Give me a child until he is seven-

Gordon Booth · 28-11-2011, 18:53

and I will give you the man!
The father of a seven year old was telling me yesterday that his child came home from school and told them the class had a talk/lecture from their teacher about Wednesdays strike. The teacher told them it was not the teachers fault, the Government was trying to take their money off them so it was the governments fault. The father suggested it might be more complicated than that, his child said 'Oh no,daddy, the teacher said that so it must be true'.
Whatever your politics, is it right that this sort of indoctrination of seven year olds(or any other age) at school should be permitted? I certainly don't think so.

Boeing Guy · 28-11-2011, 19:02

Sadly i I am not surprised.
Many years ago, I had quite a bit of problems at college. Mainly because I did not agree with a Marxist lecturer.
He took a dislike to anyone who questioned his ideals and would do his best to demoralise you.

Politics and ideology should be left at the door.

flashy · 28-11-2011, 19:18

calm down children...it's all over the news, my son has been encouraged to watch the news since he was about 5, it's called LIFE, every child can turn on the tv and hear about it so stop chatting bubbles about schools and grow up

garinda · 28-11-2011, 19:41

Don't children get influenced politically, by something akin to osmosis, of all they see and hear around them, which primarily will come from the leanings of their parents?

I know I was.

By my parents, on the planet we lived on.

jaysay · 28-11-2011, 19:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by flashy

calm down children...it's all over the news, my son has been encouraged to watch the news since he was about 5, it's called LIFE, every child can turn on the tv and hear about it so stop chatting bubbles about schools and grow up

Maybe so flashy but when you have the person who is trying to guide your child during the most important years of their lives, I certainly wouldn't want my child being brain washed and that's what it is, if a kid watches this on the news (which 7 year old sits now glued to the TV when the news comes on) the see the overall picture which they won't understand anyway at that age, but being ear bashed by "teacher" well it must be right mustn't it

jaysay · 28-11-2011, 19:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by garinda

Don't children get influenced politically, by something akin to osmosis, of all they see and hear around them, which primarily will come from the leanings of their parents?

I know I was.

By my parents, on the planet we lived on.

To be honest I didn't have a clue which way my parents voted until I got involved in politics when I was 16, my Father just said I'm glad you made the right choice

flashy · 28-11-2011, 19:48

RIGHT John, it was Reece who told me when the planes crashed into the Twin Towers on September 11th 2001...it was his 5th birthday, we where at my friends house and he was watching something on tv in the other room, THAT news blocked out all other news that day and stopped most other programmes, he shouted from the lounge 'mummy some planes have crashed on the telly' from then on he has always taken an interest in the news when it's been on in the house.....if you think kids are getting brainwashed at school then you're thinking utter codswallop...as i said, it's called LIFE!!!

garinda · 28-11-2011, 19:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by Boeing Guy

Sadly i I am not surprised.
Many years ago, I had quite a bit of problems at college. Mainly because I did not agree with a Marxist lecturer.
He took a dislike to anyone who questioned his ideals and would do his best to demoralise you.

Politics and ideology should be left at the door.

I had an art history lecturer who politicised all her lectures with extremist feminist clap-trap.

Giotto, like all men, was a rapist, school of thought, etc.

I can't even remember the number of her lectures that I disrupted, and brought to the edge of chaos, before they had to be abandoned.

jaysay · 28-11-2011, 19:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by flashy

RIGHT John, it was Reece who told me when the planes crashed into the Twin Towers on September 11th 2001...it was his 5th birthday, we where at my friends house and he was watching something on tv in the other room, THAT news blocked out all other news that day and stopped most other programmes, he shouted from the lounge 'mummy some planes have crashed on the telly' from then on he has always taken an interest in the news when it's been on in the house.....if you think kids are getting brainwashed at school then you're thinking utter codswallop...as i said, it's called LIFE!!!

Maybe if the teach had said well the government is taking money of us, that money which is funded from your parents taxes, who's own private pensions were slashed by that nice Mr Brown, then that would have been a balanced opinion, not brainwashing like he/she did, now that is life as we know it

garinda · 28-11-2011, 19:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by jaysay

To be honest I didn't have a clue which way my parents voted until I got involved in politics when I was 16, my Father just said I'm glad you made the right choice

Politics were often discussed in our home.

Though unlike my Dad, I've no idea who my equally politicised Mum voted for, and still don't, to this day.

They, amongst other people I knew as a child, helped shape my own politics.

mobertol · 28-11-2011, 19:57

I remember questioning everything I was told from the age of 6 on at school.

I have never voted the way my parents voted and my political opinions were only influenced by my Grand-mother who was the biggest anti-Thatcherite the planet has ever seen. I have letters from my Grandad in which he writes to me about her latest laments about that lady in the 1980's...

There was a wonderful documentary called Seven which took a group of youngsters of that age in the early 70's and followed their lives , filming them every 7 years. Fascinating stuff -the 7 yr old child was nearly always recogniseabe in the adult they became...

flashy · 28-11-2011, 19:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gordon Booth

and I will give you the man!
The father of a seven year old was telling me yesterday that his child came home from school and told them the class had a talk/lecture from their teacher about Wednesdays strike. The teacher told them it was not the teachers fault, the Government was trying to take their money off them so it was the governments fault

John, read it again....the teacher wasn't telling lies or trying to brainwash the kids, IT IS the governments fault...the teacher put it in laymans terms...to the kids

garinda · 28-11-2011, 20:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gordon Booth

and I will give you the man!
The father of a seven year old was telling me yesterday that his child came home from school and told them the class had a talk/lecture from their teacher about Wednesdays strike. The teacher told them it was not the teachers fault, the Government was trying to take their money off them so it was the governments fault. The father suggested it might be more complicated than that, his child said 'Oh no,daddy, the teacher said that so it must be true'.
Whatever your politics, is it right that this sort of indoctrination of seven year olds(or any other age) at school should be permitted? I certainly don't think so.

At my own primary school I had some wonderful teachers, who I learned later were socialists.

Though this influence was counterbalanced by also having Peter Britcliffe on the teaching staff.

jaysay · 28-11-2011, 20:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by flashy

John, read it again....the teacher wasn't telling lies or trying to brainwash the kids, IT IS the governments fault...the teacher put it in laymans terms...to the kids

Teachers are supposed to give a balance view not one side, the idea would have been to give the reasons why, that would have been balanced

mobertol · 28-11-2011, 20:07

I don't remember politics ever being discussed at junior school.

My political discussions at home as a teenager were always with my dad who had Liberal leanings -mum was a great admirer of Thatcher -mainly because she was a woman and the first of her kind.

I was completely the opposite and remember having some ding-dong rows while watching Question Time mainly but they always listened to what I had to say...they didn't agree as I saw things in a very clear cut way back then -no half-measures, but they always allowed me my say...
I said some terrible things to dad who was a design engineer and just before the time of the Falklands war had actually worked on anti-personel devices - his defence was that if he didn't do it someone else would have...he also worked for a long time in nuclear power...which I loathed... They never told me to shut up and I probably (definitely)exagerated

It has never been mentioned since and we never talk about politics now...

I don't think that a teacher should talk about their own views at a junior school level in any case.