The other day a relative in our family WhatsApp group said there's been an uproar recently in her son's school. She said the new Food Tech teacher is a vegan and has been teaching the 15 years olds how to cook vegetables. So far so good.
The kids are also supposed to learn how to fillet a fish and debreast a chicken. In my opinion, these are vital skills for adulthood and an all rounded diet. The problem is that the new vegan teacher has refused to teach this and the parents are not happy at all. Furthermore, they have already paid for all the ingredients the kids are supposed to be using, but so far they have just been cooking vegetables and lentils. My relative is in the parents WhatsApp group so gets all the updates, and said the parents have called for a meeting with the school about this. Luckily, her son doesn't do Food Tech at school so it doesn't effect him.
This led me to think about teacher's right to not teach topics that go against their religion, beliefs, principles or morals. Do they have this right as a teacher to not teach others, and uphold their beliefs instead? And where does that leave students' right to learn? Which takes priority?
I don't have more information about this whole issue other than the WhatsApp message, but can't help to think where the problem lies. The school? The teacher? Or the parents?
Did the school know that teacher is a vegan when they employed him/her? If they did, did they specifically ask the teacher if they were willing to teach skills involving non vegan ingredients? Or did they assume that the teacher would teach everything in the syllabus. Not a reasonable assumption to make to be honest, afterall that is the teacher's responsibility.
If the teacher withheld this fact during the interview believing it was irrelevant to a teaching position, does this give grounds for dismissal now? That fact alone, wouldn't, just like you can't sack someone based on their gender, age, race or sexuality. But if a teacher couldn't, or refused to fulfill 100% of the teaching duties because of these factors, then it would be a different story. If the school decided to dismiss him/her, could they be sued for unfair dismissal? Or, if the teacher is only willing to teach part of the syllabus, is he/her willing to be employed and paid part time?
Or perhaps... are the parents over reacting? Should they be more considerate and respect the teacher's belief? Should they sacrifice their child's learning opportunity?
Personally, I have nothing against vegans, I know many on Hive here are vegans and that's a personal choice. I have dined with vegans and I don't mind the occasional change in diet. Some vegans may also raise their kids as vegans, again that's their choice as a parent, until the child is old enough to make their own decision. These are personal and a parent's choice, but does a vegan teacher have this right to extend their choice to other peoples children through omission of responsibility?
I am neither a parent nor a vegan, so my views are pretty clear... a teacher has a responsibility to teach according to the school syllabus, and the student has the right (and obligation 😉) to learn. Period.
What's your view to all this? I'd love to hear what you think from a vegan or parent pov, or perhaps better still, as both.
No, teachers need to pretty much teach what they are told to teach. Over here you can have your opinions and beliefs, but you aren't allowed to let them cloud what you teach. Political leanings are the big one. You aren't really even supposed to post anything on social media even if it is your private account. Of course they can't stop you, but it could blow up into a bigger issue. In this case the teacher needs to teach all the skills.
Political teaching is another tricky area. I don't know if some schools can get quite political (or pretend not to be even if they are), but I think if teachers have an issue with it that goes against their beliefs then they should decide if they should continue to teach there
I'm not a vegan, but my wife was for a long time, so I tend to think of myself as vegan-friendly.
My first thought is that it's great that parents are concerned and involved in what their children are learning.
In terms of the teacher, I believe that he or she shouldn't have to teach something that they are morally opposed to, but equally should avoid anything that even hints at pushing their beliefs onto the children. Veganism is one of those topics which almost immediately gains a political aspect, and teachers should be (but frequently are not) rigorously neutral when it comes to politics. Additionally, if the parents have paid for ingredients including meat and dairy, then to exclude those (relatively expensive) ingredients is fraud.
In my opinion, I think the parents are right to be concerned, provided they express that in a constructive way. It is the school's responsibility to ensure the full syllabus is taught, and if they knew they were employing a vegan member of staff, then they should arrange for someone else to teach those elements of the syllabus the vegan is unwilling to.
If the teacher didn't let the school know at interview stage that they would be unable to teach the syllabus, then they obtained the job by deception and should be dismissed on grounds of gross misconduct. If they did, then fair enough but it then becomes the school's responsibility to redeploy them to a new role and find someone who can teach it.
It will be really interesting to understand what happened during the interview stage and the expectation from both sides. Obviously when you recruit someone, you expect them to do all the tasks, and not pick and choose based on their beliefs or principles. And from an interviewee point of view, if you know there are some parts of the job you know you can't or won't do, then you should consider that before accepting a position.
I might ask my relative for an update in the future...
It's good to look at both sides and be open minded, but I'd say if that is suppose to be taught, the teacher has an obligation to teach it or be replaced. Personal belief is wonderful, but there has to be some respect for the syllabus. What is someone has the personal belief that one race is superior to another. Are they justified in teaching that regardless of it not being in the syllabus. What if they disagree with certain historic events. Are they justified in skipping the teaching of them?
