My 5yo's teacher is insufferably woke

[Ladyday1995]

Apologies if this is not in the right category.

My DS started year 1 in September. His new teacher has been somewhat of a thorn in my side for a few weeks. Nothing serious though and I've never had much need to speak much to her.
DS came home last week waxing lyrically about COP26, how we are wrecking the planet and destroying animals habitats. He quite rightly doesn't understand what he can do about it, we live a fairly "green" lifestyle etc. We talked about it at length so I could make sure he understood.
Anyway, I'm not all too happy that this is what he's being taught in his valuable schooling hours. I've had a little peep on teachers Twitter and she jumps on many trendy societal issues of today, even supporting insulate Britain FFS.
I realise this is a slippery slope. I'm in Wales and I know the gov has recently slipped past a controversial new "diversity and equality" plan for the curriculum. I can't say I agree with much of what I've read being taught to children, particularly regarding sex education, and gender identity.
It's a bit of a minefield. The climate change lessons aren't ideal, but I digress. My worry starts when the PSE lessons start. Ideally I'd not have my son attend these lessons at all. I am more than capable of explaining these matters to him myself when I think he is mature enough to understand. Is it unreasonable to ask for a more detailed report of what they will be studying? I don't want to look like some Pearl clutching bigot. I am concerned about how much of his teacher's political stances could seep into her teaching practice. Does anyone else have any experience or ideas of what little uns are being taught in school these days?

I think the environment is an important topic, I'm not crazy about the way schools approach it. It tends to be shallow, for one thing. More importantly though, I think that children don't always take what adults say about these things the way they are intended. There are a lot of kids now who are very anxious and part of that seems to be related to how unstable their world seems to them.

I've had several of my own kids say, in response to the news, or adult conversations they hear, how upsetting they find it. It's not that they don't care, but it really preys on their minds in a way it seems many adults don't appreciate.

Anyway - I would not trust teachers at the moment to keep within appropriate boundaries, I'd make a point of keeping a close eye on what's being taught. It might be worth getting involved at the school.

I feel you OP. Your post will obviously trigger anyone who supports the woke issues being pressed into every sphere no matter how unnecessary and inappropriate and they’ll cry “no there’s no such thing as woke” etc. - but the reality is there is and it has no place in primary school.

I’m of the opinion teachers should teach basic skills and encourage creativity and social interaction and respect for others at that age - teaching sex ed to children that young is wrong and disrespectful to the parents who don’t want it taught and giving one sided opinions on social issues shouldn’t be encouraged in any school at any age.

Your totally right these things are slipped into the curriculum by stealth and not parent consensus. But that’s no accident, woke people know many people don’t support their ideas but are so arrogant they believe they should press them on our kids any way they can.

@rrhuth

It’s the truth “wokeism” is the new canon many want to force on our kids whether we like it or not. That’s why so many woke people are triggered when it gets called out. Truth hurts.

Your post will obviously trigger anyone who supports the woke issues
you can have a too

Your totally right these things are slipped into the curriculum by stealth and not parent consensus. But that’s no accident, woke people know many people don’t support their ideas but are so arrogant they believe they should press them on our kids any way they can. Conspiracy theory drivel.

[quote Megalameg]@rrhuth

It’s the truth “wokeism” is the new canon many want to force on our kids whether we like it or not. That’s why so many woke people are triggered when it gets called out. Truth hurts.[/quote]
TruTh hURts

You're talking bollocks.

@sweetgingercat
How are the teachers personal “beliefs about gender” in any way preparing a small child for the world she is going to live in?

I think you’re being unreasonable. When I was a kid it was all about Save The Rainforests and we learned about it at school. Yes, there was nothing that I, a six year old, could personally do about it. But it’s important to learn about our world, it helps teach us about compassion and caring about things wider than our own community.

The environment crisis will affect your and my childrens futures. They will be hearing about it for their entire lives.

@rrhuth

It’s no conspiracy at all lol. Was the new curriculum widely agreed upon by parents (and teachers)? No.
It was pushed by advocacy groups and academics who didn’t really care what parents thought about it because they believe they know best.

That’s no conspiracy - its the truth. If it’s not then please show me how parents ever got a choice or say in changes of this sort to the curriculum?

Climate change is fundamental reality.
If your main point is sex Ed then make that your point - tricky when you’ve done nothing to follow up on that though.

Let’s be real if OP had posted that her child’s teacher was a big Bojo supporter who supported alt right causes and was a men’s rights activist on Twitter the responses to OP looking at the teachers twitter would be radically different. But if they agree with the teachers wokeism then of course looking at her (public) twitter is snooping.

