Transgender child the subject of a class reader?

[armpitz]

here

Now, I haven't read it yet but AIBU to be a bit unsure about this?

I'm pleased it's being talked about more

On every thread there is at least one poster who says they havent considered how it impacts on women, how their opinion has swung, how they haven't even thought about it.

There's a giant x icon at the top right hand corner for those who are bored of it

Roll up, roll up, it's the roll call of the bigots.

Momma my DS doesn't bring the class reader home so I'd have no idea

Yes that mother nature is a right bigoted old bitch

Why do you have to teach it?

If you don't like the premise (I'm not convinced I would either, tbh - and I know the largely super conservative parents of my classes wouldn't!) then just choose another book - there's literally millions to choose from

OP, who decided that this should be class reader, and why?

Well, it wasn't me! :)

And manic, your face would have some relevance if you'd like to donate to me the cost of 30 + new class readers.

No? OK then! Can we carry on please? :)

Are you being forced to teach this?

If this book actually pretends that George's genderfeelz mean he should be allowed in the girls' changing rooms, then I would make sure the kids know about biological facts, and that it is not possible to change sex.

You will also have to teach the basic facts about women's struggle for equality, i.e. the suffragettes, etc., so that the children have all the background knowledge.

I believe that more information is always a good thing. I went to school in Germany, and we were shown pieces of nazi propaganda movies in history class so we would know what they look like.

Knowing that trans people exist will not harm them in any way.

Being brainwashed into believing that there is such a thing as a female brain in a male body will harm them.

It depends on the book. But considering how far down the rabbit hole the UK is, I have little hope that the book is not an attempt to brainwash children.

Unfortunately the book isn't my choice.

Teaching it in a way that isn't an awful blend of self righteousness and pro "maybe you HAVE been born into the wrong body" will be tricky.

could you tell us how old the children are?

Are you in the UK? How old are your students?

I would definitely want to be pre-warned as a pp said, so I can have a chat in advance with DC about the fact that whilst accepting and sypathising that some people struggle with body dismorphia etc, that no, you can't change your sex, it's biological fact, and if the book suggests that you can it is definitely fiction.

12/13. Yup, in the U.K.

12/13 is quite an impressionable age, so I would definitely be complaining to the school if the book was taught in a way that ignored basic biology and the knock on effects of transgenderism on women's rights etc.

I don't envy you OP, what a minefield to teach.

Out of interest who did decide the book choice? And were they bought or "donated" by an organisation like Gendered Thinking etc

And manic, your confused face would have some relevance if you'd like to donate to me the cost of 30 + new class readers

Didn't you read it before you bought 30 of them? And can't you return them if they're as yet unread?

I usually read books I don't know on my kindle before choosing them for a whole class. And I know I could exchange them if I hadn't done that for some reason. Definitely worth a try at least, if you're not comfortable with this book?

I wouldn't have been impressed to have it as my child's class reader TBH. It doesn't sound like the sort of quality of literature suitable to be read and analysed, nevermind the subject matter. As part of a school library, fine, but not as a compulsory read. But I'm old-fashioned and want my dc exposed to all the great quality fiction out there, not the current 'pop' books...
What age do you teach?

At 12/13 (ds2 is 13) I would want the concept of transgenderism to be a feature of PSE classes and not a topic to make an English teacher's job even harder.

*Gendered Intelligence

I would definitely make sure you do some critical thinking and some basic biology lessons with your class around this book. Definitely teach it as a some people believe but here is the science as opposed to that it is a work of fiction to illustrate fact.

so I can have a chat in advance with DC about the fact that whilst accepting and sypathising that some people struggle with body dismorphia etc, that no, you can't change your sex, it's biological fact, and if the book suggests that you can it is definitely fiction. - Why not allow your child to reach their own conclusion about whether it is fact or not? Are you not then forcing your own opinion on your child?

My 6 year old came home a few months back talking about God, I an atheist. No way would I teach him that God doesn't exist, instead I gave him information and allowed him to come to his own conclusion.

The way some posters are acting it's as if they're convinced reading the boom will make their child come home after chopping their willy off and proclaiming they're a girl.

I read The Boy in the Dress to my 5 year old. He understands that some men enjoying wearing womens clothes and makeup and that is okay. He didn't immediately whisk me round the John Lewis make up counter.

How can it be wrong to teach children about these issues, making them in to more open minded adults? At 12/13 the children are probably aware of gender identity and some may way already have those feelings.

He understands that some men enjoying wearing womens clothes and makeup and that is okay.

And that is absolutely ok. As long as you didn't also teach him that these men were actually women.

Also at 12/13 children can use such a text to open up the doorways to very lengthy research papers, discursive papers and debates.
It's a current topic, current book and can be very heavily argued and spoken about.

Sorry X-posts. 12-13? In that case definitely not happy! My dd has read some great class readers which reflected real life but weren't nearly as controversial or persuasive.

Er, because SemiNormal, biological sex is not an "opinion", it's a fact, so yes, I would complain if facts that my DC were taught in biology were then counteracted in English lessons with the idea that you can change your sex based on how you feel inside