kidsmoke Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 This comes up from a conversation elsewhere...I find myself wondering what you all are hearing from your children? I know we have many parents here. What kind of reaction are your kids having to the news of the day? Their thinking, after all, predicts our future to some extent. What kind of conversations are you having about things like the airport protests, the women's march, etc? Genuinely curious. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lost highway Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 My students haven't really been talking about it. It could be a number of political, parenting or unrelated, circumstantial stuff. I kind of want to initiate to see where they stand, but it could be a minefield. That and 4th and 5th graders tend to echo their parents slogans without really getting any nuance.... which makes them like many Americans. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
NoJ Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 Mine are concerned. They both see right thru the trump BS. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Winston Legthigh Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 Mine argue over either watching Finding Nemo or Paw Patrol. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
John Smith Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 My kids are older and despise trump, but they disposed him Long before he deciddd to run. One of them had a chance to shake trumps hand, looked him in the eye and pulled his hand away. Good kid. I have friends who are Jewish, with the mom of one being a holocaust survivor. They are scared shirtless. The mom has told them that this feels very much like Germany in the 30's, so their kids have heard this and are very frightened. To soothe the kids they have developed an exit plan to leave the country before it reaches the point of no return...if it does. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lammycat Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 I try to avoid discussion about politics with my 4th grade students when possible (except to tow a neutral line) but my 4th grade child at home had a lot of questions and observations from the march and from the media. My older boys don't seem to care too much one way or the other.t Quote Link to post Share on other sites
PopTodd Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 Mine are concerned. They both see right thru the trump BS.This is happening in my house, too. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kidsmoke Posted January 31, 2017 Author Share Posted January 31, 2017 Mine argue over either watching Finding Nemo or Paw Patrol. Yours may be too young for this discussion. My kids are older and despise trump, but they disposed him Long before he decided to run. One of them had a chance to shake trumps hand, looked him in the eye and pulled his hand away. Good kid. I have friends who are Jewish, with the mom of one being a holocaust survivor. They are scared shirtless. The mom has told them that this feels very much like Germany in the 30's, so their kids have heard this and are very frightened. To soothe the kids they have developed an exit plan to leave the country before it reaches the point of no return...if it does. That's not a good kid, that's a GREAT kid! How horrifying this must be for your Jewish friends. I don't think having an exit plan is an overreaction in the least! I've gotten my own passport updated just in case. I try to avoid discussion about politics with my 4th grade students when possible (except to tow a neutral line) but my 4th grade child at home had a lot of questions and observations from the march and from the media. My older boys don't seem to care too much one way or the other.t By 4th grade kids are really waking up to the larger world, though they will still usually parrot their parents' views, mixed in with a lot of questions about how it all works. Of course you have to be careful while on the job. How old are your older boys? I wonder if they will have more to say as this stretches on. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lammycat Posted February 1, 2017 Share Posted February 1, 2017 Yours may be too young for this discussion. That's not a good kid, that's a GREAT kid! How horrifying this must be for your Jewish friends. I don't think having an exit plan is an overreaction in the least! I've gotten my own passport updated just in case. By 4th grade kids are really waking up to the larger world, though they will still usually parrot their parents' views, mixed in with a lot of questions about how it all works. Of course you have to be careful while on the job. How old are your older boys? I wonder if they will have more to say as this stretches on.Older boys are 13, 14, and 16. They aren't fans of the new administration but relatively distant to it all, too. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Atticus Posted February 1, 2017 Share Posted February 1, 2017 My 17 year old was inconsolable the night of the election and beating himself up for not having done more during the campaign. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Vacant Horizon Posted February 1, 2017 Share Posted February 1, 2017 I work at a school that is 1/3 Hispanic and 1/3 Muslim. When I hear people say, 'well, life goes on' I become livid. It does not go on for these kids. They are completely on edge. As we did at the airport, I will stand right in front of these kids if someone comes to take them. My own kids are seeing what's going on as a result of my wife and I talking about it in front of them all the time. They went to the women's march with us and the airport. They've seen the matrix. No going back. Would you want to though? I personally am sick to my stomach all the time. It's surreal! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lammycat Posted February 1, 2017 Share Posted February 1, 2017 I work at a school that is 1/3 Hispanic and 1/3 Muslim. When I hear people say, 'well, life goes on' I become livid. It does not go on for these kids. They are completely on edge. As we did at the airport, I will stand right in front of these kids if someone comes to take them. My own kids are seeing what's going on as a result of my wife and I talking about it in front of them all the time. They went to the women's march with us and the airport. They've seen the matrix. No going back. Would you want to though? I personally am sick to my stomach all the time. It's surreal!Exactly. My school is about 98% Hispanic. Fortunately, the Mayor as well as the Superintendent have both made public statements in reference to the safety of citizens/students regardless of any threat from the White House, which helps allay fears a little bit. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ih8music Posted February 2, 2017 Share Posted February 2, 2017 Re: the immigrant and refugee ban. We've made sure that our kids know their heritage well - great-grandchildren of Polish immigrants from my side, grandchildren of Mexican immigrants on my wife's. They know that both groups came to America for exactly the same reason - for the opportunity to make a better life. Whether one group was called "legal" and the other group "illegal" is a reflection of the political climate at the time; the people and their motivations were the same. To their school's credit, they have been doing a LOT of family heritage sharing this year. Not sure if it's just a coincidence or not, but the timing couldn't be better. Re: the Women's March and protests in general. At one point over the summer, when the campaign was in full swing and I was perhaps "over-sharing" my disgust over the prospect of a Trump presidency, my son asked me if we would leave the country if he was elected. That was quite a wake up call and grounding moment. I took the opportunity to tell him that no, that's not how we would react, that's not what you do. You stay in the country and remain vigilant. You speak out, call your elected officials & protest (but not riot) in the streets if necessary. You work even harder for the next round of elections. Which is what we've been doing, unfortunately. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sweet Papa Crimbo Posted February 23, 2017 Share Posted February 23, 2017 My kids are passionate and listen to other voices. Get outside your echo chamber and try to understand what's going on. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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