Dress witches in pink and avoid white paper ....unbelieveble in the UK

[pqr]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/8786641/Dress-witches-in-pink-and-avoid-white-paper-to-prevent-racism-in-nuseries-expert-says.html

 

Nuts ....simply nuts.

[Impish]

Pretty much sums it up for me:

 

“People might criticise this as political correctness gone mad..."

[LeslieAnneLevine]

I think they should get brown paper and white paper and stick them together with the tape, the tape of love.

[scrapbookbuzz]

Honestly, what does the color of paper have to do with anything? There is certainly no link between white paper and white supremacy. Next they'll be telling us that we should force evergreen trees to not always be green!

[pqr]

Not so much pc gone mad as so called "experts" who are completely insane.

[Tohru]

Well in all actuality, most those things are from the Western world and as the world becomes more Westernize, it does kind of makes sense to take into consideration the other colors that have been portrayed as negative all these generations...

[WishboneDawn]

There's some good thinking buried in that. Kids DO need to see themselves reflected in their environment. Crayons with different flesh tones are AWESOME. I remember being frustrated as a young kid because I couldn't get the colours to match all the different colours of skin I was seeing on TV (I was a white kid in a very white rural community).

 

But, but, but...White paper? White paper is white to allow those different flesh coloured Crayons reflect the actual colour of the crayon. Trying to draw and colour something or pink or green paper is frustrating.

[Tohru]

And really there is nothing wrong with offering different color paper to children. My dd prefers coloring on light blue paper over white, while my ds prefers painting on beige paper.

[kiana]

Different color paper and crayons? Fine, good idea. They're relatively cheap and will improve children's ability to create anyway.

 

Instructing teachers to LIE and say their favorite color is black or brown? ... gah.

 

My favourite color is yellow and they can bite me.

[laundrycrisis]

ITA with needing a wider variety of flesh-toned crayons, that are actually used for drawing people. But the rest is nuts. These people don't understand racism. Skin color and race are not mixed up with colors of clothing and writing/drawing paper. That's like saying there should be no black garbage bags, no white toilet paper....just :001_huh:.

[pqr]

And really there is nothing wrong with offering different color paper to children. My dd prefers coloring on light blue paper over white, while my ds prefers painting on beige paper.

 

 

There is nothing wrong with offering, but mandating is a different kettle of fish.

 

This is insanity.

 

Do we now do away with the term "black magic" or "white noise."

 

I also do not like the idea of teachers being told to lie to children. Avoid the question...sure. Say that is something better discussed with your parents...absolutely. But an outright lie?

[Joanne]

I agree with this:

 

crayons should come in "the full range of flesh tones", reflecting the diversity of the human race, according to the former teacher.

 

But I honestly don't think that the rest of the "recommendations" are not going to be taken seriously. I think it's a silly issue and not worth time worrying about.

[Audrey]

Witches do not wear pink. I'm offended. :tongue_smilie:

[Chris in VA]

My degree is in Early and Middle Childhood Education, with an emphasis on anti-bias, multicultural education, and this is the biggest load of crap I've ever heard.

[WishboneDawn]

I agree with this:

 

 

 

But I honestly don't think that the rest of the "recommendations" are not going to be taken seriously. I think it's a silly issue and not worth time worrying about.

 

Yup. It's a consultant's report, not policy. I'm willing to bet there were other, better suggestions in that report that were ignored in favour of the more "newsworthy" ones.

[Hedgehog]

There is this thing called balance. Where did it go?

[WishboneDawn]

Witches do not wear pink. I'm offended. :tongue_smilie:

 

I should hope not. My daughter maintains that pink is the only truly evil color.

[Crimson Wife]

Anybody else wondering why preschools are even having depictions of witches at all? :confused:

[Joanne]

Anybody else wondering why preschools are even having depictions of witches at all? :confused:

 

No. Fun, fairy tales, traditional stories, Halloween.

[WishboneDawn]

Anybody else wondering why preschools are even having depictions of witches at all? :confused:

 

No. It's a pretty common piece of childhood fantasy.

