Teacher showing photos to kids of victorian dead children - slightly disturbing

[whyiwonderwhy]

I am finding this so disturbing I can't sleep! However I might be being oversensitive, who knows. It is the "but - WHY?" bit which is bothering me most.

The lesson was about the industrial revolution, and the subject of photography came up, 2 of the earliest photos were shown to the class (13-14yo) and then....I wish I could say the teacher showed photos of some of the extraordinary engineering inventions of the day, or of busy streets, or China, or something wonderful and extraordinary...but no, the teacher showed 10 photos of dead children and talked about how the Victorians would photograph dead children as though they were still alive, with the rest of the family, in a commemorative way. I have seen some in the past (I didn't learn about it at school however) and they are moving and tragic and disturbing. Nothing else, just these photos.

Just wondering...why? why would the teacher do this? Any ideas?

This teacher has form by the way. A lot of it. But this has for some reason blindsided me.

I think you should be a history teacher if you think photos of amazing victorian engineering will engage Y9 🤣.

It’s only bizarre and disturbing in the context of the modern day where we behave like death is something offensive or unnatural. Half the point is showing how social acceptances have evolved and changed over the years. Or do you just want your children to exist in a bubble?

OMG.

I'm suprised they allowed her to continue in school after an abortion, but maybe they just wanted to torture her.

My RC VI form we had a couple of people come from the non RC schools. One of them made the huge mistake of approaching a teacher about the possibility that she was pregnant.

She was told if she had an abortion she would have to leave, so she did.

For anyone who has not gone to an RC school you would be amazed at what they teach.

I know a lot of people say, "Oh they just say a couple of prayers morning and afternoon" and I hope that is true in some schools but it certainly wasn't my experience.

RE, well RC doctrine came into most lessons, cookery - oh time to bake a simnel cake.

History, Mary I was a wonderful woman returning England to the RC church.

Art, design an anti abortion poster.

Biology, this is how 'natural contraception works'.

We actually had a lesson called 'hymns' where we learned new hymns.

Oh and yes those little feet badges.

Also an odd rule. You could wear a cross or religious medal on a chain, but not a chain on its own or a non religious pendant.

So disturbed you can't sleep????

Massive over reaction given the age of the class. I take it you don't allow them to watch the news?

Yes, and the teacher will spend time in these things in other lessons. They will be teaching this topic for 6+ weeks and will get to it... I imagine the focus of that lesson may have been the consequential dangers of the invention of machinery and therefore the increase in child mortality. It's called 'context'. I'm not even a History teacher, just someone who has a bit of logic and no desire to teacher-bash.
Get over yourself, or discuss your concerns directly with the teacher.

For lots of people, open casket funerals (or more usually pre-funeral wakes) aren’t disturbing at all, they’re completely normal.

I imagine the focus of that lesson may have been the consequential dangers of the invention of machinery and therefore the increase in child mortality. It's called 'context'. I'm not even a History teacher, just someone who has a bit of logic and no desire to teacher-bash.

Yep, can't help but love a parent who knows better than every education professional involved about what this age group "should" be taught and the quality of the education they're receiving based on a conversation about one lesson!

You said yourself that they were learning about photography.

What i remember about learning about the industrial revolution/victorian times is the amount of death from infection and disease, workhouses, children being put to work in dangerous conditions. All the grim stuff. I can't remember anything about transport or construction although I do know we discussed it.

Personally I think learning about the genocide of WW2 (seeing/hearing about the concentration camps) and the slave trade (went really in-depth, yr 9 I think, even watched a bit of roots) and even the current genocides that are currently taking place in the world, far more disturbing and upsetting than looking at how victorian people took a lasting memory of a loved one to keepsake.

The children are 13/14. They are not inappropriate pictures, they were very normal pictures for the time and likely led to a discussion of what life was like in that time.

I am finding this so disturbing I can't sleep!

It seems likely that the OP is actually the 14-year-old DC, posting out of boredom during the school holidays. That would explain why they needed to leave school before raising the issue

This thread is hilarious 🤣🤣

Were the kids only having one lesson on the Industrial Revolution or was this just one of a series of lessons? If it’s a series, I wouldn’t be too worried and would just assume that it what the teacher planned to teach for that lesson. But if it was all they were getting on the Revolution, I do agree there are a lot of other more important things they could have focussed on. I don’t necessarily think it’s sinister or anything. These are teenagers, and they can’t be only learning the sanitised parts of history.

Exactly, they'll only say the thing that they remembered or stuck out for them.
A picture of a building probably got a yawn and immediately forgot. 😁

Usual day -
Me - Did you have a nice day at school today? What did you do?

Kid - "nothing"

Ok, you did nothing all day, cool 🙄😁

Victorian dead photos day maybe I'll get more of a reaction as it's more memorable

Nice day at school, what did you do?!

"Nothing"

"Oh hang on, we did see lots of photos of dead Victorian children!"

In the nicest possible way get a grip. Death is very much a part of life. The teacher hasn't shown them anything gruesome and it was a fairly interesting part of the Victorian culture. It was probably part of driving home the reality that many children did not survive till adulthood.

It's weird. What else has the teacher done?

Here's an idea OP. Why not just speak to the teacher if you're that bothered? Everyone's a critic. Even better, since you have strong ideas about how this topic should be taught, maybe consider retraining as a teacher so you can do it your way?

I mean OP, if this is the worst thing going on in your life, you've got a good life.

If it was my kids who are 11 and 8, they have been exposed to the other parts of the Industrial Revolution for years. They would be bored to tears by another lesson about beam engines by 13 and 14. As other posters have said, it's engaged your child enough that they came home and told you about. The teacher can now circle back to the instruments that bought about this social change.

I don’t think this is a new trend at all. I was at secondary school in the late 80’s/early 90’s and in y9/10 we were shown pictures of aborted foetuses at up to 23 weeks. It was part of RE. It really stayed with me, particularly as one member of the class had a disability as a result of being born at 25 weeks. Im not saying this was right, but it demonstrates it’s not a new thing.

with regards to your post I don’t really see the issue given the age group. I think these kids would find this interesting - my son loved horrible histories and there was plenty of gore on there despite it being aimed at young primary school kids.

I know someone who lost her toddler. After he passed they took him for a walk in his pram.

Her parents were very involved with the school and were an absolute pair of cunts, complete religious nut who seemed to take some sort of perverted pleasure in being punished for the shame themselves. She was punished for that abortion harshly. She didn’t have a good life, poor thing. I was only in touch with her until our mid 20s and then she just dissapeared. I hope her life has got better over the last couple of decades.

And yeah, my school was fucking nuts. I would never entertain the idea of a religious school, especially a catholic one for my children.

It's always been shown. It's not new.

Why is it shown.... because it's history (literally) and what used to be done.

Some cultures still do similar and have their passed loved ones fashioned to be life like at the funeral.

The Torajan people of Indonesia.

But she isn't questioning a teacher. She is on MN whinging about it because she hasn't bothered to question the teacher.

If she had questioned the teacher she would have her answer and then she might not be able to whinge which defeats the purpose she wanted.

I lost a baby to still birth and the hospital allowed me to take him for a walk in the hospital garden. It helped me. Something so normal as Taking him for a walk in a pram was something I would have never got to experience otherwise.

My mum died when I was 11, I was there when she died, but I didn’t want to visit her body in the chapel of rest. It all depends on how a person feels.

Yes, YABU.
if you have a query about the content of the lesson then by all means ask the member of staff concerned.This is not unreasonable.
what is unreasonable is the way you appear to feel you know better and are coming across as quite entitled. I wonder if you treat other professionals with the same disdain- GPs, consultants, Police.
You could always, you know, train and become a teacher, then your opinion may hold more weight. They’re leaving in droves and there’s a current recruitment and retention crisis so I’m sure you’ll be welcomed.

What’s the problem? People live, people die…I’m not seeing the issue here, death is not something that you should teach kids to be scared or horrified of, it’s just the circle of life! I’ll bet the kids were very interested and will probably retain more in that lesson than any other. I think you’re being a little over sensitive and yes, unreasonable…particularly when the comments have not agreed with you, which to be honest, is most of them 🤭