I am a teacher in a school - is this right?

[TTlover]

Hi all.

I am a primary school teacher (UK) and after the racism that has been happening in the football, I taught the children in my class a lovely lesson on equality.

The children then made equality posters and anti racism posters.

We then went to put the posters up around the school.

The head teacher approached me and asked all of the children to take them down.

I feel really upset by this. It wasn’t an issue with the blue tac on the walls as there are always posters going up from other classes.

I had to turn all of my children around, ask them to take their posters down and then come back up to the classroom with the children confused.

Perhaps I should have asked first, but I really didn’t see it being an issue.

Did I cross the line? Now I feel anxious.

Well Ofcourse I know about politics- but not enough to put my agendas on other children. That isn’t fair - I would never do that.

Racism is against the law after all - that’s no secret.

Schools have to have statutory equality policies, you probably need to run anything like this past the head first

Ouch.You are getting a bit of a bashing I see. I'm sure it was a great activity OP...I struggle with anxiety myself and would totally overthink this. In my experience its never as big an issue as I make it out to be in my head. I bet the eco posters had already been mentioned and the HT was thinking "agh we are going to be drowning in posters."

If he hasn't asked to see you about it I wouldnt worry.

Just talk to the head. He/she will be best to explain their reasoning and where you were wrong. Approach it as a "don't want to make the same mistake twice".

You messed up, it happens (so often), the best way to move on from it is to understand why so it doesn't happen again.

I find it odd that you've worked in a school for years but never noticed the process for putting posters in the corridors. In our school the schedule for posters in the corridors is structured. Everyone (even the pupils and parents) know when it will be eco-posters; when it's book posters; when it's anti-bullying; when it's each year group's art work. etc.

I think that any conversation around this post is irrelevant whilst the OP does not seem to understand that they need to establish from the headteacher what their issues were with putting up the posters. What the headteacher says is all important to this set of posts.
If OP you do not feel comfortable enough to approach the headteacher then that is a very different conversation which has nothing to do with equality.

I work in a secondary school and we have to check before we can put posters up around the school advertising things like World Book Day in case another department is promoting the A level art classes efforts or whatever.

So I imagine, in a primary school where so much more ad-hoc art is produced, you'll have someone monitoring what goes up where.

If the posters can't go in the corridor for whatever reason, I'm assuming they can still go up in your classroom?

And, as others have said, just ask the head for clarification. Or next term you'll be in the same position.

Maybe the HT thinks you’re being antagonistic? Do you have form for doing your own thing without asking first?

You should’ve asked and I would’ve thought that would be obvious to any teacher.

However I feel very sorry for the kids being sent mixed messages and made to take their hard work down - that’s on you though really OP.

Yes, I believe you crossed a line. Not with the content of the posters, but with the assumption that you could just put them up.

@overnightangel

“ I have no hidden agendas - I wouldn’t even know politics if it hit me in the face !”

Oh fantastic so you’re teaching an ad hoc lesson on your own personal take on Equality , knowing nothing of the political connotations of probably the biggest political football of the present day ….

Agree absolutely. Most people know racism is a political issue. And posters on school walls implies the school (education authority) endorses the efforts of someone teaching equality without any knowledge apart from a feeling about it. Not good.

I’m a teacher. We aren’t allowed anything stuck on walls with blue tak. Display boards only. Maybe it’s that?

@TTlover

Well Ofcourse I know about politics- but not enough to put my agendas on other children. That isn’t fair - I would never do that.

Racism is against the law after all - that’s no secret.

Well then it's not smart funny or clever to say "you wouldn't know politics if it hit you in the face"

It's either one or the other really.

Anyway, you just need to find out what school policy is and stick to it.

It does sound like you aren't sure about politics, movements, racial equality movements and campaigning and world affairs though from your subsequent posting and so I would not recommend ad hoc, off timetable sessions unless you are VERY secure on the content.

I should have also noted that I sent the same lesson to all teachers in the school yesterday and was thanked for my effort. It isn’t an issue of me not teaching the curriculum...

I personally feel that the teaching of this is important. Especially as I do have a lot of diversity in my class.

Posters have always been put up around the school without the need of asking.

I am a great teacher and feel that I do my job well (my head and parents also think so). I don’t often have issues in school, which is why I feel so anxious about this.

Thank you to the trolls who have made me feel even worse, saying that they’re lucky that their children do not have me as a teacher. I feel lucky to not have you as a parent in my class either!

Thank you to those who have kindly made me see the other side of the argument and have made my anxiety ease. X

@TTlover

I should have also noted that I sent the same lesson to all teachers in the school yesterday and was thanked for my effort. It isn’t an issue of me not teaching the curriculum...

I personally feel that the teaching of this is important. Especially as I do have a lot of diversity in my class.

Posters have always been put up around the school without the need of asking.

I am a great teacher and feel that I do my job well (my head and parents also think so). I don’t often have issues in school, which is why I feel so anxious about this.

Thank you to the trolls who have made me feel even worse, saying that they’re lucky that their children do not have me as a teacher. I feel lucky to not have you as a parent in my class either!

