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I teach a Greek Hoplites session at the moment, that features swords, spears and history of warfare. It depends on the audience what their tolerance is for gore and war...I do my best to read them throughout, as I'm sure do all of us, but you can never be 100% sure you get it right every time. Hence, I tend to begin my session by mentioning that it gets a bit 'Horrible Histories' in places, and that if anybody is squeamish or feels funny just pull a sick face, raise a hand, or otherwise indicate to me go no further and I will stop...This gives them an out you see, and it also covers your own backside if they do whinge because you have catered for their needs. I'm not attempting to sensationalise the violence when I describe how a spear is thrust into an enemy, but it did happen...There was a reason that armour and weaponry was developed and it wasn't simply to show it to interested school children x many thousand years later. There is a temptation to go OTT sometimes when you have an audience that is clearly a little blood thirsty, but rather than over egg the pudding as though I am enjoying watching Gladiatorial combat, I change my pitch to become matter of fact as I mention how an arrow or sword to the neck etc isn't something you can easily shake off, and that it will in all likelihood kill you. A phrase I find myself using a lot is "This isn't Hollywood, you don't get back up!" Then usually slam dunk it with a moral lesson about the finality of war death and so ask the children if they think "settling disputes with war is it a good idea?" Their universal cries of "Nooooo!" salves the conscious of the more fluffy teachers. In short, I'm sure the re-enactor was doing a superb job, but perhaps tempering the gore descriptions with a few moral pointers and giving teachers and children an invitation to pull an emergency stop cord if they want to would help? Sadly, those teachers who assume that you can properly 'teach' a session involving ancient warfare without mentioning that in ancient warfare your job was to introduce pieces of sharp metal violently to soft and yielding flesh, well...They're living in another world. The pink and fluffy world of action movie deaths where Brad Pitt turns up alive wearing a weak moustache and even weaker accent in another later production. Any opinions herein are not those of my employer etc...Just in case the blurb doesn't print under my mail. Dave Graves Formal Learning Officer Luton Culture Wardown Park Museum Old Bedford Road Luton LU2 7HA Tel 01582 546980 Email [log in to unmask] Website http://www.museumsluton.com/schools IMPORTANT: Luton Cultural Services Trust routinely monitors the content of e-mail sent and received by its e-mail systems, to ensure compliance with its policies and procedures. E-mails that contain encrypted material, program files, are obscene, inflammatory, criminal, offensive, in breach of copyright or contain a virus or threat to Trusts`s computer systems may be intercepted and/or deleted. Internet communications are not secure. The Trust is not responsible for any changes made to the message after it has been sent. This message is intended only for the addressee. Any unauthorised copying or distribution may be unlawful. If you are not the intended recipient, please notify the sender at Luton Cultural Services Trust HQ, Luton Central Library, St George's Street, Luton, LU1 2NG, tel: 01582 547470 or by using the reply option to this e-mail. Then delete this message from your system. + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + GEM list: Contact the list owner for assistance at [log in to unmask] For information about joining, leaving and suspending mail (eg during a holiday) see the list website at https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webadmin?A0=GEM + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +