Blakely teacher restricts Lego-play to her girl students in the pursuit of gender equity

Bainbridge Island Review ^ | November 9, 2015 | Jessica Shelton

[QT3.14]

In Karen Keller’s kindergarten classroom, boys can’t play with Legos.

They can have their pick of Tinkertoys and marble tracks, but the colorful bricks are “girls only.”

“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. “I tell them, ‘You’ll have a turn’ because I don’t want them to feel bad.”

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.

[hal ogen]

I just completed reading the thread. I responded to the posted article. Apparently and coincidentally, your reply was the last one on the thread.

Are you drinking heavily? LOL.

[leaning conservative]

Now I get it! I should be having a cocktail in about 2 hours though! Cheers!

[Twinkie]

I once volunteered at an Appalachian project. The head of
it was a metrosexual old hippie type & the “teacher” had
tattoos out the wazoo, art all up her legs. They put out
dress-up outfits for all the kids. One little boy donned a
frilly pink ballerina tutu & the head guy complimented him
on it. - One of the kid’s fathers got there early & didn’t
look too happy about the hogwash. I guessed he probably
pulled his kid out of that “program” toot sweet. - I didn’t
stick around. The “teacher” was very threatened that I was
going to try to “steal” her job & I was sort of given the
cold shoulder. - So, I got up real early next morning &
hit the road back home. - Those little kids would be teens
now. Hope their fathers did the right thing and pulled them
out of that “program”.

[Bernard]

"free choice," the 40 minutes of unstructured play time embedded at the end of every school day.

Does the teacher get paid teacher wages for that part of the school day, or minimum wage like a babysitter?

[QT3.14]

Thanks to FReeper Gondring for this tip:

The school has denied what she told a local paper

[ronnie raygun]

Where are the parents????? Im so glad I'm over this, they would have to pitch a tent outside of the admintrsators office for me

[SaveFerris]

Smart men stay away from a woman like that.

[Mears]

The young actor in “Room” is TERRIFIC.

A great movie IMHO,but probably not for everyone——then what movie is.

.

[PotatoHeadMick]

Do Americans use the term “legos” to refer to the bricks? It seems odd I always thought you just referred to it collectively as lego, as in “I am building a castle out of lego”.

I have never heard it referred to in the plural.

[Intolerant in NJ]

...Keller is sticking to her guns: It's all part of a plan to get girls building during "free choice,"...they couldn't build with Tinkertoy's?....

[bert]

——not at all concerned about the girlie colors.——

My grandson has been and is in to legos big time. Legos remain constant though other interests come and go. It was he that taught me of the existence of girls colors. Generally he shunned the few included in the random large collections I bought for him on e bay.

[TXBlair]

I certainly can’t speak for all Americans, but I’ve only ever heard “Lego” for a single brick and “Legos” for multiple bricks.

[TXBlair]

Generally he shunned the few included in the random large collections I bought for him on e bay.

Glad to see some little boys haven't succumbed to the notion that they are supposed to like pastels!! :)