Adults are wrong to criticise ‘woke’ children, says Benenden head

[Igneococcus]

Has she been stonewalled?

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/2c743ce4-4ae7-11ec-9bc6-5abf98655bc4?shareToken=126806d1cce5d3397e820e042ca98924

Well they dint know what the correct protected characteristics are
www.benenden.school/our-school/equality-and-diversity

She chairs the girls schools association committee on inclusion

Well that's good news assuming that she is correct in her assertion that if we dismiss woke gender id bs children will give up on it.
Though I would love to know how she thinks promoting gender id will fit in with protecting girls when we all know that it puts them at risk

What she says is reported across all the mainstream press

Interested to see how children can be so concerned about sexism when we’re not supposed to talk about there being only 2 sexes or how their way of challenging sexism appears to be accepting someone who adopts a ton of sex based stereotypes is somehow now the opposite sex

She chairs the girls schools association committee on inclusion

Splutter £40k annual fees.

Well I don't think name calling is good

But I do think you should criticise or challenge poor behaviour or attitudes

And that includes calling out people who are protecting /promoting some disadvantaged groups at the expense of others

Or calling out those demonstrating agist sexist behaviour by ignoring older women

I’m sure that for many girls who attend these schools it’s just another thing to get ‘right’

• A grades ✔️
• Hockey team ✔️
• right hair✔️
• extra curricular activities for UCAS✔️
• #be kind✔️

Is she not very bright? Mate of Nancy Kelley? She really is making herself look like an absolute melt.

Private school education has become eye-wateringly expensive, and I would hope parents will question whether this represents a value-for-money, because personally I'd be livid with the lack of critical thinking.

Must be fun in Latin grammar lessons.

And as for her nonsense about people not caring about climate change unless they're allowed to promulgate gender bullshit, don't even get me started.

There is a lot of force teaming going on in that article. For what its worth I don't think turning this into a battle of the generations is helpful - the situation at Sussex Uni was portrayed in some parts of the media as a woke snowflake issue. But while some of the students did behave awfully, its interesting they were incited to do so initially by other lecturers - who are probably older than me.

And just re climate - which ALWAYS comes up as the biggest issue young people are concerned with on surveys. We don't need to "keep up with their views" on the issue. The adults, in positions of power, need to actually tackle the crisis before its too late. I know that's of topic but I remember the "young people will solve this" mantra from when I was a child and its infuriating because it just breeds inertia. (Don't get me started on Shell sponsoring an exhibition for children on the theme of "you are the key to solving the climate crisis." No Shell, I think you as a giant energy company can do more than my 5 year old actually.
Sorry for the rant - but I think this all ties into a general trend of older people to basically abdicate the responsibility for being adults. Which is also an issue with the gender ID situation. And children NEED responsible adults.

I do hope the school is prepaired for the fall out of being mix sexed then. Pregnancy, rape/sex assult, mental health issues and distraught (and litigious) parents.

I suspect she has not thought this through.

JK Rowling for example (and probably a lot of women on here) is a perfect example of someone behaving like a kind, calm adult.

Don't get me started on Shell sponsoring an exhibition for children on the theme of "you are the key to solving the climate crisis." No Shell, I think you as a giant energy company can do more than my 5 year old actually.

Very true!

I agree with her.

@merrymouse

I’m sure that for many girls who attend these schools it’s just another thing to get ‘right’

• A grades ✔️
• Hockey team ✔️
• right hair✔️
• extra curricular activities for UCAS✔️
• #be kind✔️

What a mean thing to say.

I have plenty of issues with gender politics but her central message of not dismissing or mocking teens is quite right.

My own teens are 'woke' and they seem thoughtful and intelligent even if we don't always see eye to eye on everything.

Benenden has always been achingly progressive,

Hopefully all the other girls’ heads attending the conference will disagree with her assessment that “parents need to be helped to understand”…

Private girls’ schools have been forced to think about this issue already and decide where they stand. Even the ones who pay lip service to it, won’t admit boys and if challenged, are always able to justify reasons for keeping them out even if it’s something as banal as “we don’t think Jazz is the right fit for our school”.

