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Secondary education

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Original poster

French teacher called her Ginger

79 replies

Hyland · 21/01/2016 23:09

It would seem that the teacher didnt mean to offend my daughter.

However the class was writing down the translation for french words.

The list went like this:
Politics
Business/company
Aeroplane
Celebrity
Bmx
Shopping centre/world trade centre
Poor people
Ginger
Fashion
Boat
Climbing
Factory
Married
Grandchildren

Anyway when she got to the word Roux, the teacher said to my daughter you will know this one.

I think this threw my daughter off (not knowing why she would know above everyone) and ahe hesitated as she thought the translation for Roux was red and the teacher said no it's Ginger, lets not confuse everyone.

I think their was a few giggles and obvioulsy everyone was looking at her.

Needless to say she was really embarrassed.

What is everyones opinon on this?!

OP posts:
whatwouldrondo · 22/01/2016 09:57

MrsOGrady it is in most secondary schools, and mine was in an indie, and it is when some grown man shouts to a 13 year old "eh ginger is the bush the same as the treetop". Of course if you have red hair embrace it, that is your right but it should not be acceptable to use the word in a rude way and some people need no excuse so why give them one ?

Personally I bought my children up to be proud of themselves and offer the same respect to others.

FurryDogMother · 22/01/2016 09:57

I've been ginger all my life (56 years of it) - was called 'carrot top' at primary school, which I thought was funny, and 'ginger' many many times thereafter, but never seen it as an insult. I've always loved my colouring - and that's probably down to my Mum who told me it was lovely, and attractive - so I thought anyone who made fun of it was just stupid. I still can't for the life of me see it as an insult!

MrsGradyOldLady · 22/01/2016 10:05

Is it really still like that? Genuinely my 15 year old has never been called names like that. She's really popular - one of the "cool kids". In fact one of her nicknames is "Ginge" - a name she uses herself.

I'm 43 and have never experienced abuse for being ginger. I've experienced abuse for being a weirdo, and a swot, and a "stiff" but never for being ginger.

I do know a lot of redheads locally though.

whatwouldrondo · 22/01/2016 10:18

Well one of the "cool" girls (not that I think "cool" and "Popular" are particularly desirable labels since they tend to imply that there is some sort of regime of rigid norms and exclusion going on, certainly at DDs school that meant being thin and blonde, or thin and black) at my DDs school actually did dye her lovely red hair to fit in. Mind you they excluded the Asian and Chinese girls as well though they obviously could not joke about their difference, so DD had a lovely sub culture to enjoy.

Sarf Yes "ginger minger" was a common delight....

Ancienchateau · 22/01/2016 10:24

I don't think the teacher was being offensive. Is it a thing now that we aren't allowed to mention hair colour?

In fact if the teacher is actually French, it can be perceived as a compliment: red hair being highly sought after in France. Not that that has any relevance here.

I'd be more concerned quite frankly that the French teacher wasn't pointing out that roux is the masculine adjective for "red-head" so in your DD's case her hair is "rousse".

whatwouldrondo · 22/01/2016 10:33

ancien the point is that in English schools the word "ginger" is often used in a negative way so why not point that out to the teacher, so she can use a more neutral term like redhead. Obviously someone who is ginger can use it for themselves in self irony /pride but if some people come from a perspective where it is a term of derision /prejudice, and regard it as perfectly acceptable to use it in that way, then the rest of us need to be sensitive and not normalise it, or make excuses. I have the most horrible dingy mouse hair but nobody has ever felt the need to comment on it.......

Abetes · 22/01/2016 10:36

I don't think that the teacher was being offensive either. I think that she was trying to tell the class that you should use roux for red hair rather than rouge, and in order to stress that point used the word ginger. In the same way, she might have talked about blond hair rather than yellow hair.

BeaufortBelle · 22/01/2016 10:36

I think this is one you need to leave OP.

RidersOnTheStorm · 22/01/2016 10:37

The teacher wasn't using it in a negative way, though. To talk to her about it would be silly and a bit precious.

IndridCold · 22/01/2016 10:40

My brother and my cousin both have red hair. It was usually referred to as ginger and always much admired when they were kids (1960s and 70s).
I'm sure that if this teacher is the age you say then she would think that there was absolutely nothing wrong with saying ginger hair. I like it actually.

