I would really like some opinions on this please.
My seven -half year old daughter came home today saying that she was punished in her R.E class because when they played some Indian (Pakistan) music it made her giggle.
She just thought it was strange sounding music, but the teacher sat her down and told her to write a letter of apology to the Muslims in the class.
I am absolutely livid to say the least and really would appreciate some feedback on what I should do.
thanks in advance
icemaiden Mon 28/04/08 18:04
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You may also like to put forward the 'musical' viewpoint.
We all respond to different music in different ways. What makes me cry might make you giggle and the next person come out in goosebumps or want to dance. And we are all entitled to respond to any given music in whatever way we feel.
At seven, children are still forming their musical preferences and building their bank of experience. Telling them how they should respond to a piece of music is a good way of stifling creativity. Moreover your daughter will probably look back on this experience later in her musical career and decide once and for all that she will never listen to it again. Which is a pity, because there is a lot of good Indian music out there.
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Question Author
Thank you for your answer Sexy_Jag, i just said something very similar to my partner.
We seem to have established that the peace of music was the Muslim Call to Prayer.
And also we think that the Teacher with the name of Ghumra is possibly a Muslim herself.
Could be why she is sensitive, however, it still does not excuse what she did.
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didnt know that R.E. was still on the curriculem
can this be right?
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Question Author
In the school prospectus it lists Religious Education and Collective Worship as a statutory requirement.
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Yes that is outrageous. Obviously, this was a new sound to your child and naturally young children may giggle at things new to them.
This teacher is reading more into the situation than there is and I personally would also be livid for someone to suggest my child was being racist.
You need to organise a meeting with the head teacher of the school and I would also write a stern letter to the education authority. This country is becoming a joke and political correctness has gone beyond the realms of decency.
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Hi Icey..what a horrible situation to be in from something soo innocent as a 7 year old's giggle ! Common sense is the main thing that should apply here,not a predisposition to suspect racism at every turn. I'm horrified that your daughter is now being used as a pc pawn and will only have bad memories of this music. When i was her age i had no personal knowledge of Catholic church practices,and neither did my Catholic friends know mine. We automatically were interested and giggly finding these things out...it's just life as a child ffs !!
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Hello icemaiden.
Hope you get the prob sorted.
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Lol, Linda - the icemaiden posting on here isn't me.
If it was a daughter of mine, I'd be livid with the teacher.
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Doh!! I'm too innocent for all this cloning crap!!.lol
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Ice you have your answer but make sure you have your facts right believe i thought my son told me the truth and i went in all guns ablazing to say he embellished a few facts is a under statement and i left feeling like a idiot!!!,
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Apparently this isn't exactly a cloning in this case. The icemaiden above said she'd been using the name for a couple of years or more - so how I first registered with it like that, I don't know!!! I didn't intentionally use anyone else's name - I'd never seen anyone else on here with it until recently. I changed mine slightly, to differentiate between us. I don't mind sharing a similar name for "normal" posts. I think those who know me could tell the difference anyway, and one or two folk know some personal bits and bobs about me, which no one else would, so it's quite easy to tell the difference. No probs hun - x
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Glad you pointed that out then !! Thanx capital Icey ;-)
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icemaiden, I'm quite willing to believe that the teacher over-reacted. But bear in mind that what your daughter giggled at was NOT "a piece of music" but a sacred phrase: "God is great" (I think). It was in an RE class, not a music class, after all. I'm an atheist, myself, and find the observances of all religions amusing. But I don't laugh at them in the presence of those who take them seriously - that would be rude. As I say, I'm quite willing to believe that the teacher over-reacted and I'm not saying your child deserved punishment - only 7, after all. But my RE teacher for a while was a clergyman, and I think I know what he'd have done if I'd giggled during, say, the Lord's prayer. By all means meet the teacher and the Head, but please don't get the media involved - that would do no good for anybody, including your daughter.
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Tom - my RE teacher was also a clergyman, and I remember during morning worship, when we all had to recite the Lord's Prayer. When it came to the second line, a classmate said: "...Harold be thy name...." and several of us, myself included, burst into fits of giggles. Our teacher merely smiled, and said: "Shall we start again, properly now?" Upon reaching that same line again, although it was recited as it was meant to be, I think we ALL started laughing. The teacher suggested that we gave it up for that morning! That's what I call a good way of dealing with matters, and everyone respectfully got it right the next day. icemaiden's right to have a word with her child's teacher, who reacted very badly to something that ANY 7 year old might've done.
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Question Author
Thanks again to everyone who answered. I have taken them all on board.
As I said before I will be giving the teacher a chance to tell me her side of the story before I say my piece, but at the end of the day she is only 71/2 years old and I believe the Teacher did over-react.
I will be ringing the school shortly to arrange a meeting.
Thanks again everyone
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An alternativer version of events?
Girl laugh as "funny music" is told by teacher to settle down.
Starts talking to friends "Isn't it funny/silly" laughs more and is told off by teacher.
Girl continues to be disruptive in class and is punished.
Comes home and tells mother she was punished for giggling at music.
Mother is outraged - posts on Answerbank (Who's members automatically jump to conclusions and suggest she writes to papers).
I certainly don't assume that I get a completely straight view of what happens in school from my kids.
Keep an open mind when you talk to the teachers. Don't assume they're trying to cover up a stupid piece of "PC" behaviour!
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I'm with Jake. Do you instantly believe everything your child tells you? Could it be that she's being economical with the truth?
It's also interesting that your frame your complaint in child-like, innocent, involuntary language.
"when they played some Indian (Pakistan) music it made her giggle... She just thought it was strange sounding music."
You could just as easily have written:
"However my daughter chose to openly laugh at Muslim culture, in front of Muslim classmates."
Not that either is the greatest crime in the world. But it may be that she's not the goody two-shoes you imagine?
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quote
You could just as easily have written:
"However my daughter chose to openly laugh at Muslim culture, in front of Muslim classmates."
unquote
Yes, she could have written that, but probably decided against it as it would have been bl00dy stupid.
The child is seven years old Quinlad.
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At 7 years of age she could have laughed out loud and been innocent. Who was hurt ? Kids laughed at my freckles I'm OK.
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