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.

@onemoreuser

I still dont know, nor has anyone succeeded in explaining to me what the whole BLM 'movement' is about? What do they want? What dont they think is right?

So far all it seems to have brought about is an excuse for people to cause social unrest and street riots which if anything has only brought harm to the black community they claim to stand for be it through damage to property or reputation.

Since when have black lives not mattered in the UK? Its absolutely ridiculous.

If you look at the BLM websites, either for the US or the UK, it lists their aims.

Dismantling capitalism and the nuclear family are two. There's reference to defunding and then essentially removing the police force too.

At that age I as a BME child had experienced racist comments from white children the same age. It just be addressed.

The mission statement of the registered group Black Lives Matter is a red herring. The wider issue of anti black racism should and must be discussed in schools.

It was at the end of a free lesson watching baking with no overt LO (Learning objective).
She could have at least said that's an interesting viewpoint. Rather than say that's political it's against the rules. Now the kids are all really interested in the rules, because it's the first time anyone has told the kids and us about the rules.

@missyoumuch

At that age I as a BME child had experienced racist comments from white children the same age. It just be addressed.

The mission statement of the registered group Black Lives Matter is a red herring. The wider issue of anti black racism should and must be discussed in schools.

I agree, it should. But i can understand that the teacher didn't want to discuss it then.

I think if it is discussed it should be in the broader context of racism against all BAME people and not just BLM, but schools have possibly got policies to cover this.

Those of us who have BAME don't have much choice but to discuss it

Missyoumuch that's exactly how I feel. The kids conflated BLM with blm.

@CloudsCoveredTheSky

Those of us who have BAME don't have much choice but to discuss it

Exactly. Those who want to “opt out” are really just closing their eyes and sticking their fingers in their ears.

She could have at least said that's an interesting viewpoint.

I'm so sorry, I've taken my medication tonight so I'm not with it, but I'm really not seeing what BLM has got to do with the bake off? What was the relevance of calling that out?

There might well be rules around teachers discussing political issues, presumably balance needs to be ensured, maybe she just didn't have time to do that there and then.

BLM excludes all other ethnic minorities so in itself feels quite racist towards Asian people and people from other ethnic backgrounds.

I don't know. The school might have strict guidelines covering this so I would trust the teachers professional judgement.

There are many issues in the news at the moment - BLM, Israel, Syria, Hong Kong, Covid - I really wouldn't expect teachers to be entering into unplanned discussions about any of them in an unrelated lesson.

Obviously I meant "who have BAME children"

@Geppili

Thanks. All very enlightening. But I still think it's a vital thing to talk about in class . Not BLM per se, but racism. A previous poster amazed me by saying that she thought kids this age would not be able to discuss it! I'd put any amount of money on that poster having white privilege.

Oh good grief. I'm in education, I spend all say with kids that age.

Kids of nine or ten are not generally able to talk about political movements like BLM because they aren't capable of understanding ideas, for example, like structural racism. That is, if you tell them what it is, they will believe you, and think it is true unless someone else they consider authoritative tells them otherwise, like their parents.

What they can't do is really apply any kind of critical analysis to your statements - the opinions you are giving them. They aren't able to say - wait - is that really the best way to talk about what people experience, is it misleading, are there other ways to talk about racism that make more sense, what sort of solutions does this way of thinking give us, or make difficult, and who benefits from them?

They can't begin to answer questions like that and in fact can't even imagine the questions themselves. But the political theory behind the BLM movement certainly ought to be put to the test in that way.

The only reason to talk in that way to kids that age is to make sure they accept the ideas and catchphrases before they are able to see the implications and assumptions behind them. That's not education, it's indoctrination.

Talk about accepting everyone, about making sure people have opportunities, about being kind, about it being ok to disagree, or live a different kind of lifestyle. Even talk about specific reasons that may not happen for some, like race, like sex, etc. But that isn't a political catchphrase, that is really about treating others with respect which is absolutely something 9 and 10 year olds can understand and do.

But the fact that the kids don't understand hy it is political is an indication that they aren't at that level yet.

What do you mean by describing the DC as poor and isolated?

