category seems reductionist to me)

solidaritea

I just mean that any talk on racism will naturally expand out to include all racism as suffered by everybody of any colour (including white).

I suspect that if the DC of some posters on here came home and spoke about that at home it would cause some major complaints with the usual suspects jumping in and complaining to the school.

In all honesty I don't see how you could keep a discussion on racism to purely one group of people.

I wonder what the response on here would be when the discussion moves to anybody can be racist?

I think that is true though, shouldn't it be spoken about in school? If a child calls another child a racist name that should be dealt with shouldn't it, even if the aggressor is BAME themselves?

Should schools be speaking about or promoting BLM over and above all other minorities? That doesn't sit comfortably with me. Should schools be teaching specifically about black history? If so, why? Wouldn't other races be equally justified then in containing that their history should also be taught? Personally, I think schools should be teaching that discrimination of any kind is wrong. That racism against anyone is wrong.

Agree with both of you there.

@FrippEnos I see what you mean - maybe you were more talking about "anyone can experience racism" rather than "anyone can be racist." I do believe both to be true in a way that is relevant to children.

I would say its important to teach the themes of history in a much more global way, recognising all of the cases when the British empire (and other empires) was a negative force, rather than glorifying it. Which would include African slave trade and marginalisation of native peoples, and much more besides. And in PHSE, teaching that all discrimination and racism is wrong.

Additionally, however, we discuss current events, to help children understand the world around them. So right now it did seem appropriate to discuss George Floyd, systemic racism within US and UK policing, the protests and the treatment of statues. Newsround gave us a solid starting point.

To add to the last point, I see it as a bit like teachers in 2001 going in on September 12th and not acknowledging what happened to the twin towers, if the children were talking about it. Or back in March, telling children they must not talk about coronavirus. Or brexit.

I would want to acknowledge their concerns and make sure they understood as best they could what was happening.

@solidaritea that's exactly how I feel.

@solidaritea

To add to the last point, I see it as a bit like teachers in 2001 going in on September 12th and not acknowledging what happened to the twin towers, if the children were talking about it. Or back in March, telling children they must not talk about coronavirus. Or brexit.

I would want to acknowledge their concerns and make sure they understood as best they could what was happening.

I agree in as much as current affairs should be discussed. I just think they need to be discussed at an appropriate time and in an appropriate manner. Would it have been acceptable for a teacher to have addressed 911 right at the end of a lesson, on the back of a realty TV show?

If it cropped up and there is time.

solidaritea
I see what you mean, but there's a difference between talking about something because there's a question at an appropriate time, allocating space to a topic because something massive has just happened and derailing lesson time.

For example, here's a few situations from the day after Brexit:

1. In form time, a student asks their form teacher if we've left the EU the day after the Brexit vote
2. During a subject lesson, the topic naturally meanders, Brexit is mentioned and a student asks a question.
3. A student calls out 'brexit means brexit' in a lesson

The responses from the teachers would be different because the situation is different. Some people on this thread seem to think that all 3 would require the same response and anything other than their preferred response is somehow awful, shutting children up, fobbing them off (or worse, suggest people are racist and think black lives don't matter for not altering the lesson in the way they they think it should be).

After the Manchester attack, our form tutors suspended the normal plan and we had time that form time to discuss the events with the students and they could ask questions. It doesn't mean that any mention of the Manchester attack in their lessons that day meant that lessons should stop as soon as someone mentioned it.

Social and political issues and current affairs are often complex and I've tended to find myself suspicious of anyone coming into schools saying otherwise because they usually have an agenda to push.

@LolaSmiles explains the issue perfectly there. I don't know how anyone can argue with that. The situation in the OP was quite obviously a 3 and not the moment for a serious and nuanced discussion.

And yes, any socio political subject is only simple if you don't bother seeing all the different sides and perspectives on it.

@lolasmiles

Absolutely agree. Sorry, I'd meandered slightly from the initial point of the op. It clearly wasn't the time for that conversation, and that wasn't the way to start it. That child who called out should not have called out.

@geppili I do think you're being unreasonable unless you know for sure that the school or the teacher really have a policy of never discussing current affairs. In which case you should ask to see the relevant policy and, if still concerned, write to the headteacher about these concerns.