Teacher fired for not using preferred pronouns!

[Saleen836]

As title, now currently going through a tribunal for unfair dismissal...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wiltshire-68...

[Douglas Quaid]

I wonder how far it will go. If a student identified as a potato and the teacher didn’t want to call him/her/they a spud, would that be grounds for dismissal?

It sounds daft but could it happen?

[bitchstewie]

He sounds like some of the posters on here to be fair.

Teacher bullied transgender pupil, tribunal told

[ScotHill]

What a ct that guy comes across as. Better off out of the classroom.

[dundarach]

Why didn't he just teacher him maths as he was employed to do.

If he objected to his pronoun, what's next, perhaps his race or religion?

Whatever you believe in private, keep it that way and just do your job, it's not hard really is it.

[Randy Winkman]

Douglas Quaid said:

I wonder how far it will go. If a student identified as a potato and the teacher didn’t want to call him/her/they a spud, would that be grounds for dismissal?

It sounds daft but could it happen?

Shall we deal with it if it happens rather than when it hasn't happened?

[turbobloke]

Randy Winkman said:

Douglas Quaid said:

I wonder how far it will go. If a student identified as a potato and the teacher didn’t want to call him/her/they a spud, would that be grounds for dismissal?

It sounds daft but could it happen?

Shall we deal with it if it happens rather than when it hasn't happened?

Why? Apart from transparently avoiding the issue.

After all, the suggestion can't be seen as reductio ad absurdum when the situation is already absurd.

[hairykrishna]

Douglas Quaid said:

I wonder how far it will go. If a student identified as a potato and the teacher didn’t want to call him/her/they a spud, would that be grounds for dismissal?

It sounds daft but could it happen?

You sound like you're doing a Chris Morris bit. Even if someone wanted to be gendered 'potato' the teacher would just have to avoid using gendered pronouns and it wouldn't be a problem. Basically just get on with their job of teaching maths rather than going on some kind of anti trans crusade/rant and they're golden.

[Ian Geary]

hairykrishna said:

You sound like you're doing a Chris Morris bit. Even if someone wanted to be gendered 'potato' the teacher would just have to avoid using gendered pronouns and it wouldn't be a problem. Basically just get on with their job of teaching maths rather than going on some kind of anti trans crusade/rant and they're golden.

Exactly - It is quite literally a case of "you say potato, I say potato".

Refusing to call them a potato, and call them say a fruit instead would be the bullying bit.

Teaching isn't particularly easy these days (from what my wife says) so why has this guy made it hard on himself?

[turbobloke]

hairykrishna said:

Douglas Quaid said:

I wonder how far it will go. If a student identified as a potato and the teacher didn’t want to call him/her/they a spud, would that be grounds for dismissal?

It sounds daft but could it happen?

You sound like you're doing a Chris Morris bit. Even if someone wanted to be gendered 'potato' the teacher would just have to avoid using gendered pronouns and it wouldn't be a problem. Basically just get on with their job of teaching maths rather than going on some kind of anti trans crusade/rant and they're golden.

Rant? Was that about your post? Anti trans...how does a young person transition to potato gender? Government guidance makes it clear that schools do not have to accept a child’s request to socially transition. What's your authority for overstepping this guidance by expecting schools to look the other way in mute acceptance and teach oxbow lakes - guidance which presumably you knew nothing of?

[bitchstewie]

Remarkable that you can read those two articles and be banging on about potatoes.

[Ridgemont]

dundarach said:

Why didn't he just teacher him maths as he was employed to do.

If he objected to his pronoun, what's next, perhaps his race or religion?

Whatever you believe in private, keep it that way and just do your job, it's not hard really is it.

And this above is the problem.


He didn’t regard his pronoun as valid. Because he quite clearly doesn’t believe it is. And this is as per the Maya Forstater ruling a valid view. As per that ruling the idea of Gender identity is contested and you cannot go around Willy nilly sacking people because of their opposition to that view.
Racism and religion are entirely different issues entirely.
As per the post also in thread there is a concept called compelled speech.


Teacher him maths. Right.

[breamster]

ScotHill said:

What a ct that guy comes across as. Better off out of the classroom.

Absolutely. What an obnoxious bloke. He should never be teaching.

[turbobloke]

breamster said:

ScotHill said:

What a ct that guy comes across as. Better off out of the classroom.

Absolutely. What an obnoxious bloke. He should never be teaching.

Plenty shouldn't be teaching even when there's a shortage.

Individuals are one thing, policy with due consideration of gov't guidance is another thing.

[bitchstewie]

I always find it odd that when faced between simply being decent and polite to someone who's probably not having the easiest of times and who would appreciate a little support or being completely and deliberately obnoxious to them on purpose how many people will try to defend someone taking the being completely and deliberately obnoxious to them on purpose approach.

[breamster]

bhstewie said:

I always find it odd that when faced between simply being decent and polite to someone who's probably not having the easiest of times and who would appreciate a little support or being completely and deliberately obnoxious to them on purpose how many people will try to defend someone taking the being completely and deliberately obnoxious to them on purpose approach.

That's exactly what I thought but didn't have the energy to write. Spot on.

[turbobloke]

bhstewie said:

I always find it odd that when faced between simply being decent and polite to someone who's probably not having the easiest of times and who would appreciate a little support or being completely and deliberately obnoxious to them on purpose how many people will try to defend someone taking the being completely and deliberately obnoxious to them on purpose approach.

It's also odd not to consider government guidance appropriately or even at all.

Being decent and polite isn't the core issue, being more of an individual issue, and it should be expected at all times in any case.

[bitchstewie]

You shouldn't need government guidance to tell you how to be a decent human being.

[turbobloke]

bhstewie said:

You shouldn't need government guidance to tell you how to be a decent human being.

Red herring, you're back to matters relating to individuals rather than what the government guidance is about, and what it says: schools do not have to accept a child’s request to socially transition. Getting on with a French verb and ignoring what's happening in a decent human way is tacit acceptance of something that ought not to be tacitly accepted.

[bitchstewie]

breamster said:

That's exactly what I thought but didn't have the energy to write. Spot on.

Give it a page or two. You can already see the likes of Turbobloke are out trying to defend it.

Tells you all you need to know about them.