School teaches pupils 'Baa, baa white sheep'

Ananova ^ | November 12, 2002

[Sweet_Sunflower29]

A father has claimed a school has taken political correctness too far after his daughter came home singing "Baa, baa, white sheep".

Gary Stone, 41, from Peterborough, Cambridgeshire said four-year-old Michelle said she had been taught it instead of the more well-known "Baa, Baa, black sheep."

But Paston Ridings Primary School in the town said alternative words to nursery rhymes are taught to broaden pupil's language skills, not for politically correct reasons.

Headteacher Terry Snitch, said: "Like many other school we use the original as well as the alternative versions of traditional rhymes.

"In the example of baa, baa, black sheep - alternative words can include white, noisy, happy or sad.

"The rest of the nursery rhyme is also adapted to encourage creativity and imagination."

The school said no complaints have been received.

[anniegetyourgun]

Then there are those that are both black AND white!

[F-117A]

People are sheep!

The teacher obviously wants to eliminate black people!

[ctnoell]

"broaden language skills.....not politically correct reasons."

BULL! Another attack on tradition by the extreme left that now controls our schools. My reponse, HOME SCHOOL!

[TXBubba]

I don't believe the "black sheep" in this rhyme has any thing to do with "The words "black sheep" have a definitive connotation that helps us communicate.. I understand the term "black sheep" in a phrase but I don't think this rhyme has any tie to that phrase.

[anniegetyourgun]

No, no....this is a bull....and a black one at that:

I think you intended to suggest that this approach to 'teaching' is bovine chips. That's something quite different than "bull"..... ; )

[GeekDejure]

Well how about, "Baa-Baa-Rap-Sheet"?

That's it... that's it... I'm gonna tell my Mommie on you !!! ;-))

[ctnoell]

Watch out! PETA might think you're violating that bull's rights. LOL.

[anniegetyourgun]

I love cows....

[Dimensio]

I'm not sure Little Bunny Foo Foo gets bopped on the head anymore.

Little Bunny Foo Foo never got bopped on the head. The field mice were the ones bopped on the head, and Bunny Foo Foo was the one doing it.

[p. henry]

I understand that teaching history is of little moment when compared to remaining politically correct. However, as with many nursery rhymes, this one has an historical context. During the Black Death, victims were often wrapped in black shrouds. Thus the fact that the black sheep had "three bags full" was not good news for his master, his dame, or the lttle boy who lived in the lane.

[steveo]

and Bunny Foo Foo was the one doing it.

And got turned into a goon. I mean a teamster!

[TXBubba]

Thanks! I knew someone got bopped on the head! Okay, I don't think Little Bunny Foo Foo is bopping any field mice these days.

[Tacis]

In fact, I've long wondered why the politically correct police especially in academia haven't tortured the language here as they have with sacred Indian concepts and with feminazis. There is no more "Squaw Valley" and the "Cleveland Indians" are under pressure. The suffix "man" has been expunged from the language and we now have to use "person" in its place.

Yet, all over the language, we use "black" to mean evil or bad. We have "black sheep," "black holes," "black markets," "black marks," "black outs," "black moods," and others, all with a negative aspect. In fact, I wonder if there was a meeting where white liberals, mostly from academia, the media and the dim party got together, maybe with a Negro or two present, to decide that "black" wasn't the right replacement for the label, "Negro." That is the day that "African American" was invented as the replacement label for "Negro" and "black."

The teacher who changed the sheep color is a leftist amateur of the same ilk of the writer in France who identified the many black folks he saw in Paris as being "African Americans."

[TXBubba]

Thanks for the history. But I'm not going to tell my preschooler about the history at this point in time. I stand by my earlier post that if they are, in fact, switching words to things like noisey etc. then I don't think this is a PC event. As parents we are encouraged to make up songs to sing to our children to help them with language development. And since I'm not a great composer I change the words to common songs. That doesn't make me PC.

[2oakes]

"Black sheep" is added to teach alliteration.

Baa Baa Black... is thus better than Baa Baa White.

Mind, they could have used Baa Baa Big Sheep, but thats sizeist...

[Aggie Mama]

This is silly. I learned 2 verses and sing those to my children. The first one is the black sheep, the second is indeed white.

The second verse is:
Baa, baa, white sheep,
Have you any wool,
Yes, sir, Yes, sir......
.....one for the little girl that lives down the lane.

[Old Professer]

So, calling someone 'black' is an insult?

Only if you're the kettle.

[TXBubba]

LOL

[my_pointy_head_is_sharp]

I think they're applying the proverbial phrase "black sheep of the family" to the nursery rhyme, and mistakenly giving it a racist connotation which it doesn't have. That's why they're refusing to sing about a black sheep. Nowhere in the article does it say that, but that's what I think is going on.

I just reserached the phrase on www.xrefer.com and found this:

black sheep

"This metaphor [the "black sheep of the family"] is based on the idea that black sheep were less valuable than white ones because it was more difficult to dye their wool different colors. Also, in the 16th century, their color was considered the devil's mark. By the 18th century the term was widely used as it is today, for the odd member of a group."

---

The rhyme itself dates from 1744. Pretty amazing that kids are still singing the same nursery rhyme over 250 years later -- that is, until some "politically correct" (and ignorant) person decided it needed changing.

[Old Professer]

Sometimes it seems as if the very foundation of our society is being carelessly eroded by the imbecilic waves of PC compassion....

I would submit for your consideration that it is being done "carefully."