The incident occurred in Wongarbon, a small village located 381 km northwest of Sydney, Australia. Ruby Callaghan went through a strange experience when she was transported back in time to 1968 upon entering her school building. Her father, Stephen Callaghan was in shock and disbelief when his daughter came back home on Tuesday afternoon in the current year of 2017 and started recounting horrifying stories of gender-segregated field trips. The distressed father sent immediately a letter to the educational institute asking them a reasonable explanation to what exactly happened to his daughter. “My reaction was one of disappointment,” Stephen Callaghan told Bored Panda.
Dubbo West Public School’s latest newsletter read: “Our Year 6 Boy’s and Girl’s [sic] day will again take place on the Monday 11th December as our girls are treated to fabulous hair and light make-up.
“The boys will not be left out, going to Bunnings, activities and a BBQ lunch.”
It said it would be offering “up-styles on the girls who wish to have their hair done for the occasion” while a male teacher “will be taking the Year 6 boys to Bunnings for a workshop and then they will be cooking themselves a BBQ lunch.”
A Department of Education spokesperson has stated:
“A long tradition at Dubbo West Public School has been activities including preparing hair and light make-up with professionals on the day of the Year 6 graduation.
“Several years ago, the visit to Bunnings replaced the previous boys’ activity.
“The school is happy to accommodate any student who prefers the alternative activity.
“No parents or students have approached the school with concerns about the choice of activities.”
Ruby’s father said she “was affronted that she wasn’t given the choice” and “very indignant that only the boys had the Bunnings option” — but still wanted to get her hair done. Could the space-time continuum have been breached, or are kids still being subjected to such forms of casual sexism in 2017?
“I feel the school has a responsibility to break down these gender divisions,” Mr. Callaghan said further on the matter. As a father to 3 girls, the issue is especially dear to him, and he added that he and his wife wish to give their daughters “the confidence to speak up when they feel they are being discriminated against because they are female.”
His humorous letter made a serious point. “I don’t want to make a huge fuss … this is mainly to point out everyday sexism,” he said, adding that we’ve “still got a long way to go in this area”. Scroll down to read it for yourself, and don’t forget to add your view in the comments.
A father in Australia is accusing his daughter’s school of unauthorized time-travel after a ‘serious incident’
“Dear Principal,
I must draw your attention to a serious incident which occurred yesterday at your school where my daughter Ruby is a year 6 student.
When Ruby left for school yesterday it was 2017 but when she returned home in the afternoon she was from 1968.
I know this to be the case as Ruby informed me that the “girls” in Year 6 would be attending the school library to get their hair and make-up done on Monday afternoon while the “boys” are going to Bunnings.
Are you able tos earch the school buildings for a rip in the space-time coninuum? Perhaps there is a faulty Flux Capacitor hidden away in the girls toilet block?
I look forward to this being rectified and my daughter and others girls at the school being returned to this millenium where schools activities are not divided among gender lives.
Sincerely,
Stephen Callaghan”
Mr. Callaghan revealed that Ruby “specifically asked her teacher if she could go to Bunnings instead and was told it was only for the boys”
Some people, perhaps blind to the perils of space-time continuum fractures, stood behind the school
Others, however, were quick to commend the father on his stance against bygone eras and their mindsets
He even came forward to brilliantly sum up the entire dialogue
Calling out sexism is the least thing we all should be doing whenever we see it, but this dad deserves a lot of props for the extremely brilliant way he faced it.
