Diversity week-do my dc need to know they're teachers ' sexuality?

Pretty obviously, the MFL syllabus should have a minor tweak to explicitly allow for, or even encourage, a fictionalised account of the child's life. Being able to describe families and activities is useful, feeling any compulsion to do so truthfully in class is a bad idea.

It doesn't really need a tweak. There is nothing to stop anyone giving a fictionalised account. It is very common in lots of MFL topics to give tasks involving describing made-up situations, dream holidays/houses, bizarre pets (monsters or incongruously coloured animals etc).

And we make it pretty clear that inventing and embellishing is fine with normal questions. You don't get many marks for saying 'nothing' when asked what you did at the weekend. It's about the language, not about the content. But when asked a non-fantasy type question, most kids answer about their real families, hobbies etc imo.

I find it quite bizarre that you believe that schools and teachers don't know about their pupils' families.

That doesn't mean that a child should feel compelled to give an account of their family and activities in a classroom.
Yes, talking about families is, and always has been normal - but surely there is more understanding now that it may be necessary to use some tact and discretion. Simply making it clear that they can use fiction rather than autobiography seems like the simple solution. Invent a sibling or a hobby to use more vocabulary, why not?

A poster said she asks children about their families. It is none of her business. The suggestion that , oh well it's ok just to lie is appalling. Maybe telling lies comes easily to you but don't assume every one is like that.

Actually I specifically said that I tell the truth about my family etc - so why are you suggesting that 'telling lies comes easily to me'?
I find it quite bizarre that you believe that schools and teachers don't know about their pupils' families. And also that you apparently aren't aware that talking about your family is (and always has been) a perfectly normal part of the MFL curriculum (in Englandat least), which teachers can't just decide not to bother with.

Pretty obviously, the MFL syllabus should have a minor tweak to explicitly allow for, or even encourage, a fictionalised account of the child's life. Being able to describe families and activities is useful, feeling any compulsion to do so truthfully in class is a bad idea.

I take it you don’t mind that there will be parts of the exam (whether that be oral or written) the student cannot answer.

@didolamenting

I don’t think you’re getting it - asking the children about their families is on the GCSE MFL syllabus - so the teacher has to do it. What part of that don’t you understand?

Mfl teachers ask those questions because it is part of the bloody syllabus, not because they are nosy parkers fgs! And kids don't have to tell the truth if they don't want to

A poster said she asks children about their families. It is none of her business. The suggestion that , oh well it's ok just to lie is appalling. Maybe telling lies comes easily to you but don't assume every one is like that.

But why is ‘diversity’ principally framed in the context of sexuality?

Because only sexuality can be hidden, and that is part of white male privilege. A white gay man might have historically lost his job if it was found out he was gay, at the same time a black woman wouldn't have got her foot in the door for an interview for the same job. The video the OP talks about only makes sense for hidden differences, what would be the point of holding up a card saying 'black' or 'female' or 'wheelchair user' or 'asian' or 'blind'. All those differences can't be hidden and all those teachers will have already been judged by their pupils before they even opened their mouths.

We do need the different viewpoints diversity brings and we need to teach children to be aware of their own prejudices. But I don't think watching a video about their teachers is necessarily the best way to do it, you don't learn to not be racist by seeing your black teacher hold up a card saying 'black', you learn how not to be racist by seeing all adults in your life treating people of different colours and backgrounds with respect.

Sorry first para was quoting someone..

There are I do think some of the discomfort on here does come from a place of homophobia

I disagree. I think the concern comes from the manner in which this was done, by a teacher with 'previous'. It's breaking down children's boundaries, chipping away which is hugely damaging and potentially putting them in a very vulnerable position.

It's far more nuanced than that. Shouting 'homophobia' suggests that those posters haven't really understood that nuance.

Don’t conflate homophobia with legitimate criticism.

A lot of tolerant people don’t like everything becoming A Thing.

Boundaries are important. Modern world tramples all over them and I am sad to see schools colluding in this.

