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AIBU?

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Original poster

AIBU to be a bit shocked at this teacher

194 replies

Canshopwillshop · 14/09/2018 20:03

My DS has come home with a list of spellings for English homework. One of them is the word ‘August’ for which the teacher has broken down into a nice memorable ‘All Ugly Girls Use Spot Treatment’! I feel this is totally unacceptable and a terrible message to put across to young kids.

OP posts:
Aspenfrost · 14/09/2018 21:59

It’s a good mnemonic. The more bizarre the better.

(Stop being offended by every little thing. Argh)

SheGotBetteDavisEyes · 14/09/2018 22:01

I think some posters are clearly insecure about themselves which includes their gender and therefore over react

Noticing and identifying sexism indicates insecurity?

Women identifying sexism makes them 'insecure'. ffs.

SheGotBetteDavisEyes · 14/09/2018 22:02

Stop being offended by every little thing

Everyday sexism. A 'little thing.'

ffs (again).

BertrandRussell · 14/09/2018 22:03

"Stop being offended by every little thing. Argh)"
I'm not offended by every little thing. But I think that little things matter-particularly when you're building up young people's mental "furniture". And there is enough sexist shit around without adding even a little bit more.

DumptonPark · 14/09/2018 22:03

I was picked on in Year 7 when I started getting spots. I can imagine those boys who made my life a misery would have loved saying something like this to me.
I'd mention it to the teacher.

KurriKurri · 14/09/2018 22:05

I think some posters are clearly insecure about themselves which includes their gender and therefore over react.

I think some posters are thick as slurry.

Marie0 · 14/09/2018 22:05

But it's not sexism is it? People are over thinking this and making it about something which is completely unrelated to the original intention.

You have taken a trivial example of something with no depth and you are making it about ,noticing or identifying sexism'.

I think sexism is a deeper issue which is not remotely related to this example in OP

Narnia72 · 14/09/2018 22:06

Horrible and unnecessary. You can have my August one:

An
Umbrella
Gets
Unhappy
Seeing
Toes

Complete nonsense, sung to the tune of "she'll be coming round the mountain"

My dyslexic 10 year old can now remember it. No insults necessary x

LittleBookofCalm · 14/09/2018 22:08

Egg white

egypt, that was my first year at senior school.
and college was
stationery pen
stationary car

LittleBookofCalm · 14/09/2018 22:08

that's learn me not to read the full thread.

Marie0 · 14/09/2018 22:08

This reply has been deleted

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LittleBookofCalm · 14/09/2018 22:08

or is it fucking thread?

LRDtheFeministDragon · 14/09/2018 22:10

Of course it's sexism.

It's saying that 'ugly' girls use spot treatments. So it's feeding into the ideas that girls should be 'pretty,' that girls are vain (they feel the need to change their appearance), and that the main metric we should use to judge girls (in this context) is how 'ugly' they are.

It's sexist both because it's addressing only one gender with a negative depiction, and because that negative depiction feeds into pre-existing negative stereotypes about that gender.

Frankly, the fact adult posters can't grasp this and can still spare time to sneer at children who can't spell august, suggests to me their education should have included more basic logic and less spelling.

KurriKurri · 14/09/2018 22:12

This reply has been deleted

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ChocolateWombat · 14/09/2018 22:19

It's something to help poor spellers. Pnemonics work better when bizarre and memorable......they don't stand to make a factual point or a a viewpoint, and to see them as such just sounds precious.

Save your complaints until there is something worth complaining about, or do you plan to constantly be onto the school because every little thing offends you and you think it's your job to point it out and correct them? Sorry, but I think you should recognise that in no way is this teacher suggesting that what the pneumonic says is true, and perhaps that's something to point out to the child too....part of growing up is surely starting to learn these subtleties.

Willow2017 · 14/09/2018 22:21

When I learned the piano it was 'Every good boy deserves food.' that was 40 years ago!

And yes its shit op. We have enough problems with young girls and the pressure of social media, online bullying, posing for selfies, having to have the latest 'look' etc etc etc without this crap adding to it.

ChocolateWombat · 14/09/2018 22:22

Are you really thinking if contacting the school about this?

chicken75 · 14/09/2018 22:23

Relate it to insecurities (in my case) all you want Marie. My insecurities come from this type of thing. Being picked on and bullied throughout childhood for any little thing. This is justifying reasons to ridicule others...male or female.

I for one don't want my kids to have the same issues I had.

LRDtheFeministDragon · 14/09/2018 22:25

Pnemonics work better when bizarre and memorable

Except, clearly, they don't.

Funny how almost all of the people defending this as a method of teaching seem unable to cope with basic spelling and grammar.

SheGotBetteDavisEyes · 14/09/2018 22:25

But it's not sexism is it?

Yes it is.

Read LRDtheFeministDragon's excellent post above. It might help.

Marie0 · 14/09/2018 22:25

Kurri Kurri aw bless, yes of course, it's me that usually says something stupid! what would you base this on?

Oh by the way was that an opinion or just a stupid personal comment because you couldn't think of anything intelligent to say?

People disagree with you - get over it

LRDtheFeministDragon · 14/09/2018 22:25

Thank you!

ChocolateWombat · 14/09/2018 22:26

What about developing a bit of resilience too? Isnt that something schools are very keen on now too? This pneumonic isn't bullying - it isn't saying that the statement is true - it is there to teach poor spellers a word.

Marie0 · 14/09/2018 22:28

LRDthe FeministDragon

Love the username :)

LRDtheFeministDragon · 14/09/2018 22:28

IT'S A SODDING MNEMONIC.

Honestly, if you cannot understand how to spell the word, do you not think you are single-handedly demonstrating the failure of what you are saying?