So if HISTORY was taught a little better at school there would be no need for BLACK HISTORY MONTH - DISCUSS

[drosophila]

SO I am a little peeved that DS (7) who hates to write has to do a project on a black person he admires. What I was upset at was the level of writing expected. DP on the other hand found the whole concept of Black History Month patronising and if history was taught with a little more attention and a little bit more honesty then we would have no need for Black History Month. DP is black.

'If it were up to me he would not do the project' he says.

True.... but whilst it's not... we need Black history month. One can only hope that the regular dedication of a month a year (not that the full month is dedicated to black history etc) causes the curriculum writers to recognise the value of black history and that it's more than slavery.

Me.... I need to ask the Head if I can go in and teach some Jamaican cooking.

btw........... who does your DS admire? Mine would always write about Thierry!

I agree wholeheartedly with your DP.

I think BHM has it's place, and has had an important function to fulfil, but it causes nothing but confusion in DS's very multi-racial school, where the children cannot understand why someone's race becomes a reason to put someone in focus. Unless you start explaining racism - to 5 year olds who have not even considered feeling racist.

At a nursery (long since left) black children were asked to put little flags on a map of the world where they had family. DS, 3, was fully aware of where his (Asian) Daddy's family come from but was not allowed to place a flag - because it was for black children of african / caribbean countries and diaspora only. Madness reigns.

And yes, the role of black people and black nations in the world's history should be taught and acknowledged all year round.

I agree and the same would be true of a 'women in history' month.

Slavery and Mary Seacole, Mars!

They're so lazy. Nothing wrong with Mary Seacole, but I do wonder that it isn't called Slavery and Mary Seacole Month!

(DS having watched a Mary Seacole video this afternoon, apparantly, while his teacher went 'on a course')

Absolutely Blu! I have to say that I'm just glad that in m/c white suburbia they do it at all. I find myself making suggestions but it all comes down to budget.... so Mary and Slavery seem to be the cheapest things to access (without meaning any disrespect).

Ah, down the road we're a little more imaginative, Blu , and have a Black History Month concert - the year before last the children sang Stevie Wonder songs, and last year Bob Marley. There are readings about the musicians' lives, with reference to the history of their countries. I think Mary Seacole's on the National Curriculum btw, so her ubiquity may not be down to laziness.

I can see your DP's point, drosophila, but I think there is an educational case for separating out a particular viewpoint to show that there is more than one version (both in factual detail and emphasis) of history. SallyStrawberry, it was in a French lesson that I first found out the French learnt a different version of the Norman Conquest .

LOL Hallgerda - sounds good.

Down our end of the road there is little time to do BHM at the moment, anyway, as KS1 ae putting together a full scale 'harvest festival concert' - which features 'Coconut Woman', 'Linstead Market' (which I always thought was a rather euphemistic raunchy song ) and 'Hill and Gulley Rider' - so it's possible that they are killing two birds with one stone!

Hmm, it hadn't occurred to me before, but I think you could be right about Linstead Market . Come to that, most songs about markets are raunchy - all that fruit feeling is too much temptation... It's always nice watching the tinies singing Coconut Woman - they appreciate rum references .

Totally agree with Mars - if we didn't have discrimination, we wouldn't need legislation to protect people from unfair discrimination. The point is, we do not live in an ideal would but that should not stop us (and the education system) from trying to improve the world we live in.

Probably another thread altogether - but I do not agree with children in infants and juniors having homework.

I learned 'Linstead market' from someone who did v outrageous dance moves with 'everybody come feel up squeeze up'.

Yes, DS has been singing 'Mek you very tipsy (four for five) Mek you feel like a gipsy (four for five) all w/e.

I blame BHM, definitely!

yes kidn of agree tbh9 ex history teacher)

its the presriptive nature of the NC thats to fault.

When I was in secondary school we did black american history for a year and it bored me senseless. Whilst I did want to learn about black american history (this was in the uk) I wanted to learn more about english history and have a more general look at history rather than a whole year on one subject. This led me to drop history for gcse's. I really am very interested in history now and read lots of books about diffferent things so I believe it was down to the teacher and syllabus.

hmm but here were( when i tugth a few years ago) a lot of optionsal( and one oyu HAD to do eachyear) units on non eusporena
god what were they
islam( broing tbh)
native americans bal bla

www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/schemes2/secondary_history/

I've learnt loads from the tv programmes they've put on in the past for Black History Month, but it seems a bit much to do it every year - can't they do a different minority group sometimes? Asian History Month? South-East Asian History Month? In the context of British history, I don't get why it always has to be black.

good point Kathy - should be international history month!

What I would have found useful and interesting was history being taught in periods, but covering more than one country and 'subject'. It took me ages (as an adult)to piece together the writing of Jane Austen, British history and the history of the slave trade all within one time frame. If history was taught as a more global subject, looking at the interconnections between the history of different continents and people it would be more interesting and informative, imo.

I was fascinated by he growth of the Industrial Revolution, it's architecture, effect on landscape, our legal and class structure etc, but only put it in the context of cotton, our relationship with india, the infrstratucture, history and culture and then what hapened to india as a result of Empire etc later in life.

as an aside, my work are putting on a load of events for bhm. i'm going to the operation trident session and the microfinance in africa session. they should both be very interesting!

would be useful if black history month could be combined with other things ie slavery and its abolition with the industrial development of british towns ie bristol, dundee and liverpool and effect on the cotton industry and reasons why people coming to britain chose which area to settle would cover black history and victorian poverty in one go

would also show how events can influence effects all over the world

the museum of docklands is excellent on exactly this holistic view of history, empire, economic development, migration etc.

that sounds good (and one day of half term now sorted),

bossykate, that reminds me of the example DH always uses to illustrate our PM's lack of social skills; on a visit to a remote village in Africa, he is supposed to have asked one of the locals 'do you find it difficult to get microfinance?'.