This dude I know did a status the other day (which he's since deleted, I don't know why) about his first lesson with his new psychology teacher. Apparently, she said her young son, who I believe is about 2 or 3 years old, likes to dress in a girly way and seems to like to play with barbies and loves the colour pink and so on. She went on to say that her and her husband are shocked by this and are trying to encourage their son to play with bob the builder and monster trucks and get him into more masculine stuff. First of all, she's a psychology teacher and she's saying this. It's shocking anyway but for someone of that profession to say something like that is also quite disturbing. I had her all last year and have her this year as well, she's in her late twenties now but you can tell that in high school she was one of the shallow popular "pretty" blonde girls, she's essentially the epitome of that stereotype. Am I overreacting or are her comments rather awful? I wasn't in attendance at the class of course so I'm merely going by what the guys' status said.
Well, there are two things with this. One, though certainly not to say that school teachers don't have a valid education in their subject and she could have a higher degree than necessary, but teaching psychology at a lower level, especially in high school, doesn't require that much education in the subject (Actually, in some schooling areas it's as easy as passing a test for their credentials). Secondly, psychology is very much like religion. No matter how educated a group of individuals may grow to be on the topic, there will always be differences of opinion and interpretation. What she is doing to her child is detrimental, and any reasonable amount of study in psychology would have told her that; however, the human mind is a powerful thing. My mother has a Masters in Psychology and lost most of the relationships in her life to verbal abuse. Psychologist are no less likely to be abusive, negative, adulterers, etc, because its easy to be rational and empathetic when we are indifferent to the situation. Its much different to do the same when we are biased. She would probably tell others to "Let their children be themselves", but considers the situation different when it is her's, as that is not how she would wish him to be.
She's not a professional psychologist. It doesn't take much to teach K-12. However as a parent, she has a different perspective than you. They are probably worried sick that their kid will be relentlessly ridiculed. Even so, it might not matter. I heard from a real professional child psychologist that her way of parenting was to let the kid play with dolls and such, yet by age 5 he was told by another kid that "Boys don't play with dolls." Well that was it. He quit that behavior full stop. Now I'm not saying the teacher/parent you refer to isn't a hateful moron, but these kids are going to get as much if not more feedback from their classmates.
Also, there is a big difference between theory and practice. My uncle has a degree in psychology and works for the state department of human services (which handles child welfare, among other issues), but he is still very traditional in his views on raising a child.
My mother is a senior clinical nurse and is constantly updated with the latest medical research, but she still believes in old remedies and practices, and liberally administers antibiotics to her family and subordinates to keep productivity up, despite the severe danger of bacterial immunity, especially in a busy hospital. The psychology teacher probably knows very well about the issue, but because it's her child, she removes professional knowledge and turns to traditional ideas. And a teacher in psychology isn't as likely to be an expert, as has been mentioned.
Yep. It's not cool that they are doing this. She's probably aware of the inexplicable concept of childhood gender nonconformity and has a "not in my back yard attitude" now that it hit home. Her home. Yep. Your stereotype is fine - my high school psych teacher had this same vibe, probable background, and was an idiot. No. You have a right to be somewhat turned off. I was turned off if I had the rare fallout with a teacher, or if their attitudes were idiotic or uppity.
That's really sad. Regardless of her own views, she should keep them out the classroom, how are pupils supposed to learn and take her seriously?
