Teacher Gives ‘Chivalry’ History Lesson, Assigns Students To Follow Outdated Sexist ‘Chivalric’ Rules For A Day
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Assignments come in various shapes and sizes. And while reading and watching is a great way to learn, there are others with a more hands-on approach that you learn better by doing.
Well, one very hands-on assignment has been making headlines on the internet recently. Turns out, a class in this one Texas school was assigned to live out a set of chivalric rules for one full day, and it caused a bit of a stir among a number of people.
While learning through reading and watching is great, learning by doing seems best
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So, an English teacher at the Shallowater High School in northwest Texas gave an assignment whereby senior students were given a list of Rules of Chivalry to follow for one day. The aim of this assignment was to show how women were treated as inferiors under this medieval code.
The assignment functioned as a checklist of the things that each student had to perform in line with the Code of Chivalry and then an adult witness had to put a signature next to the objective to prove that it actually happened. Objectives differed between the guys and girls.
And this one hands-on assignment—where students had to act out chivalric virtues—had everyone talking
In the guys’ list, people could find things like assisting ladies to seat themselves or rise from their seats, standing up whenever a lady comes into the room, and paying for them if taking them out for the evening.
Likewise, the ladies also got a list that included things like dressing in a feminine way that would “please the men,” walking behind men, never criticizing them, and cleaning up after their men. And many people were not cool with how sexist this assignment has turned out.
Students at a Texas school were given an assignment to live under the rules of chivalry for one full day
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“I really don’t think it was the teacher’s intention to have it be such a sexist lesson,” said Hannah Carreon, one of the seniors in the school. “There were girls that were excited to get to do this finally and get to dress up.”
But there were many who did feel very uncomfortable with it, and the teacher knew that it might get some flak, so she also allowed students to write a one-page essay on the topic instead.
Apparently, this assignment was an annual thing, and in previous years, the teacher would also hand out written disclaimers to parents and teachers explaining the project and its purposes.
The problem was that many found it sexist and were thus uncomfortable with it
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Though the assignment had always been viewed negatively, causing controversy, it was this year that it actually caused serious backlash with a number of parents complaining how the topic of sexism in history could be taught in significantly better ways than this. The assignment was thus cancelled.
But it didn’t end here. A picture of the assignment was posted online and began circulating among a number of parent groups, where journalist Brandi D. Addison Davis stumbled upon it. She shared it on her Twitter, leading to even more criticism of the school.
The boys got a rule list too, which didn’t look as bad as the female version
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As you’d guess, many online were angry about this, calling the assignment wrong and horrific. Some said that role play is a good tool for teaching, sure, but this particular assignment ran the risk of reinforcing the wrong things, and there are many other ways these historical lessons can be taught.
Others suggested that it could have turned out to be an OK assignment if the roles were reversed the next day, giving a chance for both sides to act out the Rules of Chivalry.
Though the assignment is now cancelled, it still found itself on the internet where people weren’t happy about it
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Yet others were in support of this idea, saying that they don’t see the big deal with this—everyone got to participate in history as it was, and everyone is aware of what the right thing is.
Anita Herbert, school district superintendent, addressed the backlash, saying that the assignment was reviewed and despite the historical context, it did not reflect the values of the district and the community.
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Though many were against this, others didn’t see a problem with it
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What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comment section below!
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For all those comments that said it's how they learn history.... if it is that innocent, then assign the boys to fulfill the role of the women and vise versa. Everyone still learns.
i actually think that could be a really good assignment. on day one, do the "stereotypical" gender roles and have students follow those rules. on day two, switch it. then see how the students feel about the fairness of each set of rules.
Maryam, i was talking about Stille20's idea to switch the roles. not the original assignment. i meant a good assignment would be to have students follow the gender roles for one day, and switch the roles the next day. the point would be to show that those gender roles ARE sexist, and put women at a disadvantage. it would hopefully discourage the kids from practicing sexism in real life.
