Don't say mom and dad... teachers told not to assume pupils have heterosexual parents

Source

Teachers should not assume that their pupils have a "mum and dad" under guidance aimed at tackling anti-gay bullying in schools.

It says primary pupils as young as four should be familiarised with the idea of same-sex couples to help combat homophobic attitudes.

Teachers should attempt to avoid assumptions that pupils will have a conventional family background, it urges.

Alex Jones was just talking about this as well on his radio show.

So now it is improper to assume that children have conventional parents?

Well I ask then if it weren't for conventional parents, where in the heck would all of the gays have come from?

This is flat out wrong. I think homosexuality ought to be taught as an exception to the norm, rather than a mainstream occurrence, and with it ought to be taught the difficulties that these kind of relationships pose, especially from a reproductive standpoint.

So now teachers and kids will have to deal with never mentioning their conventional parents out of fear of sounding over-assuming that all kids came from a mother and father? Has the world gone mad?

This is friggin ridiculous.

And you think this only happening in the UK? Think again:

'Mom' and 'Dad' banished by California

"Mom and Dad" as well as "husband and wife" effectively have been banned from California schools under a bill signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who with his signature also ordered public schools to allow boys to use girls restrooms and locker rooms, and vice versa, if they choose.

"We are shocked and appalled that the governor has blatantly attacked traditional family values in California," said Karen England, executive director of Capitol Resource Institute.

No question I am flagging THIS mutha.

[edit on 30-1-2008 by TrueAmerican]

yeah telling everyone in kindergarten that you have same sex 'rents would invite more lunchbox stealin' bullies. it's kinda harder to explain.

PC run amok....

:shk:

This is a pretty bad move.

They should say parents, as alot of kids do not have a traditional Mom and dad, and can lead to a child embarrassment and I think that is more important then anything. Orphans come to mind, Grandparents who raise their grandkids. Etc.. While you guys harp on it because of the gay aspect there are far more reasons to just say your parents.

"AHH- nuld" the Governator is one of many who signed this bill into legislation (or supports it) here in California. I think why stop there ?? ANY reference to family members should be met with the same accord. I mean maybe little Billy's big brother Tommy has recently converted himself into a trans-sexual with all the bells and whistles, goes by "Tammy" now. I mean it IS for the children's sake, right ???

GOD HAVE MERCY ON US......

I can just see it now:

"Well professor Johnson, my Mom told me that....I mean the female element of my biological parents....is that ok to say?...told me that...."

Why don't they just come right out and outlaw families and heterosexual couples all together? I mean hell, that's what the NWO wants anyways, right? Population reduction?

The best thing to happen for the NWO is a world full of gays, with special permission required to reproduce conventionally. Just great.

Originally posted by ShiftTrio
They should say parents, as alot of kids do not have a traditional Mom and dad, and can lead to a child embarrassment and I think that is more important then anything. Orphans come to mind, Grandparents who raise their grandkids. Etc.. While you guys harp on it because of the gay aspect there are far more reasons to just say your parents.

Actually, I have sympathy for the points you make. But legislating away the terms "mom" and "dad" seems a ridiculous approach.

Moreover, it is not the primary responsibility of the state to protect my children from embarrassment. Their job is to educate them.

But if you insist, wouldn't a more reasonable approach be the acknowledgment of our diversity, rather than the suppression of it?


[edit on 30-1-2008 by loam]

Interesting reading.

Just a little context.... The Daily Mail in the UK is a right-wing scare paper. If theres anything, and I do mean anything that they can hype to the max to get a scare they'll do it.

Having said that I see no need for whats been proposed at all. Strikes me as some crazy people having an idea that they might offend "someone" by not giving people the right to make their own decisions how to think.

We live in a crazy world!

reply to post by ShiftTrio


Yeah, and Aunts and uncles or foster parents. It can be a painful reminder when teacher says, "tell your mom and dad..." when they could easily say 'parents' or 'guardians'.

Originally posted by TrueAmerican
I can just see it now:

"Well professor Johnson, my Mom told me that....I mean the female element of my biological parents....is that ok to say?...told me that...."

Hmm now stopping the kids from saying mom or dad is very different from asking teachers to stop, nowt wrong with saying parent/s.