And if those beliefs they didn’t agree with seeped into the classroom in any small way like this teacher they would be all for trying to get the child to sack her. But of course it’s fine if they are of the same opinion as her.

This is why one sided political views have no place in the classroom. It’s sad when drunks in pubs have a better code of etiquette than woke primary school teachers.

Why does it bother you that she supports Insulate Britain?

I'm sorry but kids need to learn about climate change. And as far as topics go, this is one of the lesser controversial ones in my opinion.

Insulate Britain are a bunch of moneyed multiple car having sanctimonious wankers who probably take more holidays than me and all my neighbours combined. Hence having “time off work” to “protest” ie ruin ordinary peoples’ lives

You can teach your children about recycling, waste, reuse at home without scaring them by telling them everything’s gonna burn up and die off at some unspecified future point - that sort of thing gives children deep anxiety which they don’t need
Totally agree with you OP, keep politics out of classrooms and stick to teaching useful, edifying, positive and constructive skills. These kids have their whole lives to be terrified and depressed about the state of the planet. Why push it on them so early?

Mary Whitehouse eat your heart out

Oh no, there’s a teacher who cares about the climate and is anti racist…quick, call the DM so she can lose her job!!

@Megalameg

Let’s be real if OP had posted that her child’s teacher was a big Bojo supporter who supported alt right causes and was a men’s rights activist on Twitter the responses to OP looking at the teachers twitter would be radically different. But if they agree with the teachers wokeism then of course looking at her (public) twitter is snooping.

And if those beliefs they didn’t agree with seeped into the classroom in any small way like this teacher they would be all for trying to get the child to sack her. But of course it’s fine if they are of the same opinion as her.

This is why one sided political views have no place in the classroom. It’s sad when drunks in pubs have a better code of etiquette than woke primary school teachers.

How on earth is teaching children about climate change a one sided political view?

These kids have their whole lives to be terrified and depressed about the state of the planet. Why push it on them so early? There are some parents who want to lie to their kids - not for their kids' benefit but because they can't deal with it, so want to lie to their children in childhood and leave them to process on their own later.

@Hatethisplacetho

Insulate Britain are a bunch of moneyed multiple car having sanctimonious wankers who probably take more holidays than me and all my neighbours combined. Hence having “time off work” to “protest” ie ruin ordinary peoples’ lives

You can teach your children about recycling, waste, reuse at home without scaring them by telling them everything’s gonna burn up and die off at some unspecified future point - that sort of thing gives children deep anxiety which they don’t need
Totally agree with you OP, keep politics out of classrooms and stick to teaching useful, edifying, positive and constructive skills. These kids have their whole lives to be terrified and depressed about the state of the planet. Why push it on them so early?

Reducing one's carbon footprint is not political, it's socially responsible.

There is no bigger emergency than climate change.

The level of ignorance on this thread is astounding.

I got the impression that the teacher’s ‘support’ for Insulate Britain was something OP had seen on Twitter rather than something being pushed in the classroom. Many people support their cause, others dislike them- that’s the nature of a protest organisation. I think if we trawled a few teachers’ Twitter pages we’d find that quite a few support Black Lives Matter- also a divisive organisation.
OP I think if you’re concerned that the teacher is trying to indoctrinate the children politically, have a word with the school. But don’t use the word ‘wokeism’ when you do, as this undermines your credibility.

@Graceandfrankie

The gender stuff and sex Ed views (of whatever type) are one sided political views more so than the climate stuff. I’m not against telling children about climate change but it depends how it’s done and what political slant is put on it (because many do put political slants on combating it or who to blame, and if this teacher is woke she probably does too). I think many teachers and people in general have no idea how what they say emotionally effects children and I don’t think there’s any point in frightening them or trying to turn them into 6 year old activists.

It seems like woke people think we should go back to a by gone age of treating kids as nothing but little adults - I thought we finally realised that was wrong and harmful in Victorian times? Guess not.

@UnsuitableHat

Saying “wokeism” only offends people who are super woke but in denial about it.

Saying “wokeism” only offends people who are super woke but in denial about it.

The problem with saying 'wokeism' is it tells people the speaker is stupid.

@Megalameg I don’t know whether it offends anyone or not. It just doesn’t mean anything, is used as a lazy insult and sounds lame. If someone said to me ‘I’m worried that your teaching is politically biased’ I’d take them more seriously than if they said ‘I’m worried that you’re subscribing to wokeism’. But actually, looking back, I don’t think OP used that word.

The scandal about water companies dumping effluent into rivers and the sea rather than treating it should be taught. Big companies putting profit over the environment and ruining our coast and rivers. I wouldn’t mind if they gave kids the whole picture. I understand what you mean about her being “woke” and it would irritate me as well.

@rrhuth

Sure tell yourself that if you want.