Biology dissection - Year 10

[Dancergirl]

Dd is in Year 10. She hasn't yet decided if she is doing double or triple science for GCSE, this is decided at the end of this year. They are obviously all doing the same science at the moment.

They are doing Human Biology at the moment and this week her class dissected a sheep's heart. Dd is extremely squeamish and didn't want to do it. She was allowed not to take part but her teacher told her to sit at the back of the class and dd wanted to go out the room completely. I'm not exactly sure what happened but dd ended up sitting in a side room but could hear everything going on and it was very unpleasant for her. Another teacher asked her why she wasn't partaking and asked if she was vegetarian (she's not).

This isn't the end of dissection - apparently they have kidneys and eyes coming up in the next few weeks.

I don't know if I'm being precious but I'm slightly annoyed by this. Surely if someone doesn't want to dissect that should be the end of it, they should be allowed to leave the room without a hassle and without being put through the third degree about their reasons.

There really isn't an issue here.

OPs DD does notlike the thought of disections. This time, the first time, the teacher asked her to stay close. That did not work.

All OP has to do is contact the school and explain that whilst dd was removed, thank you for that, she still could not cope with her reaction to the sounds and mental images, she obviously has an issue, could they arrange something else, like the library please?

The school won't take her wor for it as too many lazy students try to pul that one, always have. But if you, her parent, get in touch and explain that her aversion is more visceral than expected they should listen and offer up alternatives.

No teacher chooses to be a torturer, no matter how a 14/15 year old might see it!

Is "extremely squeamish" the new definition of phobia?

You only have to read threads on here about people's fears and phobias. Why aren't they being told to 'get a grip' or learn to deal with it?

I'd LOVE to, at least sometimes. Do I have a green light? Especially the folk who want "trigger" warnings in thread titles about actual pictures of spidey. Or the people who 'hate' dogs & encourage their children to do so, too.

Actually, most treatments for phobias centre on desensitisation by exposure!

So because people eat meat they should be okay with dissecting an animal god people talk some crap.

Dd is squeamish in the extreme she isn't in the room for any dissections,she is told in advance if there is anything that she might find difficult so never even gets as far as the science block. Dd faints very quickly,she would be out cold before the teacher even got the thing to be dissected into the room and then she'd vomit. No child in dd's school has to attend dissections against their wishes and I think that's what should happen tbh.

I'd LOVE to, at least sometimes. Do I have a green light? Especially the folk who want "trigger" warnings in thread titles about actual pictures of spidey. Or the people who 'hate' dogs & encourage their children to do so, too

I'd love to sometimes too. folk who panic because a dog on a leash is under a bench 200 yards away are ridiculous.

not in this case though.

where's beneficial dissections aren't essential most of us got through school and college without having to do one. and there plenty if time in her life left to overcome her hang up if she needs to.

and quite probably u less she's going to become a dr or a vet she won't ever need to.

they should not be compulsory. end of. I actually expected more sympathy from people on here.

there should always be something in place for those who wish to be out of the room.

That's just not going to happen, which means dissections will disappear to the detriment of the learning of the majority of students.

Yes that's true lougle but the difference is the person has to be ready and WANT to have treatment. Dd will deal with it when she's ready.

There are a lot of people who are interested in biology but do not want to cut up animal parts. While I have no personal problem with schools or unis using parts obtained from butchers, i do have a problem with dissecting frogs and other wildlife just to teach their anatomy. Frogs are disappearing in our part of the world along with various other wildlife.

One of our unis made a video (by students) so they did not have to catch and kill them (frogs), to learn their anatomy. Also some students do biology only for the plant side, so it's totally unnecessary for them to dissect animal parts.

Er some really twatty 'swallow your vomit' comments on here.

At my school the only one who fainted WAS the one who wanted to be a medical student.

I still get a burst of oddness when cooking a heart, and as the heart is a delicacy so often that means 'bravery' when you eat it. There is clearly something to overcome when seeing it cut into.

Major orgams do have a significance when you see them. I feel my own when I see them cut etc, I do supress and sort of enjoy that feeling, but it's there.

No nonsense might get someone over it, and so might desensitisation, but a quiet safe atmosphere might be better (eg a respectful YouTube video or two in the meantime) than baying kids, which might seem like a mad slaughter to someone sensitive. Ideally you need to awaken curiosity, and part of that is sitting with the uncomfortable feelings and yet still staying engaged, but that's not always an easy skill to muster.

