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Original poster

Teacher convinces children that world war 3 had broken out

23 replies

IntotheNittyGritty · 21/01/2011 08:22

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1349158/Headteacher-convinces-terrified-primary-school-children-World-War-Three-broken-out.html

Didnt some schools do this last year and wasnt there an out cry then? I am sure I remember this happening in the past and there were lots of complaints.

OP posts:
claig · 21/01/2011 10:08

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1349158/Headteacher-convinces-primary-school-children-World-War-Three-broken-out.html

There was a good thread about this type of thing on here last year. It was about convincing the kids that aliens had landed in the playground. It seems to be quite popular with the educational establishment.

The headmaster said
'We were doing World War Two as a topic and we saw advice from schools that basically suggested that we introduced the topic as if it was really happening. We didn't foresee these problems.'

Unfortunately, he didn't foresee any problems. A wise parent said
'There's certainly some very angry parents.

You send your child off in the morning and then they are told that there is a war.

Nobody with an ounce of common sense would have put them through it.'

Common sense is in short supply, and the headmaster was only following orders. He thought this was what it was all about. It's not his fault, it's what they taught him.

claig · 21/01/2011 10:12

The boys' reaction to hearing that World War 3 had started is amusing.

'The bulk of the boys thought it was great but a few of the girls were upset and had a sleepless night.'

wildstrawberryplace · 21/01/2011 10:16

They did this to us when I was at school in 1985 - for the same reasons. However, none of us believed the teacher. I can't imagine any of our parents complaining.

hippytrippynamedropper · 21/01/2011 10:18

How irresponsible. What happens when World War Three really does break out? Hmmmm?

claig · 21/01/2011 10:20

Apparently, then they'll be able to "empathise".

'The idea of it was to get the children to empathise with what it was like.'

Maybe the headmaster would be better off reading 'The Boy Who Cried Wolf'?

LindyHemming · 21/01/2011 10:58

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

hippytrippynamedropper · 21/01/2011 11:07

I am thinking of making the kids sleep alone in the city streets for a week next term. What do you think? It's to help them empathise with the homeless

You're going to tell me it's been done for real, aren't you?

MackerelOfFact · 21/01/2011 11:12

God, how awful. I remember learning about thw WWs in year 3 and then going home and being terrified because I heard war mentioned on the news. Nobody explained civil war, I thought all wars were world wars. I honestly believed I would be evacuated and my dad would be sent to fight and I would never see my family again. This fear lasted for months.

But this is even worse. Why not tell the children in advance that they are going to be taking part in a reconstruction rather than freak them out like that? The experience itself is fine, but not the deception. Unutterably cruel.

systemsaddict · 21/01/2011 11:17

hippytrippy yes indeed, I did sleep rough outside a local shop one night as a teenager with a group of other girls as part of a Guides homelessness awareness fundraising thing, don't recall an adult being with us Shock, would never be allowed now!

peppapighastakenovermylife · 21/01/2011 11:19

I think this is awful Confused. I would freak out if this happened to me let alone a small child who would be much less able to question it.

Ok I kind of get their logic (but actually doing it is stupid) but aren't we supposed to be teaching children to trust their teachers?

hippytrippynamedropper · 21/01/2011 11:21

systemaddict Shock I knew it!

systemsaddict · 21/01/2011 11:51

It was very, very cold. Fortunately one of us worked Saturdays in a local bakery, so when they opened at 4am we sneaked in and they gave us cups of tea. And one of the lads flashed at us, as I recall.

mrz · 21/01/2011 18:00

Except the head didn't convince the children WWIII had started he staged a WWII mock air raid perhaps not a great idea with the youngest children but typical DM hype

katiestar · 22/01/2011 21:21

Really, clueless teachers like this should not be allowed access to children, never mind teaching them!

mrz · 23/01/2011 10:07

The HT was interviewed on R5 yesterday - this all happened 2 weeks ago. They were trying to 'bring history alive' - and as they used N Chamberlain's recorded speech announcing war, and black & white pictures of the Blitz the assumed pupils would realise it wasn't happening now - but (apparently) they didn't. The pretence was abandoned by lunchtime and the pupils 'debriefed' before they went home.

