Do you think she should be allowed back? (1 Viewer)

[Datamonkee]

http://cnn.netscape.cnn.com/news/story.jsp?idq=/ff/story/0001/20060228/0418193875.htm&sc=1110

EAGLESWOOD TOWNSHIP, N.J. (AP) - To students at Eagleswood Elementary School, she used to be Mr. McBeth. Now, after undergoing a sex change, 71-year-old Lily McBeth is ready to return to teaching as Miss McBeth.

Despite criticism from parents, the school board on Monday stood by its decision to allow McBeth to resume working as a substitute teacher.

After two hours of public debate and a private meeting with McBeth and her lawyer, the board took no action on calls by several parents to bar McBeth from returning to the school where she taught for five years before becoming a woman.

``It was magnificent,'' McBeth said afterward. ``You saw democracy in action.''


I'm all for personal freedoms. I even agree with some instances of gender reassignment (hemaphrodites), but how do you explain this to a 7 year old?

 

[Deegan]

NO, go to another school, but please don't confuse these young minds with this at such an early age. This classroom is not this persons personal science project, this is outrageous!:doh

 

[Kandahar]

I'm all for personal freedoms. I even agree with some instances of gender reassignment (hemaphrodites), but how do you explain this to a 7 year old?

The same way you explain anything else: with the truth.

Why is this even an issue?

 

[shuamort]

but how do you explain this to a 7 year old?

"She was a man who wanted to be a woman. Snip snip."

What's the hubbub about? What's confusing about it? Kids aren't confused about these matters, some adults are.

 

[Navy Pride]

Not no but hell no, not at that grade level......Maybe at the high scool level but not in elementary school.......

 

[Alex]

I voted yes. Kids do not judge people regardless of what they do. They do not care about things like this. It is the adults who have the problem with it and they are using their children to express their own personal disapproval. That is an abuse of parenthood. For the ones that truly do not want to have to explain it to their children, it is lazy parenting. The most fundamental responsibility of a parent is to guide their children into being able to make choices that are best for the individual. This can only be accomplish by allowing their children to be naturally exposed to everything and then explaining it to them or just answering any questions they may have. If a parent cannot do this, they are failures.

 

[talloulou]

I think she should definitely be allowed to continue to teach but at a new where the issue does not have to be addressed.

I don't agree that it is lazy parenting to not want to discuss gender reassignment to very young kids. There are tons of things that I think my kids are to young to learn right now. That doesn' t mean I'm lazy. If they were older kids then I think it might be a good lesson in tolerance and acceptance but for younger kids it's a very confusing issue that parents shouldn't be forced to deal with before they feel their kids are ready. In my opinion it is asking too much at the elementary school level.

There are many things I wouldn't want to have to explain to my young children right now regarding sex, crucifixtion, pros and cons of religion, abortion, rape, incest, the death penalty, terrorism, war ect...I put sex changes in that catagory. At a new school noone has to explain anything to the new children unless the parents make a big deal out of it but at the old school an explanation is in order.

 

[talloulou]

I voted yes. Kids do not judge people regardless of what they do.

Have you ever hung out with elementary students? That statement is completely ignorant.

They do not care about things like this.

Maybe preschoolers but even then the smart preschoolers would find the whole thing fascinating and have tons of questions.

It is the adults who have the problem with it and they are using their children to express their own personal disapproval. That is an abuse of parenthood. For the ones that truly do not want to have to explain it to their children, it is lazy parenting.

Total BS. There are many topics that parents have a right to introduce to their children when they decide it is right. It is not a schools job to force parents to discuss these topics. And if I was just expressing prejudice I wouldn't want her to continue to teach at all and that is certainly not my position.

The most fundamental responsibility of a parent is to guide their children into being able to make choices that are best for the individual. This can only be accomplish by allowing their children to be naturally exposed to everything and then explaining it to them or just answering any questions they may have. If a parent cannot do this, they are failures.

Total BS. In fact it is a parents job to protect their children from things they are too young to understand like terrorism, porn, ect.....

 

[Deegan]

I voted yes. Kids do not judge people regardless of what they do. They do not care about things like this. It is the adults who have the problem with it and they are using their children to express their own personal disapproval. That is an abuse of parenthood. For the ones that truly do not want to have to explain it to their children, it is lazy parenting. The most fundamental responsibility of a parent is to guide their children into being able to make choices that are best for the individual. This can only be accomplish by allowing their children to be naturally exposed to everything and then explaining it to them or just answering any questions they may have. If a parent cannot do this, they are failures.

