Progressives Can’t Tell Male From Female: Part 2

It is rare that someone objecting to a blog post lends so much credibility to it in the process. I admit that I did not research the Lincoln, NE, story that was cited by Mona Charen in her October 10 column Let's Repeal Reality which I reproduced (and encourage you to read here). 
 

Apparently a public school teacher took offense at the implications. Please understand, I know many public school teachers and have a great deal of respect for many of those I know. Those who really are trying to point children to real Truth and Goodness have a tough job, given that their hands are so tied.

But to rebut my comment and Charen’s column, we were pointed to this story from a Nebraska news source. According to it,

Superintendent Steve Joel pushed back Thursday against what he said was misinformed reaction to the district’s gender identity training[.]

“What a relief,” I’m thinking, “It was all a hoax! The school must have brought in an ‘expert’ who shocked even the school administration and teachers with some kooky advice, and the school rejected the nonsense.  Must’ve been some home-schooling parent that got a hold of the kooky brochure and sent it to right-wing-nut news outlet to try to make the public school look bad, but in fact, the school had kicked the consultant out in disgrace.”

But alas, the report confirms the kookiness! According to the purportedly rebutting article, the complaints arise from

the district’s gender identity training, specifically handouts used with teachers at Irving Middle School that included one from the nonprofit organization Gender Spectrum entitled “12 easy steps to gender inclusiveness.”

[Superintendent Steve Joel] said the handouts were suggestions and strategies, not mandates, about how teachers could reach all students in their classrooms. The training occurred at the request of an Irving teacher looking for guidance dealing with students.

We are supposed to be reassured by this from Superintendent Joel:

“This was about adults, professional educators, who care deeply about trying to reach and establish relationships with children… They are looking for strategies about how to be more effective in the classroom.”

Oh, so we aren’t just to reassure children that they don’t have to be boys or girls, we are explaining to the “professional educators” that they are mistaken to think so!

Superintendent Joel said that the district

“was happy to answer parents' questions but would not spend more time with people around country choosing to react to something not grounded in fact.”

So what was not grounded in fact? Fact is, they brought in experts to advise the school how to approach the subject and they were advised to pretend that the students might not be male or female.

Finally, we are assured by Joel that Lincoln Public School system

“will not stop efforts to reach all students, including those who are gender non-conforming or transgender. The district works with all kinds of students -- those who live in poverty, who come from all over the world -- and learning how best to reach them will be instrumental in raising the district’s graduation rate from 87 percent to 90 percent.

 "We’re not going to back away from educating ourselves on what it takes to be effective with children[.]”

What is effective education, if it cannot even inform children of categories like male and female? What are educators if they have to pretend in order to reach and educate students?

Our country is in trouble, in case you hadn't already noticed.