middle school dance -- girls can't turn down a guy who asks them

[FlightlessDuck]

It’s been nearly 30 years since I was in middle school, but our dances were nothing like this. We had slow dancing, but far more sexualized were the fast dances where everyone sandwiched themselves boy/girl/boy/girl and grinded on each other.

... in middle school? When I was in middle school 30 years ago, it was a miracle if you saw anybody on the dance floor actually dancing.

 

[TipsyTraveler]

... in middle school? When I was in middle school 30 years ago, it was a miracle if you saw anybody on the dance floor actually dancing.

Yep, at least 50% of the students were up and dancing at any given time. The dances were mostly held during last period in the cafeteria and the only available seating was along the edge of the stage. Dances were usually chosen by the student body as our reward for things like successful fundraising over other options like field day activities, etc. They were popular and the students looked forward to them.

There were discussions about having dances in elementary school but they never came to fruition, so I can’t say how those would’ve gone with that age set.

 

[cobright]

I understand a girl's need to say "no" to rape, but this is for a middle school dance lesson and the music lasts what, five minutes per song? ...
I wouldn't want to dance with a creeper, but how far should the school go to make the guys feel included?

So the kid that never liked you anyway can now compel you to dance with them. Yeah, I wouldn't be cool with that.

 

[PRINCESS Sweet Pea]

There just is no reason that any child should have to deal with this. I am trying to see some reason or justification for reason to support this. I just can't. If PE is supposed to be mandatory, and not an elective, then this is required and forced physical one on one contact. The way some people can find to support this, in today's time, is really surprising and upsetting. Just wrong. I can't bring myself to use stronger words that some people here on social media and the DIS might use. For me, if it were my daughter, I would do whatever I could to let my voice be heard at the school. Voices are supposed to matter, right. And if it came down to checking my daughter out of school, I would do that. I have done this kind of thing before.

 

[PRINCESS Sweet Pea]

Dances here, before high school, were more of what I would call a party. They do silly activities and group dances like the chicken dance. I did see a few of these. It was really kind of cute.

 

[Princessclab]

Absolutely not! These are children and need to be reassured that you can say no to anyone you are not comfortable with. Very vulnerable age. What kind of message is this that is being communicated to the boys?

If it really is only about participation in the activity, tell the rejected boy to ask another boy to dance. No, the principle is making it about gender.

This needs to be reported to and dealt with by the school board and let the community know this is happening inside their school system.

Yikes, apparently not everyone is aware of a female/women's right to say no.....sheesh.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

Without the policy, she said, the kids would probably split, with boys on one side of the gym and girls on the other, and jump around or chat in clusters until the dance ended. But she doesn’t see that as a problem.

This is how I remember middle school dances, and they were fun. Of course our dances were always after hours and not part of a curriculum. It seems as if the formula works... we all survived.

It sounds like a totally awkward thing at the school described because they tied it to the curriculum. It said though specifically "slow dance" I don't know what/why/how that would be part of curriculum. However it might have been an adjective describing the dance as slow, not a "slow dance". I get so sidetracked. Either way, nobody should be required to dance with somebody they do not want to dance with.