Isobel Pankhurst
An angry mum has divided opinion after posting concerns over her daughter's homework assignment.
In a Mumsnet forum the anonymous mum said: "DD [darling daughter] has been set her history homework for this week. She has to design a 'new Tudor Torture device'.
"Draw it, label it etc and explain why it would be more effective than previous torture devices!
"AIBU [am I being unreasonable] that this is a bit unnecessary? They are year 8. Do they really need to be encouraged to think of new ways to torture people!?"
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The forum quickly filled with other users giving their opinions on the assignment.
One wrote: "That's v odd. I'd send a note in saying DD is not completing this hw." To which the mother replied that her daughter was too worried about getting a detention to do this.
"That is seriously inappropriate! I’d actually contact the head teacher on this," added another.
A third wrote: "This wouldn’t sit well with me. I think it’s de humanising..."
One person even suggested if they'd bee assigned this homework as a teenager it would have left them "traumatised" and with nightmares. Adding, "probably would still feel like that if I was made to do it now."
Not all the forum's users agreed with the dismayed mother though.
One responded: "Year 8, not 8 years old. What's the problem? Do you micromanage all of her homework??"
The mother replied to this comment saying: "No, I absolutely do not micromanage her homework. I was just struggling to see the relevance of getting teenagers to think up new ways to torture people - seems odd."
Other users compared the assignment to Horrible Histories saying that while a bit strange the task is likely to "engage their imagination by making it gruesome."
Another added: "Huh. Pretty sure I had to do this for history homework too. (This would be almost 30 years ago)."
One simply wrote: "Sounds like an interesting project to me."