Teacher told my child that child is not a Muslim

[Jkam24]

My daughter has recently started reception and asked me today if our family are Muslims, to which I said yes. She then started crying saying her teacher told her that she (my daughter) is not a Muslim. Is it unreasonable to be angry about this?

Write down the date and time in case there’s further issues. But you do need a one to one in which you point out that she’s using concepts that are much too advanced for a four year old. Your poor child has barely reached the stage of ‘other people believe different things’. Philosophical opinions on whether children can have a religion is just completely over her head (and actually upset her).

There’s a reason an RE curriculum develops concepts according to age and a good teacher should be aware of that.

I would agree with you, it's very odd and goes against all the training and guidance. I can't think why she would risk her career like this. I know HTs who would definitely go down the disciplinary route.

This happens all the time. Child has misunderstood something. Parent flies off the handle. Speak to the teacher.

The teacher admitted to saying it. Read the thread.

The teacher admitted to saying it. Read the thread.

😂
I think this is going to be another "cancel the cheque"!

I wondered if it was something like that. I don't honestly think the teacher should have said that but what she meant, ie that your daughter comes from a Muslim parent or parents but one cannot make a mature decision about religion until older, is a bit complicated. She would have done better to keep quiet, it hardly affects her and I doubt you are brainwashing your child. Would she have said the same to an Orthodox Jew or even a Catholic, I wonder?

I hope from now on she realises that some things do not need to be said to young children.

Well done to you for speaking to her, it needed to be said and hopefully will give the teacher food for thought.

Whoah! I really think this one needs to be taken straight to the head. That’s completely unacceptable. How dare she? I wouldn’t be backwards in saying how unsettling your child found it too.

I suspect if she feels at liberty to say something so inappropriate to a Muslim child, she would no doubt say the same to an Orthodox Jewish child or a Catholic.
She shouldn't say it at all, that's the point. It should be followed up, as most of us are saying.

Jeez, I’m as atheist as they come, and tbh I basically agree with her that young children cannot really have the understanding to be properly thought of as religious. But I wouldn’t be such an arsehole as to go around telling a child “you aren’t a Muslim/Christian”. Especially if I was an important person in that child’s life, which I think is the case for primary school class teachers.

Was she apologetic when you spoke to her? If not, I probably would take it further tbh.

Goodness, I am quite shocked by that teacher's response. She may well believe it personally but its not something she should be articulating to the children in her care. OP, I think you should talk to the Head about this. You are obviously a sensible balanced thinker but a more emotion driven parent might cause serious problems for the school if their child came home and said this. I used to work in health and many of my patients had beliefs about aspects of life that were not mine and which i disagreed with. It was no part of my role to challenge those beliefs and I think its no part of this teacher's role either.

I WOULD take it to the head. A good head will not demonise their staff member but will deal with it constructively and calmly.
This was really not an OK thing to say and, again, a good head will know that and will be keen for it not to be thought OK in their school's culture.

In Y1 my DS told his teacher
"Mummy has left and Daddy is trying to get me to take drugs"
I had gone to London for work for 2 days and DH was encouraging him to take Peppa Pig vitamin gummies .
Fun phone call

From what the OP has said, this isn't the case, but my first assumption would be that this wasn't the teacher, but a volunteer or (very inexperienced) TA.

The underlying assumptions about what a 4 year old can comprehend seem very off.

100% need to go to the head.

But its hard to believe anybody any more, there is that much social media bullshit

Yes, I was wondering if they’re a very new teacher, or if this is their first year in Reception. It’s the sort of mistake you’d expect someone to make if they were used to KS2 and hadn’t made the mental adjustment down to ‘barely old enough for school.’

They shouldn't be saying it at all. It's not acceptable at any Key Stage.
If they're new, they would surely be up to speed on all the DEI training?

Because it was true. Read the OP's update.

Where did he even here the word 'drugs' and connect it with gummies?

I find it very hard to believe that a teacher would say that especially to a 4 year old.

Suggest you check out what was said in reality before you go off on one

She has and the teacher did say it

You could be right about that, Catriona. It is very good that the op spoke to the teacher who was most unprofessional.

This strikes me as an utterly baffling thing for the teacher to think or to say, @Jkam24. Many children are raised in their parents’ religions - babies are baptised into the C of E or the Catholic Church, and I always thought this meant they were considered to be members of the church family - and I can’t see why it would be any different if you are raising a child in another faith.

I would definitely believe that a child raised in a Muslim family is a Muslim themselves - part of that whole family of faith.

If children ‘have no religion’, why do some children who die have religious funerals? I believe they have a religious funeral because they are part of the family of that religion.

DH takes BP medication and refers to his tablets as "drugs"