Is GDS too woke?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This message thread reeks of white supremacy and it is unfortunate that the term "woke" is being weaponized by people who are scared about non-white voices and non-hetero experiences sharing center stage at a place like GDS. The fact of the matter is that trans people exist, they are murdered at alarmingly high rates, they are discriminated against relentlessly, and learning about trans people early on -- yes, in childhood -- helps to combat these awful prejudices. I have taught my preschooler about trans and non-binary people. Not to encourage him to become trans or non-binary, but to open his eyes to a world that exists beyond the binary set I grew up under, which was exclusionary to trans people. He was not the least bit confused. If scrolling through GDS social media feed makes you worried that it is too woke -- could that be because of all of the non-white faces and stories? Would you feel differently if you replaced 80% of those posts with posts about white people? Not enough self-examination is going on in this thread about why people are having such an adverse reaction to a school's focus on historically marginalized voices. I for one think about the harnessing of all of the human potential from historically marginalized communities whose stories are being told -- this adds to the rich cultural experience. It isn't erasing the white experience. It's adding to the HUMAN experience.
Rather than get on an anonymous message board and bash a school that doesn't feel right for your family, move on and get a freaking life.

I assure you that has absolutely nothing to do with my negative reaction to the GDS social media feed. You have no idea how off base you are. Speaking of self-examination.....

Defensive much?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This message thread reeks of white supremacy and it is unfortunate that the term "woke" is being weaponized by people who are scared about non-white voices and non-hetero experiences sharing center stage at a place like GDS. The fact of the matter is that trans people exist, they are murdered at alarmingly high rates, they are discriminated against relentlessly, and learning about trans people early on -- yes, in childhood -- helps to combat these awful prejudices. I have taught my preschooler about trans and non-binary people. Not to encourage him to become trans or non-binary, but to open his eyes to a world that exists beyond the binary set I grew up under, which was exclusionary to trans people. He was not the least bit confused. If scrolling through GDS social media feed makes you worried that it is too woke -- could that be because of all of the non-white faces and stories? Would you feel differently if you replaced 80% of those posts with posts about white people? Not enough self-examination is going on in this thread about why people are having such an adverse reaction to a school's focus on historically marginalized voices. I for one think about the harnessing of all of the human potential from historically marginalized communities whose stories are being told -- this adds to the rich cultural experience. It isn't erasing the white experience. It's adding to the HUMAN experience.
Rather than get on an anonymous message board and bash a school that doesn't feel right for your family, move on and get a freaking life.

I assure you that has absolutely nothing to do with my negative reaction to the GDS social media feed. You have no idea how off base you are. Speaking of self-examination.....

Defensive much?

not the pp, but the response to your post doesn't seem defensive. your post is offensive, poorly reasoned, and obtuse. It's also insulting. Go ahead, call me defensive.

[Anonymous]

If it’s wrong to ask kids to explore their gender identity, isn’t it also wrong to just assume they are cisgender and heterosexual? You can’t have it both ways.

I’m not sure why it is so threatening to parents to ask a child to examine a part of their own identity. Clearly you are afraid of that exploration because you want a cisgedered heterosexual child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This message thread reeks of white supremacy and it is unfortunate that the term "woke" is being weaponized by people who are scared about non-white voices and non-hetero experiences sharing center stage at a place like GDS. The fact of the matter is that trans people exist, they are murdered at alarmingly high rates, they are discriminated against relentlessly, and learning about trans people early on -- yes, in childhood -- helps to combat these awful prejudices. I have taught my preschooler about trans and non-binary people. Not to encourage him to become trans or non-binary, but to open his eyes to a world that exists beyond the binary set I grew up under, which was exclusionary to trans people. He was not the least bit confused. If scrolling through GDS social media feed makes you worried that it is too woke -- could that be because of all of the non-white faces and stories? Would you feel differently if you replaced 80% of those posts with posts about white people? Not enough self-examination is going on in this thread about why people are having such an adverse reaction to a school's focus on historically marginalized voices. I for one think about the harnessing of all of the human potential from historically marginalized communities whose stories are being told -- this adds to the rich cultural experience. It isn't erasing the white experience. It's adding to the HUMAN experience.
Rather than get on an anonymous message board and bash a school that doesn't feel right for your family, move on and get a freaking life.

