Do you agree ...or not?

timetogo2016

I worked in a school for along time Newatthis and all of the staff and parent helpers too were told not to say blackboard say whiteboard and coffee with milk not black coffee.and tea without milk,amongst other things.
So you are not lying at all.

Yup!
Don’t know about black coffee but blackboard became a no-no in school, certainly for quite a while.

Good post Doodledog

lemongrove

timetogo2016

I worked in a school for along time Newatthis and all of the staff and parent helpers too were told not to say blackboard say whiteboard and coffee with milk not black coffee.and tea without milk,amongst other things.
So you are not lying at all.

Yup!
Don’t know about black coffee but blackboard became a no-no in school, certainly for quite a while.

Not in any school I worked in.

As did black sheep in the nursery rhyme in many playgroups including one in which I helped out.It was baa baa green sheep.I would be surprised if that ever went back to the original wording, as black sheep are considered more worthless or ‘bad’.

Lucca....we can’t all have worked in the same school, that would be strange! ?That being the case, each school would have sone something different, depending on the Head and the teachers.

Well luckily I never came across any managers stupid enough to ban the use of the word blackboard

love0c

Just overheard the nursery over the road having the children sing 'ba ba happy sheep! Still laughing!!

That’s actually a rather nice version? it’s all down to what the nursery wants and the ethnic mix of little ones.How nice to live close and hear them singing, children singing always brings a tear to my eye, it’s all those innocent little lives.

Dod those of you who were told not to say 'Blackboard' never question this?

I would love to know how any manager could explain how the word could possibly be racist (and why they would want to ban the word), particularly if they were talking to an educated employee who could, presumably, see through any gaps in the logic and query them.

Yes Lucca lucky old you.

Do we need to change everything that has the word black in it? The Black Dog Gang comes to mind on GN. Black Beauty?

How blackboard or black coffee could be seen to be offensive is a mystery to me.

AGAA4

Do we need to change everything that has the word black in it? The Black Dog Gang comes to mind on GN. Black Beauty?

How blackboard or black coffee could be seen to be offensive is a mystery to me.

No, we really don't. See my post on the previous page ?

AGAA4

Do we need to change everything that has the word black in it? The Black Dog Gang comes to mind on GN. Black Beauty?

How blackboard or black coffee could be seen to be offensive is a mystery to me.

of course not. And nobody is suggesting that.

Lucca

AGAA4

Do we need to change everything that has the word black in it? The Black Dog Gang comes to mind on GN. Black Beauty?

How blackboard or black coffee could be seen to be offensive is a mystery to me.

of course not. And nobody is suggesting that.

Chalkboard instead of blackboard in the OPs post seems to be suggesting that.

Doodledog

AGAA4

Do we need to change everything that has the word black in it? The Black Dog Gang comes to mind on GN. Black Beauty?

How blackboard or black coffee could be seen to be offensive is a mystery to me.

No, we really don't. See my post on the previous page ?

Been skimming again doodledog and didn't read your post properly. It does say all that needs to be said.

And black ice on a tarmac road, it isn’t white because it could be seen with the frost on it.

newatthis in my school too told to use chalkboard instead of blackboard.

I recently offered coffe to a man who said he’d like a Julie Andrews.

I laughed when his wife explained it meant milk, no sugar. White nun…..geddit?

So why did I spend the rest of the day wondering if it’s a joke that would be likely to cause offence? ?

Dismissing the word black from the English language is ridiculous!!! If we can't ask for a black coffee does that also mean we can't ask for a white one !?

We were told not to use the term 'blackboard' by a newly qualified teacher, until it was pointed out that they were actually dark green, and simply referred to as The Board. I do know the school where the children were taught to sing 'Baa baa white sheep.'

I havent seen a blackboard in a school for years and years so that might be more of an issue.

The school my children attended in London definitely had issues with blackboards - they were to be referred to as chalkboards. A friend was corrected when she complained about a loose manhole cover. She was told very firmly it was a personhole cover. Baa baa black sheep was also amended but I can’t remember what to. It seems to imply there is something negative about the word black which is surely wrong.

Three Junior 4 boys were stamping on my son’s feet because he didn’t have the right name on his trainers when he was in J1. The head was willing to punish the two white boys (staying in at break time) but reluctant to punish the West Indian boy “because his mother is such a nice lady”. Surely this gives out the wrong message to all concerned? I was told by a teacher that racism only goes one way. Black people cant be racist apparently.

There were three political governors on the school board who always asked if there had been any racist incidents. I heard this myself. The headmistress (is that allowed?) took early retirement!

She retired then the head of DD1’s senior school also retired and the new head announced straight away that he wouldn’t allow any police on the premises under any circumstances. DD was told to write a story about burning Mrs Thatcher on a bonfire. Surely putting ideas like that into young teens heads is pretty sick and potentially dangerous, no matter what you think about the person?

Partly because of the prevailing attitude we moved out. I am not exaggerating or lying either.

Working for the NHS in Kent we were definitely told not to say black coffee. A visiting black doctor obviously hadn’t received the message when he was asked what he would like to drink. He was taken aback when his request for a black coffee was met by a momentary shocked silence, followed by somewhat nervous laughter, but did see the funny side! The unit manager did tell him he wasn’t supposed to say that!

I must have led a very sheltered and uneventful life.....

I think it has gone a little crazy. We were told not to use 'blackboard' and 'black coffee' as it might offend someone. Also the word 'foreign' was also non p.c. instead we were told to say - 'non native speaker' which I think sounds worse.

There are still a few people who have Scots Gaelic as their first language. If they wanted to learn English, would you feel entitled to refer to them as foreigners?

How about recent immigrants who have been granted British citizenship? Or people who have been here a while but never mastered the language?

Its not hard to try to be inclusive.

There are still a few people who have Scots Gaelic as their first language. If they wanted to learn English, would you feel entitled to refer to them as foreigners?

No, but they would be learning English as a foreign or second language.
It's just a term.

Perhaps best to contact the bodies which award the teaching qualifications for teaching English as a foreign language.