Ds1s history teacher said this......or you could say The Arabs just took up where the Germans left off...

[Piffle]

in relation to Israel palestine conflict.
I am pretty about it...
to point of actually mentioning it to school. Facts being facts and all?

The Modern History course in Oxford starts with the fall of the Roman Empire

Actually, in typical vacillating fashion, I think that MrsG has it right - I suspect this is what you said earlier, too, Cod, but my Universal Translator wasn't quite functioning - if Piffle's ds comes up with good counter-arguments, that's good history learning right there. I therefore retract my "complain" advice!

What's not to like about the middle ages, Cod?

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I work in HE admin, Cod. That's pretty much my life.

my dad once complained to my geography teacher that she had got something wrong in one of my lessons.

I remember what she said, I know it was wrong, and I remember the correct version. I also remember the next lesson where she admitted she had been wrong and taught us correctly.

Perhaps the only thing I actually learnt at school.

Maybe you should complain...

what was the context? That's the first thing I'd ask my child.

Blee - 1800s! I keep trying to start inane MN schisms tonight, so pah to you and your poxy late-early-modern nonsense.

MB - lol @ modern history from the Romans!

I studied seriously the Israel Palestine conflict . Ds1 has very extensive exposure to both sides rights and wrongs.
it is a very important partvof who we are as I am involved shall we say in the conflict...
I am not in the habit of picking battles aside from
one famous legendary one with out of order re teacher.

This teacher is not the best she is rude, thougtless and cruel. And as well as that it would appear wrong about history.
I do wonder if ds1 heard it wrong suchas " some might say..." so as much to clarify as anything.

This is personal of course as it is very important to us.

mrs guy he reads independent. Guardian online. Private eye...
as well as Sunday times.
he is very up to date and also watches ch4 news and more4 news. Plus newsnight if we let him.

If I made a mistake working as a doctor, a lawyer, a call centre worker, a shelf-stacker, whatever, then people would quite reasonably complain. If a teacher makes a mistake that is a big enough one for parents to feel unhappy about, then I have no issue with complaining. I've only ever complained about or to 2 teachers (and my oldest is 20 so that's a lot of teachers), but felt completely justified both times.

Piffle - I think you need clarify what the context was and whether it was meant to provoke debate, and then speak to the teacher if you're not happy.

how are you involved piff

The teacher is entitled to her opinion and she is entitled to air it in class for debate.

You may like to consider the following - history is based on interpretations as well as what facts we can glean. An Arab perspective on this conflict is going to be different from an Israeli one, and who is to say which is correct? You may feel strongly about one side of the conflict, the teacher may well have equally strong and informed views on the other.

What was said has some validity in the wider Israel/Arab debate as the stated aim of Ahmadinejad the Iranian leader is to wipe out the state of Israel; and he is on record as denying the Shoah (Holocaust) happened. That is worthy of note surely?

The teacher should not be airing her personal opinions, and certainly not on such contentious and complex topics as this. And if she were to illadviserdly(?)to do so, should make it very clear that this is only his/her opinion and be clear about other opinions.

ScaryTeacher (pedant alert) Ahmadinejad and the Iranians are not Arabs. I believe that there is quite a lot of Iranian(Persian)-Arab rivalry (not to mention conflict at times)

Why shouldn't she air her personal opinions? I don't think it's all-advised, I think it's honest That's what makes lessons come to life and be interesting and stimulates debate. Presumably she has researched this contentious and complex topic and has come to her own conclusion. You should hear the hunting, abortion, euthanasia and Just War debates in my classroom.

Teachers don't want to turn out kids who only spout the received orthodoxy, we want our students to think and research their opinions and debate with us. That's true education. Who is to say that HER point of view is less valid than yours? If she had said something that you agreed with re the Israeli/Arab conflict, would you be on here complaining, or do you feel that your particular orthodoxy on this subject has been challenged?

We live in a democracy and can debate these issues in our classrooms and we are all entitled to air our points of view. You are entitled to your view and she is entitled to hers. You may also like to consider that the classroom may be the only place that some students hear the other side of an argument, or that an argument exists about a subject at all.

twig I'd rather not say... Lest I have to kill you
seriously by simply taking numbers killed in Israel/Palestine conflict the sheer demographic distribution of that statistic makes the statement ridiculous.
I've never alleged that Palestinians are blame free or perfect. There are grave injustices and crimes on both sides, what I object to mostly is labelling the Arabs ( and specifically Palestinians as this is the topic at school) as desiring to perpetuate hitlers vision.
That very claim ignores the actual important and vastly historical, anciently so of this unique and specific conflict.
This is a disservice to the children imo.
that's all....

Can I point out that the Iranians don't even speak Arabic, they speak Farsi, and I don't know any Iranians who describe themselves as "Arabs". They are Iranians, or Persians, or (in most cases) Muslims but not Arabs.

Much as the Pakistanis aren't, and don't call themselves, Arabs. They don't speak Arabic either.

oh I intend to debate with her... Yes indeedy

She's entitled to her opinion but I'm a bit disturbed by the way she expressed it.

It sounds like she was being deliberately provocative to get students to engage in conversation. Which is a very good way to teach IMO.

If it was just an isolated statement then it is more than poor choice of words.
It is as offensive as saying too bad the germans did not finish off the job (if you are on the other side of the fence).

To OP, you have given us a quote out of context. What age group is it?

Context is pretty important here. Was the teacher laying down the law and saying 'this is so' or was she trying to spark a debate?

Even if she is barking airing her own views, I dunno if it will have much impact. My mad history A-level teacher used to tell us that apartheid was a good thing and Desmond Tutu had a bone through his nose. Didn't convince me and I don't think it convinced anyone else, either. (Wasn't remotely relevant, either, we were meant to be studying Stuart history...)

which is a very good way to teach APATHETIC TEENAGERS

My Irish history teacher always gave us an his slant on British political history re the issue of Home Rule, didn't always agree with him but it made for stimulating lessons. Some times he'd throw out a comment and then just pause.... History doesn't always excite and I always preferred teachers who do try to make it current or who are wry, dry or contentious (as long as they know their stuff).

Piffle, did your well-informed ds respond to this comment in any way or was this just a throw-away line off topic? Would still encourage your ds to rationally argue his pov in the future (unless she's not the type to relish debate & it gets him into trouble, unlike my Mr Reilly!) but it would well behoove her to know she's got some politically aware students sitting in front of her.