My nine year old daughter was in class last week and they were having a discussion about the First World War. Their teacher asked if anyone knew any interesting facts so she put her hand up (which is quite rare) and said that the Japanese were ‘Goodies’ in the First World War but changed to being a ‘Baddy’ in the Second. Her teacher told her she was wrong as the Japanese weren’t involved in that war and she got very embarrassed and it has shot her confidence.

The thing is, the Japanese *WERE* involved in the war (granted, they weren’t fighting side by side with the Entente in the trenches of the Somme, but they gave naval support and even liberated some locations from German occupation).

I told her she should speak to the teacher and show him proof but he is a bit scary in her eyes (as he’s the assistant head too) so should I speak up on her behalf as he was wrong to tell her she was wrong and I feel he should have worded it differently (ie, ‘I didn’t know that the Japanese were in the war, I’ll have to research that’).

I’m mainly very annoyed as we spend night after night reading books about the war together (she has been fascinated since reception class when they went to see a Remembrance display) and, as I have several books about the wars, we started looking at them together and discussing events.

So – what would you / should I do????

Yeez! How ignorant is that teacher!

I would go and speak with him and suggest he improves his own knowledge before correcting a nine year old.

Talk to the teacher – say it’s because of effect on child’s confidence, not to score points, show evidence – just a printed A4 sheet.

Ask if he coudl let daughter do read something out in class about what she’s learned at home – support her and boost her confidence.

Any decent teacher will be slightly embarassed but professional.

[anecdote]

My wife managed to give a class of 5 year olds the impression that the sun went round the earth. One parent just sent in a ‘the solar system for 3 years olds’ type book with a note ‘Read and Learn’. Don;t be that parent!

[/anecdote]

There’s clear evidence that Japan did fight (mostly) on behalf of the Allies during WW1. Maybe a note to the teacher with a suggestion that it would make a good piece for discussion during an upcoming class. Maybe you’d be happy with your daughter to carry out the research and for her to present it?

put a weblink on a piece of paper and let her hand it to him / leave it on his desk rather than have to ‘confront’ him.

If he’s worth his salt he’ll learn from it and also can make it a teaching experience – that no-one knows everything and we should be open to listening and checking data before accepting or dismissing it. And in doing so boost her confidence instead.

I’ll admit, I didn’t know that either. Every day’s a school day.

Teacher wrote some disparaging notes in my stepdaughter’s jotter about something she had got right in the first place.  Told stepdaughter she was right and teacher was wrong (hard for a small child to accept) and raised it with teacher at next PTA night both  for being wrong and  the tone of the comments.

My wife managed to give a class of 5 year olds the impression that the sun went round the earth. One parent just sent in a ‘the solar system for 3 years olds’ type book with a note ‘Read and Learn’. Don;t be that parent!

You mean….it isn’t true? Nah, pull the other one – you’ll be saying next that Brexit isn’t totally awesumz.

If the teacher is in any way a good one they will be slightly embarrassed and at the same time glad that they can use the opportunity to emphasise that school isn’t necessarily just about pupils learning from a teacher but, as they get older, it can be more about learning as a group and kicking ideas around.

Japan fought on the side of the UK, Russia etc for their own gain in the pacific.  They also did quite well out of supplying the allies after the war.

A fine opportunity to explain to your daughter that she was right and not everybody in authority is right all the time. If the opportunity arises to point out the teacher’s error in a humourous way (“So, the Japanese weren’t in WWI eh?”) then I wouldn’t be able to resist a piss-take, but I wouldn’t make a point of it otherwise. Teachers are just ordinary people and given the low standard of education these days you can’t expect too much of a primary school teacher.

You might also want to explain that in the Second World War the Japanese went to war motivated by oil and the Americans had imposed an oil embargo, and we all know where that sort of thing leads.

whatever you do dont do it yourself. your child needs to learn to deal with other prople and not hide behind you. its a massively important life skill.

give her what she needs to show the teacher and she can do it herself.

not everyone is expert in everything so dont get too shitty with the teacher its just one of those things.

you can’t expect too much of a primary school teacher.

Feel the BURN, primary teachers!

My lad’s (infant, so Rec, Y1&2 only) school are having some 100 years of peace bollocks today. I’m tempted* to get him to ask about 1939-1945, Korea, Vietnam, Gulf I & II, etc.

* but I know I won’t.

Very good opportunity to teach your daughter how to prepare an argument, bring evidence, and calmly and politely present it without confrontation.  AND an opportunity to show how we can and should challenge authority when we know there’s an issue, and how everyone can learn.  It’s quite possible to correct someone without it being a fight, this is a hugely important skill.  Start the discussion, don’t create conflict.

Definitely coach her on this – and if she’s afraid, go with her when she does it (but don’t interject).

 it has shot her confidence.

Probably briefly, but I would’ve thought it’d do the opposite afterwards, knowing she was right and big, scary teacherman is wrong.

I’d fergeddaboutdit.

Since you have physical books with the evidence, I’d give her a book to show the teacher, at a quiet time, not during class. I understand she’s nervous about that but she doesn’t need to tell the teacher he was wrong, just point out the contradiction “Can you help me please, I’m a bit confused because you told me the Japanese weren’t involved, but this book says they were (and we’ve got more books at home that say the same)”

you can’t expect too much of a primary school teacher.

