'Gender inclusive' school district says drop 'boys and girls,' call kids 'purple

[suzifrommd]

'Gender inclusive' school district says drop 'boys and girls,' call kids 'purple penguins'

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2014/10/09/gender-inclusive-school-district-says-drop-boys-and-girls-call-kids-purple/

Published October 09, 2014
FoxNews.com

"Don't use phrases such as 'boys and girls,' 'you guys,' 'ladies and gentlemen,' and similarly gendered expressions to get kids' attention," reads a handout from the Lincoln Public Schools that was given to teachers.

The handout was part of an effort to educate teachers and administrators about transgender issues, educators told the Lincoln Journal Star.

"The agenda we're promoting is to help all kids succeed," Brenda Leggiardo the district's coordinator of social workers and counselors told the newspaper. "We have kids who come to us with a whole variety of circumstances, and we need to equitably serve all kids."

So instead of asking boys and girls to line up as boys or girls, teachers have been encouraged to segregate the children by whether they prefer skateboards or bikes, or whether they like milk or juice.

"Always ask yourself, 'Will this configuration create a gendered space?'" the handout stated.

The handout, provided by Gender Spectrum, a website which "provides education, training and support to help create a gender sensitive and inclusive environment for children of all ages" does not explain what to do if all of the children like juice or skateboards. But it does suggest teachers "create classroom names and then ask all of the 'purple penguins' to meet at the rug."

[NathanielM]

Wow, the writer of this article is kind of sad. However focussing on the good part, I think it's positive that attention is paid to gender-aware teaching in schools. Just as long as they don't try to push it to far into genderneutral.

[Devlyn]

Yeah, Todd Starnes, a real pissa. From Wikipedia:

"Starnes' strongly conservative views, which he likes "to spice it up a little bit" to generate reader interest, have also generated controversy.[9] In 2013, he became the focus of controversy when CNN, among other news outlets,[10] leveled accusations of racism against Starnes. A series of Twitter comments he posted online, followingNina Davuluri becoming the first Indian American winner of the, as Starnes called it, the "Miss Politically Correct America", Miss America Pageant were the basis for the reaction.[11] Starnes denied the accusations.[11]"

[perrystephens]

At first I was pleasantly surprised that Fox News was talking about something like this but I should have known they would be bitter and judgmental as always. Oh well, at least it's being talked about. It seems like a great idea to me and I don't know why it's not just a normal thing that all schools do by now.

[Jess42]

Instead of all this psychedelic stuff, purple penguins and pink elephants, wow. Why don't they let the individual students decide whether boy or girl, lady or gentleman? "Hey guys" is simply an encompassing term for everyone. I'm crazy, in a good way but sometimes I really wonder, but calling kids purple penguins sounds kind of insane to me even. How about letting the individual decide?

[Devlyn]

I remember being addressed as "class"   Oh, wait, maybe I'm remembering this!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aa3HXdqNWIM&feature=youtube_gdata_player

[aleon515]

Kids, people, class, students, humans, folks, y'all, etc etc. etc. I didn't use the words "boys and girls' most of my last year of teaching. Didn't really miss it.
(Though are kids humans? LOL)

I think most of the efforts are to try to encourage teachers to line kids up in some other way than "boys on one side and girls on the other).


--Jay

[Jess42]

Kids, people, class, students, humans, folks, y'all, etc etc. etc. I didn't use the words "boys and girls' most of my last year of teaching. Didn't really miss it.
(Though are kids humans? LOL)

I think most of the efforts are to try to encourage teachers to line kids up in some other way than "boys on one side and girls on the other).


--Jay

Yeah I watch Fox News. (ducking now). But they were discussing this and had a psychologist on there that pretty much said what I said earlier. Instead of taking people humanity away, how about letting them choose who they are. If someone called me a "purple penguin" when I was in middle school, I would have been in the Principal's office shortly after. I would have really had some fun with that one. I have made more than one teacher feel frustrated through my school years. I think there needs to be a lot of Pee tests from the school board on down in that school district.

As a matter of fact all three of the people they were discussing it with said the same thing as the psychologist. One even went as far and said that is diversity and being gender inclusive does not promote diversity or the respect of diversity even.

BTW I was watching Fox News this morning and they had one guy that supported gay marriage and someone for the family something or other council (it was repeat of a how yesterday) and the guy from Fox News actually argued against the opposition by talking about interracial marriages 50 years ago and comparing them to gay marriage now. He was actually challenging the family council guy. Is this a good thing? Who knows? But with the three for diversity in schools and seemingly on the side of gay marriage. Hmmm. Interesting.

[Miss_Bungle1991]

Instead of all this psychedelic stuff, purple penguins and pink elephants, wow. Why don't they let the individual students decide whether boy or girl, lady or gentleman? "Hey guys" is simply an encompassing term for everyone. I'm crazy, in a good way but sometimes I really wonder, but calling kids purple penguins sounds kind of insane to me even. How about letting the individual decide?

