Please read what happened to me. Does this show that political correctness is completely out of control?

Question

I am a teacher in an English secondary school.

Last month in the teacher's staff room I stated my opinion that women are, on average, of lower intelligence than men.

I have now been suspended, pending further investigation.

I've never had any complaints about my teaching and have never been accused of treating male and female students differently.

Can you now not saying anything, or be honest about your opinions, in case you offend someone?

Answer 1

Are you going to keep asking this question until you get an answer you like?

Answer 2

What U have done is called social abuse. With such an attitude, U r not considered morally fit to teach. A teacher has higher responsibility towards society. U r now guilty of preaching gender based social injustice. I don't know if your institute will clear U even if U offer unqualified apology for your comment. U have to explain in what context U said and also say that it was not your opinion but some one else who said/wrote somewhere.That can be an escape for U from otherwise an em brassing situation.

Answer 3

You deserved what you got for two main reasons. First, as a teacher, you are expected to be knowledgeable of facts. What you stated was not a fact, and is not supported by any evidence available. The expression of such an opinion throws into question your ability to think logically and accept reality. The second reason is that you having such an opinion would naturally lead to questioning of your ability to treat your female students equally. You say you haven't had any complaints, which may be true, but the fact that you think your female students are not as intelligent as your male students would certainly make your superiors question your impartiality when dealing with the female students. I wonder if you'd be brave enough to be asking this question if you had made that comment not about sex, but about race.

Answer 4

You are entitled to hold an opinion on anything because England is a free country, well it was last I heard. Also you were in the staff room and therefore not expressing this opinion to people of an impressionable age. I cannot believe that you were suspended for this. Are you sure that this is the first such remark or was this a final warning type of thing. Have you sought legal advice on this matter? I would if I were you.

Answer 5

You voiced a discriminatory belief; one that is improper and has the potential to cloud your impartiality as a teacher.

If you were to say that you believed that a certain ethnic group lacked intelligence you would be met with the same consequence.

It is not a matter of political correctness going too far. It is your job to provide an open an non-judgmental learning environment where you nurture and developed the skills of each student regardless of their gender. Holding the belief that women are not a apt as men effects you ability to do this in an impartial manner.

Suspension may have been a harsh punishment for voicing your opinion, however if I was your superior you certainly would have been reprimanded. Being a teacher, just as any job requires you to adhere to a policy. Deviation from that, improper remarks or otherwise creating an uncomfortable environment for fellow staff has a consequence.

Answer 6

I agree which you've gotten the skill to state your comments, yet you should additionally get excitement from that there is a time and a place for asserting specific issues. there is not any injury in taking a minute to contemplate that what you're asserting might injury somebody, inspite of the reality that I do think of your punishment replaced into harsh. To be trouble-free nevertheless i think of that as a instructor you'll be smart sufficient to understand that a remark like that, particularly among your colleagues is going to reason some controversy, and mutually as your pupils will possibly no longer have complained, how do you think of all the girls you coach might experience in the event that they knew what you thought? I say this in basic terms through fact you pronounced it replaced into your OPINION that ladies individuals are of decrease intelligence, no longer that it replaced right into a actuality, and that i in my opinion dont understand if this is actual or no longer!

Answer 7

I am offended by what you said but i think that you are entitled to your opinion.

As a teacher you should know that girls do better in school than boys and get higher marks(on average). So thats your theory out the window.

I do think its ludacris for you to be suspended for that comment though. I hope you get your job back, you are entitled to your thoughts and your opinions as is everyone else!!


X X X

Good luck, sorry about your job, all the best!

Answer 8

OK as a woman I find that offencive and actually untrue, you being a teacher should know that statistics show girls out do the boys every year!!

However that being said what you said is your opinion and as long as you didn't say it in your class as a teacher and said it in your free time as a person then no I do not agree with what has happened to you

Learn from this though freedom of speech does not exist!

I hope it works out for you and you back in your job soon

good luck x

Answer 9

HAHAHA. Well, I'm supposing you're the exception to your little rule, eh? That certainly wasn't a very intelligent thing to do, regardless of your superior intellect. What if you'd said aloud that black people were not as intelligent on average as white people? You'd better bet they'd suspend you for that as well. They'll probably go through everything you've done to look for bias, and considering females probably make up half of your classes, your distain towards them would bring that into question.

Sorry, but I have no sympathy. Part of being intelligent is knowing when to keep opinions that might jeopardize your job to yourself.

Answer 10

I think it is a case of keeping your mouth shut! I have lots of opinions but would be strung up, hung drawn & quartered if I ever told of them. I just discuss things with hubby where I know they will not go any further.

Why do you think women are of lower intelligence? That is not always the case, I know grown men that my 16 year old could put to shame!

Think on next time. Political correctness has gone barking mad but that is the world that we live in. Think of it if it was said about the male race?

Answer 11

Were you deliberately trying to insult all females, including your colleagues, or were you legitimately bringing certain recent important scientific findings to the attention of your peers? Will your opinion carry over to your evaluation of female students that you may teach? Will your attitude manifest itself to male students and perhaps influence their thinking towards females? Do you recognize that making degrading remarks about women's intelligence is historically part of the stereotyping of women as inferior and is a sensitive area?

These are some of the question that I might ask in evaluating whether teaching is appropriate for you.