I assure you that has absolutely nothing to do with my negative reaction to the GDS social media feed. You have no idea how off base you are. Speaking of self-examination.....

Defensive much?

not the pp, but the response to your post doesn't seem defensive. your post is offensive, poorly reasoned, and obtuse. It's also insulting. Go ahead, call me defensive.

What specifically is wrong with the GDS social media feeds? What specific post or collection of posts is too off the rails woke?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This message thread reeks of white supremacy and it is unfortunate that the term "woke" is being weaponized by people who are scared about non-white voices and non-hetero experiences sharing center stage at a place like GDS. The fact of the matter is that trans people exist, they are murdered at alarmingly high rates, they are discriminated against relentlessly, and learning about trans people early on -- yes, in childhood -- helps to combat these awful prejudices. I have taught my preschooler about trans and non-binary people. Not to encourage him to become trans or non-binary, but to open his eyes to a world that exists beyond the binary set I grew up under, which was exclusionary to trans people. He was not the least bit confused. If scrolling through GDS social media feed makes you worried that it is too woke -- could that be because of all of the non-white faces and stories? Would you feel differently if you replaced 80% of those posts with posts about white people? Not enough self-examination is going on in this thread about why people are having such an adverse reaction to a school's focus on historically marginalized voices. I for one think about the harnessing of all of the human potential from historically marginalized communities whose stories are being told -- this adds to the rich cultural experience. It isn't erasing the white experience. It's adding to the HUMAN experience.
Rather than get on an anonymous message board and bash a school that doesn't feel right for your family, move on and get a freaking life.

I think many parents would like the tons of monthly hours to be in person school five days a week and if not then nail it on the actual academics (remember math, spelling, writing, hard sciences, geography, global history facts and events), for all grades not just upper school.

This idea that the school can only focus on gender equality or math/science/geography is a false construct. Second, teaching kids to examine their gender identity does not have to be confusing, wrong, or an invitation to abandon heterosexuality. What seems to be going on here is a slavish dedication to the way things have always been done. If you don’t like this new inclusive way, don’t opt for it. But please don’t make it seem like GDS is not teaching math, geography, spelling, etc. because it’s too busy asking kids to focus on their gender and sexuality. That’s just an embarrassingly wrong argument.

You clearly don’t or didn’t have kids in the lower school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If it’s wrong to ask kids to explore their gender identity, isn’t it also wrong to just assume they are cisgender and heterosexual? You can’t have it both ways.

I’m not sure why it is so threatening to parents to ask a child to examine a part of their own identity. Clearly you are afraid of that exploration because you want a cisgedered heterosexual child.

There you have it folks!! GDS approach to early childhood development in a nutshell. GDS attitude on full display as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If it’s wrong to ask kids to explore their gender identity, isn’t it also wrong to just assume they are cisgender and heterosexual? You can’t have it both ways.

I’m not sure why it is so threatening to parents to ask a child to examine a part of their own identity. Clearly you are afraid of that exploration because you want a cisgedered heterosexual child.

There you have it folks!! GDS approach to early childhood development in a nutshell. GDS attitude on full display as well.

So you don’t want your kids to explore their own identity. Got it. Hope you don’t have a trans kid.

[Anonymous]

Once you realize that this entire thread probably originated from a trolling student, the happier you will be.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If it’s wrong to ask kids to explore their gender identity, isn’t it also wrong to just assume they are cisgender and heterosexual? You can’t have it both ways.

I’m not sure why it is so threatening to parents to ask a child to examine a part of their own identity. Clearly you are afraid of that exploration because you want a cisgedered heterosexual child.