Yeah. If I was a kid now and an adult suggested that I be called a frickin' purple penguin, pink elephant or a rainbow trout, I would call them an idiot.

[Dee Marshall]

From the article I assumed they were referring to class totems or team names.

[Jess42]

Yeah. If I was a kid now and an adult suggested that I be called a frickin' purple penguin, pink elephant or a rainbow trout, I would call them an idiot.

LOL. Idiot would probably be one of the nicer things I would call them. Of course I called my principal by his first name. I spent about as much time in high school in his office than in class I think. I think the only reason I graduated is because they wanted to be rid of me for good.

First day of school after the ninth grade, every teacher I had except for one, sent a paddling slip home with me to have my dad sign instead of every time I got into trouble. Maybe I should sue that school district for turning me into a sado submissive. Id o know it used to make them a little angry when I asked if I could have 1 more after the five or so that they would give. One poor teacher I almost gave a stroke for asking that question. Or his face turned really red at least. Hmmm.

[suzifrommd]

IMO this is awful. My opinion of Gender Spectrum went down even lower than it was before.

98+% of kids have no problem being called a "boy" or a "girl" and when we tell schools to stop referring to them as such because there are a few of us who aren't comfortable with that, we look ... well ... nutty.

Better would be to make sure teachers understand that there will be students who aren't comfortable with the gender implied by their birth sex and give ways to accommodate us, rather than make everyone change what they do.

In the long run, this sort of thing will harm us, not help us.

[LordKAT]

I don't totally agree, Suzi. I think gender equality is well served by not using gender to separate kids where it isn't necessary. The boys to the right and girls to the left for in class game or such is unnecessary and just makes things more difficult for those who feel wrong when made to be in the wrong line. It doesn't hurt anyone when you make groups based on things other than gender and then there is no risk to hurting, even emotionally, a possible trans kid.

[Pikachu]

I don't care that they separate the boys and the girls. I just wish I had gotten to be in the girl group instead of the boys. That would have made me waaaay happier than just being lumped into one big group or called a purple penguin. I don't even like penguins. Or skateboards. Bicycles are okay, though.

This sounds pretty silly to me, TBH.

[Devlyn]

I was under the impression that they were just stressing the point of using a group name for the children rather than assigning them to groups that everyone here knows can be the wrong group. I didn't think it literally meant purple penguins.

[Amy The Bookworm]

I was under the impression that they were just stressing the point of using a group name for the children rather than assigning them to groups that everyone here knows can be the wrong group. I didn't think it literally meant purple penguins.

Yeah, this is the impression I get as well, but it sounds like conservative media is spinning it to sound like this is done on an individual level. The whole purple penquins thing is probably just referring to groups of students either divided up by classes or as a whole. Many schools have done something similar for years without having a policy in place. The college I attend typically does this in mass emails saying something like, "Hello Wild Cats!" (I go to Kansas State). So, it's not as silly or as difficult to do as it sounds, and to my knowledge they don't have a policy saying this. It's done because it's fun and makes everyone feel like part of the college's society.

It sounds to me like the school board is trying to do the best it can. Now, if they're calling individuals 'purple penquin' ... yeah. I gotta think they're going too far. But I'm not sure that's the case.

[LordKAT]

The whole idea is to not use gender to separate people, use something else. There is a group in CA that goes around to different schools showing them how to do things without possibly triggering a trans child. That is all this is.

[Pikachu]

I think the problem I have with this kind of thinking is that it seems to be missing the point for me. My social dysphoria was caused by not being able to be included with the girls. By not being seen as one of the girls. If they had just seen me as my correct gender, I could have lived a happy childhood as just another girl. All this business of eliminating gender from the equation just makes me feel... depressed, honestly. It feels like we're taking the easy way out so we don't have to make the teachers treat trans kids as their correct gender.

Well, that's just my perspective. Maybe it would help others feel better. But certainly not me. But that's irrelevant now. My childhood has long passed.

[LordKAT]

How do you help a kid that hasn't come out or even figured it out themselves yet?  Instead of rubbing it in that they are in the wrong line, there is no wrong line.

[Devlyn]

I think the problem I have with this kind of thinking is that it seems to be missing the point for me. My social dysphoria was caused by not being able to be included with the girls. By not being seen as one of the girls. If they had just seen me as my correct gender, I could have lived a happy childhood as just another girl. All this business of eliminating gender from the equation just makes me feel... depressed, honestly. It feels like we're taking the easy way out so we don't have to make the teachers treat trans kids as their correct gender.

Well, that's just my perspective. Maybe it would help others feel better. But certainly not me. But that's irrelevant now. My childhood has long passed.

You say correct gender, but only encompass two, the two binary extremes. I'm part girl, part boy, what side of the class should I stand on?