(My eyes used to waterat the close-up on the six million dollar man, so eye dissections would have been my nemesis!)

For everyone saying that she needs to grow up: there were people in my degree course (forensics!) that didn't want to do dissection

You have to understand that not everybody is great around blood and when we're talking about a heart, it's a little hard to break the connotation. Saying that they need to grow up is like saying grow up to someone who faints at the sight.

It is an optional practical, she should not have been sat at the side of the room. That's not lab practice, for a start, and for a second she should have been given an appropriate worksheet or textbook to study the same thing they were in another class. She could have sat at the back of someone else's class and done her work quietly.

The HT and HoD can't say anything when this is how they discipline some kids. Do they still have kids stand outside of class? What's the difference?
(I graduated last years, so it's only been 4 years since I was in school and we still got sent to stand outside class at that point. Feel free to correct me if this has changed as I am hoping to train as a teacher and need to know differences)

She can't watch anything medical or surgery based on TV.

But a heart isn't anything like this. There is no blood. The heart is already removed from the animal, really it is a piece of meat. Morrison's sell lamb's heats, is she too squeamish to visit a supermarket.

As for dissecting a kidney - you basically slice it as you would for frying.

but could hear everything going on and it was very unpleasant for her

She would not have heard anything that wouldn't be said learning from a book. Here's a ventricle, here's a valve, can you see the cordi?

She should just honestly get a grip with herself, wanting to be out of the room because she doesn't want to take part in something like that, it's part of a body which everyone should understand and doing practicals really helps.

If she didn't want to take part that's fine but why make a fuss to get out of the classroom

Jesus you can't help being squeamish !

I opted to look and not touch at dissection at school.

I have 2 science degrees and used to work with chopped up frozen animal parts in a lab. Just not disect them myself ! Blood and frozen brain matter is apparently fine if I wasn't the one doing the chopping.

I'm also oddly squeamish about anything to do with eyes but I'm fine with blood and other yuck. Or so I thought ..

recently I was in the cinema watching the Martian - you know the bit where he gets hurt and does a tiny bit of surgery but no real gore ? It affected me so much I thought I was going to have to leave the room to prevent myself from fainting ! I've never felt anything like that before from just watching on a screen - I used to quite like casualty and surgery related TV shows.

Perhaps Matt Damon is just a very good actor ?

DS just thoroughly enjoyed doing the sheep's eye in his Y8 biology this week. I think one classmate, who finds these things hard, left the room. No-one had a problem with it. What's the big deal?

My son is also dislikes dissections. He is taking triple science and if he starts to feel uncomfortable with the process he just nips out to the loo and comes back 5 minutes later - this is what he has agreed with the science teacher.
He is taking iGCSE Biology and there is an alternative to practical paper which all students take and therefore there is no need for them to dissect anything themselves.
Some of the comments on here are a little harsh as it isn't as if we can control what makes us feel squeamish. FWIW - ds does eat meat but will not touch raw meat and I have pointed out to him that he will need to deal with this problem when he leaves home!

Ha I pick meat up with tongs

Tongs - good idea :)

In this day and age I thought we were past doing things which make us uncomfortable. There is so much emphasis today on pupils' feelings and taking responsibility for their education and decisions. Dd has made an informed choice that this is something she doesn't wish to do. And to say 'there's nothing to be squeamish about' is not very understanding. People have fears and phobias about all sorts of weird things

While I have sympathy for those who do not want to do the dissection ot even staying at the back of the room (turning towards the wall if need be) so as to not miss actual learning is being a drama llama IMO

It is mainly girls between the age of 13 and 16 that seem to have this problem IME It can be with without the need for AMDRAM

You want her and others that do not want to take part in dissection to be able to leave the room and go where???

not to even stay at the back of the room batteries on cordless keyboard going sorry

I'm a fainter too. It's embarrassing and horrible for a shy person, and when it's a genuine physical reaction it has absolutely nothing to do with attention seeking or being a "drama llama". I would dearly love to be less squeamish. And yes, even just thinking about it can be enough, that's why she might need to leave the room. Clearly some people on here have no idea how uncontrollable the physical reaction can be. Nobody wants to faint, it's most unpleasant.

Your daughter should be able to leave. Not least because dealing with collapsed students isn't going to benefit any of the class. But I'm sure if you contact the teacher before the next dissection something could be arranged.