Non Binary Teachers

[WandaWomblesaurus]

My daughter (older teen) has had a total of three non binary teachers across primary and high school.
All were biologically female.
All went by Mx.

I asked her about her observations of them and anything she noticed in common with them as I was curious about how they have affected her education over the years.

"They all try too hard to connect with their students in an inappropriately informal way, talking a lot about personal life and relationships. A lot of talk about gender as would be expected. Sharing stuff about their own personal lives and relationships to the class and asking us about our relationships."

"They hijack the subjects they are teaching putting gender in. So for example we had a relief teacher in an English class giving us a paper about girls saying they are boys and having mastectomies and we were asked to rewrite it in our own words. I wrote on the paper I didn't agree with it."

"All of them have trans flags, stickers, posters saying TRANS IS BEAUTIFUL. Advertising it as a lifestyle choice basically."

"They try and be charismatic by putting on the nb front of 'coolness' and progressiveness but actually they are all quite awkward and square."

"Clothing wise they still all majorly present as women. They might have a short haircut but they wear dresses and makeup and I don't see how they even look androgynous or are breaking any stereotypes."

"A lot of time in classes is spent trying to imprint their opinions on us and they go off topic. They only try and relate to the girls. They don't have the skills to relate to the boys. A couple of the girls in my classes talk openly about having crushes on these teachers."

"The MX is a big thing, they get very snippy if they aren't MX'd, even by kids who are struggling to understand basic things. The pronouns are always seen as more important than the student."

Curious stuff isn't it?
I can't imagine these teachers having power in schools for much longer.

Total cringe.

How do you even say Mx? Mux? Mix?

Back in my days at secondary school teachers got on with teaching their subjects without any political indoctrination, and I can remember us all being scandalised when a teacher let slip a comment that could have been slightly right of centre. All the women were called Miss, no matter their marital status, and the men were all called Sir.

It is very interesting. My nephew also has a nb female teacher and has learned all about the different sexualities that one may have, which is a fantastic tool for them to increase their scope of things to use as teasing fodder.

I mean, in one way, they're bizarrely innocent and giving small children ammunition to tease their younger siblings about being "areoes". I should hope a five year old is an aero! But in another way, it's quite sinister because adults shouldn't be having these conversations with children who are in no way at a stage of life where this kind of thing is relevant or appropriate.

Your daughters observations sound very similar to what the experiences the daughter of friend had with a non binary teacher (woman).

Very inappropriate discussions of sexuality, sharing that she was pansexual etc in 1:1 situations.

But my friend needed reassurance that this was inappropriate because she honestly thought teachers could be trusted to uphold their professional standards.

This all reminds me of a supply teacher we had once who was part of particular Christian sect. She used her position to try to evangelise in the class. Including making the sign of the cross with pens on the Over Head Projector. Which I guess is the equivalent of the trans flags and posters in class.

Its just not appropriate to use your position as a teacher to evangelise for your personal beliefs, no matter how sincerely you hold those beliefs, or how genuinely you think you are 'saving' people by converting them to your worldview.

I’ve reported this- I really think it is inappropriate. Whatever your views on gender you are fuelling stereotypes, making sweeping statements and encouraging your DD to do the same. If you have concerns about a particular teacher I suggest you report it to the school, don’t gossip about them on here.

FWIW I’m a teacher and I have one colleague who goes as “Mx”. Whatever my views on gender, they are a fantastic teacher.

@Coffee473

I've reported this

No debate, eh? How well has that worked so far?

Nobody is revealing any personal information about these teachers. If you don't like the thread then don't read it, but others find value in having a space to discuss concerns about those whose lives are bleeding into their teaching.

Whatever your views on gender you are fuelling stereotypes, making sweeping statements and encouraging your DD to do the same.

All the OP has done is quote her daughter's observations about her teachers who identified as nonbinary.

How is this fuelling stereotypes or making sweeping statements?

Teachers shouldn't be talking about their beliefs and political views in this way in the classroom. And it's inappropriate to bring anything about their personal relationships into the classroom.

I was just going to say if a Christian teacher did this, they would be sacked ( and have been in other places) Christian teachers at our school aren't allowed to have posters up etc.

The whole point of this site is talking about life experiences.

Why do you think you have the authority to police what women talk about?

Also, gender identity is ALL ABOUT STEREOTYPES that's exactly the point that's being discussed. If there were no stereotypes there'd be nothing to 'trans' to or away from.

The OP has not identified anyone. There are loads of threads on here about identifiable people - e.g. William and Kate. If MN listened to you, it would be suppressing free speech for women and also the site would cease to exist.

Discussing safeguarding concerns isn't 'gossip' it is a parental legal responsibility.

You are suggesting suppressing safeguarding.

The OP is talking about several serious safeguarding failures that fall foul of the statutory safeguarding guidance for schools - keeping children safe in education e.g talking about inappropriate sexual information

I'm a teacher. I don't think it's inappropriate. I think it's concerning what her daughter is saying.

