WIBU to print off this article and give it to the teacher.

[Imalldonethanks]

DD (8) came home from school at the end of last term talking about the differences in male and female brains (not relating to their weight or structure!). Her teacher had declared she has a 'male' brain because she is logical and rational.
This sort of talk boils my blood.
My next child is in her class this year and I don't want her to listen to this sort of crap.

I get on reasonably well with this teacher, but there are very few opportunities to chat.

So WIBU to print off an article from The New Scientist debunking that theory and send it in with a note saying 'thought you might find this interesting'?

Of course I've thanked many of DD's teachers over the years. My parents were teachers, and people certainly thanked them on occasion. Some ex pupils came to their funerals and expressed gratitude.

Princess, that word WHITE means nothing implies nothing...
You used it simple to provoke.
So yes my answer is nothing...

So thanking the person who sees your child and works with your child for as long as they do is worth one simple thanks gift at the end of the year. They would far rather you told them how much your child enjoyed learning about how the sun makes a plant grow.

It's the fact no one says well done to a teacher

I am the first to say well done to a teacher, frankly, when they are good at their job. Good teachers are the professionals that I most admire in the world. But I would not want the teacher the OP is referring to teaching a child of mine.

I come from a family of scientists. My mother got a nationwide science prize by in the thirties and my sister rose to be one of the top ten computer consultants in her area. So bullshit to female brains not being logical and rational.

Princess, that word WHITE means nothing implies nothing..

Implies nothing? Really? racism doesn't exist? Brilliant! Because the implication for years and in fact fairly recently by a nobel prize winning geneticist is that black people just weren't/aren't as clever as white people. So saying a logical child had a white brain would have been comparable. But let me guess, you know that's racist?

They would far rather you told them how much your child enjoyed learning about how the sun makes a plant grow.

I know teachers have a hard time of it, but I also know that I and everyone I know thanks their children's teachers regularly.

I will still comment on sexism because I have no thanks for a teacher who tells my daughter girls aren't as clever

AS I said Atenco she should have said Technical not male.
but she could be an amazing teacher, who really gets things through to her pupils.
And yes we do thank the teacher at DD's school, been know to buy them a drink if we see them outside of school hours.

The NewScientist article doesn't say there are no male vs. female differences. It says that most people are a mix of traits rather than there being a sharp threshold between M & F, that it's wrong to think the distinction is usually sharp, although some people are strongly skewed one way or the other.

BBC quiz for do you think more like a male or a female. I come out very male on BBC quiz. I don't understand MNers AT ALL.

Princess, that word WHITE means nothing implies nothing..
It shows how badly you worded your question that not in a million years did what your implying even cross my mind, perhaps had you could have used a different word.
So many things have been invented by so many different races, that I don't even know what a WHITE brain is. Is that good or bad?

mummy not wanting your child to be exposed to outdated, sexist ideas has no bearing on how you view teachers in general.

If the teacher is genuinely interested in reading about this, Cordelia Fine's Testosterone Rex is a good book to suggest.

AS I said Atenco she should have said Technical not male.

If she'd said technical brains and artistic brains then I doubt anyone would be complaining. (Though doubt there's any simple division there either.) She could indeed be an amazing teacher in other respects. Hopefully OP has helped her towards being an amazing teacher who also doesn't accidentally tell the girls in her care that she has lower expectations of them when it comes to logic. Everyone wins.

Lets hope your all as dedicated to stamping out bullying in schools as you are to this subject, and not just armchair warriors.

^Princess, that word WHITE means nothing implies nothing..
It shows how badly you worded your question that not in a million years did what your implying even cross my mind, perhaps had you could have used a different word.
So many things have been invented by so many different races, that I don't even know what a WHITE brain is. Is that good or bad?^

Well you picked on posts before the one where I specifically said

The "science" used to say poc were also just not as intelligent as white people. This had nothing to do with bme people being told they weren't clever and being given fewer opportunities right? Just white brains vs brown brains

So I assumed you would have read it... you obviously missed that one post.

but now that I've explained. Please tell me would that bother you?

Not liking sexism directed at my daughter isn't being an armchair warrior

NoMoreNotToday is my new heroine.

No it's not ok to say a male brain. It's lazy phrasing and loaded with subtext. Female, autistic, STEM mother here. I fight against stereotypes every day. We must challenge this sort of nonsense.

If you look at who invented what,
Chinese paper, ink.
Egyptians invented the first ciphered numeral system
Romans Numbers are used to count.
A Coloured man invented the fridge. ( Forgive me if that;s not the correct word)
China Paper money,
Russia the Radio,
Pakistan the Ruler,
India Microwave Communication.

