in America, there are some majors where it seems all the students are taught is to find ways to be offended

(they think they are finding examples of oppression, but the line between "I'm oppressed" and "I'm offended" is quite subjective)

In which country do you teach? I’m amazed by videos I’ve seen from the United States and Europe where students get outraged over the slightest thing; they want to publicly shame and sue teachers for anything at all. You can’t say "Black," "poor," "slave," or "yellow," or even mention a religion they mistake everything for an offense. Obviously, respect and professional ethics must always be maintained, but they want to turn absolutely everything into an issue.

bief57

I agree, if a student is not comfortable talking about it they should not be forced to.  And the provision of accommodation should not be conditional on their willingness to disclose.

I just think the idea that you can't even ask to be silly, and I honestly feel a bit dehumanized.  Like they can't trust me to have a normal conversation with someone.

SimpleStacker

 be up for debate in my mind is whether or not the student needs to give you that explanation. What makes no sense whatsoever is not being allowed to ask. It ties your hands as a mentor in so many ways.

I had a student once that was offended by the word "slave". She said I should always say "enslaved person" and it just made discussion absolutely silly, as my courses discussed serious issues quite a bit. Fortunately, I was able to convince her through demonstration how dancing around terms like that creates more problems in honoring dignity than it solves. That said, I'm sure that if it had come to a higher power in the school, I would have been toast.

AskSN

Education

Disability policy and disclosure

What *might* be up for debate in my mind is whether or not the student needs to give you that explanation. What makes no sense whatsoever is not being allowed to ask. It ties your hands as a mentor in so many ways.

I had a student once that was offended by the word "slave". She said I should always say "enslaved person" and it just made discussion absolutely silly, as my courses discussed serious issues quite a bit. Fortunately, I was able to convince her through demonstration how dancing around terms like that creates more problems in honoring dignity than it solves. That said, I'm sure that if it had come to a higher power in the school, I would have been toast.