Not just a good assignment, an excellent assignment. If men were forced into stereotypical female roles (from long ago), they might have a bit more understanding of the crap women have had to put up with for centuries. And as the mother of a son, I too wouldn't let my son participate in the assignment as it was.
Yeah! Also a great way to help ensure that students think more about things like gender equality.
I can't agree more!
That's exactly what I thought, why not have them experience each?
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This comment has been deleted.
But keep it within the classroom, as demonstrations only.
exactly, they should have them switch roles then the excuse "it's just an assignment" can be accepted.
maybe role reversal was the intended plan. empathy thru experience is powerful.
Professional historian (Tudor-era England) weighing in here. These assignments don't actually reflect behavior in the middle ages, and mix up upper-class and lower-class roles. For instance, only servants walked behind or with heads constantly bowed, and ladies were under no obligation to bring food or drink to "their" men. Again, that's a servant's job. Ladies sewed, embroidered, or engaged in "delicate" tasks. Food service was NOT among those. Clothing and behavior was strictly regulated. None of this "pleasing to the men" stuff. I don't know where the teacher got the "rules" for this assignment, but it wasn't from historical sources. Sounds more like TV, honestly. I'm a Texan, btw. As for "this is what history was like," when I was in school, my teacher held a slave auction where yes, the black kids were auctioned off. There's no place for this in education, especially since all it does is serve to humiliate everyone except for those in power.
What struck me most was the "walk daintily like your feet were bound". That practise wasn't used in Europe, or am I wrong?
You're right. It was ONLY in China! I meant to mention that; thank you for pointing it out!
I took that as meaning bound together ie. don't walk in great strides
It means to walk in tiny steps
None of these "rules" are historically true.
Yes, foot binding was done in China. I don't think this history teacher knows his history very well...
I came to say that. I don't know where that teacher learned history, but it wasn't anywhere that should be teaching history. Probably the same type of place that made a museum of creationism with dinosaurs and cavemen happily living together.
Yes. Plus, this was just about how one might behave at a gathering. There's a whole lot of what was expected of men and women of the knightly classes and up that couldn't be practiced in a classroom lesson. Women had to run large households making sure everything was correctly provisioned, sourced or made on site. They were usually expected to have some knowledge of herbal medicine and how to do the work of the still room. They did the alms giving and were expected to look out for people in need in the community. Men trained for military combat from childhood. Even if there wasn't a war on, they were expected to be playing a part in the safety of the community. Sometimes, depending on rank, they might be magistrates and help settle disputes. These are just a few things off the top of my head.
Very good point - the original assignment didn't have anything to do with real day-to-day life. (Are you an historian, by any chance?)
This comment has been deleted.
He held a slave auction?! I acnnot believe that this was possible!
She did indeed. She caught hell for it after the fact - she announced the 'auction' on the day, so no one could protest before then. She wasn't fired, though. (I'm proud to say I failed the assignment because I refused to participate. That F got taken off, though.)
That's disgusting! What on earth made the teacher think that was ok.
This comment has been deleted.
Thank you for calling out the BS! I have a feeling the teacher’s real goal was to accrue or fabricate enough material to give the students the distorted impression that Christian Europe had no culture but misogyny. If one’s goal is that one dimensional, no need to stick to historical facts to “prove” it. Judging by the comments, mission accomplished.
This comment has been deleted.
My high school did this back in 1990. But only the men-being-chivalrous-toward-women part. Some of the guys couldn't be bothered, but one kid went above and beyond. He was a shy kid, and the assignment allowed him to shine. He had LOTS of girls crushing on him after that LOL.
I imagine he became a successful actor :D
I imagine he had success with women.
LOL
For all those comments that said it's how they learn history.... if it is that innocent, then assign the boys to fulfill the role of the women and vise versa. Everyone still learns.
i actually think that could be a really good assignment. on day one, do the "stereotypical" gender roles and have students follow those rules. on day two, switch it. then see how the students feel about the fairness of each set of rules.
