Spelling homework for 10yr old- anus!

[sammac]

I kid you not. One of my daughters spelling words this week. I was not happy, luckily it was parent's evening tonight and I expressed my concern (!) to both the teacher and the Head. Her jaw dropped when I showed her the homework jotter. Explanation was it is part of our health topic. Surely there should be a different word used?

I'm with hmb (and another Biology teacher- kind of). It's the proper word- and when I was 10 we had to be able to draw the entire digestive tract and label all the parts including anus! We were tested on it. Nothing rude about anus.

Mind you I've used front bottom, back bottom, and middle bottom in my A level class. Mainly becase I was stunned to discover how many boys didn't know girls have 3 bottoms rather than 2! My "kids" (students) were 19 and it always caused great hilarity but every year I had a couple looking very confused and consulting the diagrams carefully I used to love that lesson- complete with pop up book.

I would prefer they learnt these proper techincal terms at an early age without embarassment - we have all got one after all and they are very important - we would be completely messed up without one .

Have to say that I agree with hmb and Popsy. If the children were given a whole range of health/science related words, then anus is not out of contect and a perfectly acceptable technical term to be learning.

My great aunt used to wear a perfume that she pronounced 'Anus Anus' . . .

LOL at this thread, just impressed at the teacher's fearless deployment of a word that must have led to a mass outbreak of sniggering.
All hail ALL biology teachers!

my philosophy is that if you are old enough to learn about the word then you are old enough to learn to spell it!
So write it in your jotter!

hope sammac isnt too overawed by the response of the teachers....
I really do see your point from a parent's point of view but it is important educationally...

Sorry I just have to repeat
'let's hear it for the anus' c hmb.
lol at this thread.

In principle I agree with using the correct words for parts of the anatomy. I did blench though at the cheese counter in Waitrose when friends 3 year old dd said to me 'my vagina feels very itchy'. Very loudly.

LOL puddle and Copper

Puddle, no wonder you were a bit shocked - she almost certainly meant her vulva

re: 'my vagina feels very itchy,'is there a cute word for girls genitals that i can use for dd (5mths) to prevent any embarrassing situations arising when she is older?!