In a private academy, perhaps. But in a government funded school, standards must be followed.
(I say that as a vegan)
Thanks for your insight as a vegan parent, and a teacher!
School syllabus can work both ways, 99% of the time they're written for the students benefit. The remaining time is to push propaganda. I can think of one particular place which I won't name here in case they stupidly sue me... National Security Law is embedded in the curriculum in recent years and every teacher has to incorporate it in their lesson plan regardless. This, amongst other factors has led to a flow of teachers leaving, and those remaining are forced to do as told. I know a maths teacher was scratching her head on how the hell could she incorporate national security law in maths lessons for 15 year olds!!?
It's a great point, and yes, things are not quite as cut and dry as I put it. State propaganda is the exact case I can think of where things become more grey. But also where rebellion becomes more tricky for teachers. I for example, if I were teaching at a public school in the US, would refuse to do the pledge of allegiance with my class. Swearing loyalty to the State is a deeply disturbing idea to me. That's not patriotism, as it is often framed, but is servitude and is the strongest form of propaganda.
I also would veer from the established nationalistic narratives in history class. So yeah... being required to incorporate any national security law in my classes... That would be a big nope from me. But I wouldn't expect to last long at a public school. Schools don't allow open defiance for long. Someone who is able to play the game and rebel in more subtle ways would have much more success than I would.
All your reflections and unanswered questions are very good.
Now I need to know the answers to your questions, hehehe, you've left me hanging.
As I am not vegan, nor a father, nor a student. I only quote "The right to respect from others is peace." Who is disrespectful, the school, the teacher, the parents or the students?
There are so many questions, I can't take it anymore. 🤣
I was hoping to hear your views from this!!! Mine is pretty clear.
Hope you're doing well
The system is wrong, students are taught what the system wants them to learn, to fit the narrative. Critical thinking students who accept nothing and question everything are seen as "trouble makers". You must obey.
For example, British history is written to teach generations that the British were the greatest nationality ever. Wrong. Just a few names well known, Drake and Raleigh lauded as daring seafarer's were paid privateers, who raped, pillaged and enslaved.
Churchill was a mysoginist a drunk and a war criminal, Britain did not win the WW2. and don't get me started on the bastard house of saxe coberg and gotha and their inbreeding fore fathers!
So on the one hand is this vegan challenging the system? Or is he foisting upon kids his own personal views? Kids should be allowed to withdraw from his lessons, like non c of e kids can withdraw from religious studies ( why they have that crap still is beyond me) and kids can be withdrawn from sex education ( why? this is an important life lesson).
Anyways I love fussy eaters it just means there is more meat for me to wolf down
Bet you were a disrupter at school 😂
Sadly the school system is what we have, unless you home school your kid but then you still have to stick to a syllabus
If a parent sends their kid to a C of E school, it would be very weird to pull them out from religious studies.. surely that's all part and parcel if the deal. Anyway, who am I to comment about anything to do with religion 😄
Let's focus on our steak 😋
I was not a disruptor just in school LOL, I have been a disruptor all my working life too.
Merci Madame, Fillet Mignon, Sil vous plait
I agree with you. The teacher needs to teach the syllabus. That said, those online parent groups can be ruthless. I have also found them to be filled with half truths and their children's school rumors.
Sounds like those parent groups are so entertaining, I bet there's so much drama in there 😂
The teacher's job is to teach the children what is written in the plan and program.
And there is no further discussion.
so would a professor who is secretly gay (against whom I have nothing against the same as against vegans, everyone can do whatever they want and choose in their life), in the lessons of biology or sex education, teach something different than what we are? Two sexes, male and female, reproduction and creation of life.
In classes related to food preparation, someone who doesn't like and doesn't eat meat can't throw it out of the program at will, as if it doesn't exist? No.
And someone wrote, parental viber and whatsapp groups can really be crazy, funny and exaggerate, but they are right here.
Spot on. As a teacher, I think they should be professional enough to teach according to the syllabus which they should be aware of at the beginning of term.
If they're teaching at university where they create their own course then I'm sure they have more leeway in deciding what to teach or not and students can choose to take that course or not.
Parents group sounds like a fun place to be, not part of my world unfortunately
In my view, the teacher should cover the whole subject — that’s what they were taken on for. We’d need to check how much the school leadership actually knows about those goings‑on.
Totally agree with you, how much did the school know when they employed the teacher. That makes a lot of difference to the whole situation
That's a strange situation to confront with! Like in any other job, I think also teachers should mainly focus on doing what they have to do, not what they prefer to do.
If you're employed to do a job, it's your responsibility to do it, unless it's illegal or immoral of course, otherwise you don't have the right to pick and choose
Absolutely!
