When teachers are teaching unethical things, you have to call them out. Telling a child that certain people are allowed to cross their boundaries is malpractice and conditions them to believe their needs do not matter as much as others’ needs do.

The teacher in this next story told their 10-year-old male student that girls are allowed to get physically confrontational with male classmates, and that they cannot do anything about it. Now, I don’t condone any violence, which is the sole issue at hand. This educator is teaching children that it’s okay for certain people to harm them and that they do not have the grounds to complain about it. It’s inherently unethical.

This is why the parent immediately reaches out to the teacher and complains about the ethics of her argument. The 10-year-old is clearly disheartened, and his female classmates have begun regurgitating this ideology and teasing him as a result. When a student feels ostracized, you’d think that a mandated reporter would ensure the student feels safe again. The teacher instead doubles down, and that’s when the parent considers taking it up to administration. What would you do if you were the parent in this situation?