Sorry but I know all these brains can't be called just white or brown.

What the fuck are you on about? You don't want to answer the question, you've worked around it for several posts now and you're looking a bit silly. But for the sake of argument.

If a teacher said to your child that they had a European brain, or an Asian brain or an African brain, would that be OK then? Is that what you're saying?

Oh and just noticed that you still use coloured. Actually don't bother. I assumed you didn't want to admit that it would be racist. Not that you'd agree with the premise. Unless you're 85 and living in a wifi less cave you know it's not the correct word.

Please don't pretend you were unsure either as you've actually written "forgive me if that's not right" implying you know it isn't. And when you have access to google

bfy.tw/DlGW

I am trying to point out a Brain doesn't have a colour.
Just like I said the teacher should have said technical not male
However I do feel your need for political correctness and the way it effects your children, is something that should be taught at home. Your not always going to be around to inform your child that something is not PC, and it's far better to have a child who is aware of the Issue, as the OP said she had talked to her child about it, than to come down on a teacher for one chance remark.
There will always be some idiot who says something to your child, and the child needs to be able to think for themselves.

I have friends who are Black and think it is fine, I also have friends who are Black and like being called Black not Coloured.

Being older and living where I do we don't have much call to worry about it.

At the risk of posting something vaguely on topic.

If you are going to print out all the articles that support that information in schools is "debunked" you will be spending alot of time printing.

Learning styles
VAK
growth mindset
dirt
various send strategies
inclusion
exclusion
sanctions
uniform
exam styles
controlled assessment
100% exam

as just a few examples of what you print articles for, bit for and against.

What's bad is that after the follow up post, I can quite believe that the wrong term you were referring to was fridge. Not using coloured is just being pc? Wtf!

I wouldn't need to inform my child that isn't pc, she was able to deduce at an early age that she didn't know any pink, purple or green kids.

And fwiw any parent who tells their child not to do or say something because it isn't pc is a fool, and probably a discriminatory fool at that.

I see the thread has moved on a bit since I was at the gym!

Princess:
Just because you know someone is foreign is there a reason to comment on it? hmm Hey Johhny Furriner your essay is late.

Er, that's not what I said. But it is ok to say, for example, "lots of foreigners pass through our airport every year". Ie context is everything.
Foreigners is also insulting if the person isn't foreign. I don't understand this point. I am a white, Scottish person. If someone mistook me for a German (which they might, as my name is quite Germanic), I wouldn't be offended. Why would I?

mummy2017 would you be happy with the teacher saying the child had a white brain?
Er, there is no difference between the brain of a black person or a white person. (So far as I know). You're just being inflammatory.
I have no thanks for a teacher who tells my daughter girls aren't as clever

I would be absolutely staggered if any teacher (male or female) said
this these days. I just don't believe it.
It's parents like you that make teachers' jobs so much harder. Shame you're not in the classroom instead of your kids, you might learn something!

Solaris:
artificial sperm is yet to be viable. Men are still needed for baby-making.
We could have enough frozen sperm in the world that we could dispense with men indefinitely.

Mummy2017 & Princess
I'm actually shocked that someone who should be capable of looking at information from all angles would have missed the huge amount of evidence showing that boy/girls brains was largely cultural and mostly based on shit science
I have never claimed to be a neuroscientist! (Although my dad is, coincidentally!) But I will tell you that I am a woman who has trouble with spatial awareness (Exhibit A - one scratched bumper). And I think you lot should give your kids' teachers a bloody break once in a while!

Datsun:
feminine' traits are not considered praiseworthy, in a man. Why? Interesting point. But I don't think that's always true. Look how men are praised as heroes when they do some parenting, especially when they become a sole parent. Because being the primary care-give is seen as a female skil. Also - sensitive song writing or poetry - men are praise for this.

20nil:
am a school governor and I can assure you that this would be taken very seriously at my school
Really? The poor teachers will feel like the secret service are after them! I suggest you spend your time on genuinely serious matters such as: bullying and academic achievement.

Atenco:
My mother got a nationwide science prize by in the thirties and my sister rose to be one of the top ten computer consultants in her area. So bullshit to female brains not being logical and rational.
Did your glorious scientific family not explain to you that you cannot argue against statistical evidence using anecdotal evidence?

once had a Mum scream at me and complain to the headteacher because I said that I clean my teeth as soon as I get up in the morning. Apparently I was wrong because you're supposed to clean your teeth after breakfast.
You were right. You should clean your teeth before breakfast. Don't clean your teeth right after breakfast, especially if you had fruit juice as the acid plus the brushing will scrub off your enamel. If you do want to brush afterwards, chew gum or use mouthwash first and wait 30 mins.