 

Those fake witches anyway, not those ones west of me who refuse to wear pink. :D

[melissad2]

That has to be the stupidest bunch of nonsense I have ever read. Makes me glad I homeschool!

[Murphy101]

Anybody else wondering why preschools are even having depictions of witches at all? :confused:

 

:lol:

 

I knew it wouldn't take long for someone to pounce on that bit.

 

Here, folks would be more outraged over a kid having witch hats and fairy wings for dress up, regardless of color. Don't you know it plants the seed of evil in them kids?;)

[pqr]

That has to be the stupidest bunch of nonsense I have ever read. Makes me glad I homeschool!

 

Amen!

[Impish]

Witches do not wear pink. I'm offended. :tongue_smilie:

I thought of you immediately when I read this, and snorted. Yeah, I'd like to see someone tell you you have to wear pink :lol::lol:

[Crimson Wife]

No. Fun, fairy tales, traditional stories, Halloween.

 

To me, only positive aspects of Halloween and fairy tales ought to be in a preschool classroom. Little kids get frightened easily because they often have difficulty distinguishing between fantasy and reality. Why even bring in the darker elements when we're talking about really young children?

[Homemama2]

 

That has to be the stupidest bunch of nonsense I have ever read. Makes me glad I homeschool!

 

:iagree: So. Stupid.

[Murphy101]

To me, only positive aspects of Halloween and fairy tales ought to be in a preschool classroom. Little kids get frightened easily because they often have difficulty distinguishing between fantasy and reality. Why even bring in the darker elements when we're talking about really young children?

 

Because they LOVE it!

 

Fairy tales and such are often dark and scary. But most kids love them. They love the clear good guy vs bad guy. It's no different than why most of them scream to go higher and faster on the swings.

 

I once had "Christian" adaptations of Hans Christian Anderson and Mother Goose given to me. My kids had almost interest no in them. But then I later purchased more authentic traditional versions. I have never once had any of my kids request the nicer lighter version of the traditional for bedtime. Not once. It's there. They know it is there. They just don't enjoy it as much.

 

Also, this is part of the process of discernment. They are learning to distinguish fantasy, to manage fear, and to learn trust.

[WishboneDawn]

Because they LOVE it!

 

Fairy tales and such are often dark and scary. But most kids love them. They love the clear good guy vs bad guy. It's no different than why most of them scream to go higher and faster on the swings.

 

I once had "Christian" adaptations of Hans Christian Anderson and Mother Goose given to me. My kids had almost interest no in them. But then I later purchased more authentic traditional versions. I have never once had any of my kids request the nicer lighter version of the traditional for bedtime. Not once. It's there. They know it is there. They just don't enjoy it as much.

 

Also, this is part of the process of discernment. They are learning to distinguish fantasy, to manage fear, and to learn trust.

 

Heck, the lives of small kids are filled with dark and scary things. Closets, being momentarily lost in a store, mean adults...They do not live lives of constant safety and happiness. A black robe and hat in a dress-up box is a safe way for them to explore those dark feelings and learn to deal with them.

[Joanne]

To me, only positive aspects of Halloween and fairy tales ought to be in a preschool classroom. Little kids get frightened easily because they often have difficulty distinguishing between fantasy and reality. Why even bring in the darker elements when we're talking about really young children?

 

Fairy tales and nursery rhymes have been used since the beginning of time. I don't believe they are *necessary* but I also don't believe they need to be avoided.

 

I have not ever had a kid who believed in "Hansel and Gretel" in a dangerous, literal way.

 

The good/bad dichotomy is worked out repeatedly in young children, and fairy tales can help with that.

 

I don't believe in a "bad side" of Halloween. I think ADULTS impose that nonsense, but kids just love the costumes, colors, light scare, fun, candy, and tradition.

[Crimson Wife]

Because they LOVE it!

 

Fairy tales and such are often dark and scary. But most kids love them. They love the clear good guy vs bad guy. It's no different than why most of them scream to go higher and faster on the swings.

