Professor breast feeds in class.

[jjenny]

I just said that the rest of the world wouldn't have a problem with it. Quote where I said it was appropiate and why are you trying to rewrite what I post?

Here you go again with "the rest of the world." The whole world? You traveled through every country, and everywhere it would be fine to bring a sick child to work, and breastfeed that child in front of a class, except US? Is that what you are saying?

 

[raeann]

Costs for this university are listed at over $1200 per credit hour, so assuming that this was a normal 3 credit hour course, the students in that class are paying over $3600 to take the class. It is reasonable for them to expect that the instructor will be giving her full attention and focus to TEACHING at every single scheduled class! This instructor KNEW she was starting a semester of teaching and had plenty of time to arrange for child care on regular days with a backup plan (or two or three) for when her child might be ill. There were a multitude of alternatives that this instructor had including asking the students to read the first chapter of their textbook, or write a short two or three paragraph introduction of themselves to her as their instructor, or review the course syllabus and write out three questions that they might have, etc. ALL OF THESE activities would have been productive and allowed her to take a few minutes to calm her child in private! She behaved in a selfish and disrespectful manner to her students who paid a very large amount of money to have her TEACH them the class material. The issue is NOT about breast feeding......it is about a person not behaving in a professional manner either before, during or AFTER the incident.

jmo

 

[TrackerSam]

Here you go again with "the rest of the world." The whole world? You traveled through every country, and everywhere it would be fine to bring a sick child to work, and breastfeed that child in front of a class, except US? Is that what you are saying?

Where's the quote I asked you for. I'm saying that no where else would they get their undies in a bunch about a single incident and I'll stand by that statement. I can't make it any clearer than that. You don't agree - fine. I've been around the world, not every country. She might get beheaded in the M.E.

 

[jjenny]

Maybe you should re-read my post. It's in a form of the question. If you don't feel it's appropriate, despite claiming that "the rest of the world wouldn't have a problem with it," you are perfectly within your right to answer the question. I didn't attribute anything that you didn't say to you, so I can't possibly provide you with any quotes.

 

[Gardenlady]

Ah, here's the response from Prof. Pine herself. <modsnip>but she declares herself to not be a fan of "lactivism" (too bourgeois, lol), wasn't making a statement, wonders WHY college students must be "mollycoddled" ( :giggle: ) to the point where they must be protected from seeing something she does on the bus or at the mall every day ... And comes across as yeah, just someone who didn't want to inconvenience her students by canceling on the first day, is all, so she brought her kid, and despite a brief nursing session at the end, completed the lecture (no one was robbed of an education).

A great read: http://www.counterpunch.org/2012/09/05/exposeing-my-breasts-on-the-internet/

 

[Gardenlady]

Oh, best part: it was a class on Feminist Anthropology.

 

[~n/t~]

I think there are 2 issues.

1) When is it ok to bring a sick child to work?

2) Where is it ok to breast feed a child?

The first isssue can be addressed fairly quickly. It is totally wrong and irresponsible to bring a sick baby to your place of work , imo. If the school, in this case, does not afford parental absence when a child is sick then they either have to change their policies or the mom should know well in advance that when there is an emergency someone in her family or a babysitter needs to be called. I am not a teacher but was a single mom of 2 boys working full time. I could not bring my sick kids to work so I had to ensure there was a Plan B in case it happened that I could not miss work for whatever reason. Be it a conference, a meeting or a project deadline that had to be met. As a parent that is the responsible thing to do.

As for the second issue, it should not be a problem with breast feeding a baby in any public place. Gone are the days when women had to hide. That said, your workplace is not the place to feed your baby. There are breast feeding pumps and again, it is the mother's responsibility to ensure she leaves enough for whoever is caring for her baby.

Why did this woman not have a babysitter?

 

[TrackerSam]

Maybe you should re-read my post. It's in a form of the question. If you don't feel it's appropriate, despite claiming that "the rest of the world wouldn't have a problem with it," you are perfectly within your right to answer the question. I didn't attribute anything that you didn't say to you, so I can't possibly provide you with any quotes.

To quote you -
So because some body function is "natural" means its appropriate to do in front of a class?
What I asked for is where did you read where I said it was apprpropiate and to quote me saying it?

 

[TrackerSam]

Oh, best part: it was a class on Feminist Anthropology.

I thought it was Adrienne Pine's "Sex, Gender & Culture" class.

 

[jjenny]

To quote you -
So because some body function is "natural" means its appropriate to do in front of a class?
What I asked for is where did you read where I said it was apprpropiate and to quote me saying it?

