Sexual harrasment or not? (1 Viewer)

[Gambra]

Was in school yesterday and had a free class of history and a new teacher in the school; was supervising us. Over the double class of boredom, the person sitting beside me decided to write "Will Drop Pants For Money" on the back of a notebook and put it upright on the desk. The teacher walked down, picked it up instantly and said "You'll regret you ever did that". Few mins later she comes back down and says "are you aware of the term harrasment?" Few classes later, said friend is brouht upto the principal and is told he is being accused of sexual harrasment by the teacher in question. The shit has hit the fan as they say.

As someone who is biased, the guys a close friend, my question to all you Thumpeders is whether this is actual sexual harrasment inyour opinion or just a new teacher really trying to exert their authority?

 

[Dr Winston Umbogo]

You pesky kids.

 

[oh shit]

IT'S POLITICAL CORRECTNESS GONE MAD!!!

 

[Gambra]

IT'S POLITICAL CORRECTNESS GONE MAD!!!

Thats what we're thinking too..

 

[spiritualtramp]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexual_harassment

Hmmm....dunno if it *really* qualifies as sexual harassment. Regardless, your friend was acting like a muppet. I'd advise they apologise instead of playing the victim card.

 

[Rogue]

It would be nice if the parties involved could just sit down and discuss this in a calm and rational manner but it sounds like the hysteria alarms have gone off already, shame.

 

[spiritualtramp]

Over the double class of boredom, the person sitting beside me decided to write "Will Drop Pants For Money" on the back of a notebook and put it upright on the desk.

Which desk? Their own desk or the teachers desk?

 

[Gambra]

It was his own desk, I agree that he was acting like a complete tool and really all sides should just calm down and discuss it.

 

[RSJ]

That's going a bit far. Sounds like a new teacher. Then again, most teachers are bitter fuckers, or at least any i've had were.

 

[spiritualtramp]

It was his own desk, I agree that he was acting like a complete tool and really all sides should just calm down and discuss it.

Right, well if it was her desk then that would mean it was referring to her dropping her pants, in which case that is sexual harrasment.

But his own desk? He's saying he would drop his pants.

I'd say your mates should apologise as arguing about it will just make it worse.

He should emphasise he wasn't specifically referring to her and he should mention that "will drop pants for food" is a reference from the Simpsons and that there was no evil intention on his part aside from acting the idiot.

Some of my friends have done substitute teaching and it sounds very stressful. The kids always act up and it really pisses them off. The teacher in question was probably just at the end of her tether and took it a bit too seriously.

 

[The]

I'd have to say that that would definitely come under the heading sexual harrassment in my books. I mean what did your friend think was going to happen?? that she'd laugh it off or something...
That being said I think girls get away with murder in schools. Any male teacher in our school was always completely harrassed and nothing was ever said about it, whereas I know a couple of guys who got kicked out of school for sexual harrassment when a joke went a bit too far.

 

[desertedvillage]

I've done loads of sub teaching in secondary schools and it's extremely stressful. I've been cursed every name under the sun, had scientific calculators thrown at my head, wrestled pellet guns from students......

This Teacher fucked-up big time. If you make such a big deal out of trivial things you lose credibility with the students and won't have the energy too deal with serious incidents. If you're in a mixed school she will have to intervene in a real sexual harrassment incident at some stage. Falsely accusing some clown of sexual harrassment will make it harder for the students to take her seriously when the shit hits the fan.

(ha ha, he said "make it harder"!)

All this teacher had to do was remove it from the desk and place it on her own desk without a word. Crumpling or tearing it up and putting it in the bin would just result in an indignant outcry about property rights.

Principals hate being dragged into every bullshit incidnet, it's best to keep them as back up for when things get really bad.

Was this one incident in a long line line of pranks by any chance?

Show this to your teacher.

 

[nofunchee]

 

[SONYMEGADRIVE]

your friend should be arrested and put in jail for making tedious simpsons references

ah just kidding - i do it all the time - don't have a cow, man

 

[It Will Never Last]

If it was my place of work it would be harassment:

a. Sexual Harassment
(i) Definition
Sexual harassment is defined as
"Unwanted conduct of a sexual nature or other conduct based on sex affecting the dignity of women and men at work".
It is behaviour which is unwanted, unsolicited, personally offensive and fails to respect the rights of others. It does not refer to behaviour of a flirtatious or romantic nature which is freely or mutually entered into.
(ii) The following are examples of sexual harassment:

Verbal
· Suggestive remarks
· Degrading abuse or insults
· Jokes or tricks of a sexual nature
· Requests or demands for sexual favours
· Suggestions that sexual favours may further someone's career or that refusal may damage it.
Physical
· Gesturing of a sexual nature
· Unnecessary touching
· * Indecent exposure
· * Actual sexual assault, up to and including rape
Other
· Displaying sexually explicit material at the work place (this includes photographs, cartoons, email, Web sites, TV, video and sexually suggestive objects). Accessing and/or circulating sexually explicit material through workplace systems is also forbidden under the Authority's information technology security policy
· Leering, whistling​

​

​

 

[wild_cat]

Jesus. Its just some one taking the piss. I hate teachers.

 

[oh shit]

maybe i'm missing the point but isn't it just that he meant he'd drop his own pants for money? only not really, and that's the joke? like he was just trying to provoke people into laughing?

i dont see how it's sexual or harrassing, or affects the rights of anyone else. if the teacher inferred that it was about her, i guess he's up shit creek, although i'd like to think they'd see what he actually meant.

ps even if he did mean it about her, then it's still unclear how kicking him out will make anything better. if school's about learning and she's someone interested in promoting sexual equality, perhaps she should have explained why it's offensive and made an eejit out of him rather than treating him like a pervy old australian from a La La story.

 

[The]

I'm sure nothing major will happen to him and he can go back takling about what a legend he is after it has all blown over

 

[theweeyin]

Speaking as a teacher, I'd have taken it off his desk and asked him to see me at the end.
When I spoke to him later I'd have pointed out that it wasn't really appropriate to do things like that in class as it may be taken the wrong way by some staff/pupils, and suggest that he might want to reconsider his actions in future.

There was absolutely NO NEED to take it any further than that. Especially as it was a one off incident! Pah.

 

[wild_cat]

Speaking as a teacher, I'd have taken it off his desk and asked him to see me at the end.
When I spoke to him later I'd have pointed out that it wasn't really appropriate to do things like that in class as it may be taken the wrong way by some staff/pupils, and suggest that he might want to reconsider his actions in future.

There was absolutely NO NEED to take it any further than that. Especially as it was a one off incident! Pah.

Do teachers only do things like that because they know they have to? ,even though if given half the chance they would have done the very same thing when they were in school to get a laugh.