What can teachers and other professionals do to create a more gender free environment in our schools?

[SarahCarer]

As my dd is autistic and, as a result, Gender non Conforming (GNC) I thought I would share some thoughts about how to de-gender our schools.

Firstly, teachers need to find a way to address groups of children without saying "girls" or "boys" . This is commonplace in some schools and puts an unnatural focus onto a person's sex which is of no relevance at all in the context.

Secondly every school should have at least one unisex toilet which any pupil can use without special permission.

Thirdly school staff should avoid using the terms "good girl" or "good boy" Again the sex is of no relevance and the statement risks implying that they are being good because they are behaving in a way consistent with femininity or masculinity.

Fourthly ALL sexism and homophobia should be robustly challenged

Fifthly sex ed should not have gendered content

Sixthly there should be no organising of classes with reference to sex except in PE or for sex ed.

Any thoughts on these suggestions or suggestions for others?

These are some of the ways we can protect our autistic children from gender dysphoria (GD)

And sometimes they are called "gender" per one of the options in the dictionary definition linked above.

Gender stereotyping in this way is the reason so many children are so lost and confused about what they are.

But what you are asking, in the examples you have given, is for teachers to stop referring to children by there gender (actually their sex but you are sometimes confusing the issue).

Care to explain your position fully Captain?

In what way?

Well for a start how about you explain what you mean by gender. Then explain how I am gender stereotyping. Then explain why it is a good thing to continue arbitrarily categorizing children according to their sex.

Or are you, in fact, just being goady for the fun of it.

Why do you think a boy girl seating plan is arbitrary categorisation?

Why do you think their sex is relevant in that context?

Then explain how I am gender stereotyping.

You've said, have you not that your daughter does "boy things" not "girl things"? This is her not following stereotypes.

to continue arbitrarily categorizing children according to their sex.

Nobody is currently doing this.
Unless you are referring to gender stereotyping, in which case it's not good.

Calling a group of girls and boys "girls and boys" isn't categorizing children.

It’s a behaviour management tool. Boys and girls tend to form friendship groups based on sex. Splitting boys and girls in a seating plan is an easy and quick way of ensuring that friends are not sat next to each other, as when friends are sat next to each other they can spend all lesson socialising.

Seating plans can then be refined once the teacher gets to know the children.

Why not address the children as Pupils or Students. That's what they have always done at my schools and university. Also I cant stand the fact that different genders did different PE stuff. Fair enough a class for girls and a class for boys but why make us do stupid dance lessons when the boys get to do cricket!

Putting things/people/whatever in groups and naming those groups according to how you have separated them is, by definition, categorizing. Can you explain to me what you mean by Gender?

Why not address the children as Pupils or Students.

I'm pretty sure a lot of places do.

Thanks Blackbird! Others up thread have mentioned that they call the class by their class name. I also like "learners"

Putting things/people/whatever in groups and naming those groups according to how you have separated them is, by definition, categorizing.

Your example is boy girl boy girl around a table.
This is not categorizing into a group.
Making all the girls go to one table all the boys to another would be.

But you wish to stop mention of gender, including saying "good boy" or "good girl"

If I see a group of boys in the corridor and want to move them along, I am not going to say ‘come on pupils, get to your next lesson’. Or ‘come on children, get to your next lesson’ when they are teenagers.

‘Get to your next lesson’ is too abrupt. ‘Come on boys’ softens the instruction.

As I said previously, boys and girls tend to hang around in single sex groups, so it’s rare to have to deviate.

Ok noble. That's your choice.

Should it be taken away from her?

Captain you're a gf. You know full well you have just switched from one example to the other.

Sorry I meant:

Should it be taken away from Mumsnet poster?

Captain you're a gf. You know full well you have just switched from one example to the other.

Your core idea is confused.
The second " example" is about the child's sex is it not?

Please give me if an example of schools categorizing by gender, mixed sex children sitting around a table isnt an example of this.

"Good boy"
"Good girl"

Please explain how this by your own definition of gender, needs to be removed from the vocabulary?

Or have I misunderstood and you are actually saying that calling a boy or girl, boy or girl is categorising them?