Touching the Untouchables

Abstract

This chapter discusses pre-service teachers' views about the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Rights of the Child and how teachers perceive their connection to the educational context and their work. The authors argue that pre-service teachers' perceptions determine how successfully human rights education is implemented in practice. The data were collected from workshops and focus group discussions conducted with 82 primary school pre-service teachers in Northern Finland. The participants noted that children's rights are important and deeply connected to their work. However, they were insufficiently familiar with HRE concepts, and they were uncertain about whether it was acceptable to physically restrain children to protect them or others, as this could undermine a child's rights. To adhere to the principles in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the topic must be included in the pre-service study syllabus, more clearly added to the curriculum, and implemented in teacher practice.

Several aspects related to the teachers’ views on the rights of the child based on focus group discussions on the example of Finland

“…Since January 1, 2015, a law has been in force in Finland, according to which, before entering the first grade of basic school, all children must pass the test for preparatory education (esikoulu). In December 2014, the country adopted a document -Esiopetuksenopetussuunnitelmanperusteet (Basic Curriculum for Preparatory Education) (Paksuniemi, 2022), which regulates the organization of preparatory education on the basis of preschool educational institutions, general education schools or in another form that guarantees the achievement of the goals of preparatory education.…”

“…(Educator # 76) This should reduce discrimination, but, on the other hand, it may also increase discrimination from the point of view of the student with special needs, because that student may be stigmatized as a troublemaker and this may also highlight his/her ongoing need for additional support. (Educator # 68) Previous research (Paksuniemi et al, 2022) has shown that teachers' attitudes towards inclusion are mostly positive and they become even more positive as they progress through the program; however, prospective teachers may have many concerns about the implications of inclusion, and attitudes vary by child, teacher, and environmental variables. Teachers' attitudes before starting work are shaped by their personal experiences and personality traits, as well as demographics (such as age and gender) and sociocultural beliefs, values, and practices (Paksuniemi, 2022).…”

“…(Educator # 68) Previous research (Paksuniemi et al, 2022) has shown that teachers' attitudes towards inclusion are mostly positive and they become even more positive as they progress through the program; however, prospective teachers may have many concerns about the implications of inclusion, and attitudes vary by child, teacher, and environmental variables. Teachers' attitudes before starting work are shaped by their personal experiences and personality traits, as well as demographics (such as age and gender) and sociocultural beliefs, values, and practices (Paksuniemi, 2022). It is encouraging to see that teachers seemed to be willing to take responsibility for linguistically and culturally diverse students before they started.…”