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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

AIBU to think that this is no way to organise a PE lesson?

19 replies

Emochild · 14/12/2016 07:46

Dd has just been telling me about yesterday's country dancing lesson (year 8)

They learn the dance then all the girls line up and the boys pick which of the girls they want to ask to dance
The girls when asked have to accept to dance

There are more girls than boys so about 6 of them didn't get picked

At the end of the dance the boys are encouraged to kiss the girls on the cheek -but the girls could say no

-the teachers obviously think i'm being unreasonable because I complained about it 2 years ago when dd1 was forced to dance with a boy that had spent the whole term making inappropriate sexual comments to her all term, and yet the lesson continues in the same format!

But am I really being unreasonable to think that this is an inappropriate way to run a PE lesson?

OP posts:

Squirmy65ghyg · 14/12/2016 07:48

The kissing is awful.

They should be taking it in turns to pick.

claraschu · 14/12/2016 07:48

Sounds horrible. Deeply sexist and offensive as hell.

Mellowautumn · 14/12/2016 07:49

Fuck that - thats a go to the governor's jobber for me !

AndShesGone · 14/12/2016 07:50

That's exactly what it was like at school 35 years ago for me!

Yes, obviously raise these issues

SnugglySnerd · 14/12/2016 07:50

That sounds awful. Can't they all just choose a partner whether boy/girl or not?
I could understand if maybe it was for a school production of Oklahoma or something but not just for a normal PE lesson.

AgentProvocateur · 14/12/2016 07:52

Scottish country dancing? T'was ever thus.

doghairinmytea · 14/12/2016 07:52

I agree with Mellow. That's awful. I don't teach PE but do teach high school. This is sexualisation of children, going to inevitably lead to some kids feeling left out and kissing in a lesson? WTF?!

Original poster

Emochild · 14/12/2016 07:53

The PE teachers seem to think it's some kind of treat lesson at the end of term -the kids think it's horrendous and I can understand why

OP posts:

AgentProvocateur · 14/12/2016 07:54

Posted too soon. It's not just "boys pick girls". There are also "girls pick boys" dances. And if there are too many of one sex, they'll pair up with each other.

ilovesooty · 14/12/2016 07:55

It sounds utterly horrible.

Trixiebelle16 · 14/12/2016 07:56

Yanbu. Horribly outdated and totally inappropriate. I suspect the Daily Mail will love this one.

Bluntness100 · 14/12/2016 07:58

God , I had this at school too, but girls also picked boys, it was taken in turns and no kissing. I guess they could just say pair up, but prob a lot of girls would dance with each other and a lot of boys might not want to, or would turn it into some sort of joke if they had to partner each other. It's tough on how is the best way to do it,

The kissing should stop regardless, that's just OTT.

bigTillyMint · 14/12/2016 08:12

Is it a middle school? Can't imagine that happening in a secondary school round here - the DC would be completely outraged! But maybe things are different in Scotland to inner London

You are quite right to question the only boys asking girls, some girls being left out and the kissing. What is the teacher thinking? This is 2016 not 1956!

We did Scottish country dancing when I was in Y6. I loved it. We did have to pair up, but I think the teacher just paired us, and I don't remember any kissing.

doghairinmytea · 14/12/2016 08:16

Whenever I do pairs work (which never involves kissing!) I pick the pairs. Because someone is always left out and 12 year olds can be bastards to each other!

Original poster

Emochild · 14/12/2016 08:23

It's a high school in a large northern city -not Scotland

And it's amazing what you can get the kids to do through the magical powers of a 'positive' discipline system that seems to be more about the fear of isolations than about the certificates they get occasionally in assembly

OP posts:

BarbarianMum · 14/12/2016 08:28

In the olden days when I did this we were lined up boys opposite girls and you danced with the person opposite you for the first dance. Then for the next the girls moved left one and then you danced with your new partner for one dance, then the girls moved left one and so on and so forth. There was no kissing.

queenMab99 · 14/12/2016 08:40

This would have been objectionable in the 1950s when I was in school, I can't believe a teacher would do this! It is appalling and inappropriate in many ways.

Ameliablue · 14/12/2016 08:47

The kissing is a bit much but the rest is fairly standard.

MollyHuaCha · 14/12/2016 09:04

I used to teach country dancing to Year 3, 4 and 5. The teacher who guided me did all the 'boys pick the girls' thing (not the kissing!). Once I had learned the format of the dances, I did the picking and I paired the children myself. But there were never an even number of males and females. The pre-recorded music had a caller who would give directions for the dance such as "girls cross over!" And "boys get ready to do-si-do!" But we always had a couple of kids dancing for the wrong sex and I wd feel for them. Shame, because the actual dancing was really good fun and very energetic.

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