Utah Teacher Story: “It was over lunch and a co-worker came to get things from the cupboard for her next lesson.
It wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. Small talk engaged. … “How do you feel about the fourth-grade students?” She asked.
“I like them,” I responded. “Some are a bit spicy, but as long as they keep it at a teaspoon, we get along well.”
She went on to belabor the idea that the boys in this [4th grade] class “MANSPLAIN” and how she would “beat it out of them.” Quotation. “Mark my words, I will beat that spirit out of them before the year’s end.”
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And that, Utah, reveals the heart and thoughts of many a Utah teacher.
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Our young boys should be cherished and reared to be honorable men. We shouldn’t “beat that spirit” out of them.
Children love to be heard and enjoy it when adults listen to them. When boys speak, they aren’t mansplaining — they are celebrating their learning in a “boy-like way.” It is important that we embrace their uniqueness and guide their energy.
How sad is it that we send our young men to school trusting they will be treated with dignity? All the while those inside the buildings hired to protect them vow to beat on their spirit.”
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