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.

You can understand a negative stereotype is negative without going into the details

No wonder we have a generation if snowflakes.

I don't think it's being a snowflake to not want an adult male teacher to discuss negative sexual stereotypes about women with your 11 year old daughter.

I'd say that's safeguarding, frankly.

OP, I'd be tempted to contact a female member of the SLT and ask if you can pass something on without escalating to any form of complaint. You could explain that your DD is concerned about any negative repercussions for her. Then just tell them about the stereotype discussed and how it distressed your daughter. Then leave it with them.

It was indeed a stereotype. It was one of the reasons Magaluf was given "that" nickname. 18-30 holidays were absolutely wild back in the day!

Not appropriate for 11 year olds.

It's a grossly insensitive and inappropriate example to have picked on, even in a lesson dealing with understanding stereotypes.
Age inappropriate. Misogynistic.

That teacher needs his head wobbled for him.

Yes they’re learning about sex in a healthy way. Not being told that women having sex with lots of men is a bad and negative thing by a male teacher who then isn’t discussing the ethics of sex/monogamy/safe sex etc. He’s not providing any context to the mentioning of sex which is what makes it an inappropriate and uneccessary stereotype to choose.

This is definitely a stereotype, and has been for decades!

When I was 19 I was at a resort while Sky TV filmed Greece Uncovered, I add I was on holiday with my now husband, but watching it on TV was eye watering.

Go to any party beach city and casual sex is definitely something that teenagers are doing on holiday!

It has created a stereotype, which both English and European Men have!

I don’t think the teacher is unreasonable!

As a Secondary school teacher myself I expect it's been taken totally out of context. Your child has probably zoomed in on this thing the teacher said as they're fascinated by anything remotely to do with sex at that age. I'd let it go. Only contact the school if he comes home and says other stuff and a pattern emerges.

That is an absolutely insane thing to say to a group of 11 year olds and this man would have nothing more to do with my children.

It's not in any way an appropriate example for the topic.

Same as it wouldn't be an appropriate maths problem to write 'If Mary takes (X) Sambuca shots how many men will she sleep with?'

Surely the fact it’s a sexist stereotype is the whole point?

There simply isn’t a way of teaching this stuff without it being offensive. Because it is offensive.

Other examples might be that people with MH problems are really dangerous.

Or that black people are aggressive and likely to carry knives.

Stereotypes. That the teacher then invites the class to pick apart. What’s the origin of it? Where do we see it? What can we do to counter it?

A weird choice of stereotype to use for that age group. There are so many others he could have used to teach them what that means

I used to work in schools but not as teaching staff. You might be shocked to learn that nine years olds have been recorded as being exposed to porn, usually through their friendship group and via mobile phones.

Nope. She is crying becsuse she knows she is lying to/misleadingbyou and she doesn't kniw how to get out of it now!

If he wanted to give an example of misogynistic stereotypes he could’ve said something like ‘old men think women belong in the home having babies while men go out to work’.

Doesnt work like that!

Isn’t that a stereotype about old men? 😆

The teacher wasn’t saying it’s a bad thing. It was a lesson on harmful stereotypes and how these are often inaccurate.

You can’t have a lesson on negative stereotypes without giving examples!

YADNBU. Disgusting - and you just know that that ‘example’ has been used because apparently it’s ok to talk about British women in this prejudiced bigoted way.

The teacher couldn’t have spoken about any other nationality or stereotype, it seems.

Says it all. And yes of course the fact it’s about drinking and ‘sleeping with lots of men’ is totally inappropriate as well.

I’d raise the issue on all counts.

Sorry I haven’t RTFT, people have probably already said the above.

Another teacher here (though retired). This is entirely inappropriate in my view as a stereotype to use. OP, I would investigate.

I’d email and question this. No need to talk sex when talking about stereotypes. Quite inappropriate.

Perhaps that was the point. He was talking about stereotypes.

No... That's completely inappropriate. I'd talk to the kids about blonde hair or red hair etc. I've taught stereotypes and used pictures but they aren't usually based on gender. A person in a wheelchair, a hair colour, maybe even a race based image. Or descriptions.

The teacher may have gone on to describe that this is a harmful stereotype, as this promiscuous label can make life difficult for British women when we go abroad, especially if not in an obvious partnership with a male.

PSHE lessons are designed to provoke thought and make us confront uncomfortable truths, so we can challenge them.

You say this fellow is not a specialist in PSHE: He's probably had zero training and has been given a shit booklet and a powerpoint with some shit/non-working video links, which will bore the students to death. He's trying to fill the gaps with examples he's had to pull out of his arse, especially if the students are not forthcoming with their own examples. PSHE lessons are probably full of clangers. I say cut him some slack, especially if you know that within his own comfort zone, as a specialist teacher, he is less awkward.