Thank you to those who have kindly made me see the other side of the argument and have made my anxiety ease. X

You sound amazing OP-and what a great idea. Racism is a scourge and it's amazing that you made this positive activity that you and the kids should rightly feel proud of. My son's would've absolutely loved this activity and it's a brilliant teaching moment.

Racism is against the law after all - that’s no secret.

Well it’s a secret from me and I’m a senior discrimination lawyer. Racism isn’t actually against the law at all. Discrimination on the basis of race, colour, nationality, national origins etc may be unlawful if it isn’t justified but racism isn’t against the law.

And this is why you ought not to be teaching it without careful preparation.

OP I think you should listen to what strawberrydonuts said then leave the thread.

There seem to be people on the look out for a bit of bullying here.

Apologies I haven’t read the full thread. I teach adults in an adult ed college.This time last year, in response to a racist comment in class, I did a couple of classes on the issues in the news focussing on Black Lives Matter. A bit of context, a bit of history, bit of discussion etc. Afterwards I asked my bosses if there was some council-specific material I could use for future lessons. (We are encouraged to teach ‘British Values’, promote equality & diversity,raise safeguarding awareness etc). I was told that I should not be teaching anything to do with BLM as it is a political issue (!). It is a Tory council. I know other, Labour, councils have produced materials for people such as me to use in classes! (So I use them 😬)
Maybe your headteacher was told the same as me??

Posting again OP to say this...Ive coached in an extremely diverse racial environment for a very long time and I'd absolutely 100% support what you are doing. There are a lot of racist apologist bullies on this thread who want to make you feel like a fool.

Well, don't. Anyone that stands up against this stuff gets attacked in some way. Be proud of what you did because I'm sick to my back teeth of racist bullies who have treated my athletes as less than me because I'm white and they're not. Who cares if it's against the blu tac rules or whatever the heck else someone brings up. Fighting racism and standing up against it is awesome.

Words like "woke"/ "snowflake" etc. are often banded around as insults these days. I often wonder what fear is behind this.

I will just say I'd rather have someone like you teaching my kids - who attempted to address the issue and talk about it, even if a bit naively - than someone who does nothing.

I don't think that putting posters up around the school was the right move, but I do think that doing something was right. And if your head doesn't call morning staff meetings when political events like the fallout of Sunday's football come up, maybe they should consider it.

Have that chat with your head and then carry on doing a bloody good job. Teaching our kids is not an easy one either - especially in the current political climate. You don't deserve some of the criticism that's been thrown at you on here.

This could be many things from not asking for permission, politics to inaccurate or misleading information about what constitutes racism.

@TTlover

I should have also noted that I sent the same lesson to all teachers in the school yesterday and was thanked for my effort. It isn’t an issue of me not teaching the curriculum...

I personally feel that the teaching of this is important. Especially as I do have a lot of diversity in my class.

Posters have always been put up around the school without the need of asking.

I am a great teacher and feel that I do my job well (my head and parents also think so). I don’t often have issues in school, which is why I feel so anxious about this.

Thank you to the trolls who have made me feel even worse, saying that they’re lucky that their children do not have me as a teacher. I feel lucky to not have you as a parent in my class either!

Thank you to those who have kindly made me see the other side of the argument and have made my anxiety ease. X

In the kindest way I hope that you only say things like 'im a great teacher" for the purposes of this post... As it will not sit well with colleagues to be bandying that sort of thing about yourself !!

Nobody is disagreeing that racism is horrible. But that doesn’t change the fact that careful planning is needed to teach it

@YarnOver

What a weird comment. Why shouldn't OP state that they are good at their job? Sounds to me like they almost definitely are.

Someone who can recognise their achievements in life whilst being humble when they make a mistake is an asset to any workplace.

OP has done both on this thread.

@TTlover

I should have also noted that I sent the same lesson to all teachers in the school yesterday and was thanked for my effort. It isn’t an issue of me not teaching the curriculum...

I personally feel that the teaching of this is important. Especially as I do have a lot of diversity in my class.

Posters have always been put up around the school without the need of asking.

I am a great teacher and feel that I do my job well (my head and parents also think so). I don’t often have issues in school, which is why I feel so anxious about this.

Thank you to the trolls who have made me feel even worse, saying that they’re lucky that their children do not have me as a teacher. I feel lucky to not have you as a parent in my class either!

Thank you to those who have kindly made me see the other side of the argument and have made my anxiety ease. X

'I am a great teacher'

And there we have it - narcissist wounded by perceived criticism - looking for reassurance from strangers to make her feel better and bolster her good deed ego.

Honestly, OP, it sounds like you did a really good thing with the lesson. Some people just like to have a go and you seem to have attracted quite a few to your thread! I’m not in school at the moment, but an equality lesson in form time would be exactly what I’d have done this week, given everything on the news.

Ask you head about the reason for taking down the posters, so you know for next time. In my school, we can put up whatever we fancy in our classrooms (within reason obvs) but can only put up posters in proper display boards around the school (due to fire loading in escape routes) and they are changed on a schedule (presumably to keep them looking fresh and showing a range of departments).