Maryam, i was talking about Stille20's idea to switch the roles. not the original assignment. i meant a good assignment would be to have students follow the gender roles for one day, and switch the roles the next day. the point would be to show that those gender roles ARE sexist, and put women at a disadvantage. it would hopefully discourage the kids from practicing sexism in real life.
Not just a good assignment, an excellent assignment. If men were forced into stereotypical female roles (from long ago), they might have a bit more understanding of the crap women have had to put up with for centuries. And as the mother of a son, I too wouldn't let my son participate in the assignment as it was.
Yeah! Also a great way to help ensure that students think more about things like gender equality.
I can't agree more!
That's exactly what I thought, why not have them experience each?
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
This comment has been deleted.
But keep it within the classroom, as demonstrations only.
exactly, they should have them switch roles then the excuse "it's just an assignment" can be accepted.
maybe role reversal was the intended plan. empathy thru experience is powerful.
Professional historian (Tudor-era England) weighing in here. These assignments don't actually reflect behavior in the middle ages, and mix up upper-class and lower-class roles. For instance, only servants walked behind or with heads constantly bowed, and ladies were under no obligation to bring food or drink to "their" men. Again, that's a servant's job. Ladies sewed, embroidered, or engaged in "delicate" tasks. Food service was NOT among those. Clothing and behavior was strictly regulated. None of this "pleasing to the men" stuff. I don't know where the teacher got the "rules" for this assignment, but it wasn't from historical sources. Sounds more like TV, honestly. I'm a Texan, btw. As for "this is what history was like," when I was in school, my teacher held a slave auction where yes, the black kids were auctioned off. There's no place for this in education, especially since all it does is serve to humiliate everyone except for those in power.
What struck me most was the "walk daintily like your feet were bound". That practise wasn't used in Europe, or am I wrong?
You're right. It was ONLY in China! I meant to mention that; thank you for pointing it out!
I took that as meaning bound together ie. don't walk in great strides
It means to walk in tiny steps
None of these "rules" are historically true.
Yes, foot binding was done in China. I don't think this history teacher knows his history very well...
I came to say that. I don't know where that teacher learned history, but it wasn't anywhere that should be teaching history. Probably the same type of place that made a museum of creationism with dinosaurs and cavemen happily living together.
Yes. Plus, this was just about how one might behave at a gathering. There's a whole lot of what was expected of men and women of the knightly classes and up that couldn't be practiced in a classroom lesson. Women had to run large households making sure everything was correctly provisioned, sourced or made on site. They were usually expected to have some knowledge of herbal medicine and how to do the work of the still room. They did the alms giving and were expected to look out for people in need in the community. Men trained for military combat from childhood. Even if there wasn't a war on, they were expected to be playing a part in the safety of the community. Sometimes, depending on rank, they might be magistrates and help settle disputes. These are just a few things off the top of my head.
Very good point - the original assignment didn't have anything to do with real day-to-day life. (Are you an historian, by any chance?)
This comment has been deleted.
He held a slave auction?! I acnnot believe that this was possible!
She did indeed. She caught hell for it after the fact - she announced the 'auction' on the day, so no one could protest before then. She wasn't fired, though. (I'm proud to say I failed the assignment because I refused to participate. That F got taken off, though.)
That's disgusting! What on earth made the teacher think that was ok.
This comment has been deleted.
Thank you for calling out the BS! I have a feeling the teacher’s real goal was to accrue or fabricate enough material to give the students the distorted impression that Christian Europe had no culture but misogyny. If one’s goal is that one dimensional, no need to stick to historical facts to “prove” it. Judging by the comments, mission accomplished.
This comment has been deleted.
My high school did this back in 1990. But only the men-being-chivalrous-toward-women part. Some of the guys couldn't be bothered, but one kid went above and beyond. He was a shy kid, and the assignment allowed him to shine. He had LOTS of girls crushing on him after that LOL.
I imagine he became a successful actor :D
I imagine he had success with women.
LOL