A previous version of this article mistakenly noted the class subject as English. It was a Life Skills course. Jan. 18, 2017
Call me old-fashioned, but I happen to think high school should be for learning, not getting set up on blind dates by your teacher.
And I think the unfortunate students in one Life Skills class in Utah probably agree, after their teacher decided that the class — a class required by the state of Utah for graduation — wouldn't be complete until they had each gone on a date with a member of the opposite sex.
What place that has in a school setting, we can't even begin to imagine.
Most teachers are wonderful, selfless people, like the awesome teacher who reminded her students they're more than their test scores, but when it comes to this assignment? Our minds are frankly boggled.
The girls in the class were given extensive instructions for "ladylike" behavior on the date, with tasks actually brainstormed by their male classmates.
And while most agree dating is a lost art and modern dating could use a healthy dose of old-fashioned good manners, these instructions had the internet in a tizzy soon after they were shared.
What do you think of this unusual assignment? Scroll through below and let us know in the comments!
The assignment, which was apparently first given in 2011, was posted on Facebook and Twitter by various outraged parents and students.
The original post, which has since been taken down, was made by mom Jenn Oxborrow, who was stunned that the school would ask her daughter to date a boy for class.
In fact, if the students didn't do the assignment, they wouldn't pass the class, which would keep them from graduating on time.
The assignment, written on pink paper, lays out rules to the impressionable teens in the class.
Not only are they expected to go on a date with a member of the opposite sex, they're expected to follow instructions brainstormed by the boys in the class.
Predictably, the boys were full of ideas about how women should behave, and lots of pointers on how to be ladylike.
Some were innocuous, but there are a few that many women online took issue with:
“Eat the food you order. Don’t waste his money.”
"If you think you're too fat, keep it to yourself."
"Be feminine and lady-like, don't use vulgar language or swear."
These notes also instructed girls to "respect" the man in the situation.
They were told, "Don't criticize his driving" and "Give him a chance to be gentlemanly (wait for him to open the door)."
Again, we love the idea of "gentlemanly" dates, but is it just us, or does this seem a little condescending?
The boys also received instructions from the ladies in the class.
The girls' instructions to the boys weren't much better, with notes like, "Girls like flowers and little gifts" and "At the restaurant, say what you're going to order so she will have a guide in ordering."
If we're being honest, the only lesson we're getting out of this assignment is that boys and girls both need to learn to respect each other and see each other as equals.
Jenn Oxborrow seemed to have a similar thought.
In her original Facebook post, since removed, she noted:
My 11th grade AP honors student’s homework: “go on a date!” With a boy. And follow his suggestions — don’t correct his personal habit, don’t waste his money, and show him respect. Thanks for educating our kids, Utah Department of Education. We really appreciate your evidence-based misogyny.
What do you think of this school assignment? Do you think it has any place in the classroom?
Let us know below, and SHARE if you were shocked by this unusual assignment.