Surely the teacher must have known the syllabus and that there will be a point where he or she will have to teach cooking with meat and should have been open with the school at inception. I have vegan friends and I often opt for vegan meals, but I believe if you've chosen to be a food tech teacher, you need to teach preparing all types of food, not just your preference. Stick to the syllabus!
When we accept a position, we're often faced with tasks that goes a little against our grain, but we do it because it's part of what we've been employed for.
One needs to be professional when working, and consider whether they can deliver all the tasks they are asked to do. Basic work ethics 101.
If you know something goes against or beyond your capability, then you're just doing a shoddy job if you persist, not to mention unfair on others
I'm not vegan because it's hard and inconvenient, and I can stay non-vegan only because I have this not-so-unique ability to live in denial about the suffering behind all that delicious meat.
As a parent I'd probably want the teacher to just follow what's expected by the system (which I'd naively think is based on science), and at the same time I'd be complaining that the system sucks because it was organized by stupid people.
As a kid I'd refuse to deal with fish and chicken because I knew that when I grew up I could buy fillets conveniently prepared (and guess what, it's not from animals, it's from the shop! ;-) )
As a teacher? Give me an army of younglings eager to learn and I'd either start a revolution or end up locked in a mental facility trying. I wouldn't go with boring stuff.
Making drama about it is just a waste of time. The Pareto frontier here is to teach kids to prepare food (and to compromise), not to start a culture war over culinary preferences. Adults can do that on a plane during catering, ffs.
All people involved failed the test of ordering a pizza. How do they expect their kids to survive in adulthood if they couldn't order a pizza as a group? (Including ordering salad for vegans)
Oh, and I'm pretty well skilled in cutting body parts, but I have absolutely no idea how to fillet a fish and de-breast a chicken. At school I made a vegetarian zapiekanka because it was cheap.
You are what you eat.
Yours truly, Onion.
Hi there Onion
Not that I've tried before, but I'd imagine cutting body parts is a lot more difficult than filleting a fish or de breasting a chicken. You just use a smaller knife and pay a little more attention at the joints.
Preparing your own food is a lot more satisfying than buying from the shops. Don't you think it's nice for someone to shed a few tears for you before they eat you? If they bought you pre cut or frozen from the shops, they would throw you straight in the pan without even appreciating your existence.
As to ordering pizzas, that wouldn't be necessary if kids learnt how to make their own. It takes a bit more time than ordering online, but it's a lot more fun to make your own dough, they could even have a dough throwing party. And if you were the teacher, you could add that as a new event in the next sports day. I'm sure the kids would love you for it.
So far, neither of us feature on pizzas much, we should be safe for the time being.
Yours
Garlic
I was vegan for 3 years a few years ago now and I was still visited restaurants with friends and familly just without eating meat, like they did.
Its insane to think you are above other people just because you made a choice to do things differently for yourself.
So I think the teacher is 100% in the wrong. Is properly knew what she had to do, when she applied for the job and is now deciding to impact young kids :c
I don't mind people having their own beliefs and principles but I don't appreciate people forcing it on me. When I've dined with vegans, they've always made sure I or others in the party were happy to dine in a vegan restaurant otherwise we'd go some place else where they could order some vegan meals
As a student who is vegan doesn't have to handle meat, neither does the teacher. It would be interesting to see exactly what they syllabus says. There are many work arounds, I'm sure.
The problem here is school WhatsApp parents groups which, as we've heard tales of recently, sound like major drama-fests.
Uproar over food tech indeed! Teach em food hygiene and how to use an air fryer. Sorted!
Hope you're well. It must be almost time for the first garden post of the year!
If the parents paid for all the food already, then I'm pretty sure meat prep and cooking is included in the syllabus. Even if you teach them to throw everything in air fryer, you still need to teach then basic skills to prep the food
Uproar was the word my relative used, which I found amusing at first. All this WhatsApp parents group thing is foreign to me, seems like its fun to be a fly in the wall there.
Happy lunar new year!!
Thank you and you too. I bet you didn't get woken up at 4am to the endless sound of firecrackers though!
Im just waiting for some fat red envelopes to arrive.....in vain, of course!
Good subject you bring here.
Be interesting to hear your thoughts on this
I can relate to you. Agree modern diet has too much meat (western, especialy), but meat made us what we are. More energy and teaching about BAD practice in agroculture and how food is produced would be much more on topic.
No they don't.
It is great the syllabus calls for filleting a fish and playing with a chicken! My father used to spend some summers as a kid with a gamekeeper on an estate. He learnt animal husbandry, he also would not eat anything he was not prepared to kill, and brought that into me too. We lived on a farm as a teenager, so I had my share of turning animals into tasty morsels.
The teacher should be sacked in my opinion. Of course with all this woke stuff, they will probably give them a pay rise and threaten the parents with some sort of harassment charge.