Florida teacher loses job for calling student by ‘preferred’ name
Florida teacher loses job for calling student by ‘preferred’ name
Thousands are signing a petition to try to help a teacher get her job back at Satellite High School. Brevard Public Schools said it isn’t renewing Melissa Calhoun’s contract for next year because she called a student by the name they wanted to be called by, not their legal name.
I remember when I was in school and teachers would ask each kid on day 1 how they would prefer to be named. This was in the 80s and 90s. In Texas.
There was nothing wrong with it then, nor is there anything wrong with it now.
What has changed is the vitriol and hate that has erupted against our trans brothers and sisters.
My stereotypical old guy class teacher in rural Hungary who was a local prominent party member of Orbán's party and a devout Christian had no problems with that either.
This has never been a problem.
this could be the backstory of your username, my name is Barry Cuda ms Roberts
Absolutely. Until I was in my 20s everyone I knew referred to me by a nickname. Everyone I've known since before that time still does. The only purpose behind this is to target a vulnerable group for cruelty.
“She is irreplaceable, not only a good teacher, but significantly more importantly she is the kindest and most caring person I have ever met in my life,” one supporter commented.
"Kindness and caring have no place in the classroom" - conservatives probably
Conservatives, absolutely. They see empathy as a weakness.
Probably because the most powerful conservatives all got to grow up in abusive boarding schools that disfigured their souls, deleted their empathy, and taught them how to savagely bully their way into power, humanity be damned.
Source: Trailer for Boarding on Insanity
My mom's (teacher) old boss (principal) literally told her that she shouldn't even know what the kids do after they leave school, basically saying she shouldn't care about the kids.
Like why the fuck else do you become a teacher?!
Jesus fucking Christ. When I was in middle school in the southern Midwest, on the first day of school I had the teachers straight up ask if anyone had a preferred name other than the one on their records. Unprompted. And no one gave a shit.
Teachers, like all employees, are expected to follow the law.
No. If a law is unjust and immoral it is the imperitive of everyone at the district to disobey it.
Just because it is law, does not make it right.
I think the worst part about this story is that you know that kid's parents are exactly the bigots you think they are, and now the child has learned a valuable lesson that they are completely alone, unloved, and no one will help them.
It's terrible that Florida is doing this to teachers, but it's worse for the kids.
This was my first thought, too. The kid found an advocate and a trusted person. So depressing
“Brevard Public Schools (BPS) was made aware that a teacher at Satellite High School had been referring to a student by a name other than their legal name, without parental permission when the parent reached out to us. This directly violates state law and the district’s standardized process for written parental consent.
“BPS supports parents’ rights to be the primary decision-makers in their children’s lives, and Florida law affirms their right to be informed.
Cruel, vindictive, inhumane and depraved control by the parents. The child is in danger and now knows that even trusted adults can't be trusted when their parents go digging. Without a doubt the child is being verbally abused for daring to control their own identity.
Disgusting law, disgusting people and disgusting country.
Imagine if she said Palestinians deserve to live.
A monster like that should be dragged into the street and shot!
/s cause I'm certain there are real monsters who believe the above.
Yeah there's a bunch of them in the Knesset
So we’ve reached the point where calling someone what they want to be called can cost you your job. Imagine getting fired for basic human decency. 🤔
Welcome to the regressive fascist regime
So we can't call people "Jim" "Liz" "Bob" "Sam" anymore?
Of course not. They are Jimothy, Lizothy, Bobothy, and Samothy, as was ordained by Christ himself
Especially Bob. What kind of name is Bob? Is that what he does when he encounters a glory hole? Bob?
Guys, everyone that read this, remember, Ted Cruz is his preferred name. His real name is Rafael. If you don't want to get in trouble, make sure to call him Rafael every chance you get.
Rafael Edward Cruz, the Canadian-American, US Senator.
It’s lowkey appropriate that he was born in Alberta.
Another immigrant, taking senatorial jobs from hard-working Americans! Damn you, Rafael!
señator Raf Cruz, shield your people with strong Texan wings! 🐧
"James Donald Bowman" -Vice President of the
UnitedDivided States of America (Under Fascist Management)
Just more reasons to never go to Florida again.
I go by my middle name. Not because I wanted to, but because that is what my immediate family chose. I became comfortable with it. So I decided in certain settings to let people use my first name.
99% of my extended family doesn’t know my first name. Some of them are teachers. If I had been in their class, they’d be in trouble. Fucking stupid law.
Florida is purposefully trying to destroy it's own public school system. They make being a public school teacher so undesirable, and then complain about a "teacher shortage". Of course nobody wants to be a public school teacher in Florida. You can get fired for how you address someone?
I wonder if this law was written to target transgender students but instead it's now affecting cis gender kids who can't go by their nick name any more and now teachers are losing their jobs for using nick names on their students they prefer.
Transphobia also affects cis people just like how homophobia can affect straight people because they recieve harassment if they're mistaken as gay like how my brother faced racism by his math teacher because she thought he was Native.
This would be leopards eating faces if the teacher voted this in and the parents who are protesting.
Knew a straight guy who got beaten almost to death because two fascist chuds thought he was gay. Only survived because one of his buddies at the gig he was working that night noticed he didn't make it back to the hotel after, could have easily just bled out overnight over nothing. When you decide to amplify hateful and violent ideology, it creates a hateful and violent world.
Great. Now nicknames will be illegal. No more Max or Jim or Bill. It's either Maximillian or James or you're fired (and no one cares about poor ol' Bill).
2 of the 14 kids in my sons class go by different names and have since kindergarten. They aren’t trans gender, they just use different names from the ones on the registration forms and birth certificates.
His is it any different. Also goddamn nicknames should be outlawed. That state is so fucked it’s not even funny anymore.
Just when I thought Florida couldn’t get any dumber… damn, was I wrong.
I only have one data point but my kid's teachers (high school) have always both called my kid their preferred name and pronouns. I did get "the letter" this year to send back saying it was ok. Ridiculous.
This is just such a mess, why oh why.
What I really and truly can't understand are the parents. How can you be THAT controlling? What do they think it's going to accomplish?
For some, children are slaves or photocopies of themselves. To be anything else, is an insult.
Exhibit A: Musk, and how he reacted to Vivian Wilson.
Are teachers in Florida now required to call each student by their full legal name every time?
if a teacher pulls an angry freudian slip and yells at you, but calls you by the regular classroom troublemaker's name by mistake, they can get fired?
Bart, no!
Bro wtf kind of a name is James Donald Bowman? Seriously, "Bow Man"? Dude can't even lift a bow. 🤣 This is supposed to be a "Vice President"?
We need people to find this couch-fucker and start saying "Yo, James, you couch-fucker!" and tell the journalist to start asking "Mr. Bowman, when is the last time you've held a bow?" 😂
No, not bow as in "bow and arrow". It's bow as in "bow down and kiss my feet, little bitch!"
When you look at it in the right context it is a perfect name for him.Maybe a "bowjob",