On the matter of her ability as a French teacher I would say that in that context ginger refers to the spice, so should be gingembre.

Tartyflette · 22/01/2016 10:50

I was a ginger and remember nothing but compliments about my hair as a teenager and young woman even a boy at uni being delighted with my "ginger pussy" , first one he'd seen Grin apparently

MackerelOfFact · 22/01/2016 11:00

If the teacher had said that about the translation for 'poor people' then you'd have a point.

But ginger? Presumably your DD does, objectively, have ginger hair - and the teacher wasn't making a value judgement?

I can see that it would be a bit embarrassing not knowing an answer in front of the class, but the teacher is right, your DD is more likely to have cause to use 'roux' than the rest of them if she's the only one with ginger hair.

originalmavis · 22/01/2016 11:06

'Ho, ginga, have ye hud yer heed up sum wummins fanny?'

I had this yelled at me as I walked to primary school. I do find the term offensive.

Pangurban1 · 22/01/2016 11:40

I don't know when ginger became the term for someone with red hair. I never heard this before coming to London. It is kind of like a slang term. I always heard someone with red hair described as a redhead. Rua is redhead in Irish and different from the colour red. Ginger for spice not used for hair colour. We had a neighbour Seán Rua, (not his surname, but to differentiate him from his dad. Guess what colour his hair was?). I don't think roux translates to ginger. Red hair maybe?

originalmavis · 22/01/2016 11:45

This was Glasgow 1970s.

MrsGradyOldLady · 22/01/2016 21:09

whatwouldrondo are you seriously telling me off for describing my daughter as cool? Well that's me told isn't it? Hmm

Hulababy · 22/01/2016 21:20

Is being ginger such an issue still?

Most of the teen girls I know love red and ginger hair. They often add red and ginger into their hair if they try to dye/highlight it. They don't see it as a negative at all. Likewise, one of DD's friend with ginger hair rarely, if ever, gets negative comments on her hair - quite the opposite tbh.

I can't imagine the teacher meant offensive. She probably just assumed that the girl with ginger hair might know the French translation for it. Just like someone with blonde hair might now the translation for blonde, or someone with green eyes might know that translation, or someone with freckles might have leant that too, etc.

Hulababy · 22/01/2016 21:22

Pangurban1 Fri 22-Jan-16 11:40:07
I don't know when ginger became the term for someone with red hair.

-

Heard hair being described as ginger in colour since being small, so 70s at least.

RidersOnTheStorm · 23/01/2016 08:27

My cousin was ginger and proud in the 50s.

wannabestressfree · 23/01/2016 08:34

I call my son 'ginge' (misses point)

BombadierFritz · 23/01/2016 08:44

God i'd never call anyone ginger, esp a teenager. It can definitely be seen/used as an insult n you just dont know how the person will take it. Red head would be my translation. Ginger = food stuff.

petrova · 23/01/2016 08:46

I don't think the teacher would have meant to be offensive. She probably thought your daughter would know the word because she would have used it before when describing her hair colour in french - just as teachers in my french and german classes always assumed I would know the word for twin because I am one.
I am also ginger - I would prefer to be able to correctly describe my hair colour in french - as a previous poster said, a blonde wouldn't describe her hair colour as yellow, why should gingers describe their hair colour as red?

BombadierFritz · 23/01/2016 08:52

Its insensitive

This teenager was embarrassed

Bad teaching

Is it ok to ask the fat kid what the translation is for overweight? No because it might embarrass them

Rule no 1. Dont pick on kids with anything connected to appearance. Its not big n its not clever

MrsGradyOldLady · 23/01/2016 08:55

Being ginger isn't really the same thing as being fat.

MrsJamin · 23/01/2016 08:59

I think you're being unnecessarily sensitive to the word ginger, to the detriment of your daughter. My 5yo DS2 is ginger and I don't want him to be sensitive about the word at all, it's just a description of colour and not a judgement? We try and use all the silly ginger jibes (eg duracell, ranga) so he's used to them and not fussed. Otherwise I believe it would leave him susceptible to bullying.

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