Oh really, LOL?

I think lazy is the most appropriate word for this, but the laziness is in your argument, as you have not taken the time to consider the young people in this rant! Understand it or not, it's not the time to insert such adults problems at such an early age. I choose to allow my kids to enjoy childhood, not to walk lock step with some insane liberals idea of what is appropriate for elementary school children!:roll:

 

[Alex]

Have you ever hung out with elementary students? That statement is completely ignorant.

The inability to be a good parent is ignorant. Not to mention selfish.

Maybe preschoolers but even then the smart preschoolers would find the whole thing fascinating and have tons of questions.

GOOD! They should ask many questions about as much as possible! Good parents will answer these questions no matter what they are.

Total BS. There are many topics that parents have a right to introduce to their children when they decide it is right. It is not a schools job to force parents to discuss these topics. And if I was just expressing prejudice I wouldn't want her to continue to teach at all and that is certainly not my position.

Parents rights do not overrule individual rights. If a person wants to have a sex change then it is their right to do so without interupting any other aspect of their lives. It is the parent's right to pull their children from that school, but that is more lazy parenting.

Total BS. In fact it is a parents job to protect their children from things they are too young to understand like terrorism, porn, ect.....

"Protect"? What exactly are parents protecting here except their own personal dislike? Kids do not care about being exposed to anything. The only thing left to protect is within the parents themselves.

 

[Alex]

Oh really, LOL?

I think lazy is the most appropriate word for this, but the laziness is in your argument, as you have not taken the time to consider the young people in this rant! Understand it or not, it's not the time to insert such adults problems at such an early age. I choose to allow my kids to enjoy childhood, not to walk lock step with some insane liberals idea of what is appropriate for elementary school children!:roll:

If they are old enough to ask about it, they are old enough to talk about it. Parents tend to be victims. They are terrified of what people will say about them if they do not overly shelter their children. I stand by all my previous comments in response to this.

 

[talloulou]

Well here's the thing this person had surgery to change her gender. It's an obvious surgery and the topic can't be avoided.

Let's say a teacher got breast implants. That's not an obvious surgery in all cases and probably can go un-noticed by the kids. But let's say it couldn't. Do I want some woman explaining to my 7 year old daughter that she got breast implants to boost her self esteem.....?????

Hell friggen NO!!!!

Do any of you yes voters even have children?

 

[Deegan]

If they are old enough to ask about it, they are old enough to talk about it. Parents tend to be victims. They are terrified of what people will say about them if they do not overly shelter their children. I stand by all my previous comments in response to this.

You miss the point, if not thrown in their face, would they have "asked about it" at all, I hardly doubt it.

 

[Navy Pride]

Children that are 7 years old deserve to keep their innocence.....Sadly they will have plenty of time to learn about the perversions of the world when they are older.........

 

[Alex]

You miss the point, if not thrown in their face, would they have "asked about it" at all, I hardly doubt it.

Children NEED to be exposed to everything possible. It is what eventually makes them adults. Exposing them to things at young ages makes them more tolerant adults.

 

[Kandahar]

You miss the point, if not thrown in their face, would they have "asked about it" at all, I hardly doubt it.

Who cares? So they ask about it, and the parents either answer their questions or they don't. School integration was "thrown in their face" at one time too, and some parents were uncomfortable discussing racial issues. Too damn bad.

 

[Navy Pride]

Who cares? So they ask about it, and the parents either answer their questions or they don't. School integration was "thrown in their face" at one time too, and some parents were uncomfortable discussing racial issues. Too damn bad.

Terrible example..........I doubt if many 7 years old protested against integration.........

 

[Deegan]

Who cares? So they ask about it, and the parents either answer their questions or they don't. School integration was "thrown in their face" at one time too, and some parents were uncomfortable discussing racial issues. Too damn bad.

I care, the parents care, you obviously don't, but who cares what you and I think, we don't have children there, they do!

I hope they listen carefully to the parents concern, and not to outside idiots who think they know better!:roll:

 

[talloulou]

If they are old enough to ask about it, they are old enough to talk about it. Parents tend to be victims. They are terrified of what people will say about them if they do not overly shelter their children. I stand by all my previous comments in response to this.

