Are there any GC teachers here?

[VictoriaLucas102]

I used to be very active on edutwitter not as a teacher although I work in education. I decided in the end it was too risky to carry on tweeting as I would also occasionally tweet about GC feminist issues (which did once result in an anonymous complaint to my employer .. one example of my transphobia was an RIP dedication to Magdalene Burns 🙄).

I noticed Tom Bennett (the ‘behaviour tsar’ and a sometimes controversial character) has recently been tweeting stuff about the ‘cervix-shaver’ thing and in true edutwitter tribal style it’s split opinion with the more ‘traditional’ teachers adopting a critical response and the ‘progressives’ in the be kind’ camp.

I’m just feeling so fed up as yet again I am questioning myself and my (hatefully bigoted) beliefs, but on the other hand I’m so frustrated that people who I know are thoughtful and intelligent are just going along with it.

Is it just the twitter bubble? What’s the general feeling in schools?

*Cervix-haver not shaver 🥴

I'm a GC teacher. It's a bit of a nightmare as I teach socio-linguistics as part of A Level English language including languages and gender, sexist language and political correctness. I have to be so very careful as I could easily enrage or 'trigger' one of my very woke students. Happily many of the students are naturally gender critical without really being conscious of this as a position, so I'm able to play neutral umpire to some very interesting debates while preserving my position. So far at least. It's hardest when the girls refuse to acknowledge the significance of biology to the historical oppression of women and the lived experience of women across the world, as well as its basic factual reality and all the beauty of it too.

Our pastoral team regularly refer to mermaids - often after one or two sessions and we have had a number of trans students (mainly trans boys) every year for about the past four years.

I am. Primary teacher though so it hasn’t really come up at work yet. I am very quiet on social media only sharing Save Women’s Sports posts. I’d love to be braver but do worry about how I would be viewed.

I was about to Google cervix-shaver - mind officially boggled! Thing is, nothing is too far-fetched to be 'real' now.

I am. I’m not openly GC at school but I haven’t needed to be yet. I have suggested Transgender Trend when teachers have asked for recommendations for organisations that support trans children and when friends attack JKR on FB I have defended her. That’s it though, I’m scared to go further in case it lands me in trouble.

I’m a teacher at a girls school. It hasn’t come up among staff.
One pupil asked me my thoughts on boys being allowed into girls schools, and I replied that there are some very complicated issues, but the most important thing is that females are always protected and safe. It seemed like the best thing to say without causing any waves.
More worryingly though, I’m the mother of a 4 year old boy who does not conform to gender stereotypes. At all. He’s about to start school and I hope that he is accepted as just that. A boy. Who can express himself however he wants. But will always be a boy.

Thank you for your responses. I was just feeling so fed up and exhausted by it all today for some reason. Feeling a bit better reading your comments.

KickingitSince1966 ... I hope so too. I was a nursery teacher in a past life and I remember one little boy I taught who just loved wearing the pink tutu from the dressing up box. We never even batted an eyelid ... certainly didn’t think he was a girl. Children should be allowed to be children.

I'm a primary teacher. I got into quite a heated conversation with the woman from barnado who delivered our training session. I objected to the use of cis, questioned her on single sex toilet provision and various other points. She managed to peak everyone herself though when she told a large group of entirely female teachers that there was no way that we could ever be sure that we are really female!

I then took the opportunity to introduce GC ideas to the staff. Such as women's sports, particularly cycling, women's prisons etc

Following the thread as I am a new teacher and this hasn’t come up yet but I am dreading it when it does as I don’t know what to say.

I think I will stick with things like this:
I replied that there are some very complicated issues, but the most important thing is that females are always protected and safe.

Well done Caaarrrl . So often 'diversity' training is manipulative, silencing, legally and factually incorrect. It's often remarkably easy to point out errors because much of it is 'narcissistic' in content - pontificating about how the world / schools ought to be from the point of view of the over invested trainer with no understanding of education law, child psychology and safeguarding.

I think there's a real belief in schools that Stonewall law is actual law and must never be challenged or questioned at all. Not to mention the deliberate misinterpretation of the Equality Act

I think the amount of stonewalling varies between schools and areas. My sons haven't had much at their school (comprehensive secondary), and when I was still in school 2 years ago it hadn't got to me yet either (independent school).

Another primary teacher here (Reception). I love working with the younger children especially in terms of their lack of inhibitions about what they play with. No one bats an eye if a boy carries a doll around with him or a girl dresses as Iron Man - that's exactly how it should be. I did ask the children in my bubble what they wanted to be when they grew up (had been talking about people who help us). Out of 12 children their answers included 3 Spidermen, 1 Sonic and 2 unicorns! It makes my blood run cold thinking that children this age have been referred to gender clinics. I will be checking our PSHE resources in September and feel comfortable enough with my colleagues to express my concerns if any of our sources are from Mermaids or Stonewall. Having read up about it a lot over the holidays I feel confident saying what I don't like about both of those organisations.

I'm not a teacher (anymore) but have been keeping a close eye on what's being sent home from both my kids's school and the school DH teaches in that my kids will eventually attend. Luckily so far both are pretty sound, the high school went for gender neutral toilets but did keep single sex blocks as well which was a relief.

Yes, primary teacher. Not 'out' as GC, but so far it hasn't come up and I haven't had to suffer the kind of diversity trainers mentioned upthread.

I'm GC and teach secondary. I recently challenged a colleague on her use of the term cis. She blocked me on FB and stopped replying to my messages.

I'm GC and have had conversations at school with selected individuals. Almost everyone is GC but too scared to say much out loud. I'm SLT and know for a fact that the entire team is GC in private.

We have had one "transgender" child in reception and it was largely a non issue because the parents were more of the "watchful wait" camp. The child used both toilets on and off, but then again so did most of the rest of the class!

I am slightly gobsmacked that Tom Bennett was openly GC. Edutwitter is generally very woke.

Me. Not in the U.K. though.

Staff all GC I would say.

@moptophairshop so good to hear you'll be checking the PSHE resources at school. This is even more important with mandatory RSE coming in. I'm a retired teacher and LEA advisor so just about to join edutwitter.

Secondary. In a school of 800 pupils we have two female non-binary pupils and 3 trans boys. HT says it's still very rare for children to be trans in our school, which I'm about. I suspect that the trans boys have problems accepting their sexual orientation. All but one of thew kids come from troubled homes. Our school never does anything to do with LGB rights, which used to piss me off. I'm not getting involved now though, as it will be trans left right and centre. I also wonder if there was more support for gay teens whether fewer would be trans...

I know of one colleague who is very woke. When I pointed out that there are issues with women's safe spaces I got the predictable reply about the numbers being small and inclusivity being more important. I left it at that's she is very vocal and I was new to GC ideas.

When it was discussed in the staffroom at break time someone mentioned that born men would never be allowed into women's sports. I said it was happening already, to which the caretaker replied, "Well that's clearly wrong then!". He'd piss himself laughing at the suggestion he was a feminist but he got that one very right!

I did find one annoyingly woke book in the library but didn't have the guts to raise it. SLT hate me enough as it is, don't need to give them more ammunition 😅

I am SLT at a secondary school and as a team we are gc. We have resisted suggestions by some staff that we should have stonewall in for training.