DD being asked to design a torture method for homework??

[milkysmum]

DD has been set her history homework for this week. She has to design a ' new Tudor Torture device'. Draw it, label it etc and explain why it would be more effective than previous know torture devices! AIBU that this is a bit unnecessary? They are year 8. Do they really need to be encouraged to think of new ways to torture people!?

@PutinIsAWarCriminal

Ds would have probably offered his sister singing. 🤣🤣 brilliant! Sounds to me more like a Design Tech project than a History project! This wouldn't bother my year 9 child in the slightest, but I can understand why it would many children.

I’d be even more worried about the pupils who enjoy it.

One for the governors, TBH.

@HellToTheNope

Sounds like an interesting project to me.

Sounds like somethng my Year 8 grandchild would really engage with, 'doing the Tudors' can be very boring.

What about finding ways to stop a war? Or avoid starting it in the first instance? How to navigate politics to actually manage to get the best possible for your citizens, keeping it cool with all opposing parties?
That would take similar time, similar thinking, but without this horrid torture novelties.
And the worst part is that they will come up with some "good" ideas. It is just grim.
Better to give them a tricky historical situation and ask them ways to sort it. There are plenty of those to choose from.

OP please complain about this. Even if your daughter wants to do the assignment so as not to get in trouble, please complain. This is so inappropriate.

I teach related topics at university level and I would not give this assignment to my adult students. I imagine I would actually get in trouble if I did.

That's horrible. I would find that disturbing as an adult.

As if the brutal torture methods through the ages aren’t enough?

I'd probably design one where people were forced to watch Mrs Brown's Boys

Everyone saying their kids would love this assignment, I mean really? Does that not concern you? That your kids would enjoy coming up with more effective ways to mutilate people? Not just kill them but make them suffer agonising drawn-out deaths. That's really fucked up.

So inappropriate.

What are they going to do when they study the Nazis, find a way to kill more people?

I think you’re overreacting OP. Tudor history is gruesome. Torture could be stopping someone sleeping it doesn’t have to be bloody. My girls loved Horrible Histories much younger than 13/14. You could talk about it with her focussing on how times have changed.

Just no. Tell them be kind, ffs

@dreamingbohemian

Everyone saying their kids would love this assignment, I mean really? Does that not concern you? That your kids would enjoy coming up with more effective ways to mutilate people? Not just kill them but make them suffer agonising drawn-out deaths. That's really fucked up.

Torture porn is all the rage. However, my impression is that the comments are from stupidity and superficiality rather than sadism.

@Benjispruce5

I think you’re overreacting OP. Tudor history is gruesome. Torture could be stopping someone sleeping it doesn’t have to be bloody. My girls loved Horrible Histories much younger than 13/14. You could talk about it with her focussing on how times have changed.

What the fuck did I just read

Torture, in any form is not ok. We should not be asking our children to think of ways to torture people.

Afraid i'm in the camp of i'd be emailing her history teacher and explaining that my child would not be doing it, thats its extremely inappropriate, dehumanising, and concerning. I'd also be making sure i CC'd the head of department, head of year, Wellbeing, and Head Teachers so they could see my thoughts on it too.

@Benjispruce5

I think you’re overreacting OP. Tudor history is gruesome. Torture could be stopping someone sleeping it doesn’t have to be bloody. My girls loved Horrible Histories much younger than 13/14. You could talk about it with her focussing on how times have changed.

Times haven’t changed that much though, people are still being tortured.

I don't remember ever having anything like this in History lessons when I was at school and did do "O" Level. I think it's inappropriate and disturbing. Surely schools should be trying to back up parents in teaching youngsters to become better people, not encouraging them to think up ways to torture their fellow human beings? Isn't there enough inhumanity in the world as it is?
From a purely practical POV, I can't see how this helps them have a good knowledge of History, which is about facts, not imagination, never mind imagining how to torture people! Sick! I'd complain!

and i'm saying that as a writer who has written some pretty questionable horror fiction....

@Benjispruce5

I think you’re overreacting OP. Tudor history is gruesome. Torture could be stopping someone sleeping it doesn’t have to be bloody. My girls loved Horrible Histories much younger than 13/14. You could talk about it with her focussing on how times have changed.

Right so study it then. We were analysing comparative Tudor religious policies at that age: Reformation-Catholic restoration-Religious Settlement.

Plenty of people visit the London Dungeons. It’s important to learn what were considered norms in the past. This activity is just a way of engaging them. I bet plenty of those horrified let their kids play brutal video games… for fun!

Tickle machine

Times haven’t changed that much though, people are still being tortured.

Yup. See above comment about stupidity rather than sadism.

@Benjispruce5

Plenty of people visit the London Dungeons. It’s important to learn what were considered norms in the past. This activity is just a way of engaging them. I bet plenty of those horrified let their kids play brutal video games… for fun!

But that’s a choice - go, or don’t go. Not a school telling children they must do this.

I don’t let my kids play violent video games either, I’ve talked about this at length on here.

I think it’s pretty sick. It’s one thing to learn about history and all the gore that goes with it, it’s quite another to get kids to actually imagine new ways to torture people.