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?

If you were teaching my children I'd be making a complaint.

ItsAllGoingToBe no I never, as in that instance it wasn't talking about being transexual, it was talking about being transgender.

Had the book spoken about the former than I would have explained that yes sex reassignment surgery can happen (in an age appropriate manner).

So many women here seem so completely against be idea of gender reassignment surgery. It's quite awful.

The Boy in the Dress actually is not about a transgirl. I've read it with DC, it is about a boy who enjoys dressing as a girl (totally fine), not a boy who then decides that makes him a girl (biologically impossible).

Very few 12 year olds have anything like the intellectual capacity to evaluate research papers let alone the multitude of shite masquerading as research. They are far more likely to take to social media and get a very very biased view.

Transgender children shouldn't be happening.

I think it's a really hard area to teach and to discuss as there are a lot of issues around it.

It could also be used as a discussion point - having that discussion. It could touch on gender roles, perception of how boys and girls are perceived, if someone does not follow gender roles what does that mean and even the idea of being in the 'wrong body'.

It could be an interesting discussion BUT the teacher's role is not to indoctrinate but to ask and raise questions.

Hmm a book like this would bring a lot of 'discussions' in our house..... (I have two teenagers at about that age).

Yes I think it will be very tricky to teach. It depends a lot on the content of the book but if it is no re than 'he wanted a female role therefore he was a woman' it will bloody hard to discuss both the fact that some people are transgender and be accepting, what gender is, the effect of gender in the society (incl feminism etc...), there is not such a thing as a pink and a blue brain etc...

In the middle of that, where will you put the study of the British language, structure of the story etc..?

Biology is not a matter of opinion argh!

I'm fed up of living in upside down land I wanna go home!

It wouldn't be changing sex though .... hence why it's called gender reassignment surgery not sex change surgery.
Gender is not purely defined by sexual organs nor.

What have I done, Restless?

manic surely you've twigged by now this is not my choice?

ligers I never said it was.

It is about a boy wanting to dress as a girl, enjoying it and enjoying makeup. Transgender.

It is not about a boy who has gender reassignment surgery. Transexual.

At that age, my dcs will NOT read research papers etc... on the subjects.
They are much more likely to wonder what the heck this is talking about, to find it very weird and so on.

At best they will do a quixk Google search as asked by their teachers, take the first website in the first page, read it and think this is a pretty good idea of what the 'truth' is.
They are not going to do lengthy reading, different POV talking about things they are no idea about (what is gender, differences between gender and sex, agenda behind different POV etc). This is way way outside of what they have the maturity to handle. (The research I mean, notbthe knowledge or an balanced approach to this issue)

Just to clarify, these books are being used for English lit lessons then?

It is about a boy wanting to dress as a girl, enjoying it and enjoying makeup. Transgender.

Really? Just liking to dress as a girl (I imagine it means liking to wear a dress) is enough to be transgender?
Not a cross dresser?
And being a girl is just about wearing a dress?

Now I really despair.

Well, we don't really divide English and English lit into separate lessons at this age but yes.

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.

This. Your attitude disgusts me.

brasty
It is not about getting children thinking. It is about teaching them a particular view around Transgenderism.

I suspect that the problem is that it doesn't teach them your particular view of transgenderism.

Okay Restless - my attitude being concerned that very young teenagers/preteens are being encouraged to see non-conformist gender preferences as indicative of something that needs major, major surgery?

Green typically transgender meant someone who related someone whose gender identity or gender expression related to that of the opposite sex. Those who have medical assistance to have reassignment surgery are/were typically known as transexual.

So yes, transgender.

my attitude being concerned that very young teenagers/preteens are being encouraged to see non-conformist gender preferences as indicative of something that needs major, major surgery

I agree - and it's tricky. I have been asked by diversity role models to go into schools but I won't purely because I don't want children to think they have to go as 'far' as I did. There will be children who are like me and who have massive issues and there will be children who just don't conform to 'gender expectations'.

You're an English Teacher talking about not teaching a book you haven't read. You don't know if the protagonist is transgender or future transsexual. And for the fact, I think children should learn about non-conformist gender. It's nothing new and hopefully they will gain some understanding.

armpitz that is why there should be clear definitions used about transgender, gender identity, transexual etc.

Being a transgender doesn't mean you have gender dystopia, nor does a transexual aspire to be a transexual as typically, once they reassign they do not want to wear clothes of the opposite gender.

I've read this book, and have recommended it to readers age 11 and up (I am a school librarian). It is a sweet, well-measured book about a boy who is starting to grapple with his identity, gender roles, and his place in the world as he gets older. It provides excellent discussion fodder for young teens; I think your students will like it.

Restless, I haven't read it yet. I will, of course, do so well in advance of actually teaching it but I was only handed it today to teach. I'm a fast reader, but not that fast!

No, my motivation in posting is that typically class readers tend to be something that sends an overall message or school of thought to a class. Sometimes these aren't always correct and can be tricky if the same texts gather dust for years but most class readers contain a 'message' if you like, one that is pushed through the text. This one is no exception from a quick glance through. I'm just not sure whether the message is one that I agree with.

Ok, well just thinking practically how you could actually teach this if you're not comfortable with the message it's sending... Could you focus on the way the author is putting across a very subjective viewpoint, and how they do that, and use it to teach the kids about discriminating between propaganda and facts etc? Could open up some interesting discussions about "what is truth" and so on.

E.g. who has the monopoly on truth? Who gets to decide what is and isn't true? How is literature used to support a particular ideology? Maybe some other examples of polemic literature. Approach it from a technical point of view of how the author gets their message across while at the same time making it clear the message is up for discussion rather than to be swallowed wholesale?

I appreciate in the current climate you have to tread very carefully though.