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.

Therefore, to the poster claiming BLM doesn't include brown lives, it does. BLM is for anyone who is viewed as "black" in the eyes of society.

There has been much discussion on here and on other forums. Proponents of BLM have been very clear that they are speaking only for black people now, not Asian or minority ethnic people because the view is that black people are the most disadvantaged and oppressed people now.

I don't necessarily agree with this view but it most definitely seems to be the view of BLM.

OP it depends what the medical condition is. My classes know I have asthma so they don't spray stinking lynx everywhere.

I also taught lessons linked to BLM issues without BLM the organisation. We discussed George Floyd and then looked at various poems that show oppression and racism. I hope it got the children to talk about it at home

@larrygrylls Yes, context would suggest saying "all lives matter" is inflammatory as it was born out of the need to drown out those saying "black lives matter". If the phrase "all lives matter" came to be popular in it's own right, it would not be problematic at all, but it didn't.

It's similar to women's rights being co-opted with trans rights (because "trans women are women") to the point cis women are being marginalised.

So how would people have liked this handled? Should the teacher have asked what the child meant when he called out "BLM"?

I think the teacher was right to hush the child as it wasn,t relevant to the situation and in someway shows a lack of understanding on the child part. (also BLM movement is inteself very ambiguous and divisive and yes i have been on the official UK site which is load of rubbish for information. ). She was not quietening down free speech, anymore then a teacher would if any other child shouted out a random buzz word/phrase when ever they felt like it.

Also the medical issue depends on what it was, why she said it and how she said it.

Pieceofpurplesky thanks. That's interesting. Apparently it was just a comment in passing about her condition. But it made me think about censorship within the classroom and how adults have all the power.

@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.

This is complete bollocks.

Yellowsunset Couldn't agree more.

'It's similar to women's rights being co-opted with trans rights (because "trans women are women") to the point cis women are being marginalised'

If you think about your example, it is actually the opposite. You are arguing that words should be taken literally, and original meanings have merit outside of campaign slogans.

But it made me think about censorship within the classroom and how adults have all the power.

Do teachers should allow students to discuss whatever they want, whenever they want, otherwise they are suppressing free speech?

@larrygrylls I'm not arguing about literal meaning or semantics. I'm arguing that "all lives matter" came as a response to "black lives matter" so, in my opinion, is indeed inflammatory.
The example I gave was to illustrate how certain marginalised groups can not stand up for themselves in their own right without seeming to be exclusionary.

But it made me think about censorship within the classroom and how adults have all the power.

You say that as if teachers have sinister intent. Of course they have the power when it comes to allowing or closing down discussions - they are the teacher!

It doesn't mean that they don't carefully plan discussions on sensitive topics, with the objective of encouraging debate, discussion and critical thinking. This cannot be done well if it is done off the cuff.

And if you think that teachers go into the job to brainwash the next generation with their own political views... well, I don't really have a response for that

Geppili

You seem to think that a school/classroom should be a democracy.

@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.

stephen lawrence, windrush saga, notting hill riots, monkey chants at black footballers, stop and search just to name a few to answer your last question

FTM,

So is ‘transwomen are men’ inflammatory on the same basis?

I do think literal meaning is important, though, and that is why I find ‘transwomen are women’ to be problematic.

And, getting back to the actual thread, that is why it would be a really hard topic to deal with in Year 5, especially by a classroom teacher without following careful guidance.

I am a massive fan of free speech, but there are so many who aren’t these days and the consequences of ‘getting it wrong’ can be career threatening. I think that everything should be discussable and alternative views need to be listened to (which, to be fair, you are doing to me).

completly agree

I don't see why it couldn't be discussed. I would have thought it would be good to discuss it. Dc will have questions.

This wasn't even a lesson. The kid's response was totally unpredicted and the teacher was caught on the hoof. Of course she shut it down. She wasn't ready or prepared to cope with the discussion that would result.

Lots of people have explained why it wasn't the time or the place, and that at some point of course racism and current events will be taught to the children. But you can guarantee if she'd let anything come of a discussion at that point. Kids would have been going home with all sorts of stuff that their parents would be criticising. Such a lesson has to be very well structured. (Which is why teachers spend so much time on lesson planning!)

@kenandbarbie

I don't see why it couldn't be discussed. I would have thought it would be good to discuss it. Dc will have questions.

It can. But not then. Teachers can't just launch into difficult subjects with ten year old at a few seconds notice. See my post above.

I guess that in the context you describe the kid was shouting it to be silly or disruptive. If you are going to address Black Lives matter then you need to have the time to address the issues and the context properly. It would be a poor idea to discuss in an unprepared and off hand manner. One of my year 6 pupils brought it up when we were talking about racism in a story. We had the time then to discuss what they knew about the protests and to discuss why people are angry. I would have probably told the child in your example that Black Lives Matter is a very serious topic that shouldn't be joked about and that we would discuss it properly later or the next day.

I’m currently teaching a year six bubble and we’re doing a whole project on BLM. Spending time looking at the slave trade, civil rights movement and celebrating black artists, poets, etc. The children are learning so much from it (and so am I)!

I'd be very worried about a teacher who felt unable to facilitate a discussion of current affairs in an unbiassed way....that's kind of their job. I'd be very surprised in a school had a 'rule' about not discussing politics. That's also the job of schools. How else are kids going to be exposed to a range of opinions or learn to discuss and differ respectfully. I'd also suspect white privilege.

I meant power as in the power to arbitrarily announce rules which the kids have never heard of. Power to choose to the next day reveal a medical condition to those same kids in a chat over lunch. Some of the kids are now fascinated about what topics can or cannot be said. They would like the rules clarified and so would I .

She cited the Head as imposing these rules.

Surely the rules are "discuss topics appropriate to what we are learning about at that moment, following classroom rules (usually includes not calling out don't they?) and listening to teacher's instructions.

Why is it confusing?

If you were just sitting down in the theatre and your child asked you where babies come from would you explain it there and then or close it down and discuss it at an appropriate time?