Playing Keep Away

Credit: mureut.kr / photo on flickr

In Bainbridge Island, Washington, Karen Keller, who teaches kindergarten in a public elementary school, routinely withholds toys from and lies to members of her class. Well, specifically, the male members of her class. She will not allow them to play with Legos. "I always tell the boys, 'You're going to have a turn' — and I'm like, 'Yeah, when hell freezes over' in my head," she said. Keller said she as angry because, when left to their own choices, girls tend to play with dolls and crayons while boys go for the Legos. She says forcing both genders to make other choices will empower the girls.

Comments

[Fist of Etiquette]

At first, Keller tried enticing her girl students with pink and purple Legos.

"But it wasn't enough," she said. The girls weren't interested and the boys just expanded their palettes.

Sounds like her male students are simply better rounded than her female students. She probably should have made the boys play with dolls by, I don't know, putting toy guns in Barbie and Ken's hands.

Anyway, the day I set foot in a structure designed through gender affirmative action by a woman engineer...

[Radioactive]

...is the day you fall through the floor

[Unicorn Abattoir]

Well with FOE's white privilege and all, he clearly exceeded the load rating.

[nrob]

Why do we accept this level of cuntiness?

[GlenchristLaw]

"At first, Keller tried enticing her girl students with pink and purple Legos."

So the way to fight early-age gender discrimination is with early-age gender conformity?

I wouldn't let me child, boy or girl, within a mile of the rhymes-with-witch.

[Radioactive]

Ditch, Pitch, Glitch, Hitch??? come on give us a hint

[Microaggressor]

Although her approach might anger some parents, Keller is sticking to her guns: It's all part of a plan to get girls building during "free choice," the 40 minutes of unstructured play time embedded at the end of every school day.

"Free choice" where you're not actually free to do what you choose to do. These things shouldn't surprise me anymore.

[Robert]

When I was at P.S. 108 in the early 1960s, teachers weren't devious like that, but they openly tried to get girls to do boys' things more & vice versa. For instance, 1-2 times/yr. they'd make all the boys play girls' games & vice versa for P.E. Other times they just encouraged it.