Gender neutral teacher causes stir among parents at northern district high school
A TEACHER who identifies as ‘gender neutral’ has divided a northern district school. The science teacher started the 2018 school term by asking the class to call them Mx, not miss, missus or mister.
Northern District Times
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A NORTHERN district high school teacher has asked students to use gender-neutral pronouns in the classroom.
The teacher, who identifies as gender neutral, requested to be addressed as “Mx” rather than Mr or Ms.
The request has left parents divided in opinion.
One father is convinced the principal should have given parents a “heads up”.
“I don’t think my son’s ever met a transgender person. I’m sure the same could be said for a lot of other students too,” the parent said.
“Having somebody like that with boys who are impressionable ... the school really should have, at the very least, spoken with the parents of the students who would be taking the class,” the parent said.
He also posted on a local Facebook group. The post has since been removed.
This is what he said:
“Just putting it out there. *John (his son’s name has been changed) is now in Year 10 at **** high school and his new science teacher has informed his class he/she is ‘gender neutral’ and is to be addressed as Mx, not Mr, Miss or Mrs or Sir/Maam.
I just wanted to get other people’s perspective in the local area as many have children at **** high.”
The parent said his post was not negative, more of a way to communicate with other parents who had no idea.
The majority of the dozens of respondents on the Facebook post were in support of the teacher.
“There were people who wrote derogatory things and took it too far. Majority said you shouldn’t judge a person ... I’m not judging, I just want more information.
“The school should be giving parents peace of mind about the whole scenario.”
The parent said his son had come home from school and said many of the students in the science class were filming or taking photos of the teacher and sending it to friends.
“What learning are they getting when they’re in the class filming the teacher and sending it around to friends on social media. It’s now a bit of a muck up lesson.”
The Times posed a range of questions to the NSW Department of Education on the matter but received a generic response.
“The Department of Education adheres to the principles of Equal Employment Opportunity in all aspects of teacher recruitment and promotion,” a spokesman said.
“NSW public schools provide learning environments that develop understanding, promote positive relationships and enable all students to participate as active Australian and global citizens.”
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The parent said he wished the school or principal had reached out to parents, similar to what a private school in Queensland did this year.
The Glennie School welcomed its first transgender student this term. Its principal Kim Cohen sent a letter home to parents.
“In our middle-senior years, we have a young girl who was born into a boy’s body,” she wrote.
“I know this is a concept many of us may struggle to grasp, but please take time out to think about how much harder it must have been for her to make the realisation.
“I did not hesitate to accept her enrolment as I know within this nurturing community she will be in the very best place for her to excel and be the very best that she can be.”
The Times has decided not to name the school or the teacher out of concern for those involved.
HONORIFICS
● Mx, usually pronounced miks or muks, does not indicate gender
● It is often used by nonbinary people, as well as those who do not wish to reveal or be referred to by a gender
● It was penned in the late 1970s but took a few years for it be more widely used
● The ‘x’ is a ‘wildcard character’ much like # stands for number