School form name - Mx

[OkayShrug]

Name changed in case other parents got this email today - it’s not that big a school!

I’ve just had an email about the new school forms for September. Traditionally, the form names have been alphabetical, eg 7L, 7M. From September, the school will have 2 M forms; Mx and My. They will be styled that way rather than MX and MY

My first reaction was that Mx is a title used by people who identify as non-binary. In fact, it’s the only connection I make when I think of Mx. I’m not sure why it bothers me though, but it does. And yes, DC will most likely be in Mx form.

Would it bother you or am I overthinking it?

You're over thinking it 😂
Thought you were going to say the teacher was Mx, which DS has had. Quickest way to peak the kids en masse so I wouldn't complain about that either.

Do you mean that they've got two teachers with forms in the same year whose surnames both begin with the same letter, and so they're distinguishing between them by adding an extra letter?

If so, it just sounds like they didn't want to be accused of playing favourites by telling one teacher that their form can't be based on their surname because someone else has claimed that letter.

I know - I probably am overthinking! I just can’t help making the connection.

No, the form names aren’t based on surnames. They are K, L and M, only now there are 2 M forms.

The ‘M’ relates to children who follow a particular timetable, which I suppose is why they didn’t just add an N form.

It's just how the MIS designates classes with subgroups.

You are definitely overthinking this.

Massively over thinking and reading into it things that aren't there.

M follows on from L, and there are two M forms, one labelled X and one labelled Y. Often X and Y are used in this way instead of A and B. That's all it is.

Ok, so they've got two classes on the same timetable.

Then x and y would be the logical choice to differentiate them, surely?

I would definitely choose x and y if I had to add an extra letter to something, and I would keep them small as that's how they tend to be used (e.g. in maths).

I think it's far more likely that whoever decided on those letters was thinking about it from a maths/logic perspective than a gender one - in fact, that they chose those letters suggests that they have no idea that Mx is used as a title nowadays, otherwise they probably would have chosen something that doesn't have a second meaning.

Oh, I definitely agree with you! Sorry, I probably didn’t make it clear at all in my OP. I absolutely don’t think that they form names were chosen with any thought to gender in mind and it hadn’t crossed my mind to complain. I understood that the reason was just to differentiate.

It was more a general “I can’t stop my mind from making that connection when I see it and it niggles at me”

Thank you all. I shall definitely give my head a wobble 😊