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Original poster

Is the world going mad or am I

44 replies

blockpavingismynightmare · 09/09/2022 12:23

My grandson started high school this week. It is all very exciting for him. I picked him up the other day and he was telling me everything that has happened to him. I got the story about how he forgot his pencil case and had to return to his classroom and got lost.......... that sort of thing !
Then he mentioned the teacher in his music class. She is an older lady with children apparently. She started talking about how she wanted to be addressed and how disgusting it was that men are called 'Mr' but women are called 'Miss'. The rant went on for the whole lesson and not a quaver in sight. How weird !

OP posts:
PAFMO · 09/09/2022 12:28

She's right.
If she exists.

Penguintears · 09/09/2022 12:30

I highly doubt it was a "rant" that went on for a whole lesson.

Magenta82 · 09/09/2022 12:32

She is right it is sexist.

30 years ago in my state school female teachers were addressed as ma'am (as in jam) in order to provide the same level of respect as the male teachers got by being called sir.

Georgeskitchen · 09/09/2022 12:34

At school we always called teachers Sir and Miss. It was quick, concise and to the point. I have no recollection of any complaints about this.
Mind you that was back in the days when teachers were paid to educate children rather than try to indoctrinate them

Original poster
blockpavingismynightmare · 09/09/2022 12:38

@PAFMO · Today 12:28
She's right.
If she exists

She does ! It was a music lesson ? My point is I get what she is saying but isn't there a place and a time for discussions such as this and not strictly in a music lesson ??

OP posts:
Octomore · 09/09/2022 12:38

Penguintears · 09/09/2022 12:30

I highly doubt it was a "rant" that went on for a whole lesson.

Yeah, I'm sceptical that the description you've been given is accurate.

Polimolly · 09/09/2022 12:39

Are you 100% sure this went on for the WHOLE lesson and this is not you GC's wildly exaggerated version of the facts?

Octomore · 09/09/2022 12:40

Do you always uncritically believe every word of what your children tell you about their teachers?

ShowOfHands · 09/09/2022 12:40

Did everybody clap at the end?

Our school uses Sir and Miss. Several of the female faculty explain to new classes that they actually wish not to be called Miss and briefly point out why. I think this is a good thing.

Magenta82 · 09/09/2022 12:40

blockpavingismynightmare · 09/09/2022 12:38

@PAFMO · Today 12:28
She's right.
If she exists

She does ! It was a music lesson ? My point is I get what she is saying but isn't there a place and a time for discussions such as this and not strictly in a music lesson ??

I guess it depends on what happened to trigger it. Perhaps a pupil got her name wrong or addressed her disrespectfully, she set them straight so they know from the start.

Treay · 09/09/2022 12:41

I seriously doubt it went on for the whole lesson.

ErrolTheDragon · 09/09/2022 12:42

Georgeskitchen · 09/09/2022 12:34

At school we always called teachers Sir and Miss. It was quick, concise and to the point. I have no recollection of any complaints about this.
Mind you that was back in the days when teachers were paid to educate children rather than try to indoctrinate them

We called teachers 'Mrs <name>' etc (1960s to 1970s). I'm pretty sure no kid in her classes called my DM 'Miss' twice!Grin

Anyway...I doubt the music teacher's instruction on how to address her really lasted all lesson, that was probably just the only memorable part.

StrictlyAFemaleFemale · 09/09/2022 12:42

If it's the first lesson with her then she will almost certainly have introduced herself. Which if she's not a Mrs probably led to questions from the kids.

Out of interest how many female composers or conductors can you name without googling? I'd say music lessons is a very relevant place to start this discussion.

MarshaMelrose · 09/09/2022 12:42

I don't believe for one second that she talked about it for 40 minutes. 🙄 And if that's not true, what else has been reported inaccurately. Maybe it wasn't a rant but just an explanation that differentiating between Miss and Mrs is sexist.

ShirleyPhallus · 09/09/2022 12:42

Ummmm chinny reckon

Gonewiththewindbeforelong · 09/09/2022 12:45

TBF I get her point, I did and do refer to myself as Ms, even though I’m now married. It’s a salient point to raise it to kids to allow them to form their own thoughts/critique on it. If she went on for an hour, sure, that’s probably germane to overkill, but she had a point nonetheless.

Women always have to fit into boxes: Miss, Mrs, Wife, Mother etc etc

howaboutchocolate · 09/09/2022 12:45

Georgeskitchen · 09/09/2022 12:34

At school we always called teachers Sir and Miss. It was quick, concise and to the point. I have no recollection of any complaints about this.
Mind you that was back in the days when teachers were paid to educate children rather than try to indoctrinate them

So male teachers were addressed as if they were knights of the realm, and female teachers as if they were unmarried schoolgirls. Seems fair.

Original poster
blockpavingismynightmare · 09/09/2022 12:48

This was what he said to me. I laughed but did not question the times. He is not a liar. Why lie about such a thing? He was a bit bewildered. Don't forget, going to high school is a massive leap for a child and he would never have heard anything like this in primary school.
I have just told my daughter and she laughed and said it's either history or drama or music teachers who are the' weirdos'. Her words not mine

OP posts:
ParvuliThankYouDebbie · 09/09/2022 12:49

StrictlyAFemaleFemale · 09/09/2022 12:42

If it's the first lesson with her then she will almost certainly have introduced herself. Which if she's not a Mrs probably led to questions from the kids.

Out of interest how many female composers or conductors can you name without googling? I'd say music lessons is a very relevant place to start this discussion.

Indeed. And how many of them were overshadowed by their male relatives, not due to talent but due to being female in a time when reaching a certain age meant your only use was marriage and children. And how many had their work appropriated by said male relatives?

PAFMO · 09/09/2022 12:51

He's 11 and hasn't realised that men aren't conditioned to define themselves by whether they have a wife or not, yet women in many contexts still are?
And your daughter thinks that women who say "fuck that" are the weird ones?
Really?

mondaytosunday · 09/09/2022 12:57

My kids old school it was Miss and Sir. At my daughter's private London all girls school it is Miss/Mrs/Ms/Mr Surname as they are first introduced.
The headmistress always signs off her emails to parents with her first name which I find disconcerting- I can't imagine calling her by that she is Mrs Surname to me (their old headmaster used to sign off emails to me with his first name if praising something my children had done well, or Mr Surname if telling me about yet another detention for my son)!

knittingaddict · 09/09/2022 12:58

"Weirdos"? Nice. 🤔

Good for that teacher. (if she exists)

crochetmonkey74 · 09/09/2022 13:02

there is 0% that a teacher in 2022 even if she is an 'older lady' spent an hour with Year 7 talking about that subject that you clearly explained in one sentence

crochetmonkey74 · 09/09/2022 13:04

He is not a liar. Why lie about such a thing?

You need to brace yourself immediately for the absolutely dramatic over exaggeration of all teenagers otherwise you'll be up the school giving them what for then having some very embarassing rollbacks

AlmostDone7 · 09/09/2022 13:09

blockpavingismynightmare · 09/09/2022 12:48

This was what he said to me. I laughed but did not question the times. He is not a liar. Why lie about such a thing? He was a bit bewildered. Don't forget, going to high school is a massive leap for a child and he would never have heard anything like this in primary school.
I have just told my daughter and she laughed and said it's either history or drama or music teachers who are the' weirdos'. Her words not mine

I loved my history and music teachers.... not sure what that makes me.

Your family sounds like it looks out for opportunities to criticise?... there are better ways to live your life, you know?

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