I worked as student support in my child's school and many children there didnt live with a "mum and dad", many did live with other relatives - a common one was grandparents. So I learnt quick to say parents and that was my choice, it didnt fell right to remind the kids that they didnt have "mum & dad" at home.

[edit on 30/1/08 by Dae]

Originally posted by Dae
Hmm now stopping the kids from saying mom or dad is very different from asking teachers to stop, nowt wrong with saying parent/s.

Yeah, but it stands to reason that pressure will be put on the kids to do the same, if the teachers are doing it. And whether that comes from the state, the teachers or other gay kids, it is anti-conventional family. For God's sakes, we need things that encourage the conventional family unit, not brush it back to the stone ages.

Originally posted by loam

But legislating away the terms "mom" and "dad" seems a ridiculous approach.

[edit on 30-1-2008 by loam]

I agree, making it a law is silly, as I do not believe in Government micro managing, I can say FU to whom ever I want and thats ok, I just know better then to do it because it could be hurtful (maybe thats an exaggeration but you get my point lol) . Perhaps it should just be school policy or even better maybe the teachers should know who their kids are enough to know who would be hurt or embarrassed by such words. You cannot make laws like this, but people do need to be more aware of how things effect children. thats not being PC, its just being a caring individual.

[edit on 30-1-2008 by ShiftTrio]

Anyone interested in an unfiltered interpretation of the bills in question can search for SB777, AB394, and AB14 at this site which is conveniently available through the California state government. You can access these (or any other) bills in their full-text versions, along with other relevant information.

While I find ShiftTrio's comments somewhat tactless, I do agree in principle - and, for the record, I teach.

The California state government certainly has the right to make these kinds of laws - and, if you check out the full text versions, the broad strokes of what these bills do is modify the language of existing state laws. Public education is the purview of each state government, and as these bills are in keeping with the letter - although, in my opinion, not the spirit - of that responsibility of state government.

As ShiftTrio notes:

You cannot make laws like this, but people do need to be more aware of how things effect children.

With due respect to TrueAmerican (the OP), you can't assume that every student has a mother and a father. It isn't a question of sexuality or morality or traditional values, it is a question of being sensitive to the sometimes hellish realities kids are facing today. I work in a rural school district in Wisconsin, and even here things aren't all Leave it to Beaver. There is no such thing as a "conventional" family anymore.

I've met the parents/guardians of almost all my students, and if I ask them to take something home to their "mom and dad" I've managed to be insensitive to all the kids who come from broken homes (about 30% in my school district), the three who's parents are currently separated/in the process of getting a divorce, the two who have no contact with/have never met their fathers, the two who live with relatives other than their parents, and the student who's mother died last summer, in addition to the one student who has two fathers who are in a relationship with each other.

I agree that this is not an issue the state government should be wading knee-deep into, but we all need to realize that the days of there being any such thing as a "conventional family" are long past us. Using this kind of language should NOT be legislated, but it is also NOT condoning/normalizing/promoting homosexuality. It IS being sensitive to the diverse home lives of children.

Originally posted by ShiftTrio
You cannot make laws like this, but people do need to be more aware of how things effect children. thats not being PC, its just being a caring individual.

I wholeheartedly agree.

In fact, I think most people probably already do that.

reply to post by PhloydPhan


You may be a teacher, and I respect you for that. Thanks for the thankless, but so necessary job you do.

The occasion of the non-conventional family unit is nothing new, and certainly not to modern day society. There have been orphans, granparents and legal guardians taking care of kids since the beginning of humanity.

But note that this has come about about largely as a measure to reduce gay-bashing, basically. Gay rights activists have put pressure on the system to enact stupid laws like this.

But even so, I do understand your more broadened perspective. I even sympathize with it, to a degree. However, laws like this to reduce gay-bashing should no more be enacted than to enact a law criminalizing the use of the term "'n-word'".

The bottom line is that these kind of laws are anti-family. And I will never, ever support them, and especially not for the reason they are doing it in this case.

I did not read it anywhere so I will be the first to say it bluntly. All children have mother and fathers. Last I heard it takes two humans of opposite sexes to make babies. Now weather or not the parents are around is another question.

