Would it bother you if your child's teacher said this?

[Anonymous]

My second graders teacher (male) told all the girls that if they wanted to sit on the floor during circle time, they could only do that if they weren't wearing a dress. If they had on a dress, they had to sit on a chair. He said something about "sitting like a lady" They had to sit on a chair even if they had on leggings under the dress. My daughter doesn't like dresses anyway so she isn't fazed but I didn't like this kind of policing (?) what do you guys think? Her friend refuses to wear dresses anymore.

[Anonymous]

I would be bothered, yes. He shouldn't be trying to teach 7 year olds deportment, and he shouldn't be thinking about what's under their dresses.

[Anonymous]

He's right, they shouldn't. Since they don't know that, someone needs to tell them, and if it's not their parents, it falls to the teacher.

[Anonymous]

I would be very, very bothered. It's one thing if he wants dress-wearers to have shorts or leggings so that their underwear doesn't show, but teaching them to "sit like a lady" is totally, totally inappropriate. I would escalate to the principal.

[Anonymous]

Wouldn't bother me one bit. I told my children the same thing. You can't sit on the floor in a public place with your undergarments exposed. Applied equally to the boys and girls and entirely dependent on what was worn. Boys in kilts or even jogging shorts might have the same issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wouldn't bother me one bit. I told my children the same thing. You can't sit on the floor in a public place with your undergarments exposed. Applied equally to the boys and girls and entirely dependent on what was worn. Boys in kilts or even jogging shorts might have the same issue.

OP expressly said that he wouldn't let girls with leggings under their dresses sit on the floor either. This isn't about hiding undergarments, it's about holding girls to a "ladylike" standard of behavior and letting boys be comfortable. It's total BS and I'd talk to the principal about it.

[Anonymous]

Yes, this would bother me, and like the PP, I would go to the principal. How little girls sit in dresses, and what they have on under their dresses, is none of his business. Will he also accompany the little boys into the bathroom to make sure that they are urinating like gentlemen? If it bothers the teacher when second-graders sit on the floor in dresses, then he should move circle time to chairs for everybody.

[Anonymous]

It depends why. If it is a male teacher and he is concerned about accusations, no I think its reasonable. As long as girls have something under the dress like shorts, I think its ok but there is probably more to this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wouldn't bother me one bit. I told my children the same thing. You can't sit on the floor in a public place with your undergarments exposed. Applied equally to the boys and girls and entirely dependent on what was worn. Boys in kilts or even jogging shorts might have the same issue.

OP expressly said that he wouldn't let girls with leggings under their dresses sit on the floor either. This isn't about hiding undergarments, it's about holding girls to a "ladylike" standard of behavior and letting boys be comfortable. It's total BS and I'd talk to the principal about it.

He may have been trying to phrase it nicely and had problems in the past.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It depends why. If it is a male teacher and he is concerned about accusations, no I think its reasonable. As long as girls have something under the dress like shorts, I think its ok but there is probably more to this.

I'm sure that is a part of it. I'm not sure how PPs do not see that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:He's right, they shouldn't. Since they don't know that, someone needs to tell them, and if it's not their parents, it falls to the teacher.

This. And he's trying to protect himself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It depends why. If it is a male teacher and he is concerned about accusations, no I think its reasonable. As long as girls have something under the dress like shorts, I think its ok but there is probably more to this.

I'm sure that is a part of it. I'm not sure how PPs do not see that.

If he's doing this to avoid potential trouble, it's not working. He should have thought this through.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It depends why. If it is a male teacher and he is concerned about accusations, no I think its reasonable. As long as girls have something under the dress like shorts, I think its ok but there is probably more to this.

I'm sure that is a part of it. I'm not sure how PPs do not see that.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He's right, they shouldn't. Since they don't know that, someone needs to tell them, and if it's not their parents, it falls to the teacher.

This. And he's trying to protect himself.

Nope. Complete bullshit. The girls can sit on the floor of the boys can. I'd call him out on it and if necessary go to the principal.

[Anonymous]

Weird and off base. Is he telling the boys to sit with their legs together? Is he enforcing rules of deportment on both genders, all the time? Or are the girls held to standards of deportment and the boys not?