Of all the things people complain about when it comes to school, it is quite baffling that pronouns are considered something problematic. Apparently according to New Hampshire Public Radio (NHPR), some residents in Nashua, N.H. think this is something to get riled up about.
Kamren Munz was an art teacher at Nashua’s Elm Street Middle School, but resigned due to feeling unsafe and unsupported. Munz is nonbinary and while they were a teacher at Elm Street Middle School gave a survey to better understand the students in their class. The survey asked about both official and preferred names, what students liked to learn about and what pronouns they used.
According to NHPR, the question about pronouns struck a nerve with some parents. One parent did not like the follow-up question with asking about pronouns. The follow-up questions included if it was OK to use said pronouns with others at school or at home. The parent felt offended by such a question as it made it seem to her like parents cannot be trusted and that a teacher was telling students to lie to their parents.
All I have to say is yes, some parents cannot be trusted with their own children. Many parents are abusive and bigoted and it is awful that said children have to live with such parents. Some LGBTQ+ children are disowned by their parents and kicked out of the house. It is absolutely necessary to lie to such a parent as they do not deserve the decency of honesty.
It is such a shame how Munz was treated by several people, including parents. They were only trying to better understand their students and advocate for them, which I see as an admirable goal. As long as bigoted and abusive parents exist there will always be a need to keep secrets from them. If parents want to have honesty come their way then they cannot be abusive to their children as the child always deserves better.
Parents should treat their children as individuals and not as an extension of themselves and be alright with it. Children will grow up to be their own people and not live in the shadows of their parents. The goal of parenting should be to teach children the skills they will need to succeed in life.
Munz was only trying to keep children safe and supported. They did not deserve to be harassed to the point of resigning. It is good to treat children as individuals and not as some conglomerate. That is just a great way to teach children and to have their mind expand to see different viewpoints. Having children feel safe and themselves is an excellent goal when it comes to teaching. We should have more teachers like Munz in all honesty.
Nico Brazill can be contacted at
nbrazill@kscequinox.com