Where do I ever claim that you said it? It's a question. If you don't feel it's appropriate, you can say so. If you do feel it's appropriate, you can say so too.

 

[EGirl]

If she intended for the baby to be with a sitter, how was the baby to be fed? I'm guessing by pumped breast milk in a bottle.

So why didn't she do that in the classroom if she felt she HAD to bring the sick baby with her?

 

[Gardenlady]

I thought it was Adrienne Pine's "Sex, Gender & Culture" class.

Yes, that's the title of the class - but she is listed as Professor of Anthropology, and refers in her article to "Feminist Anthropology" class. So I'd guess that's the broader term for what *kind* of class it was.

 

[TrackerSam]

Yes, that's the title of the class - but she is listed as Professor of Anthropology, and refers in her article to "Feminist Anthropology" class. So I'd guess that's the broader term for what *kind* of class it was.

Well I'm glad no one was hurt running out in panic. :blushing: :floorlaugh:

 

[TrackerSam]

Well I'm glad no one was hurt running out in panic. :blushing: :floorlaugh:

anic: Breasts :hills:

 

[redheadedgal]

wonders WHY college students must be "mollycoddled" ... to the point where they must be protected from seeing something she does on the bus or at the mall every day ...

but she wanted to silence the student newspaper from writing about the incident? she wanted to remain anonymous (aka "protected" << her word)? seems extremely hypocritical to me...

btw, "hostile work environment"? GMAB

 

[MayraMM]

I never hid to breast feed. No one else hides away to eat lunch. I was able to breast feed while pushing a grocery cart and wrangle the other kids. People would walk up and ask to see the baby, not realizing I was nursing, and actually reach over to touch the baby, than jump back in shock when they got an eyeful. Teach them to try to touch my baby! LOL!

 

[Gardenlady]

but she wanted to silence the student newspaper from writing about the incident? she wanted to remain anonymous (aka "protected" << her word)? seems extremely hypocritical to me...

btw, "hostile work environment"? GMAB

How on earth is a request to not run the story, followed by accepting an offer made by the editor to keep her anonymous, trying to silence the paper?

You have never read an article, or saw a news story and thought "that's news?", or "this is kind of questionable as a news story", or "way to try and drum up controversy!", or the one I find myself saying a lot, "must be a slow news day"?

And why is it so hard to imagine a hostile work environment coming out of this. She now has, thanks to the newspaper (which has a history of publishing snide jokes and stories at women's expense, btw) and some kids who were more interested in tweeting than in listening to the words coming out of their prof's mouth, everyone on campus thinking about her breasts. While many colleagues are said to be supportive, there are always co-workers who will try to make hay anytime a working parent (or really, any worker) is seen to be getting cut any slack. But - She didn't skip her class, she completed her lecture, so she gets a backlash for what, exactly? Again, some special snowflakes felt "awkward".

Cry me a river, kids!

 

[Sonya610]

I think the decision to bring a sick baby into a classroom full of people is a bigger deal than the breastfeeding, it is an unnecessary health risk to the other people that are required to be there. It is not the same as a coworker who HAS to work coming in sick, the coworker has a legitimate reason to be there, the baby did not.

Having said, in the business world it would be COMPLETELY unacceptable to start breastfeeding the baby in front of strangers during a meeting. Mothers can be breast feeding in public if the laws allows but this was going way too far.

In public people can choose to ignore it OR get away from it, not in the classroom though, they had to be there and they had to pay attention.

 

[EGirl]

Oh, best part: it was a class on Feminist Anthropology.

Given the nature of the class, I don't think this was a case of her having a sick child and no babysitter. JMO

 

[TrackerSam]

I think the decision to bring a sick baby into a classroom full of people is a bigger deal than the breastfeeding, it is an unnecessary health risk to the other people that are required to be there. It is not the same as a coworker who HAS to work coming in sick, the coworker has a legitimate reason to be there, the baby did not.

Having said, in the business world it would be COMPLETELY unacceptable to start breastfeeding the baby in front of strangers during a meeting. Mothers can be breast feeding in public if the laws allows but this was going way too far.

In public people can choose to ignore it OR get away from it, not in the classroom though, they had to be there and they had to pay attention.

In the business world she would have fed before or after the meeting. That you choose to put it in the middle of a meeting shows to make a point you take it to the point of being ridiculous. In the classroom they didn't have to stay there, no one's a slave shackled to a desk. The baby being sick is a side issue being used to pummel this woman IMO.