French teacher called her Ginger

[Hyland]

It would seem that the teacher didnt mean to offend my daughter.

However the class was writing down the translation for french words.

The list went like this:
Politics
Business/company
Aeroplane
Celebrity
Bmx
Shopping centre/world trade centre
Poor people
Ginger
Fashion
Boat
Climbing
Factory
Married
Grandchildren

Anyway when she got to the word Roux, the teacher said to my daughter you will know this one.

I think this threw my daughter off (not knowing why she would know above everyone) and ahe hesitated as she thought the translation for Roux was red and the teacher said no it's Ginger, lets not confuse everyone.

I think their was a few giggles and obvioulsy everyone was looking at her.

Needless to say she was really embarrassed.

What is everyones opinon on this?!

[Kreeshsheesh]

It's probably because she would have learned to say 'j'ai les cheveux roux' earlier on when learning about describing yourself in French. Teacher maybe assumed that she knew the word. Perhaps a bit insensitive of her to pick it out. Children do often confuse 'rouge' with 'roux'. Please just let this one go and give the teacher a break; it doesn't sound deliberate to me. (Awaits teacher bashing a la mumsnet...)

[Hyland]

In fairness i did question my daughter as to whether to teacher had an idea how embarrissed she was. She no and that she's just a really weird teacher possibly in her 70's!! (so maybe it's an era thing)

My issue is that when a teacher sez it, the other girls will think it's okay as well. Everyone in the class probably saw how on the spot it made my daughter.

[KarenLong]

The other girls will think it's okay, because it IS ok. Are you trying to start something? What sort of reaction are you looking for?

I'm ginger. Why would that upset or embarrass me?

weird.

[Hyland]

Kids can be cruel and you only have to watch South park to see how children react to the hair colour.

From your post it would seem you was very lucky not to have these type of experiences. I have two work colleagues who admitted they suffered at the hand of the same type of thing.

I appreciate your comments KarenLong.

I even stated that i didn't feel that the teacher meant to offend.

That doesn't change the fact that it did..

Surely it doesn't mean it's just my daughters issue if she feels offended. It is unfortunately how others make her feel.

She was once an innocent child who didn't even understand what the kids were making fun off.

[sashh]

It was probably done innocently - I'm still getting to know my classes and asked a girl her name, she asked why and I said so I could address her by her name and no 'you, blond girl over there' as that wouldn't be very nice.

Apparently I'm hairist which is a form of racist. I had no idea.

I now know the girl's name.

[PotteringAlong]

I agree, she will have thought she would know the word because she will have learnt it when she was describing herself. You're making this into something it isn't.

[CallieTorres]

She was once an innocent child who didn't even understand what the kids were making fun off




She's in secondary school and 'didn't get it'?

[RancidOldHag]

"She no and that she's just a really weird teacher possibly in her 70's!! (so maybe it's an era thing)"

No it isn't.

And ageism is illegal. Whereas hair colour is not a legally protected characteristic.

You lost any sympathy I might have had at that point.

[fluffypenguinbelly]

Slight over reaction. Perhaps you are teaching your daughter that her ginger hair is a problem?

A better reaction would be to suggest that she learned the word for ginger sooner that children with non ginger hair on account of her ginger hair.

[MTPurse]

Surely it doesn't mean it's just my daughters issue if she feels offended

Pretty much ,yes.

You are making an issue out of nothing.

[wallywobbles]

Not sure I understand your point.

How did she think she should describe her hair colour? If she had said j'ai des cheveux rouges in France she'd have been wrong and laughed at.

[Drinkstoomuchcoffee]

J'ai les cheveux roux is French for I have ginger hair. Where exactly is the problem?

[RidersOnTheStorm]

Weird. Ginger isn't an insult in my world.

[ShitFacedTinyTim]

Not to mention the French, being sensible about it, do not have and have never had any negative connotations attached to the term 'ginger' so the teacher wouldn't have even considered it mildly offensive. Which it isn't. And I am ginger.

[BubsandMoo]

Your attitude sounds like you're ashamed of your daughter having ginger hair and she's no doubt picked up on that, being ginger is not a problem in itself.

Children can be cruel about anything- I teased by rhyming my surname with the name of an animal- the response wasn't to pretend that wasn't my name!

Of course there is no issue in saying someone has ginger hair, if they have ginger hair. You're making an issue out of nothing.

[IoraRua]

I don't see the problem. Surely it's a word she would have learned early on in French classes to describe herself.

[SarfEast1cated]

'ginger' is often used in an unkind way, and I was bullied quite often about the colour of my hair in the 70s. Hopefully things have changed now though.

[hp2]

I have a ginger girl . Be proud of the word we use it all the time, my little girl is very proud of her hair colour.her favorite colour is orange as it matches her head!!,

[QuietWhenReading]

I understand that teenagers can be sensitive and that it's not nice to feel embarrassed but TBH this sounds like a very, very minor incident that everyone else will have forgotten after about 10 minutes.

The teacher's point was that red hair is specifically described as 'roux' not rouge as regards hair.. There are a variety of other meanings for 'roux' hence the comment regarding confusion.

This French class was hardly the first time the other kids heard the word 'ginger'. They're in high school for goodness sake!

Yes, it's unpleasant to be teased to having for red hair, but it's equally unpleasant to being teased for wearing glasses, having freckles, having a big nose etc etc.

Teasing isn't going to suddenly start because of this incident.

You don't say how old your DD is, but she's in high school, she's not a baby, she needs to learn to deal with this sort of thing.

[whatwouldrondo]

OP I totally understand your point. My DD had a problem with bullying in her year and her hair was a focus for all sorts of ginger "jokes". Not just that but she also had to put up with comments in the street which were totally inappropriate for a teenage girl. It may not be illegal but it is certainly common, and disrespectful, to use difference be it hair colour , wearing glasses or whatever as a means of making a jibe at somebody, and wrong of a teacher to legitimise it in the classroom. She should have been more sensitive especially if she has years of experience and knows what teenagers are like. The result was that though she loves her hair now and realises it is gorgeous (and it is, and always was) she hated it and wanted to dye it.

I would certainly bring to this teachers attention that having red hair makes teenagers a target for all sorts of unpleasant comments and that in that context "ginger" is often used as a perjorative term.

[originalmavis]

I hate the term ginger. Some people don't but it makes my teeth itch. Especially when used as in 'a ginger'.

[MrsGradyOldLady]

Me and my daughter are both lucky enough to be ginger. You have to embrace it! It IS ginger.

It did me no favours at all growing up to be told by my family that I didn't have ginger hair - it was titian (spelling? ) or auburn or copper. Ginger isn't a dirty word.

[SarfEast1cated]

Thank you for putting it so well Rondo. When I was 13 a bloke in the street asked if I had a ginger minge. Nice!