If we are to legislate teacher speech like this why not do away with mothers day and fathers day as well. Certainly, this hurts the children too. After that asking someone out on a date in school should be done away with lest someone get their feelings hurt. Cancel all the proms and school dances. P.E. is probably offensive to fat kids (excuse me I meant Glandularly Challenged) perhaps we should do away with P.E. to protect the children.

For petes' sake why even bother to call it teaching? Lets just call it what it is, the brainwasher baby sitter service.

How many parents are shacking up anyway with some new man or new 'step'-mom?
It's disgusting how many people get divorced on a whim, "We're just not the same people anymore". Well, who doesn't change?
So many young people don't even consider getting married in America until their children are about 8!

When I was getting my CDA for early childcare, our instructor started talking about how to be compassionate of children with gay parents.
"Don't say mom and dad". Not because of Grandma but, because somebody's gay.
Not only do these children deserve a mom AND a dad, (not according to PC),but,
It's outrageous to confuse these children's idea of gender roles(If you can help it.)
Children who were molested have the hardest time with it.
I've seen it first hand!

We had a gay para-pro where my son went to school and he would put pink feathers on a 'tiara' he was making for himself( as the children were making them) and then he was taking girl dress-up clothes home for himself. (in front of the children)
None of us were mean to him, but, he was one of the ONLY 'men' around the whole school!

In the FIRST place, teachers learn to get to know their students and the adults in their life.
It is about the children, after all.

Oh, BTW, Mother's and Father's day was optional. We had 'Parent's Day".



[edit on 30-1-2008 by Clearskies]

Originally posted by Clearskies
In the FIRST place, teachers learn to get to know their students and the adults in their life.

Exactly. So why is this necessary when in many cases teachers will already know when and when not to use the words "your mom or dad". And btw, you better be glad "parents" refers to a broad spectrum of guardianship. Cause honestly I wouldn't understand exactly how a teacher would deal with this issue when their student is being raised by two men "in love". It almost seems surreal to me to call them "your parents".

reply to post by PhloydPhan


I appreciate your opinion and well spoken description of how it is in your Wisconsin classroom. I also agree that it is a matter sensitivity rather than outright PCness to not assume mother/father, mom/dad and just use parents or something similar.

Normally, I think most of today's PC crap is to accommodate thin skinned individuals or groups that are just too darn sensitive about things but not in all cases. Having first a daughter and now a grandson go through the public school system in very non-traditional families, I know Mom and Dad can touch a sensitive nerve with the kids.

Now as to why they have to make a law about this, go figure? From what I can guess that's what lawmakers do - make laws on top of more laws to keep us all safe and stuff?

As far as the homosexual agenda and attack the all mighty traditional family structure, I say hooey! Regardless of anyone's personal opinion that homosexuals and the transgendered are some abomination of their god or catalyst for the decline in society, gay people and gay families aren't going to go away any time soon. My vote is that this issue is pro-, not anti-family.

Why it has to be a law, I don't understand either. It should just be an accepted common courtesy to the rest of the people on this ever diminishing planet we live on.

On the other hand, the LGT community does deserve equality and respect and indeed, if this bill has been pushed by the crusading militant homo agenda, good for them. Every small step is a victory and none of it has anything to do impeding on your right to enjoy the "superiority" of your traditional nuclear family.

Why is the "gay agenda" so frightening to people. So freakin' what? A good family is a good family. Since this is ATS after all, why isn't somebody saying this so called gay agenda is being promoted by the NWO as a way of reducing the population? That would be as absolutely ridiculous to me as the thinking the dreadful gheys are out to attack your good Christian values, or whatever.

Although I don't agree with the gov't micromanaging...there is something to be said for this. My mother died when I was eleven, and her parents raised me after that. It certainly affected me everytime a teacher said "mom & dad". I was a young child dealing with a complete change of life, and it was a constant reminder of my loss. I happen to be gay as well. I'm 28 now, and I would like to have children of my own. I can only imagine what it will be like for him/her. If I felt that way when I was younger what will it be like for them? I'm not saying it was the worst thing I've ever experienced, but it was kinda like having a paper cut that won't heal. I don't think it should be up to the gov't to make teachers say something other than "mom & dad", but I think people should be a little more sensitive about it. This is not about being anti-family. There are different cultural versions of what "family" is all over the world. Why do we grasp so tightly to this 1950's way of thinking?? What's important is that the children are loved and cared for. Thanks! Doyder