Feel the BURN, primary teachers!

Perhaps I should have said, “you can’t expect a primary school teacher’s knowledge of fairly recondite aspects of militaria to match the STW blokey massive”. Dedication, hard work, ability to take abuse from aggressive parents are all a given.

I’m tempted* to get him to ask about 1939-1945, Korea, Vietnam, Gulf I & II, etc.

* but I know I won’t.

100 Years of War – 100 Years of Peace and the Peace Movement, 1914 – 2014

Or just check you are getting annoyed by the right thing.

you can’t expect too much of a primary school teacher.

Feel the BURN, primary teachers!

Yeah, you can’t expect too much geeky history knowledge from primary teachers these days, especially when they have to spend so much time wiping the arses of kids whose feckless parents haven’t toilet trained them yet.

It’s a useful life skill to learn that (a) adults aren’t always right and (b) it is sometimes just easier to let things go than trying to convince someone else that they are wrong. Much of my life has been taken up by the latter….it sucks being right when everyone else is wrong. Though it’s still preferable to being wrong 🙂

Teach your daughter the STW way, bring her a book to use as a link and get her to smack talk in front of the rest of the class – followed by her slamming the book down on his table and then ad homming him.

rayban has it. Teacher needs pwned.

I’m a bit confused because you told me the Japanese weren’t involved, but this book says they were (and we’ve got more books at home that say the same)”

Please don’t be this person, there’s nothing worse than someone who knows they are right pretending not to be sure.

Let it be a learning point for your daughter about checking her sources & that teachers are not always right all the time but no need to make a big fuss.

Bombers ftw

Or just check you are getting annoyed by the right thing.

Appreciate your input mike, but yeah, I have. Unlike you.

“A fine opportunity to explain to your daughter that she was right and not everybody in authority is right all the time.”

This 100%.

I told my son when he was a similar age that he would learn the most from the worst teachers – just not what they were trying to teach. Learning how to cope with sub-optimal situations is a valuable life skill.

You, your daughter and her teacher are all wrong. Being an ally doesn’t make you a “goodie” All war is bad FFS!

The real lesson here is that Teachers like everyone else are only human and ALL humans have the propensity to be wrong. Even Stephen Fry. Get over it. Your 9yr old would have already if you’d simply told here this.

Even Stephen Fry.

League of Nations and the Allies in general, gave Japan a hard deal after WW1. Made them give back territory they’d taken for the Allies/themselves. Dan Carlin did a wikid podcast on the rise of Japan a month or so ago.

https://www.dancarlin.com/product/hardcore-history-62-supernova-in-the-east-i/

For full on bonus points find an elderly Japanese person who’s relatives fought in the war. Bring them in for the next show and tell type class. Your daughter should just sit and stare at the teacher (without blinking) throughout.

Thank you all for the thoughts – we have already bookmarked some of the key passages in her Children’s Encyclopaedia of the World Wars and she has read back up on them. Given everything said here I think I’ll just let her decide if she wants to say something to him. I hope she does, rather than be scared to say something next time for fear of being told she is wrong.

League of Nations and the Allies in general, gave Japan a hard deal after WW1. Made them give back territory they’d taken for the Allies/themselves. Dan Carlin did a wikid podcast on the rise of Japan a month or so ago.

Yes I saw (and watched that) at the weekend after doing some more research with her.

Like timbog160 says, however 24″ may be more appropriate if wielded by a child.

These things happen.  Teachers are human and humans make mistakes.  Incidents like this do have an impact, but it’s usually one we can fix as parents without going back to the teacher.  It demonstrates our kids that their teachers are not infallible, which is a valuable lesson in itself.  I only bother fighting back if it’s a regular/systematic thing.

You could do what anyone sensible would do. Speak to the teacher explain why shes upset due to lack of confidence and then get on with life. Teachers are human and have to say a huge amount of things every day, some they get wrong, thats life.

Given everything said here

You do realise a lot of the replies here are from folk who have never even had a 9yr old daughter and just like to answer EVERYTHING, eh?

League of Nations and the Allies in general, gave Japan a hard deal after WW1. Made them give back territory they’d taken for the Allies/themselves. Dan Carlin did a wikid podcast on the rise of Japan a month or so ago.

Something, something something – colonialists didn’t want Asian upstarts giving uppity locals any ideas.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greater_East_Asia_Co-Prosperity_Sphere

 Policy theorists who conceived it, as well as the vast majority of the Japanese population at large, largely saw it for its pan-Asian ideals of freedom and independence from Western colonial oppression. In practice, however, it was frequently corrupted by militarists and nationalists, who saw an effective policy vehicle through which to strengthen Japan’s position and advance its dominance within Asia

West in root cause of horrendous war shocker.

Your daughet will be just fine.

I accept teachers are sometimes wrong, but surely he could have worded his response better (ie, rather than tell her she was wrong, he should have said he would need to check the facts – as I mentioned in my OP).

ie, rather than tell her she was wrong, he should have said

Maybe he thought he was right and wasnt actually trying to upset your little princess!

Maybe he did word it differently it could be just how your daughter explained it to you.