@Geppili

Thanks. All very enlightening. But I still think it's a vital thing to talk about in class . Not BLM per se, but racism. A previous poster amazed me by saying that she thought kids this age would not be able to discuss it! I'd put any amount of money on that poster having white privilege.

So you're actually a racist yourself? You may not believe it but making distinctions about people based purely on the fact of their skin colour is clearly the literal definition of what RACISM is! You couldn't have given a clearer example.

Please reign this in.

If I’m reading the posts correctly, it wasn’t your child. In my Y6’s class, there is a child who will try to de-rail ANYTHING. He is disruptive and attention seeking. The other kids were fed up with it within a week of him starting (in Y4) - literally, all giggles about him on day 1 because they’d never heard someone shout out, “I don’t want to do this, it’s fucking boring!” but by Friday, annoyed at his constant interruption. Is it possible, that this child is similar? And the teacher wanted to just shut him down - because he wasn’t trying to “discuss” anything?

Black lives matter - but in the context of a BAME child winning a TV show, that sounds like a kid mouthing off something irrelevant. Did the child say it because he actually had a point to make? Or because he was pleased to see a member of an often marginalised group succeed, and he thought it was a way to say, “yay!”? Or was he attention seeking and messing about?

I would definitely want to talk to the school about their stance on politics. But I would use this as the incident that made you have the question - rather than go in all guns blazing about this incident, without knowing why the teacher shut this child (and the class) down.

QUOTE "If you look at the BLM websites, either for the US or the UK, it lists their aims.

Dismantling capitalism and the nuclear family are two. There's reference to defunding and then essentially removing the police force too."

Precisely! Ridiculous.

What kind of moron wants to dismantle capitalism? For what, Marxism? I dont think so.!

999. Someones breaking into my house, "sorry, you have white privelage & theres no police.........PFFt!

It’s really not appropriate to use BLM as a slogan like that. It’s supposed to be about raising awareness not being divisive.

@emperor do you expect a 10 year old child to be able to make that distinction?

I would definitely want to talk to the school about their stance on politics

What do you mean by this? Schools should not have a 'stance' on politics. Can you explain what you mean?

If political talk is off limits then BLM is off limits. You can talk about it home.

@Geppili

They were watching television. Nothing academic and one of the poor isolated kids was chuffed that in the Final which they were watching A BAME kid won. The poor isolated kid cheered and said BLM! I am more interested in the teachers reaction and capacity to handle this.

'poor isolated kid'. please, its not necessary.

@BovaryX I’m reading MN when I’d rather be asleep because I’m up with the mother of all period pains. So I might not be as detailed as you’d like

By the school’s stance on politics, I should have said something more like, “the school’s stance - as it has been reported to you (OP) - that they will not discuss matter which are political. Why that is, and what that actually means in practice.”

Did you think I meant that a school should have a stance of their own on specific political issues? I’m not really sure why you’re asking me the question, but that might be my lack of sleep!

I agree with an earlier poster, that racism is also a social issue. Climate change has a political element - climate change is discussed in school. I think it strange that a school would say that they don’t discuss politics. But - I also wouldn’t go in all guns blazing and assume everything I heard second hand from a young child was actually the way things played out in the classroom. That’s what OP should be discussing with school - find out first what actually happened.

I teach Y1 and twice in the last few weeks a child has brought up issues of race. On one occasion I was able to take my time and discuss the question properly, and on the other occasion I just said “yes, it is very sad that happened” (about George Floyd) and then continued teaching. Y1 aren’t too young to discuss racism, so Y5 certainly aren’t! Without talking to the teacher it’s hard to judge though. Sometimes you are able to pause the lesson to go off on a tangent, other times you need to keep going but plan to come back to important questions on another occasion.

Completely agree. Teach values, not blm.

Thank you for so many intelligent replies.

Poor and isolated: because he was crestfallen and silenced.

This is why I think you need to talk to the school and not let the story grow its own legs. “Crestfallen and silenced”? Really? How do you know that? You said earlier that “all” the kids were “outraged.” OK, he might have been crestfallen for 30 seconds until he realised he had the support of his entire class!

I don’t think you can use adjectives like poor, isolated, crestfallen, silenced - when you weren’t there.

Find out what happened, before you decide that you’re angry.