A Nebraska school district has instructed its teachers to stop referring to students by “gendered expressions” such as “boys and girls,” and use “gender inclusive” ones such as “purple penguins” instead.
“Don’t use phrases such as ‘boys and girls,’ ‘you guys,’ ‘ladies and gentlemen,’ and similarly gendered expressions to get kids’ attention,” instructs a training document given to middle-school teachers at the Lincoln Public Schools.
“Create classroom names and then ask all of the ‘purple penguins’ to meet on the rug,” it advises.
The whole basis of this flight into Crazy Town is that some children may not identify as a "boy" or "girl."
While that is sad for those individuals, this type of reaction is ridiculous.
I'd pay good money to see some middle schooler in Lincoln indignantly respond to a teacher's request for "purple penguins" to meet on the rug with the assertion that he (or she) self-identifies as a "walrus" and is offended by being forced to conform to penguin-centric stereotypes.
Oh, and if she (or he) further complains that he (or she) is not "purple," either, that would make my day.
