School Politcal Correctness gone Mad
As a school teacher I have long run a subversive guerrilla campaign against my colleagues and Education Department idiocies, particularly in the area of political correctness. As I have been on sick leave a considerable time and unlikely to return to work I now have time to view school from the view point of a parent, although I have to do my typing whilst lying on my back.
Examples of past colleagues' stupidities I have observed: I had often made a regular display of my toy soldiers in school libraries. A female teacher once commented that it was 'poor taste' as it was International Peace Day, or some such nonsense. When I was on leave in America, some years ago, I sent a post card to staff from Hawaii featuring a Hawaiian dancer with the usual grass skirt and coconuts. On my returned a particularly feminist teacher remarked that 'the staff' were offended by the card. My example of a male colleague's blind bias involved the Australian flag. A lesson was spent by Year Nine students designing a new Australian flag. When I asked him if they were given the option of arguing for retention of the existing flag he said 'The flag has to change'. On another occasion a female drama teacher told me I could not say actress and that it was actor for both genders. I told her what I thought of the politically correct gobbledygook she was spouting. An Australian Victorian state government had actually dictated, a few years ago, that the feminine 'ess' words like lioness, Negress etc were no longer acceptable - I have always ignored such stupid directives. Oh, and you must no longer call the school library the library - it's the 'OLC' or 'Open Learning Area'. Some staff were actually offended when I continued to call it the library.
Recently My thirteen year old daughter told me how her primary school teacher was forever raving on about this and that being sexist but at least my daughter and I had a good laugh about it. The most current example of political corretness she related to me was of a Year Seven boy who, when asked to draw his favorite thing, drew a soldier with a gun. The female teacher's (female) assistant lectured the boy about how inappropriate his choice was and showed the picture in the staff room to voice her concern. What does she think our soldiers defend the country with - pacifist platitudes rather than guns?
When my daughter drew a cartoon type character armed with a blood dripping scythe she was told that weapons could not be depicted at school. I wonder how the students are going to study ancient and medieval history if they can't depict weapons?
If I had been the boy's teacher I probably would have spoken to him about the merits of the AK47 or the joys of shooting a WW2 sub machine gun and a colt revolver at a Las Vegas shooting range. He would have come to class knowing he had a male teacher who understood his interest, someone who would know that this interest does not necessarily equal being a psychopath.
Examples of past colleagues' stupidities I have observed: I had often made a regular display of my toy soldiers in school libraries. A female teacher once commented that it was 'poor taste' as it was International Peace Day, or some such nonsense. When I was on leave in America, some years ago, I sent a post card to staff from Hawaii featuring a Hawaiian dancer with the usual grass skirt and coconuts. On my returned a particularly feminist teacher remarked that 'the staff' were offended by the card. My example of a male colleague's blind bias involved the Australian flag. A lesson was spent by Year Nine students designing a new Australian flag. When I asked him if they were given the option of arguing for retention of the existing flag he said 'The flag has to change'. On another occasion a female drama teacher told me I could not say actress and that it was actor for both genders. I told her what I thought of the politically correct gobbledygook she was spouting. An Australian Victorian state government had actually dictated, a few years ago, that the feminine 'ess' words like lioness, Negress etc were no longer acceptable - I have always ignored such stupid directives. Oh, and you must no longer call the school library the library - it's the 'OLC' or 'Open Learning Area'. Some staff were actually offended when I continued to call it the library.
Recently My thirteen year old daughter told me how her primary school teacher was forever raving on about this and that being sexist but at least my daughter and I had a good laugh about it. The most current example of political corretness she related to me was of a Year Seven boy who, when asked to draw his favorite thing, drew a soldier with a gun. The female teacher's (female) assistant lectured the boy about how inappropriate his choice was and showed the picture in the staff room to voice her concern. What does she think our soldiers defend the country with - pacifist platitudes rather than guns?
When my daughter drew a cartoon type character armed with a blood dripping scythe she was told that weapons could not be depicted at school. I wonder how the students are going to study ancient and medieval history if they can't depict weapons?
If I had been the boy's teacher I probably would have spoken to him about the merits of the AK47 or the joys of shooting a WW2 sub machine gun and a colt revolver at a Las Vegas shooting range. He would have come to class knowing he had a male teacher who understood his interest, someone who would know that this interest does not necessarily equal being a psychopath.
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