There are good reasons for avoiding talk of this conflict in schools

[mids2019]

Schools in England accused of closing down debate on Israel-Gaza conflict https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/29/schools-england-accused-closing-down-debate-israel-gaza-conflict?CMP=share_btn_url

If we wish pupils to discuss this conflict in schools it should be added to history lessons as part of modern history with an unbiased appraisal of the complex nature of the middle East especially post WW2. As say discussion about WW1 or the Napoleonic wars the conflict should be put into context of wider global geopolitical pressures with a nuanced analysis with importantly no bias.

What we don't want and I think the article below implies are discussions where pupils get to rant about 'evil Israel' and a school sanctioned display of Palestinian solidarity which some children may feel will allow them to express anti Semitic sentiment. I could easily see a passionate class pupil lead discussion leading to some pupils saying the problem couk d be solved as not having Israel in the first place and criticise Britian in its role in the formation of Israel. We have to avoid this.

Teachers are right to not want to allow discussion on class where tanti Semitic or anti Israel views could be be openly expressed with little sanction. Schools have quite rightly very severe policies on discrimination and racism and it would be easy for the pupils or even a teacher to overstep the mark in these areas.

We also have to consider the feelings of Jewish and Muslim children who may feel they may be targets for bullying as a result of these 'discussions'.

I fully support school decisions to not allow formal discussion of this topic currently though we do discuss the events of October 7th and the resultant war in my home with the aid of reputable media and valid wider historical context.

I would say… but I’m here to teach history/politics/sociology and we have a syllabus to cover. I’m teaching for a qualification, not running a debate club.
If a child came into my lesson and said ‘can we discuss abortion?’ I’d say erm…no…we’re learning about ww2/the electoral college/etc today. Abortion, for example, is covered in RPE and PSHE. They certainly don’t debate it there but all opinions are presented and a teacher certainly wouldn’t give their view.
we teach post 1945 Middle East for gcse. Again factual, debate historical issues but our job isn’t too moralise.

We’re not stifling debate. We’re just doing our job which is educate.

again this really is a non issue. A bigger issue would be if a Jewish child was rude to a muslim
child or vice versa regarding Gaza. That’s a whole different kettle of fish and would be a pastoral issue.

💯

I think it’s obvious who the actual teachers are on this thread ..

The idea that educational establishments would actively seek to prevent conversations around significant current affairs is so disappointing. Not allowing discussions only serves to reduce opportunities for pupils to access alternative viewpoints, to reduce opportunities for children to seek help and support from people who should be trusted adults in their lives, to reduce opportunities to apply critical thinking in challenging situations, and to reduce opportunities to identify and support children who might be experiencing trauma or be at risk of being drawn into extreme viewpoints.

You want them to create a syllabus on an ever changing, ongoing situation?

My school doesn’t prevent talking about current affairs. It’s part of PSHE anyway - we have to! But we inform, educate, we don’t moralise and try to decide who’s right/wrong. That is not what a teacher does.

“ I can keep them on track and stick within the rules set for a discussion “
Do you allow opinions you don’t agree with? And how do you handle minority views?

So you have a space in which pupils can talk about and learn about it then. Which is what people have been suggesting shouldn't be available.

@Scirocco

By learn who is teaching on this topic and what about this period should be learnt?

@Scirocco its not quite as simple as that. Let’s take a less contentious topic. The day after the 2019 general election. Of course I would talked about it in tutor period and in a politics lesson. Questions we might have discussed (I can’t remember exactly!):

1. Why do we think the Conservative Party did so well?
2. why did the SNP do so well?
3. why did Labour not do so well in some traditional seats?
4. how important was Boris Johnson’s media presence?

A question I would not have asked:
”Hi everyone, Miss Jean Brodie here. How would you have all voted?”

That would entirely depend on the format, the ages and abilities of the pupils and the planned learning objectives, surely.

I facilitate discussions all day with young people and we often ( usually) disagree and as a result they learn how to argue persuasively and respectfully. But I’m always careful not to embark on a topic that involves something too emotive and current.

Do you allow opinions you don’t agree with?
Of course! I'm facilitating the discussion I'm not part of it,
And how do you handle minority views?
By ensuring everyone gets heard, that everyone is respectful whether they agree with someone or not. I am not talking about children I am talking about teens who are full of opinions and well able to debate their corner.

