Yr 5 - is it appropriate for teacher to talk about Cumbria shootings?

[Longstocking2]

and subjects that one child brings up like Jack the ripper etc.? He is fascinated by grim subjects like this.

Shouldn't the teacher ideally say 'let's talk about that later Johnny' and not talk about these things in front of the whole class? Maybe my ds is too sheltered and they have to start hearing about these things but I just wondered what other people thought.

I think I'd prefer he heard about the Cumbrian story than Jack the Ripper murdering prostitutes by disembowelling them.

Not quite sure I understand what happened. Did your DS want to talk about it and the teacher let him?

no there's a boy in his class who is fascinated with such gore and the teacher lets him introduce subjects etc. I think she should change the subject and talk to him about gorey things quietly or better still ask him to keep those subjects and his personal research into them at home.

I suppose it depends on what the teacher does or says. Bit of a ramble here, but DS often asks me about pictures he sees in the newspaper. He's only 6 and in a way I'd rather he didn't see such things, but equally I'm not going to stop natural curiosity and certainly will never stop him looking voluntarily through a broadsheet. Not long ago there was a heart rending picture of a child injured in Afghanistan. So we talked about the war for a couple of minutes and how the children must feel. To me that's better than shutting the conversation down straight away, as I can put it into a context for him and reassure if I need to. So could that be what the teacher's doing? I mean, acknowledging the boy's question, and then quietly closing it down in a way that doesn't freak out anyone. If so, then personally I think it's a good approach, as it means the boy will find it harder to go round in the playground shooting his mouth off and scaring the others.

Thanks, I'm not sure how it was handled, I might as her about it for reassurance.

Sounds like a good idea. Hopefully it won't turn up as a homework topic.

Horrible Histories seems to have started a trend of children learning more about the gory side of history. When the Egyptians are covered in year 3 children learn how mummies are made and that involves removing the brain etc. Has he learned about Henry VIII this year? There is beheadings etc associated with that topic.
I understand your aversion to gore but if I had to discuss Jack the Ripper with my year 5 son I think he would be more shocked by what a prostitute is rather than the murder themselves. If I discussed the Cumbrian murders with my year 5 he would want to know the answers to questions like why he murdered which nobody can answer. Personally I'd ask the teacher what was said.

smee!
I am definitely over anxious slightly hysterical over-protective mother....
But disembowelling prostitutes? Can't I protect him from that til secondary school?