There probably will be a test case at some point somewhere but on the whole single sex private schools are the safest environment for girls in the current climate, which is an outrageous state of affairs.

What a mean thing to say

No, it isn't mean. I think girls at schools like this are under huge amounts of pressure to conform to rigid standards. The head talks about the 'Everyone's Invited' campaign, but I think there is no difference between being told that your boundaries don't matter by a boy who is captain of the rugby team ('Are you frigid or a lesbian'?) and a boy who insists that boundaries don't matter because they are gender fluid/also a lesbian (Are you a bigot?).

I agree that many teenagers are just thoughtful and intelligent when they talk about climate change and inclusion, but I don't agree that girls at a £40K a year school are intrinsically more able to teach adults who are also thoughtful and intelligent, but have the added benefit of life experience.

Can I also just point out the rhetorical trap in that article?

A grown up woman (older than me) has said "don't criticise woke children" etc etc. First this automatically implies that those who disagree with her views are just being horrible about "woke snowflakes" etc. Its a strawman. Then, if you disagree with what she then says it is a very natural knee jerk reaction to say "actually I WILL call them snowflakes if I want" - reverse psychology. Which then confirms the strawman she set up in the first place and makes everyone that disagrees with her look like old reactionaries.

Its a technique used a lot actually. And it lets people in their 30s/40s justify their cringey position of being "down with the kids" while making younger people more fixed in their opinions.

Ah, so its OK to pat your child on the head (metaphorically!) if they tell you TWAW but if they stand up for their ethics and leave school to go on a climate protest, thats not at all OK.
Also, what the hell is "woke" and what are "snowflakes"? Sometimes Its just a lazy way of putting people down for protesting about racism for example, something I should think just about everyone on here would agree with.
And I dislike adults who think they are "down with the kids", something very cringey about it.

Yes, it's mean. Mentioning the hockey team and the hair makes it mean.

Of course I mean, people on here being against racism, not being against people protesting about racism!

It’s not mean! The poster is talking about the huge amount of pressure on girls, particularly at that type of high achieving school. It would be meaner to pretend they didn’t have those pressures.

Yes, it's mean. Mentioning the hockey team and the hair makes it mean.

Why? Do you not think this pressure exists?

@TheCountessofFitzdotterel

It’s not mean! The poster is talking about the huge amount of pressure on girls, particularly at that type of high achieving school. It would be meaner to pretend they didn’t have those pressures.

She's a head of a very good school (and no my kids don't go there!). I'd listen to what she has to say tbh - none of it sounded at all controversial to me.

I will agree that people shouldn't mock other people for their beliefs and we should all try to be respectful and compassionate.

It would be unforgivable for the older generation to close its mind to new ideas, to retreat to ‘the good old days’ and dismiss the energetic changes of this generation as something to be referred to in derogatory tones and sighs.

Strawman.

Also 'new ideas' are not necessarily good ideas just by virtue of being new. In fact many of them, on examination, are tired, old ideas being given a glitter'n rainbows makeover.

Homophobia is definitely old fashioned and out of date, yet we are told by the head of Stonewall that it's prejudiced to discuss homosexuality and that instead we should base our ideas on 'gender'. 'Gender' is of course just another word for 'stereotypes'. Changing the word doesn't make the concept any more revolutionary or clever.

What seems to be lacking in this article is the point that she is a teacher who is (hopefully) also teaching her pupils how to respectfully discuss, debate and raise issues while also acknowledging that older people with more life experience often ... wait for it .... know more.

pupils should not walk out of class for climate protests because “standing in a street with a banner” was unlikely to make a difference.

eh? She's also arguing against peaceful protest? So basically everyone should just shut up and conform, and never discuss anything that is problematic, is that the point? Confusing. Is it her or the article?

@merrymouse

Yes, it's mean. Mentioning the hockey team and the hair makes it mean.

Why? Do you not think this pressure exists?

Not for the majority of girls at my dds high achieving single sex indie, no. Plenty aren't on the hockey team and there isn't a 'right' haircut

Also equating teen girls being aware of social injustice with having the right haircut seems the antithesis of feminism to me.