A public-school teacher posted on the Parenting Special Needs forum on Friday seeking advice on how to address the "R-word issue" with her principal. Wrote lbringer:
I've previously discussed with my principal my negative feelings about the word "retarded." He listened, but recently he began a conversation with, "I know you don't like this word, but..." and continued to use it in a derogatory way in the conversation. He's my boss; I would like to continue working, but am open to some good ideas about how to discuss this with the other teachers, and again, with the principal. Any ideas?
I suggested some resources on the r-word.org site, as well as a couple of blog posts I thought explained the issue well, but I bet many of you have some thoughts on the matter too. Particularly if you've been in the same situation as lbringer, please stop by the forum and respond to the request for ideas, or leave some in the comments here.
Illustration courtesy of r-word.org