I’m sure there is more to the story, but this disturbs me: Ohio teacher forced to resign after refusing to call students by preferred pronouns: Lawsuit Having taught at UF and overseas, how often will a teacher have to use a pronoun rather than a name when addressing a student? My experience: rarely. The teacher made a huge mountain out of a tiny molehill in service to that often ridiculous excuse of “my religious beliefs”. And of course Fox joins the fray. On the other hand, what does transitioned even mean, and can one accomplish that feat by middle school? Does one get a certificate to show the teacher? Does a parent need to send a note that little Sarah is to be referred to as “he/him”? The teacher didn’t need to rely on religious beliefs to find that degree of wokeness at that age a bit absurd. Knocking on Eighty’s Door, I’m feeling the world has passed me by and I belong in a rocker on the front porch shaking my cane at androgynous whippersnappers. Don’t get me wrong, whatever floats one’s boat is okay with me, but don’t expect me to always recognize what boat you’re in.
I’m all for tolerance and inclusivity but this has gotten ridiculous. It seems like this really only comes up in educational settings. The idea that one announces their pronouns just seems absurd to me.
I read the article. I think this was a planned resignation. I am filling in blanks so I may have some stuff wrong but the school district came up with a policy on how to deal with transgender children. This teacher didn’t like this policy on how to deal with almost nonexistent children. She talked to an administrator who told her that this is the policy and you have to follow it. The teacher than resigned on principle.
The idea that anyone cares is absurd. What if I wanted everyone to call me Sire or My Liege? These people should be rounded up and put in one place to live together and leave everyone else alone.
I'm sure it comes up in work settings, in families, anywhere people gather and make reference to each other. I'm also for tolerance and inclusion. If an adult changes names and pronouns, I have no problem going along. Basic politeness. But middle school seems a bit early and too open to whim. That said, that story is strictly based on the lawsuit and what the Alliance Defending Freedom (a pretty ugly group) says. We don't know the whole story. Meanwhile, the teacher claims the school policy violates her Christian beliefs. I confess ignorance here. What exactly does the Bible say about pronoun use?
When Jesus said, “I am He,” they drew back and fell to the ground. JOHN 18:6 Jesus was all about pronouns. So woke it knocked people over apparently
Seems like a basic requirement of teaching is to have some respect for your students. Conservatives talk about teachers not forcing their views on others, so how would a Christian intentionally misgendering a student be any different? Isnt that forcing your belief on a student?
This is really stupid!!!!! Talk about demonstrating the absurdity of wokeness with absurdity. A middle schooler is transitioning?? We are talking what 12-13 years old. How anyone can defend this madness is truly sickening.
Amen. Deliberately misgendering someone, not calling them how they would like to be called, it’s just an act of cruelty. No way should this cruelty be called Christian. Father Jim Martin’s Building a Bridge has a long passage about it and it’s incredibly persuasive. This person is emotionally unfit to be around children and will do them harm
The kind of thing that if we knew more we might understand. The kind of thing that has to be taken case by case with the kind of information only the parents, physicians, mental health professionals involved with the kid have. OTOH, if my child I would want to wait until puberty had performed its magic. Sex hormones are powerful things (I understand that a transition may be more difficult post puberty - but still worth waiting imo).
Does that end with pronouns? Why? I agree with partdopy. We all had to learn boundaries. I understand the other point of view, namely, what would it have cost the teacher to refer to the pupil by its preferred pronoun? Yet, what would it cost the pupil to make that decision at that age? Don’t teachers play a role in protecting youngsters from themselves and, in some cases, their parents? I personally think so.
I certainly could envision a scenario where I would agree with that sentiment, but not in the current Zeitgeist of the culture war and in the name of religious freedom. That tells me it does not come from a good place. If I have time later, I'll cut and paste some of Father Jim Martin's reflections, presuming that's possible. Also, see Greta Gerwig's masterpiece Ladybird for some reflections on calling someone by what they desire
Ultimately, if you use someone's name, which shouldnt be a problem for any teacher, pronouns are barely going to matter. A teacher isnt a therapist, if they think a kid is in danger, they should report it, but beyond that, you can't avoid that other people may have different values and ideas on how to raise children, and that you cant go around correcting the world based on your narrow religious views.
The teacher has her religious rights and should not be fired. The student has his or her right, if he or she is offended, to commit suicide as 50% or so of trans children strongly contemplate. As for the article, reading the comments at the end is quite revealing. The followers of Fox News speak with one voice, and it’s the voice of coldhearted insensitivity.
I could see the difficulty for a teacher if, for example, a young child wants to change their name and gender identity against the wishes of the parents. But what if after consultation with a doctor, the parents support the transition, name change, and related pronouns? Haven't we been hearing that the wishes of the parents should trump the views of teachers? Does that go out the window simply because the teacher has a religious as opposed to a secular basis for their view? How far does that go? Plus, even assuming that being transgender is even a sin, I don't see how merely calling someone by their name would be sinful. As another example, a student may have two moms, and maybe the teacher thinks their relationship is sinful, but I don't see how the teacher acknowledging that the kid has two moms amounts to the teacher endorsing their union. Is God really going to be mad at the teacher for that?
My policy is to call someone by their chosen name. If Alan suddenly wants to be called Alice, I say Alice.
I don't recall how reasonable accommodations work for government employees but thinking of a potential analogy with county clerks who refused to issue same sex marriage certificates. Wasn't the deal that they could simply step aside and let someone else in the office do it? Might there be a similar accommodation for public school teachers who for religious reasons can't/don't want to teach a particular student or group of students? I could see practical issues with that - such as a high school where there's only one teacher for a given DE or AP class or a specific subject the student wants to take as an elective.