The pupils have noticed that:

They all try too hard to connect with their students in an inappropriately informal way, talking a lot about personal life and relationships. A lot of talk about gender as would be expected. Sharing stuff about their own personal lives and relationships to the class and asking us about our relationships

That's really concerning. That behaviour is both leaving the teachers wide open open to accusations of sexual misconduct from which they'd be on shaky ground to defend, and if was conducted by a male teacher would instantly be seen as grooming behaviour. It's by a female so not seen as such, but it is a first step towards grooming behaviour.

And the fact that children are spotting it. Well, good on them. But it must be blatant enough to make them uncomfortable.

Run that para past all your safeguarding training and think about what they're doing.

Time and again the monitors try and stop mothers talking about SAFEGUARDING

WE SEE YOU.

Now, back to the OP

Again, how would it be seen if it was a male Mx teacher doing this?

They all try too hard to connect with their students in an inappropriately informal way, talking a lot about personal life and relationships.

A lot of talk about gender as would be expected.

Sharing stuff about their own personal lives and relationships to the class and asking us about our relationships

I honestly think people give some of these women a free pass because they're women.

Ah the irony....

Quite

I’ve reported this- I really think it is inappropriate. Whatever your views on gender you are fuelling stereotypes, making sweeping statements and encouraging your DD to do the same. If you have concerns about a particular teacher I suggest you report it to the school, don’t gossip about them on here.

They're entirely anonymous and it's perfectly reasonable for people to criticise different elements of gender identity ideology and the social phenomena around it.

My DC have had a male NB teacher who was absolutely militant about the Mx. No ifs, buts, excuses.

I've never met them, but apparently clearly male, dresses in formal male teacher attire, etc etc but if a child slips up and says "sir" they are pulled up on it immediately.

Regardless of their teaching ability, it puts stress on the DC. A child of a friend became really anxious about making a mistake unintentionally and wanted to avoid school. Find me a teacher who hasn't been called 'Mum' etc and they've just ignored it and moved on.

My DC have had a male NB teacher who was absolutely militant about the Mx. No ifs, buts, excuses.

I've never met them, but apparently clearly male, dresses in formal male teacher attire, etc etc but if a child slips up and says "sir" they are pulled up on it immediately.

Regardless of their teaching ability, it puts stress on the DC. A child of a friend became really anxious about making a mistake unintentionally and wanted to avoid school. Find me a teacher who hasn't been called 'Mum' etc and they've just ignored it and moved on.

I believe this is wrong. These people shouldn't be allowed to make children walk on eggshells in this manner.

I would be very concerned if this complaint is upheld by MNHQ.

This is not "gossip", it is an incredibly important subject which is directly related to the current government consultation on Gender Questioning Children. In the consultation document, it is stated very clearly that not everyone believes that we all have a gender identity. Discussing examples where teachers are pushing their own belief (in gender identity) as a truth, enforcing it and weaving it in to other lessons is a very valuable and currently relevant conversation.

Thank you for creating this thread OP.

I find it interesting that Christian teachers aren't allowed to put up Christian posters. Is this the same for any religious belief? It's directly relevant to me as the LGBT club at my daughters' school has been putting up lots of posters in this last week across the school, talking about pronouns and other tenets of gender identity belief.

That is not right

The students shouldn’t be compelled to remember

Exactly. Sometimes it seems like these people forget that they're there to teach the children, the children aren't there to serve their validation needs.

Linked to this... I hadn't realised until I saw this X post, by Anya Palmer, that lack of belief in gender identity was also protected in law under the EA following the Forstater appeal (which protects the right to believe that sex is immutable). I would assume that this must apply to schools too, so the same rules would presumably apply in the way that religious beliefs are not to be promoted... Does anybody know the legal position on this? I'm already aware that the DfE prohibits political beliefs being pushed but my question is wider as it relates to beliefs in general.

https://twitter.com/anyabike/status/1749777661855940901?t=Ic_C9-86pSnmfLDHsH4aYw&s=19

@Coffee473 I'm actually concerned that as a teacher you're not employed impartiality and spotted the red flags of over sharing about personal relationships, sexuality and asking the children about their relationships.

You're defending the rights of adults who are over stepping clear boundaries of appropriateness, over basic safeguarding principles.

My DC haven't had any NB teachers though having enough teachers in their secondary is an ongoing issue all on it's own.

My kids have enough issues with speaking up in class - and dealing with peers who change names and pronouns - so really hope they avoid it.

They had confused messaging around sex, gender and trans which younger two eye roll at now but from normal teachers dealing with top down welsh gov stuff.

I wonder if we've just been lucky to avoid this kind of activism teacher so far.

Thanks for these observations OP. It's useful to know the motivations of the TRAs. They're very religious aren't they. But naïve. I guess they think they're trying to save the world, wondering why no one is listening.