To explain historical interpretations of Georgia O’Keefe’s paintings
A Michigan news outlet reports that a substitute teacher was fired a few days ago for uttering the word “vagina” in an art history class while talking about interpretations of Georgia O’Keefe paintings. (The vagina interpretation is pretty hard to miss.)
If you ask Allison Wint why she was fired from Harper Creek Middle School, she will tell you it’s because she uttered the word ‘vagina.’
“Yes, I did say that word however I was saying it in the context of art history; I wasn’t being vulgar,” she said.
Well you know when it’s a matter of being vulgar, “vagina” isn’t the word of choice. You’ve got cunt, twat, pussy, snatch, gash, minge, to name a few – vagina just isn’t the best one for purposes of vulgarity.
The substitute art teacher claims she said it to a room full of 8th graders trying to explain historical interpretations of Georgia O’Keefe’s paintings. But to school officials, Wint crossed the line–and violated school policy.
“I did not know about this policy, they were entirely within their right to remove me, however I was not aware of this policy beforehand; if I had known about this policy, I would have never done it without approval,” Wint said.
Are they? Are they within their rights? Can they fire her for saying elbow, tibia, eyebrow, incisor, spine, collar bone? Can they fire her for saying breast? Can they fire her for saying penis, testicles, ovaries, uterus?
No, sorry, I’m not convinced they are within their rights, assuming it’s a public school. If she had called a kid a big stupid vagina, that’s one thing, but if she pointed out the resemblance between many of O’Keefe’s flower paintings and vaginas, it’s another.
After clearing out her classroom and packing all her artwork into her car, Wint says losing her students hurts more than losing her job and she will not fight her termination.
“I harbor no ill will against them,” she said.
Wint was a longtime substitute, placed at Harper Creek through an outside agency.
She says she now plans to look for work somewhere else.
I hope she gets a good job, and I hope the Michigan ACLU files suit against the school.
https://youtu.be/xs3OWJ53rHE
Surely you remember the woman state legislator who was censured by her colleagues for using the word “vagina” in a debate about abortion rights, right? Wisconsin or Nebraska or summat? Anyhow, this is disheartening but unsurprising—in ‘Murrkah, ‘vagina’ is the most vulgar word of all.
It’s not a smart firing, for sure. But I’m not sure why you think they didn’t have the right to do it.
Possibly it violates some rights she might have in her contract, either procedurally or in terms of being a disproportionate sanction, but without more information I don’t see what you want to get the ACLU involved for. Teachers don’t have free speech rights in their classroom. Thankfully. Otherwise schools would be powerless to stop teachers who use their classroom to proselytize religion, promote creationism, spread hatred of minorities, etc.
Their biology teachers must be sweating.
Apparently the relevant policy is that “teachers are required to get advanced approval when discussing any form of reproductive health.”
Well
(a) she is not reported as discussing reproductive health
(b) Why should that subject in particular need approval? Because it’s controversial (for some people)? Are there similar polices about the age of the Earth, gun control, history of religion…?
I attended a catholic junior high school. In both grades 7 and 8 sex education was compulsory. It was taught by a nun who presented the course material with both accuracy and humour. She used the word ‘vagina’ all the time.
In this context, “reproductive health” is a euphemism.
One would think that vagina is a word all school children would be familiar with from both sex-ed and biology classes. If not why not?
Does Harper creek flow through Harper Valley?
The word “vagina” doesn’t sound at all vulgar to me; indeed it seems rather clinical. What would they have preferred her to say?
Screechy Monkey @ 3 – Well because it’s so arbitrary and bizarre. Fired for saying a word for part of human anatomy? But note that I did say I assume it’s a public school. Private schools can be that arbitrary, but public schools are generally unionized – which I guess would make it a union matter not an ACLU matter. But all I said was that I’d like to see the ACLU sue them. I didn’t say it was likely or even possible.
Opehlia,
Fair enough. When you said ACLU, I assumed you were thinking of a free speech issue, and for the reasons in my prior comment, I don’t want the courts getting involved in that sort of claim. I agree with you that there seems to have been an injustice here, and it would be nice to see it set right in some way.