You must not be in the US, if you think policy is driven by this. We are very much on a "stripping away protections" whirlwind tour.

I don't really understand what you mean when you use that term. I know what I think it means, but context wise, I'm guessing you might have a different idea. Would you mind sharing? (I promise to not bite your head off.)

Well yes, scorn for [sneering voice] "political correctness" has been around for decades, as in "I don't like femi-nazis, excuse me for not being politically correct!" I guess a better way of asking is, if it was a cause you cared about, how would you approach "don't alienate people" with "speak truth / seek justice". What is the appropriate balance.

Do you see that kind of fervor with some of the posters on the other side, such as Stella? I really do. There is a plethora of angry ideologues, which make thoughtful conversation difficult. I don't think this is actually a trans issue specificially but more a by product of "call out" culture. Which has its own set of 'sacred texts' and talking points spread by social media and immediate, caustic retorts for any conversation that doesn't fall in line with [insert your strong opinion]. For example: my church has a bit of schism over what I would consider fairly extreme anti-racism workers who will instantly call you out as a supporter of white surpemacy if you don't immediately and silently acquiesce to the primacy of their voices.... like, asking clarifying questions get a response of "I am so very tired, you are centering yourself, you are the problem". I have also seen this as an issue for autism advocacy, where there is so much anger-- probably well justified, but still. I keep being told that as a parent of an autistic child that my role is to listen to adult autistic advocates and accept what they say, again without allowing questions or conversation or debate. Which ----- I'm white and pretty willing to de-center myself from anti-racism work but if we're talking about my kid, I will be a part of the conversation, even if it makes me look like the bad guy. I dont' feel bad about that.

So the question was, if a young person asked you to use a preferred pronoun, would you agree. And your answer is, I would judge case-by-case, and if I felt like i'd be made to feel bad if I refused, then I would refuse? Trying to understand here. Re: the bolded, sounds like your argument is that social pressure makes people want to rebel. Do you use that logic when talking about race as well? Or any other social category, other than this particular topic?

Of course it's not a big deal. Perhaps I misunderstood you. If a transgender person asked to you to use a prefered pronoun (not matching their biological sex), would you object? If you were directly asked to use a non-gendered pronoun -- "please call me they not he or she" -- would you?

My 10 year daughter has short hair, never make up or jewelry, avoids pink, wears sneaker always, climbs trees, is definitely a tomboy. The girl I mentioned in my post who presents as male- I do not mean "is not at all girly". I mean has a barber haircut, wears blocky clothing from the boys section, chose a boy-version of her name. (Not "Chris" or "Jamie" or , think more--- if her name was Andria, goes by Andy, spelled with a y). She appears to me to fit the stereotype of a boy, moreso than half the boys I know. I later learned that she is a foster child. I do not know her history at all, but, we all got it wrong at first when we met Andy. Meeting her gave me pause. It was atypical. But I am not well verse in proper terminology so I am not sure if "presents as a boy" is the right way to say what I'm trying to say. Basically meeting her made me think, next time I meet a kid I'm supposed to teach (our coop is about 80 people), I will be more careful in not assuming. I know that little slights, even unintentional ones, from teachers and other authority figures can feel like a blow. I think of it like mispronouncing a name. A human mistake, not a huge deal, but one you would apologize for and be careful to get right going forward. I would treat a transgendered kid the same way- if I guessed gender, and was wrong, I would say "oh my mistake" and use the preferred pronoun going forward. And I think it's odd to refuse to do so.

I remember in previous thread-- several, actually -- you would get upset if anyone mentioned allowing teens into the bathroom of their choice, because that was emotionally manipulative and didn't get at the real issues. Can we perhaps agree that an an extreme outlier, like Rachel McKinnon, equally does not get at the real issue? Or do refuse to read what I write, just like you refuse to read what Joker writes?

Question for you. Do you have any concerns at all about female-to-male transgender people, or is your objection entirely for male-to-female transgender people?

It's an unschooly, progressive, secular coop in one of the most liberal cities in the US. We have bucketloads of tom boys. Oh wait, are you saying you assume every male-appearing person you see is female? Or do you prefer making mistakes over erring on the side of ambiguity? That's not a crime, but it does seem a bit truculent. Those ugly thoughts came entirely from you. I am a feminist, raising feminist children, for the record.

No one has really supported the OP situation, or at least not as what should be the norm. But this thread has really veered into transgender people are anti-feminist by definition territory. I dont' support using "they" universally, but, for the first time I'm considering it in some contexts. In our coop we have a kid who visibly presents as one gender but identifies as they other. It's a girl, who dresses and acts very much like a boy-- including hair, accessories, interests, etc. Gender ambiguous name. About 12. But she still prefers "she / her". She doesn't complain when someone messes up but their mother quietly asked the teacher to use "she / her" next time. Since meeting that kid this year I've been a little more careful to not assume when I don't know the family, it isn't obvious, I can't tell from the name. Particularly in cases where we are dealing with a child I am going to err on the side of caution. As an adult , even screwing up a kids name more than once is something I would apologize for.

How is the bolded not exactly what you are doing?

It is under $25.