I'm not seeing why you think I would want the latter.

Having a space to learn about and talk about major current affairs doesn't require that.

I simply think that it's important for pupils of all ages to have access to age-appropriate explanations, education and support, whether that's in a structured classroom PHSE lesson, school assembly, extra-curricular clubs, or something else entirely.

As I have said I am not a teacher, I run specific programmes in schools and we are often brought into a school when there is a particular emotive topic often specific to an area that needs addressing before it boils over.

Exactly. This is why I don't read the Guardian newspaper any more. Those twits seem to think we've got endless time to sort out all the political and social problems of the world, when we're actually hard pressed to get through the curriculum. I teach higher. There are pro-Palestine stickers and posters up all over the building, but we haven't discussed it in class because why would we?? The students are focused on what they need to know for the exams and questions about how long their essays should be - as they should be. If they want to debate Palestine they can do that in their own time.

I do agree that teachers need to be particularly watchful of any pupils who are affected by the current horrors. If individual children are affected they need to be supported as individuals. I don’t think a class discussion is the right way for them to be supported if they are experiencing trauma.

Given that this debate is about whether debates should be allowed and has become very heated and we adults I think is rather proves the point that debates and discussions with teenagers is almost bound to become heated, with lots of potential allegations being about prejudice. Many teachers are skilled at handling debates but in this case tensions run high and the racist allegations, unwillingness to change opinions is evident. The situation is complex with a range of views, people are entitled to hold their opinion. A debate in a school shouldn't be about pressurising people to change their opinion but about considering the different views and seeing things from a different perspective.

I agree with this there may be particular instances where a child needs personal support and the school should provide this. A group discussion especially one where you may hear opinions that could exacerbate the trauma should be avoided.

@snowbird21

there are simply some things where people will not be willing or ready to see another perspective and I suspect the Gaza conflict is one. Being invited to see a different perspective could be construed as offensive by some given the strength of feeling out there.

@mids2019
I totally agree with you

Given that this debate is about whether debates should be allowed and has become very heated and we adults I think is rather proves the point that debates and discussions with teenagers is almost bound to become heated, with lots of potential allegations being about prejudice.

And schools and other related organisations are working hard to tackle knife crime. Where teenagers settle disputes and perceived insults and disrespect with violence. Is that not also a concern?
I taught in an area where disputes often spilled over into gang violence in the community, and that was in the 90s when knife crime didn’t hit the headlines half as frequently as now.

It's utterly tragic that a state that has killed 50,000 civilians, more than half of them children, and the remaining ones are being purposely starved is considered a 'hot' topic and cannot be discussed.

It’s not that we can’t discuss it.
I just feel like some people on this thread think that teachers have a very different relationship to their students than they actually do.

A group of my students recently went to a big a
level conference a few weeks ago. In our next lesson we talked about it and they told me that Jacob RM was booed for what he said about Israel Gaza. They told me what happened and who had said what etc. I was clearly interested but it wouldn’t have been my place to say that I thought that was a good reaction. (Internally I was happy to hear it as I think what’s happening in Gaza is completely unjustified but that’s my opinion.)

It’s like when teaching WW2 we often talk about Dresden and how it was completely raised to the ground, though was almost entirely a civilian area. The key debate is WHY the British did this, and WHY some have said it was wrong. We don’t discuss IF we think it was immoral. (Again I think it was, Germany was clearly about to lose and I believe mass bombing civilians, even
if they are enemy civilians, is wrong. But that’s my opinion, not necessarily theirs.)

I think a lot of my older students are discussing current issues in their breaktimes. Good for them. As I’ve said, I see my role as a teacher to educate, inform, set a good example with regards to tolerance and balance as much as I can, but it’s not my role to pass moralistic judgments.

I wouldn’t see it as my job to get the Israeli supporting child to see the other side. That’s a very unlikely scenario. For it to happen you’ve had had to have said something like “so who’s right - israel or hamas” which obviously would be so utterly inappropriate.
If a child wants to be pro-Israel that’s their prerogative - it’s a free country. As I said up thread, lessons are there to cover a subject, not have a debate club!