Teacher Claims Entire Class Of 2nd Graders Changed Pronouns?
In a viral video, users are claiming that an alleged teacher announced her entire class of 2nd graders changed their pronouns.
To some people, pronouns are a big deal. A push for more inclusivity, knowledge, and awareness centered around the LGTBQ+ community rages on amid heated culture wars in America. Much of the discussion has focused on children, their increased rate of switching pronouns, and an overall sense of urgency from supporters to educate children about pronoun use. Recently, Libs Of TikTok – the social media account famous for ousting liberals and LGBTQ+ activists, shared a video of a teacher, who claims that her entire class of 2nd graders changed their pronouns while under her care. See the clip below.
The conservative Twitter account shared the footage yesterday, July 21st, and it has already garnered thousands of views, shares, and as usual – social media debates. In the video, the speaker – who alleges that she is a teacher – shares a story that she admits took her a while to do because of how emotionally charged it left her. She states that one of her 2nd graders felt “safe enough” to share his pronouns with her, insinuating that he does not go by the conventional “he/him” pronouns of a male. To this, she adds that her entire class “switched pronouns.” Libs of TikTok ran with this story, insinuating that the entire class changed their pronouns.
Within seconds of sharing the video, supporters of the right-wing account took to the comment section to share disgust and disdain for the teacher. One user called this finding a social contagion. After all, small children with underdeveloped minds are more apt to join the crowd in favoring something, such as a push for exploring pronouns. Others attacked the speaker’s personal appearance and compared her to a groomer for what she said.
Also in the comments section, some users defended the alleged teacher’s speech. One even pointed out something that most users were overlooking: the fact that her words seemed to have been misconstrued. When paying close attention to how the teacher uses her words, it appears that she was trying to state that the rest of her class began using the other 2nd grader’s preferred pronouns, not that the entire classroom changed theirs as well. Others even pointed out the fact that social media users aren’t necessarily a great source of factual information. People often take to Twitter for satirical political posts to fan the flames, such as with the popular account that goes by the name Alex Stein.
Still, there is no denying that more and more alleged teachers are coming forwards and discussing similar rhetoric around pronoun use for small, often elementary-level children. The majority of conservative parents don’t agree with these types of identity politics being discussed in the classroom. They fear it is a form of indoctrination, attempting to steer Amerian youth to become something else, or worse, urging them to explore sexuality at a young age.
But to advocates, educating young children about pronouns and their use is just another way to make classrooms more inclusive for everyone. According to information from The Trevor Project, when non-binary youth’s preferred pronouns aren’t respected, they are at least 2.5 times more likely to attempt suicide. And with LGBTQ+ mental health and suicide rates on the rise, many educators are simply attempting to foster a safe learning environment for these children, beginning with teaching young kid’s why and how to respect preferred pronouns.
In essence, there is no telling whether or not this alleged teacher really is a teacher at all. Furthermore, it’s unclear whether or not she meant that her entire class changed their pronouns abruptly – like Libs of TikTok claims, or merely if she meant that her entire class, without hesitation, used the child’s preferred pronouns. If anything, it shows that the culture war weaving its way into the classroom may never be rectifiable.
