Teacher told not to use gendered language

[Pregante]

In a teaching observation this month my department head noted as a point for improvement that I should try not to use gendered language when addressing the class. I use boys & girls or ladies & gents depending on the age of the students. She advised this was in order not to potentially offend any trans children. She also mentioned this to some of my other colleagues and gave them the same advice.

I care about my students and would never humiliate anyone. Is this just the norm now? What do I use instead?

Rally? Says who?

This seems to me like one of those theories someone getting paid a very good salary in the education system came up with, which has zero evidence to support it.

This is the kind of thinking that has led us to where we are though, in part.

As if it's a problem in itself to acknowledge that we are male or female, unless it's absolutely necessary. Being a sexually dimorphic species is not in itself problematic, but if we treat it as if it is, people will start to think about it that way.

As if it's a problem in itself to acknowledge that we are male or female, unless it's absolutely necessary. Being a sexually dimorphic species is not in itself problematic, but if we treat it as if it is, people will start to think about it that way.

That's a misrepresentation of the position, I'm most certainly not advocating we don't acknowledge our sex.
Idk, maybe it's one of those things where some of us who've worked in male dominated fields are more aware of the negatives of not using neutral terms.

@TempestTost "
"This seems to me like one of those theories someone getting paid a very good salary in the education system came up with, which has zero evidence to support it"

Or one of those theories that is born or by the facts- that men/boys tend to dominate groups- that men/boys think that a group with more than 33% women is majority women. For starters.

Apart from female surgeons who are always addressed as Miss, female barristers who are always addressed as Ms, and female judges who are always addressed as My Lady.

Female surgeons are surgeons, not surgeonesses. Female barristers are not called barristeresses.

I'm not sure what point you're making, but as a response to mine it makes no sense.

"Miss" = surgeoness
"Ms" = lawyeress
Etc.
The title fulfils the same function as the suffix "-ess".

'Children, toms and queens' ?

Education is not male denominated. There is no problem whatsoever with referring to boys and girls by those words.

"Miss" = surgeoness
"Ms" = lawyeress
Etc.
The title fulfils the same function as the suffix "-ess".

Not really, they're just using a gendered title where the male would also be using a gendered title. A female doctor other than a surgeon will of course be Dr the same as her male counterpart.

Education is not male denominated. There is no problem whatsoever with referring to boys and girls by those words.

Various subjects very much were in the past and some still are, especially in mixed schools.

At present, females do significantly better than males in schools in the U.K. The idea that we teachers should somehow not use natural language but pretend that boys and girls do not have different sexes to appease a trans lobby is bat shit crazy.

It's what people are saying right in this thread. Don't mention in our language that people are male and female unless absolutely necessary.

Not that people should understand that men and women are equal in dignity and worth, but that they should try and avoid mentioning it, as if we aren't all perfectly aware at all times.

I've spent lots of time in male dominated fields, FWIW.

How is it born out by facts?

There is no evidence that if teachers change their language to avoid words like boys or girls that it improves any outcomes in any way.

And yet they have been telling teachers they need to change their language on the basis of this idea.

A heck of a lot of theories in education are like this, just made up with no evidence.

Did you mean male dominated?

In secondary schools, 38% of the work force are male (80,300) and 62% are female (131,000). But looking at headteachers, 64% are male (2,100) and 36% are female (1,200).
Secondary state schools ‘excessively dominated by male headteachers’ (Oxford Open Learning Trust analysis taken from the Department of Education statistics).

There being more male headteachers than female headteachers is not a reason not to use the words boys and girls when referring to boys and girls. It is insane to think that referring to boys and girls as boys and girls is somehow harmful. Girls do significantly better than boys at school.

Same.

I have decided to continue to use the word. I say ‘girls, ladies, folks, Yr9, Upper 4th, First XII, A/B/C team’ etc. It’s a girls school. All the pupils are girls.

Pretending sex doesn't exist is indeed batshit crazy; not using 'girls' and 'boys' in single sex schools is too. But there's plenty of natural language which can be used to refer to mixed groups. My teachers over 40 years ago managed it when I was the lone girl in some classes (I'm sure no one would advocate for 'boys and girl'!) - I can't really see a downside.

Those are ways of addressing someone directly and occur only in their theatre of work.

When anyone talks about their role or what they do, they refer to them as a surgeon or a barrister.

And both sexes are treated equally in their theatres of work by being addressed by their honorific. There is no neutral that the male is called by and the woman not.

And both sexes are treated equally in their theatres of work by being addressed by their honorific. There is no neutral that the male is called by and the woman not.

In schools, teachers are often Sir and Miss, which doesn't seem equal.

I was recently at a CV workshop day with year 10s. If all women had the same title, there wouldn't have been the long discussion on my table about whether Ms Smith (form tutor for references) was actually Ms or Mrs or Miss - they didn't seem to know, and in the end, decided on Ms, because they weren't sure. I suggested they check later, but couldn't resist commenting it would be much easier if women all had the same title, like men did. (I still don't know which title Ms Smith prefers. She wasn't in the room, and it was my first time at the school.)

I agree.Complete red herring here. There's no need to say "girls and boys".

You asked how a comment related to the discussion. I explained.

Thank you! It’s exactly the point I was making.

Using "gender" language is perfectly acceptable in my view, it is also fact. Pandering to the notion we might upset someone just makes it more acceptable to be offended. Anyone can take offence. I think such advice given all the issues teachers face is pathetic.

A school nearby us is really hot on this despite being a single sex school.
As it happens it also doesn’t have a good pastoral reputation and actually doesn’t have a particularly active Pride/LGBT group.
In short, it’s surface dressing. That said, I do tend to address classes as year group or form if talking to them as a whole, partly because that is their group identity.

Teacher here. Stuff that . I'm going to continue to say ladies and gentlemen. I'm leaving this year. What are they going to do, sack me? Sick of all this