The World Has Gone Mad
About a month ago, my class wrote a letter to the local paper about gender equity at McDonald's. Here is a copy of the letter:
We are a third-grade class at the E School. We are writing to you because we are very upset that when we go to McDonald’s drive-thru, we have to choose either a toy for a boy, or a toy for a girl. If you are a boy, it can be embarrassing to ask for the girl toy, even if you really want it. And the same holds true for girls. If we go inside to order, we are not even given the choice, and are handed the toy meant for our gender. We hope that the McDonald’s in N and Boston will change this practice, and offer one toy to both genders.
Lo and behold the letter was published in the local paper a few weeks ago. My students were thrilled to see their words published, and came into school all excited.
Today I got called into my Principal's office. Apparently there are some school committee members who feel like I am pushing a "gay agenda" on my class. Excuse me? Are you kidding? So now I have to defend myself to the Superintendent and the school committee.
The world has gone mad.
-b
We are a third-grade class at the E School. We are writing to you because we are very upset that when we go to McDonald’s drive-thru, we have to choose either a toy for a boy, or a toy for a girl. If you are a boy, it can be embarrassing to ask for the girl toy, even if you really want it. And the same holds true for girls. If we go inside to order, we are not even given the choice, and are handed the toy meant for our gender. We hope that the McDonald’s in N and Boston will change this practice, and offer one toy to both genders.
Lo and behold the letter was published in the local paper a few weeks ago. My students were thrilled to see their words published, and came into school all excited.
Today I got called into my Principal's office. Apparently there are some school committee members who feel like I am pushing a "gay agenda" on my class. Excuse me? Are you kidding? So now I have to defend myself to the Superintendent and the school committee.
The world has gone mad.
-b
16 comments:
That is absurd!!! My daughter, who is 6, almost always requests the "boy" toy. I am so sorry your admin are acting like idiots!!
The world has absolutely gone crazy ---- I think this may be some sort of payback for you not being at the lockdown?????
Chris
That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. What about that letter was "gay"? If a girl wants to play with a fire engine or whatever, that is "gay"? Go for it with the school committee and superintendent - I am rooting for you!! What a joke.
Also, it would be one thing if some isolated, wingnut parent wanted to complain, but the fact that your principal or whoever is in charge thinks that the complaint is worth serious attention is a major bummer.
That is absurd!!
And congrats to your kids for getting their letter published.
Shut the fuck UP! Seriously????
Girl!
I am so glad that you are teaching your children to have a voice!
Amanda
Ridiculous but not uncommon anymore I am afraid. Frankly as the mom of a daughter I like it when she chooses the boy toy because more of the toys for girls promote a preoccupation with fashion and looks as if this is all little girls should think about. I know there is a lot of research supporting the fact that gender identity is ingrained and that children very early on show preferences for toys that are oriented toward their own sex but it should unsettle us a little when a fast food place is deciding what toys are kids are playing with. Give 'em hell!
D and I went to McD's this past weekend, and his Happy Meal included a Bee Movie toy. And oh my god! All I can say is it's just FABULOUS!
Seriously, J. Ro told me the story at dinner tonight and it's nuts. Sounds to me like some of the board may have some issues they've been repressing for their entire lives.
You stick to your guns. This is not a "gay" issue - not that there's anything wrong with that;) Framing the discussion that way just telegraphs their ignorance. If you need a letter writing campaign, just tell us where to address the responses! Good luck.
That is some bullshit. How terrible that you have to convince people that you weren't doing something that would be admirable in the first place. It has a terrible sense of "No no! I wasn't advocating for tolerance! Promise! I was just...you know...um...it was about toys! Not gays! Toys! I would never encourage my students to ask the world to accept gays! I just want them to have their pick of toys! Toys! Can I go now? Please? Thank you oh thank you so much."
Call them out on their homophobic tendancies. What they are doing is discriminating against kids who don't know or care about retarded societal belief systems.
I had a Ken doll when I was a young fella and I am in no way homosexual for it. Mum and dad didn't want me having war toys so Action Man was out of the question. Ken was the ladies man. He looked smooth, had the moves, and had Barbie every night. The noises those two made during "sleepytime" were so wrong, so very very wrong. ;-)
I have a daughter who chose the boy toy more often than the girl toy. That's applauded by one and all.
I also have son who would've loved to choose the girl toy but there's a whole lotta stigma goin' on with doing that, so unless his sister would order the girl toy and do a swap, he usually chose not to choose what would bring ridicule.
There ain't nothin' gay about this. There's equity for girls, but not so much for boys.
What is it that people are afraid of?????
Ali
Sorry I have not commented in a LONG time, we've been in the process of moving which makes me a bad blogger. I have been reading though!
I had to comment on this--I think this is nuts. Does this board having nothing better to do? I think the lesson you taught your kids and the excitement that they had was wonderful and nothing will change that! What is this world coming to? keep the faith.
Ditto Molly's comment. Sheesh. As if our teachers do not already have enough on their plates, and now to have to go deal with some ignorant committee members (and apparently your administrators`, too). Sorry to hear this. Although RIDICULOUS I know, so what if it was a "gay" issue--what happened to teaching our children tolerance??
That is just ridiculous.
How ignorant, and unenlightened can some people be?
Good luck to you.
Hi, I'm here from Wisconsin Mommy, and I'm totally shocked that the school administration is suggesting that boys playing with "girl" toys and vice versa is somehow making them gay! I'm more scared of people like that running our schools than I am of toys "turning" anyone gay.
Good for you for teaching your students about critical thinking and the art of complaint writing. I wrote about the girl/boy toy issue in my blog last month, and I'm glad to see I'm not the only one upset with kids being told which types of toys they should play with.
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