Preventing the Performance of Hate

In this lesson, Mrs. Sunter was teaching a group of year nine about ‘hate crime’ which would fit in the ‘Moral’ section in SMSC. We spoke to a few students about what they had been doing in the lesson.

The students were split into groups of 2-6 and were given a song, a statement, a photo or a piece to look at and watch. They would then pick one to base their ideas off of. They watched the video first, then listened to the song, and finally were given the statement. Millie, Year 9, says: ‘We watched a piece and took ideas from it.’

We then asked other students to see if they had the same idea of this subject. Two students named Katie and Chloe, had chosen the statement. The statement was: ‘We are blaming society, but we are society’ and Katie said it would help her in the future, as her options have an art focus. She said she may not have this as a job, but would still attempt to apply this in her future.

Chloe said she could possibly edit her future plans to include this, and it could help a medical type job. She said she could use this in future employment with day-care and it would benefit them. Overall, most students were positive about the topic they were learning, and would love to do this in the future. It was a good choice of topics to learn this year.

There were two drama classes. The second, theatre in education, was next door. This was run by Miss MacLeod.

The students spent some time creating a piece that was relatable, and a topic that the students would understand. After that, they planned and created a script, which they then performed to the class. They had lesson 2 and 3 to practise, and would then show it to the other drama class (Mrs Sunter’s class). Both classes completed similar topics, and each had the same amount of time to practise.

The groups all used their time wisely, creating a simple, yet meaningful message in their short performance. The group of year nines then went outside to perform their pieces in the glorious sunshine.

The group that stood out to us was one about drugs. This isn’t relatable to most, but people could still understand it. It was about a girl who was stressed and took drugs. They were quite confident, and the rest of the group enjoyed it. They finished it with feedback, and the next group would then perform.

Kasey said, ‘It could benefit students in the future, as it tells you what not to do when stressed.’ Kasey also said she chose art, and doesn’t make her want to change her future plans, but would always keep in mind what not to do when things go wrong.