advice on a male teacher at DDs school please

His social media should be shut down so kids can't look at it!! The school should have rules about that. Inappropriate.

Yep I’m going to go all out and say that someone who views female bodies in this way has no business teaching PE to teenage girls. Full stop. Now more than ever girls need the message that they’re doing PE to keep themselves healthy and strong, not to make their bodies look a certain way for men’s viewing pleasure.

so I can't ask them what exactly makes them feel uncomfortable

That would have been my first question - long before posting on here.

@DidoLamenting

Yes, of course I would. Because teenagers can be very manipulative.

I found my 2 female PE teachers at school watching us so closely in the communal showers creepy. Too much up and down staring

If my kids feel uncomfortable, therefore, which they don't often, I listen

And presumably ask why they feel uncomfortable? The OP hasn't given any concrete examples like your one above beyond he watches the girls doing PE.

It is absolutely appropriate for him to follow whomever he chooses.

Female athletes and male athletes too don’t wear many clothes depending on the sport. He’s a pe teacher. Of course he’s going to follow sports people.

I’m a teacher and I follow a lot of female athletes on social media because I am interested in their successes. My SM is private, but if I comment on one of their public posts and a student sees it and tells their parents should I get in trouble? The kids were wrong to harass the teachers social media, most schools have a safer use policy for the internet - ours includes the use of social media for both staff and students and they mentions not searching each other.

Also, year 9 girls can be the most unfriendly in terms of being a new teacher, to me it sounds like they’ve got a vendetta against him and they are trying to use his gender against him. If an all boys group didn’t want a teacher as they were female would the reaction be the same?

I assume that part of the issue is personal experience.

I found my 2 female PE teachers at school watching us so closely in the communal showers creepy. Too much up and down staring. They were in a relationship with each other, we had caught them out several times.

I also caught my geography and music teachers out. They eventually married. I must have bad timing.

I felt uncomfortable as a teenager on too many occasions which ended badly for me.

If my kids feel uncomfortable, therefore, which they don't often, I listen.

And maybe he's not creepy. Either way he definitely should be locking his SM down and the fact that he hasn't has caused a problem with his students which now needs to somehow be resolved. I would expect any conscientious teacher in this situation to be reflecting and learning from this.

Yes, he was stupid not to do that and hopefully he will learn from it. I don’t work at a school, I work at a university. I have been blocked by colleagues on SM due to who I followed (have since deleted SM). Apparently me following some gender critical feminists meant that I was a hateful and problematic person. So I am quite sensitive about people being tainted by association just because of their social media. Following someone doesn’t mean you endorse them and nor do fitness models dressing scantily constitute anything inappropriate. Body building is literally all about showing off your body and it’s about strength rather than sex. People need to allow teachers to have a private life and stop being offended if they find something they don’t like when they are the ones snooping.

The fact that a lot of women encounter creepy men doesn’t mean that this guy has done something wrong. Most rational people realise that we can’t convict or sack people based purely on intuition.

I agree. That is obviously a wrong interpretation of my argument if you think that's what I said or meant.

And maybe he's not creepy. Either way he definitely should be locking his SM down and the fact that he hasn't has caused a problem with his students which now needs to somehow be resolved. I would expect any conscientious teacher in this situation to be reflecting and learning from this.

OP what exactly is it that he's doing that makes the girls feel uncomfortable?

From what the OP has told us - watching and existing. I assume we're not talking about Joe Biden levels of making young women feel uncomfortable.

Still no explantion from the OP about the statement the girls feel uncomfortable when he watches them doing PE

How exactly does a PE teacher supervise a class without watching them?

Did the OP ask for any concrete examples to justify this feeling?

Not sure why all these people have arrived to defend the poor creepy PE teacher but of course the OP is right to be concerned and to raise the issue.

The poor creepy PE teacher? There’s literally nothing in here that suggests he’s done anything wrong beyond not locking down his Instagram account. Also, if he’s a PE teacher, following female athletes and bikini models isn’t as weird as you think, as he’s probably into fitness. I agree it should be locked but that’s the only wrong thing he’s done. I think the OP’s DD and her friends need to get over their ‘discomfort’ at his Instagram following.

The fact that a lot of women encounter creepy men doesn’t mean that this guy has done something wrong. Most rational people realise that we can’t convict or sack people based purely on intuition. It can do enormous damage.

My profile is private,the name on it has no relation to my real name. A parent or two still managed to find me because they're friends with parents in DD's class(different schools). Not just that,but they try to add me too. I always ignore.

I hate that him following sports women is automatically seen as sexual. Maybe he admires bodybuilders. All bodybuilders show off their bodies, don't they. I see this all the time, a little boy admires a woman and everyone's like ooooh you really LIKE her. Maybe her admires her, you know, for her skills, but he soon learns not to say so.

But he's not even posting these photos himself?
So they've searched for him... then found accounts he follows and gone into those accounts to see the photos posted (not by him).

But yes, he should have his account private.

OP what exactly is it that he's doing that makes the girls feel uncomfortable?

Sporty PE teacher following athletes on social media... wouldn’t have reported that to a head teacher.!

Maybe his line manager should have a word with him about setting his social media to private.

@Veterinari

This. It's no wonder people are "leaping" to his defence, OP. It literally does not seem like he's done anything wrong.

What on earth is "makes them feel uncomfortable" supposed to mean?Huh?!?!

Oh, I get it. We are playing the double standards, quick reverse whilst you weren't looking game!

I have no idea what you are on about.

Have you actually seen these 'offensive' images OP? What is it about images of female athletes that you're so concerned about - surely you should be encouraging your daughter to follow strong female role models?

What exactly is the teacher doing that is making them uncomfortable?

I'm all for acting on instincts and think the gift of fear should be required reading for all women and girls but honestly this sounds like teen girl bitchiness to a new teacher/resistance to change.
The poor bloke hasn't actually done anything wrong and his SM whilst it should be locked, is following other sporting professionals which seems entirely appropriate.

I honestly think you need to talk to your daughter about respecting others privacy and examine your own biases that considers female athletes to be 'indecent'