Breastfeeding in class

[NovaKart]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/...rican-university-breastfeeding_n_1877451.html

My thoughts on this are that it's inappropriate and unprofessional but it's also not such a big deal. If I were in the class I would think it was really odd but I wouldn't really care either.

Considering it's a feminist anthropology class and the professor immediately wrote a blog post about it I also think that it probably was a stunt even though the article said it wasn't.

I think it's perfectly alright for women to breastfeed in public and it's better if they make some attempt at covering, but to do it while at work in front of people is inappropriate.

 

[BvBPL]

Saw this on Good Morning America.

Frankly, I don't think it should be a big deal, but college lectures aren't exactly the best place for one year olds in any case.

 

[warpus]

Breastfeeding is the most natural thing in the world, but this is a bit unprofessional.

Bringing a baby into class? Yeah.. No. Especially not if you are the instructor.

 

[emzie]

There's no place it's inappropriate to breast feed. There are places it's inappropriate to bring an infant. To work with you is one of them.

 

[BvBPL]

...college lectures aren't exactly the best place for one year olds in any case.

Bringing a baby into class? Yeah.. No. Especially not if you are the instructor.

There are places it's inappropriate to bring an infant. To work with you is one of them.

The logical conclusion of these statements is that it's more acceptable to use a breastpump in class or work.

Which somehow seems more wrong than breastfeeding.

 

[downtown]

The kid was sick, she's a single parent, and the professor didn't want to take a personal day on the first day of class. It isn't the ideal situation, but I get it.

I'm a little surprised AU students thought this was a big deal. I used to go there, and I remember the place being exceptionally progressive.

 

[hobbsyoyo]

It is a feminist class, so I'm shocked anyone even noticed.

I wish breastfeeding wasn't under attack for being inappropriate. The reaction is so childish, 'boobies, yuck!'. Babies need to eat, and our businesses don't usually provide day care services, which makes life difficult for families and forces them to make tough decisions.

If conservatives were really pro-family, this wouldn't be an issue, except that they'd be pushing for more day care services.

 

[Quackers]

Why is feminism even a subject that can be taken?

 

[bhsup]

There's no place it's inappropriate to breast feed. There are places it's inappropriate to bring an infant. To work with you is one of them.

This, exactly. Maybe she should not have brought the infant to work, but once that was a done deal, the breastfeeding shouldn't even be an issue.

 

[warpus]

The logical conclusion of these statements is that it's more acceptable to use a breastpump in class or work.

Which somehow seems more wrong than breastfeeding.

The least logical thing said in this thread so far.

The kid was sick, she's a single parent, and the professor didn't want to take a personal day on the first day of class. It isn't the ideal situation, but I get it.

Yeah, I guess, but it'd still be very distracting for the students. As someone who paid tuition, I would want to get the most out of every class.

 

[downtown]

As someone who paid tuition, I would want to get the most out of every class.

Yeah, that's whats what I was thinking too actually. What's getting more out of the class...not having a professor the first day (which means that syllabus review gets crammed into another lecture or something), or taking a few min out of the lecture for the professor to feed her kid?

Maybe for some people the former is better. By that metric, I'd rather have the later.

 

[bhsup]

Honestly, if a student is distracted by breastfeeding to the point that it affects their ability to learn in that class, then they're too immature for college and shouldn't have enrolled to begin with.

 

[LucyDuke]

She probably should not have brought her baby to class. The students definitely should not have made a fuss about it.

People with objections to breastfeeding anywhere should be ignored until they become adults.

 

[Leoreth]

Why is feminism even a subject that can be taken?

Because it's a way to view the world that can be studied?

 

[warpus]

Honestly, if a student is distracted by breastfeeding to the point that it affects their ability to learn in that class, then they're too immature for college and shouldn't have enrolled to begin with.

I had a feminist teacher who brought in her child to class every once in a while. She didn't breastfeed, but it was distracting because she has to tend to her child from time to time.. It distracted her, it distracted us, etc.

I didn't mean to imply that the actual breast would distract - although it probably would too.

 

[DinoDoc]

Yeah, that's whats what I was thinking too actually. What's getting more out of the class...not having a professor the first day (which means that syllabus review gets crammed into another lecture or something), or taking a few min out of the lecture for the professor to feed her kid?

If the professor is unable to devote her full attention to the class during class time, what's the point of her being there that day and not cancelling class?

 

[hobbsyoyo]

She can still devote more time than none by being there instead of at home.

 

[DinoDoc]

While allowing needless distractions to interfere with class time?

 

[hobbsyoyo]

Yes, that is better than no class time.

BTW our postcounts are now like anagrams.

 

[bhsup]

While allowing needless distractions to interfere with class time?

Is this thread about her taking the baby to class to begin with, or about her breastfeeding the child after already accepting as a given that the child was present in class? I was under the impression, given the title, that it was about the latter. Her taking the baby to class to begin with is a separate issue entirely. Given that, I stand by my assertion that anyone who finds breastfeeding distracting needs to go home and grow up some more. They're too immature to be out and about on their own.