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On 9/23/09, beautythunder wrote:
> A teacher mistook a female student for a male student all
> year (so far this year) and was referring to this student
> as a male. She only found out today, this student is a
> female, b/c the class corrected her. She would like to say
> something to the student, about her mistake but is at a
> loss for what to say... Any ideas?

Let it go - if the student really cared, she would have
spoken up about it. It's just not like it was - kids dress in
a very unisex way these days and if a young woman really
cared if we saw her as a young woman and not as a young man,
she'd dress in a very feminine way. Some of my women students
dress in a way that leaves no room at all for doubt....

But she clearly doesn't dress in a way that shouts 'girl' at
you and so she also likey doesn't really care if a teacher
recognizes her gender. Indeed, there are more than a few
teenagers these days who are exploring issues of gender
identification through their choice of clothes... and maybe
she's doing some of that too. She might indeed want to look
more like a young man than a young woman.

Next time she sees her, smile with sincere warmth - a warm
and caring smile says everything good and nothing good.

Past that - let it go. To these kids, it's 'no biggie'.

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