Of course pupils don't need to know about their teachers' sexualities. You only need that information if you're going to have sex with the person. Kind of the opposite of what's supposed to be the boundaries in the classroom, no?

As others have said, nothing wrong with acceptance of sexualities, if that's part of ordinary school life. For instance, a teacher comes to an end-of-term celebration with her gay partner. But announcing it and making it into A Thing? No.

How would 'I'm Catholic and follow Catholic doctrine to lead a happy and fulfilled life' , 'I'm a Muslim and follow Sharia Law' go down I wonder.

I do think some of the discomfort on here does come from a place of homophobia. There's nothing wrong with (it sounds like secondary age kids) knowing they've got a gay teacher, or a teacher with bipolar disorder.

Of course there's nothing wrong with them knowing any of those things. The problem is (well, one of the problems) is that making a big thing of it does the opposite of normalisation.

Yes it is a problem. How bloody inconsiderate and intrusive. I had a very nice but very, very unconventional family. I certainly wouldn't have wanted to discuss it with a nosey- parker teacher in front of the whole class.

Mfl teachers ask those questions because it is part of the bloody syllabus, not because they are nosy parkers fgs! And kids don't have to tell the truth if they don't want to. But I fail to see how me telling my classes that I have a husband and two children is going to traumatise them.

Don't most people make those up for their language GCSE though?

Lots certainly embellish holidays and hobbies etc for their GCSE orals, but tend to tell the truth about family etc because it's simpler than inventing stuff. But I teach MFL from primary upwards. Most kids seem to want to tell you about their lives tbh.

The MFL curriculum doesn't force them
to disclose anything, or have anything disclosed to them.

That's true. I usually tell the truth, but I never reveal anything controversial or deeply personal. A primary Head I worked with certainly had made it known he was married to a man. The kids would ask him whether his husband helped him mark their books!

In any case, lots of teachers live in the same communities as their pupils. They know each other's family set-ups. The teachers have met and often taught the children's siblings and occasionally even their parents.

They are not telling children about Mr Smith's sex dungeon are they

Absolutely ridiculous to say teachers shouldn’t share their sexual orientation. My students (Y1) know I’m married to a man. I’d hope that if I was married to a woman I’d be equally open about that. No teacher should ever feel they have to be out, but there’s no need for it to be secret.

I do think some of the discomfort on here does come from a place of homophobia. There's nothing wrong with (it sounds like secondary age kids) knowing they've got a gay teacher, or a teacher with bipolar disorder.

We still live in an ablist and racist society too

I'm a lesbian and I say we still live in a homophobic society so lessons on diversity are important. There will be lesbian gay and bisexual children attending the school, so it's great that they learn early on that they are part of 'normal'

Good lord, if I'd revealed mental health problems to the kids I taught they'd have ripped me to shreds.

Sexuality itself is of course a private matter but I think it’s important for children to see diverse family set ups including gay couples. Likewise I think its important for children to see people with health conditions and disabilities, while some physical conditions are quite visible, mental health problems need to be pointed out to be visible.

Children can jump to strange conclusions based on their observations of the world. It’s best to be honest with them.

A teachers' personal life usually spills out, in a normal way, the way of human interaction.

I can't say any of my colleagues hide their sexuality, though certainly would nit declare mental health problems to students, no more than physical ones. Why dies it have to be so blatant. It sounds cringy for the students.

Theres something comical about it.

Don't most people make those up for their language GCSE though?

Most may, but don't some people have difficulties with being anything other than truthful? I've seen posters with autism say so in other contexts.

@titchy yes I’m sure lots of them do make up the content of their orals I was just trying to reassure Dido that the PP who is a teacher isnt some massive weirdo for asking the questions about families in her class the first place DP recently had a topic on hobbies and he did slides for the class, his intro was a slide saying in German my hobby is mountaineering with a picture of a peak he took last summer in the Alps. His colleague made a slide about Northern Ireland because she is from there, when “where are you from” was the topic. I hardly think this is lacking boundaries.
Pupils are often told at schools that Ms X is off because she has had her baby or whatever.
There are some really hysterical responses on this thread.