No, actually, it's not wrong to assume this at all. Because the great majority of people are. This is the norm, in case you've forgotten that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This message thread reeks of white supremacy and it is unfortunate that the term "woke" is being weaponized by people who are scared about non-white voices and non-hetero experiences sharing center stage at a place like GDS. The fact of the matter is that trans people exist, they are murdered at alarmingly high rates, they are discriminated against relentlessly, and learning about trans people early on -- yes, in childhood -- helps to combat these awful prejudices. I have taught my preschooler about trans and non-binary people. Not to encourage him to become trans or non-binary, but to open his eyes to a world that exists beyond the binary set I grew up under, which was exclusionary to trans people. He was not the least bit confused. If scrolling through GDS social media feed makes you worried that it is too woke -- could that be because of all of the non-white faces and stories? Would you feel differently if you replaced 80% of those posts with posts about white people? Not enough self-examination is going on in this thread about why people are having such an adverse reaction to a school's focus on historically marginalized voices. I for one think about the harnessing of all of the human potential from historically marginalized communities whose stories are being told -- this adds to the rich cultural experience. It isn't erasing the white experience. It's adding to the HUMAN experience.
Rather than get on an anonymous message board and bash a school that doesn't feel right for your family, move on and get a freaking life.

I think this characterization of people asking these questions is not accurate, nor is the description of what they are weighing in making educational decisions. I know plenty of parents, us included, who are actively, openly, passionately committed to BLM, transgender rights, stop asian hate, etc. In fact, for our family, those causes are personal. We have different views than you do, though, about WHEN or HOW it is appropriate to introduce our children to these issues and the horrific acts that catalyze these movements. We're not the only ones, and no, we're not white and neither are the families I'm thinking of, so you might consider whether it's correct to assume that everyone who happens to disagree with you as "non-marginalized." Far from it here. Far from it.

Just because someone disagrees about the when and the how doesn't mean they are weaponizing "woke." In fact, it is this very sort of attitude you set forth--the "if you don't agree with me then you must hate marginalized groups/you must be full of white privilege"--that adds to the reasons some families are wary of a woke education. Including mine.

+1, the "weaponizing" (terrible word choice, btw) seems to be going the other way here and it is stunning that the PP doesn't realize it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If it’s wrong to ask kids to explore their gender identity, isn’t it also wrong to just assume they are cisgender and heterosexual? You can’t have it both ways.

I’m not sure why it is so threatening to parents to ask a child to examine a part of their own identity. Clearly you are afraid of that exploration because you want a cisgedered heterosexual child.

Maybe the school needs to cover anatomy and mental health disorders first.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Once you realize that this entire thread probably originated from a trolling student, the happier you will be.

How many of the middle schoolers ID as non-binary again? Or are gender confused?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Check out their Facebook feed for super woke.

Standing up for the rights of trans people (particularly trans youth), condemning anti-Asian hatred, celebrating Dolly Parton, Ntozake Shane, and Marie Curie, learning robotics in middle school and mechanics in kindergarteners—these things bother you?

NP. Let’s just say I would not want my kids to get such a steady diet of this.

The fact that that threatens you or others just confirms for me all the more that there’s a need for schools like GDS and SFS and the many others that send similar messages on these and other topics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If it’s wrong to ask kids to explore their gender identity, isn’t it also wrong to just assume they are cisgender and heterosexual? You can’t have it both ways.

I’m not sure why it is so threatening to parents to ask a child to examine a part of their own identity. Clearly you are afraid of that exploration because you want a cisgedered heterosexual child.

Maybe the school needs to cover anatomy and mental health disorders first.

Yes. The school covers anatomy and mental health, of course.... I can say as a current lower school and middle school parent that GDS is a gem. We feel very lucky to be a part of the community of bright, hard working, open minded, optimistic, fun and supportive students and teachers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If it’s wrong to ask kids to explore their gender identity, isn’t it also wrong to just assume they are cisgender and heterosexual? You can’t have it both ways.

I’m not sure why it is so threatening to parents to ask a child to examine a part of their own identity. Clearly you are afraid of that exploration because you want a cisgedered heterosexual child.

Maybe the school needs to cover anatomy and mental health disorders first.

Yes. The school covers anatomy and mental health, of course.... I can say as a current lower school and middle school parent that GDS is a gem. We feel very lucky to be a part of the community of bright, hard working, open minded, optimistic, fun and supportive students and teachers.

Too bad they teach Jazz Jennings years before anatomy or any science.