28th November 2014 11:00
By Blue Tutors
There has been much controversy recently about remembrance day activities, and the way in which war is portrayed. This year’s Sainbury’s Christmas advert has been one of the biggest talking points, using iconic images from the war to advertise a chocolate bar. This controversy has in no small part been played out in schools, where poppies are sold and children observe silences and learn about war and British history. Many activists, including philosophers and educationalists, have argued that we have a history of glamourising war to children, portraying it as a beautiful sacrifice, and not addressing the underlying realities or politics of war.
This is one area in which tutors have some leeway to explore ideas with their students. War poetry is a significant part of the English curriculum, in addition to the various wars covered by the history syllabus. When learning about war at school, the best lessons I remember are not the ones where we learned about noble sacrifice, but the ones where we learned about lice, and famine, and vodka and all the things that make war human. These are the things that allow us a better understanding about what life must have been like for soldiers. The most powerful war poetry I remember are not the hopelessly patriotic ones, but the ones which questioned the meaning of war, and brought home the realities of soldiers’ experiences.
The best teachers I had got us thinking about real life in the trenches, and about the politics behind the decisions which cost tens of thousands of lives. These are the lessons which tutors can bring to their students. One to one tutoring is a golden opportunity to allow students to move past the gloss of war and to consider both the political and human aspects. The benefit of tutoring is that it provides a space for students to explore ideas and go deeper into their subject that their school curriculums may allow. As tutors, when we teach about war we should ensure that our students are able to explore the full picture.