OP update. I think this is an OK curriculum, but I hated how scattered it was so we did block scheduling. Within 2 months we basically dropped it. We replaced the history with SOTW - plus activity book and the suggested extra readings. We replaced the music with SQUILT, which goes at a slower pace and is more comprehensive. Added visuals arts because that was a weak spot. We replaced the science with RSO Chemistry because it's just a more interesting topic for us, and a better grounding for what's to come (I feel like if a kid skipped Energy Lab + RSO Earth, they'd still be fine for higher level science). We are replacing the vocab and writing project with a more throughout language arts program. We liked: The lit suggestions are often fun. Just finished Fortunately, the Milk, which was cute. Two Truths and a Lie . We didn't do the "Investigation Log" but I love having the kid learn to use the internet to figure out veracity of stories. Poetry memorization. I didn't do the body movement stuff, but turns out: kid loves the challenge of memorizing poems weekly. We started with Be Glad Your Nose.... but are doing a variety now. Great Medeival Projects book is well done, not just the projects but the writing. I still look into it week to week for ideas. It's a super cheap curriculum with some good ideas, well worth the $35 I spent to support the author. But, I can't say I recommend it for others as a solution to 'what curriculum should I chose'.

His vocabulary and comprehension are good, and he can narrate at grade level. He can form letters but they are big, wobbly, like a fledgling handwriter. I have considered dysgraphia or "lack of practice" as options. His sister has dyslexia. (And autism, and an alphabet soup of disorders). Obviously dyslexia is genetic so dysgraphia is a possibility. The dyslexia in the family is why I am using Logic of English, to give a strong grounding in phonics. But the phonics is sloooooow. He is reading Neil Gaiman and The Hobbit and also learning this week about the phonograms /-ing/ and /wr/. It's incongruous. He needs more, I think. And he actually really likes structured work. The sister is the key thing here, I have been homeschooling a special needs kid who refuses bookwork and structure for 3 years. We do tons of read alouds and journaling and experiments and projects but I can't make it look like school. Now I have added this little brother who is neurotypical -- who is bright, curious, and wants all the curriculum I *hoped* I could use with my other child but gave up on! I'm just really rusty on this topic, so was hoping for some hand holding. Anyway thanks to anyone who read all that.

Need help, I spend a lot of time looking at curriculum options but I'm in the secular forums mostly, and not finding what I need for language! I know way too many homeschoolers whose kids reads at a high school level early, but can't write a paragraph. Trying to avoid that. I am a bit overwhelmed and just need someone to hold my hand and explain-- in short words--- what's best. My 3rd grader is doing Story of the World 3 Beast Academy 3 Real Science Odyssey Chemistry Plus some art (SQUILT, Artistic Pursuits) Obviously the big gap is language. We've been doing Logic of English Foundations, but he took a big leap reading over the summer and can comfortably read short children's novels. His handwriting is terrible, though, and he frequently reverses letters and words (we have had his vision tested). I remember the woman who did story of the world also wrote a language curriculum, First Language Lessons. SOTW is so well made so I'm hoping First Language Lessons is appropriate. Where would I start for a kid who can read but not write? And also what are the other common alternatives I should consider? Parent intensive is fine. Workbooks are fine. The more complete, the better. Thanks for any help.

Bum as in she's limping or bum as in she can't feed herself or get to water anymore?

This is a conviction for a 2004 incident when he drugged and raped a woman..... not exactly ancient history. I do believe that he is a serial rapist. It is a terrible shame that he wasn't in prison until now, at 81 years old.

I have a MoviePass and can see anything but there was just NOTHING I wanted to see last weekend! From your list I'd probably pick Alpha. It looks like it's a cinematically-filmed movie about a prehistory boy fighting for survival, with like herds of mammoths and stuff. Not your everyday movie, so give it it a go! I saw A Simple Favor. It's all right. It aims to be Hitchcockian. I found it pretty predictable.... . It's a fine time-waster. The last fun movie I saw is BlackKKKlansman. I'ts not gruesome or scary, it's kind of suspensful and humorous in a Coen-brother-y way. I really liked Adam Driver's performance. He plays an undercover cop who is Jewish, who is tasked with infiltrating the KKK. That doesn't sound like it should be entertaining at all, but it was really well made.

In church, my daughter has learned to fist bump rather than handshake. It is more comfortable for her (autism + other issues but none 'visible' / explicit based on her appearance). If there is an adult who minds, they haven't expressed that to her yet. She is 10.

I've been friend requested by a few of those profiles. I ignore them.

Thanks PP, I am going to get that Cooking with Skill book. She is fine with narration and I think will do OK with the Paragraph book (which I am going to do after the Writing Skills book as a baseline). I also want to add, she is on an SSRI and it has been a very very good thing for her. No more "I wish I was dead". No more hiding. She is fairly cheerful and functional. I can't imagine going back to med-free, honestly. I just don't do ADHD meds / stimulants. We did try Tenex, the nonstimulant ADHD med, but it was really hard on her mood. So we accommodate ADHD with patience (and homeschooling with minimal seatwork) only.

I'm in New England and no not an issue here. Professionally, I'd be annoyed if a man offered to shake my coworker's hand and not mine- I'm already weirded out by men's elevator behavior. I do remember reading women must offer, but, in those kind of antiquated books that say it's appropriate to address women by her husband's name.

Dog Food (Canidae) Shampoo (Loreal EverPure) Face Wash (CeraVe) All purpose cleanser (Puracy) Cat Stuff (FrontLine , Meow Mix) K-Cups (San Francisco Bay Fog Chaser) Carnation Instant Breakfast , Chocolate Malt (shut up it's good) Recycling Trash Bags that are clear because we have a dumpster instead of pickup My husband gets a bunch of priobiotics.

Thank you all. Specific, clear advice. I've ordered The Writing Book as a first step and plan to get the others as well. This community has made such a difference for us. It really has.