Non-binary teacher?

[Thompson198]

Name change.
I’ve got a 5 year old daughter due to go into year 2 in September. We’ve just been told that the teacher for next year is a non-binary/‘non-gender-conforming’ man who wants to be referred to by ‘Mx’ (pronounced mix) and they/them pronouns.
Quite a few of the parents have already complained and started looking for other places at local schools because of this.
what do you think?
My daughter has SEN and is one of the youngest in her class, I worry how she’s going to be able to keep up with the pronouns and understand this without us having to teach her about gender ideology at her age. My husband is extremely against teaching her gender ideology, especially so young, I’m not the most positive about it either but don’t feel as strongly as him. He also doesn’t want her being at the school in September but they have been very supportive for her so far and I’m concerned it might not be the same elsewhere.
Thoughts? How would you feel if this was your child’s teacher?

This person isn't trans.
Nice failed attempt at virtue signalling.

Don’t worry, the child will get the hang of it in about 10 seconds. They’re fast learners.

If you don’t know how to pronounce Mx., ask someone who knows a Mx., and whether they’re 5 or 50 they’ll help you out.

Ms isn't about denying your sex.

In which case this person's gender is still "man".

He hasn't grown up in a magical gender free bubble.

He is taking a job vacated by a woman who has just had a baby. If he remains in teaching, this probably won't be the last time a good opportunity presents itself to him because a woman has had a baby, and if he is any good at playing the game he will most likely end up occupying senior positions at a young age because the women who might have been competing with him for those roles had babies and took themselves out of the running.

He has been socialised as male for his entire life and continues to benefit from male privilege.

Using gender neutral pronouns makes no difference to that.

And if he turns out to be a wrong'un and harms a child, the child needs to be able to use accurate language to describe what has happened to them and who did it.

I remember people saying being gay was made up bollox too.

Hugely relevant within the context of the school. If it’s a larger, double stream school then I wouldn’t be as concerned but a smaller, single stream school could potentially offer less support.

Experience is absolutely crucial in teaching.

What does it mean to be gender neutral?
its not possible
its performative nonsense which has no meaning unless you believe in the cult of gender identity and gendered souls which plenty of people don't

I worked ina secondary school which I do agree is different but there was a non binary trainee. They wanted to be referred to as Mx and the kids still ended uo calling them miss as they looked very female.

This is a really offensive comparison to make.

My SEN child wouldn't even understand the concept of non-binary and Mx. I recon, there are a few typical 5 year olds who will struggle to get their head around why the bloke teaching them is not Mr but Mix. Ridiculous to expect 5 year olds to accommodate this.

I wouldn't overthink it though and just go with the flow. He may still be a good teacher and that is all that matters.

Not really. Where is the rule that says that people have to label themselves by sex? As long as he only uses the men’s toilets and doesn’t use a female title, I couldn’t care less that he doesn’t want to use a male title.

Ah right, well now you know otherwise. 😬

I disagree.

In general I would agree with this approach but I think it is problematic when the person is a teacher. This isn't about belief, it is about fact. And if a teacher is at odds with scientific fact I would question their authority on other matters too. I'm not sure how you can explain to a child that their teacher is wrong about something so fundamental but it's ok to listen to and learn from them about everything else.

Mx is labelling yourself by sex too - you're saying you're a bit of both.

Someone using “Miss” is saying they don’t want to tell you if they are married or not.

Someone using “Mx” is the equivalent of saying I’m neither married nor not married.

It is nonsensical and that is the issue when asking others to play along with the fantasy.

Precisely

Exactly this.
I am GC. I know quite a few people who identify as non binary. Some of them are dicks about it, some of them are vulnerable, and others are perfectly nice normal people who have chosen a different way than I would to deal with issues around gender.
A teacher identifying as non binary can potentially bring problems with it but I would be keeping a watching brief for those problems rather than throwing out the baby with the bath water and ditching an otherwise good school over something that might not prove as problematic as you fear.

I’m with your DH.

I went to look at 2 schools last week and one had a great big board outside reception saying what’s lgbqt abcdefghijlmnopq+ mean to you!! Sorry these are reception children they don’t need gender ideology stuffed down their young throats. They nearly know what abc is! At least my decision was made easy!

what happens if your child quite rightly calls them Mr instead of Mx? Is your child suspended or expelled for offending them?

Yes, flat earthers can be good teachers. Having batshit beliefs doesn’t stop someone from being a good teacher.

It’s only if they try and indoctrinate their pupils with those beliefs that there’s an issue. While they stick to the curriculum and leave their personal views out of it, their beliefs are irrelevant.

"You have a child with special needs. The gender identification of her teacher is way down the list of things that are important right now. Her being in a supportive school, where she is settled and happy and has a friendship group, is key."

As a parent of a child with special needs I agree.

The addressing of name wouldn’t bother me it’s just a title as long as they had a realistic expectation of 6 years olds. If you are happy with the school and the support they are putting in place for your child I’d stay.

Even gay people think this is all going too far. Why? They were the group, who did face discrimination and they know things have come a long way. Some people don't want to settle for equality - they want to push for more. It's all very tiresome and, quite frankly, attention seeking. A new teacher should be concerning themselves with children's development, not throwing more complications into the mix.

Unfortunately when those personal beliefs relate to gender ideology we have good reason to think he won't leave them at home.

You can disagree all you like, doesn't make it right.

Being gay is an evidenced and verifiable sexual orientation.

Being non-binary is ... well who knows?

For what it's worth, if this teacher was gay there would be zero reason to mention it to a class of six year olds either.