Folks with pronouns

Jan 22nd, 2022 | By
Category: Notes and Comment Blog

Libs of Tik Tok is probably not a potential comrade from my point of view, but this is…piquant.

It’s about “ways to support your LGBTQ students” – which rather assumes “you” will have lots of them, which in fact is unlikely.

Step one, she says, is to “normalize pronouns in your classroom.”

You what? Nobody needs pronouns “normalized” in a classroom or anywhere else – they’re a core part of our language, which we start learning by osmosis in infancy. Children aren’t stumped for how to express “you” or “I” or “them” or any other pronoun, they’re dab hands at it by the time they’re in school.

A great way to do this, she goes on, is to use pronouns in “an icebreaker activity.” But…you use pronouns in any activity where you use language. There’s no need to make any special effort to “use” them because you use them constantly.

“So, ask for your students’ pronouns reeegardless of their idenniny.”

But your students don’t own any pronouns. That sounds like a very confusing question to ask young children, and I’m assuming she “teaches” young children because she seems too ignorant to teach older ones.

She also “shares” her own pronouns, which is again, of course, meaningless gibberish. She might as well talk about sharing her own verbs or conjunctions. Language doesn’t have “own” things because it has to be public and general as opposed to private and individual.

Another front in this exciting war, she says, is greetings. No gendered greetings, no no – she doesn’t use words like “guys,” she says, or “ladies n gennlemen” – well no, teachers of little children wouldn’t be saying “ladies n gennlemen,” that would be silly. Instead she uses words like “folks” or…”guys gals n nonbinary pals.” Yes she really says that: she doesn’t say guys, instead she says guys.

I’m hoping she’s not a teacher at all but just identifies as a teacher.

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