No one told them WWIII had started ...

Goblinchild · 23/01/2011 10:12

Was that part of a Stunning Start, as advocated by those telling us that children are bored in schools? That we should teach with direct impact on the senses, and make it all WOW!
(oops, that's wow factor, not War of the Worlds)
Haven't you all heard the jargon?
Stunning Start...Magnificent Middle, Excruciating Ending (or whatever it is for E, can't actually remember)
It's part of the Creative Curriculum doncha know?
I've been on courses and everything.

mummytime · 23/01/2011 10:16

The one I loved last year was a secondary school where one teacher "shot" another one at lunchtime. In the school I was at at the time, we all decided it was a case of a "bright" idea not being contradicted by cynics.

The local Cathedral used to have a sponsored sleep out, but it was young people and adults and in a safe area.

roundtable · 23/01/2011 10:29

Ha goblinchild that made me laugh! It's all about the WOW factor. I remember a deputy head of mine tackled an ofsted inspector who had marked her as good, what she wanted to see for an outstanding (she was a bit miffed I think as her classes made excellent progress) and was told it was a ' feeling'. Very analytical!

The new wow that seems to be in my area is using films to teach literacy Hmm

mrz · 23/01/2011 10:31

I have to say way back in my teacher training they told us empathy was the thing and we did lots of this type of thing but either children were less sensitive/naive or the DM didn't hear about them as no one complained.

squeezedatbothends · 24/01/2011 16:39

'Headmaster was following orders'? From whom? What nonsense. He had an idea for a creative way to engage kids in History and it went a bit wrong. If he'd been trained by someone who knew about these things rather than the charlatans who charge fortunes for running courses for teachers on 'creative curriculum', he'd have known about protecting children into role so that they're safe, but able to empathise. He went a bit far - fireworks and all, but I'm sure we'd all rather have our kids excited by school than bored stiff. No-one writes to the Daily Mail to complain that their child has been put off reading for life by the literacy strategy or endless BIG WRITE lessons, but that's what happens.

claig · 24/01/2011 20:14

He didn't "have an idea". He followed "advice".

"Mr Richards explained: 'We were doing World War Two as a topic and we saw advice from schools that basically suggested that we introduced the topic as if it was really happening. We didn't foresee these problems.

The "advice" didn't mention that it might cause problems. I doubt he will follow that type of advice again.

create · 24/01/2011 20:48

It's amazing the power of these sort of sessions though.

One of the only assemblies I remember from secondary school - would have been 4th/5th yr so c. 1985 - was delivered by the deputy head.

As we filed in, girls were directed to one side of the hall, boys to the other and he went on to explain that a change in the law meant that from then on, boys would get academic schooling, but girls only a couple of hours a day learning childcare/cooking/sewing etc

Ridiculous now, but he must have done it well, as we all swallowed it and there was outrage on both sides.

All sorts of classes the following week used it, for discussion on changing social history, influence of people in power etc. Was powerful stuff.

Hulababy · 24/01/2011 20:58

These kind of things can work really well though, but I think there has to be an element of unbelievability so children realise it was pretend.

We've done some at school and it has been fine. Nothing ott though.

And to be fair the daily mail isn't actually reporting the full story. The children werenttold ww3 had started. The films and radio they used were old ones from ww2, and the air raid siren was an old one!

Dd's school did a ww2 day with a mock school - the man who ran it was very authentic as a ht - air raid, games, and activities. I went as was volunteering back then. The girls knew about it though and came dressed up and prepared. Some little ones. Were nervous and a couple got spooked in the shelter, but were comforted by teachers. But it was a good dyand the girls learnt a lot!

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