Am I overreacting to this teacher’s comment?

[queenkettricken]

I’ll start by saying that I’m a teacher myself -primary. My daughter is in year 7 at high school and today her personal development teacher was talking about stereotypes. He mentioned the stereotype that English women go abroad on holiday, get really drunk and sleep with lots of men.

I’m shocked by the reference to sleeping with lots of people and want to email the school but honestly don’t know if I’m overreacting. I teach in UKS2 and cannot imagine touching on this subject even at the very end of year 6.

Should I accept that this is high school and that stuff like this is ok? Or am I right to be shocked that my 11 year is being exposed to this.

Why was it about women doing this? Mysogynistic crap by a male teacher - he needs to be careful even if by the end of the lesson he's dispelled it as a truth, he's still a man using a woman in a exist way.

You’ve heard it out of context and your daughter could have used a slightly different turn of phrase to summarise what was said. The point in the lesson was to demonstrate how stereotypes are wrong. I really don’t think this is worth following up. And I’d be mortified if I were your daughter and had to continue seeing the teacher all the time. There’s bigger battles worth picking.

11 and 12, not 10 and 11.

Exactly. I don’t get the outrage. It literally is a stereotype about some British women on holiday and how we may perceived by some men from other countries.

I honestly think that this is a good example of why courts shouldn’t have jury’s anymore! “Someone said someone else said something so IT HAPPENED!! No evidence required!!”

Agree, not sure why so many people are jumping on saying that it isn't. It most definitely is a typical stereotypical view held by many in Europe about the behaviour of many british women when on holiday. It's not new. It was a stereotype when I was in my teens many years ago.

Absolutely not unreasonable! It is awful and so unecessary when there are so many other stereotypes. I think it’s creepy tbh.

He sounds like a bit of a dick for using that example but if you ever want your daughter to tell you anything ever again, I would respect her wishes and not email in. Teachers are a mixed bag and I remember having some pretty strange ones at school. We didn't need our parents to write in to the school about them. We were quite capable of judging them for ourselves and laughing about them with our friends.

I don't get it either. The lesson was about stereotypes, he provided a example that is easy to disprove (because it's outdated as well as untrue) and probably went on to explain how stereotypes can be linked to other prejudices like misogyny. Saying that, it's not an example I would use, but I also wouldn't complain.

I also don't get why your daughter is crying.
If you make a huge fuss over the little stuff, she might not want to tell you about the big stuff in future.

Kid bashing, how nice

I'm afraid you are very naïve about what 11 and 12 year-olds are aware of. 'Sleep with' is a mild euphemism. It's not offensive, it's not graphic, it's not even at all descriptive, and it's not telling an 11 year-old anything they don't already know about.

When I was at school, a lot of the 13 year old girls were having sex.

I think some people are missing the point. It’s not about the stereotype itself and whether it’s actually a common stereotype (loads of more common ones btw). A male teacher made a comment about females having sex to a female student. He isn’t her PSHE / RSE teacher and it’s inappropriate.

So the real point here is that PSHE teaching should be planned and scripted to the smallest detail to avoid any language that might offend.

Did he? You were there and KNOW he said this?

The OP said he is her Personal Development teacher. That's what some schools (including mine) call PSHE.

Wth this isnt even a stereotype.
I am outraged.
But maybe that is the point of the lesson. But seems a really odd example to use for year 7.
I am trying though to think of an example they could have used in class that doesnt offend any groups to the point of outrage.. and actually it is hard. All white men do this, all black men do that, all gay people do this, all women are.. all gingers are... all blondes are..
Yeah... this is a hard one to find an example to teach I guess... someone was going to be really angry whatever one they used.

Phone thd headteacher
Tell them over the phone. Gauge thdcreaction. I teach y7 and this is deeply inappropriate. PD doesn't have these phrases in the curriculum
Certainly not for 12 year old. Complain tomorrow and email the board of governors.

Exactly! It wasn’t his personal opinion.

How do people not know that this is a stereotype.

It very much is a stereotype of young English women.

If you go round Europe, a lot of Europeans say that English women are easy, low morals will have sex with multiple men on hoiday

Do NOT email about this.
She will never trust you again.

It’s a very common stereotype. 18-30s holidays anyone?

Yes I remember being in Spain and a Spanish man told me that Spanish young men see young English women as easy to have sex with and always drunk. He said they also thought that young English women often had gang bangs on holidays. He met one young english woman when he eas working in he holiday resort, who was talking about having sex with three men in one night.

Exactly.

Why not?