Let's take the topic of porn. Should we leave it lying around for seven years to look at since they're old enough to talk about it? That would not only be lazy parenting....it would be abusive parenting in my opinion.

 

[Kandahar]

Terrible example..........I doubt if many 7 years old protested against integration.........

I doubt many 7-year-olds protest against sex-change operations either.

 

[Kandahar]

I care, the parents care, you obviously don't, but who cares what you and I think, we don't have children there, they do!

I hope they listen carefully to the parents concern, and not to outside idiots who think they know better!:roll:

So the kids listen to their parents' concerns. The parents can explain all about how this teacher worships the devil, and how Jesus kills a kitten everytime someone has gender reassignment surgery. If they're really upset, they can even pull their child out of the school.

What they can't do is tell the teacher that she can't teach there anymore. Here's an idea: Let's focus on getting rid of incompetent teachers, rather than transgendered teachers.

 

[talloulou]

Parents rights do not overrule individual rights. If a person wants to have a sex change then it is their right to do so without interupting any other aspect of their lives.

I agree to a point. If the teacher taught at the school for years as a MR and now is a Mss. that is the teacher's personal life being brought to school. It's unprofessional. The professional thing would be to accept placement in a new school for the sake of the students. A teacher has the right to do whatever they want regarding their personal life but they don't have the right to discuss or make an issue of their personal choices in my child's classroom. This is not a "new" idea or prejudice one.

A heterosexual teacher doesn't get to discuss their messy divorce with students in their class. They don't get to discuss their religious views. A teacher with breast implants doesn't get to explain to 7 yr olds why she chose to get breast implants. Elementary teachers are supposed to be teaching the basics and anything that distracts or interferes with that is intolerable.

I doubt you have children. Furthermore you seem to be confused about what rights a teacher does in fact have and what they should in fact be talking about. Kids are kicked out of schools all the time for being a distraction. A teacher formerly known as MR and now known as MRS is an inappropriate distraction for elementary students.

 

[Deegan]

So the kids listen to their parents' concerns. The parents can explain all about how this teacher worships the devil, and how Jesus kills a kitten everytime someone has gender reassignment surgery. If they're really upset, they can even pull their child out of the school.

What they can't do is tell the teacher that she can't teach there anymore. Here's an idea: Let's focus on getting rid of incompetent teachers, rather than transgendered teachers.

I'm sure they will, and they most certainly should start with the teacher who does not even know what sex he/she is! This has nothing to do with religion, as you so eloquently(LOL) tried to imply, and everything to do with not confusing young children. This is not the only teaching job available to this thing, and it should have thought of this before it had the operation!:roll:

 

[ngdawg]

Have you ever hung out with elementary students? That statement is completely ignorant.



Maybe preschoolers but even then the smart preschoolers would find the whole thing fascinating and have tons of questions.



Total BS. There are many topics that parents have a right to introduce to their children when they decide it is right. It is not a schools job to force parents to discuss these topics. And if I was just expressing prejudice I wouldn't want her to continue to teach at all and that is certainly not my position.



Total BS. In fact it is a parents job to protect their children from things they are too young to understand like terrorism, porn, ect.....

You put THIS in a category with terrorism and porn???
It is not BS..if you can't answer your child's questions, then you look it up together and if you REFUSE to answer your child's questions or oppose this person's placement, then yes, that is lazy.
Your job of protection is not against transsexuals per se. And any problems you have with it definitely should not be handed down to your kids.
'Mom, why does Ms. M look like a man?' 'Some people are born with certain things wrong with them and when they can, they get these things fixed up so they can be happy. Ms. M had some things fixed up because she looked like a boy but really wasn't deep inside.'
What the hell is so hard about that?

 

[Kandahar]

I'm sure they will, and they most certainly should start with the teacher who does not even know what sex he/she is!

You're saying that having a sex-change makes her an incompetent teacher?

This has nothing to do with religion, as you so eloquently(LOL) tried to imply, and everything to do with not confusing young children.

Children aren't confused, they're curious. They only become confused when adults refuse to answer their questions and act like they shouldn't have been asked in the first place.

This is not the only teaching job available to this thing, and it should have thought of this before it had the operation!:roll:

Maybe she expected the school board to be tolerant. And it appears that they are.