The only reasonable accommodation IMO is that if you are the kind of person who doesn't want to serve all the public, find another line of work. Like the person in the OP, everyone should be given the opportunity to reconsider, resign or leave voluntarily in good standing before they are let go for refusing to do their job or follow policy.
What's wrong with using their legal name and the words that are associated with their actual, biological sex? Seems like that is exactly the kind of thing you'd want to do in a educational setting, and it teaches that just because you imagine something doesn't make it true. In the real world nobody cares about what you "identify" as. If I choose to identify as a biblical prophet or second coming of jesus and therefore all my income is tax exempt as a church I'm pretty sure the reality will still be that I'm just a guy who has to pay taxes.
In the 'real world' most people have jobs where they don't get to dictate policy on how they treat customers or people they interact with on a daily basis
If you think students are customers and teachers exist to serve them as any other customers you are part of the reason our educational system sucks. Students are there to learn from teachers and be mentored by them. Not be combative over imaginary, self invented problems. Students who are combative like this and change the school environment from one where they are present to learn into one where teachers have to cater to them should be put into the same schools as the students who stab others with pencils. They are disruptive. Parents of these students need to suffer consequences as well, like not getting any support for after school services, no bus riding, etc... until the student completes a program where they learn how to be a student. If the parent doesn't want to then fine them. Treat the student and parent the same as a truant student.
What a bunch of horseshit. This is a simple case of calling a kid their preferred name, that's it. Middle school is a little young for this but no one on this board nor the teacher in question knows the whole back story. Simple courtesy, no more, no less.
So you agree that teachers exist to serve and coddle students? If not, how much of their job should be devoted to educating and mentoring children into being good, productive citizens and how much in furthering new and controversial things that in many cases are linked with sever mental illnesses?
As a teacher with 40 years of classroom experience, calling a student by their preferred name is not coddling. So in your mind someone that is struggling with gender identity can't be a good, productive citizen? In this case, it sounds like that teacher has a bigger issue than the kid.
You are one who brought up the "real world" - a place where quite often you have to acquiese to someone else's way of doing things or treat people with some basic respect as a matter of course
If one chooses to be a public school teacher, they should be compelled to teach the students in front of them, regardless of race, religion, or sexual orientation, etc. If they feel incapable to doing so, they should opt for private school or another career path.
Struggling with a basic tenent of the human condition that has been accepted for hundreds of thousands of years is likely indicative of other issues. Mental health, family troubles, etc... I'd say that a teacher should refer this student to the appropriate services, and then continue with educating and mentoring students.
We have reached the point where just about everything is considered a micro aggression. All I can do is try to refer to others as they prefer. That said, even "they" catch themselves as they try to change old habits.
This particular teacher should find another line of work as they apparently lack empathy and is into "indoctrination" It may behoove you to read a bit about gender dysphoria although I doubt you would.
Inadvertent is one thing. It's hard to relearn. My comments are directed to those doing it deliberately, often pretending it's religious freedom. Two threads Matt Yglesias, not normally "chill" on such matters: Fr. Jim Martin on using religion as a fig leaf for homophobia
I think the notion of students as "customers" is problematic, so on that I agree with you. Teachers do, however, exist to serve students and those who do not understand that very basic tenet of the profession just might contribute to what you refer to as the suckiness of education in America. I don't consider "our educational system" a monolith, though, and certainly do not agree that it sucks. Your thoughts about moving trans students to alternative schools is discriminatory. I don't mean that in a harsh, but in a literal sense (consider the literal definition of the term discrimination).