 

I once had "Christian" adaptations of Hans Christian Anderson and Mother Goose given to me. My kids had almost interest no in them. But then I later purchased more authentic traditional versions. I have never once had any of my kids request the nicer lighter version of the traditional for bedtime. Not once. It's there. They know it is there. They just don't enjoy it as much.

 

Also, this is part of the process of discernment. They are learning to distinguish fantasy, to manage fear, and to learn trust.

 

My almost 9 y.o. *LOVES* the original Grimms' Fairy Tales that I bought her recently. She also loves the Horrible Histories and similar books. But she's a 'tween not a preschooler. With my little one, I stick to happy versions for now.

[Audrey]

I thought of you immediately when I read this, and snorted. Yeah, I'd like to see someone tell you you have to wear pink :lol::lol:

 

 

 

You mean like that little frog over there? ;)

[Brigitte]

Witches do not wear pink. I'm offended. :tongue_smilie:

 

How can witches hide in the night and in dark corners if they are wearing pink? The pink would totally give them away! :D

[Cricket]

People who are feeling defensive can say 'well there's nothing wrong with white paper', but in reality there could be if you don't see yourself reflected in the things around you.

 

What does this even mean? Do any of the "white" people here think about themselves when they see white paper? That is just so WEIRD!!!!

 

This made me laugh out loud:

 

Finally, staff should be prepared to be economical with the truth when asked by pupils what their favourite colour is and, in the interests of good race relations, answer "black" or "brown".

 

Yes, because when a child asks me what my favorite color is, the first thing I think of is race relations. :confused:

[Mommy22alyns]

Witches do not wear pink. I'm offended. :tongue_smilie:

 

 

Y'know, you're the first person I thought of! :D

 

Okay. Crayons, good. But it's... PAPER. White PAPER. Really?!?!? And the lying about favorite colors, what a crock.

[HollyB]

To me, only positive aspects of Halloween and fairy tales ought to be in a preschool classroom. Little kids get frightened easily because they often have difficulty distinguishing between fantasy and reality. Why even bring in the darker elements when we're talking about really young children?

 

I taught preschool years ago. We were not allowed to have witches, even the happy looking ones, or other things that might have scared the kids. Half of my class would have been crying.

 

The other half stayed up late to watch Scream with their parents.:001_huh:

[kitten18]

I think they should get brown paper and white paper and stick them together with the tape, the tape of love.

:lol:

 

ITA with needing a wider variety of flesh-toned crayons, that are actually used for drawing people. But the rest is nuts. These people don't understand racism. Skin color and race are not mixed up with colors of clothing and writing/drawing paper. That's like saying there should be no black garbage bags, no white toilet paper....just :001_huh:.

I agree. I like all the flesh colors for crayons and paint. The rest is CRAZY.

 

People who are feeling defensive can say 'well there's nothing wrong with white paper', but in reality there could be if you don't see yourself reflected in the things around you.

 

What does this even mean? Do any of the "white" people here think about themselves when they see white paper? That is just so WEIRD!!!!

 

 

Well, of course I think of white people when I see white paper.:confused:

:lol::lol::lol: Weird.

[Cricket]

Well, of course I think of white people when I see white paper.:confused:

:lol::lol::lol: Weird.

 

Sometimes I think of white paper when I see some of my very white Scandinavian acquaintances, but it's never the other way around, ya' know? :D

[mommymilkies]

Sometimes I think of white paper when I see some of my very white Scandinavian acquaintances, but it's never the other way around, ya' know? :D

 

:lol: My oldest dd is VERY pale, but she has such red hair and so many freckles (almost a Uni-freckle), that I definitely don't think white when I see her!!!

[Impish]

You mean like that little frog over there? ;)

Now, now, you know you're not supposed to use transmorgification as punishment!

 

(Although, Draco the bouncing ferret is still one of my fave visuals)

[Matryoshka]

People who are feeling defensive can say 'well there's nothing wrong with white paper', but in reality there could be if you don't see yourself reflected in the things around you.

 

What does this even mean? Do any of the "white" people here think about themselves when they see white paper? That is just so WEIRD!!!!

 

Yeah, um, I hate to break it to those folk, but there are actually ZERO humans on the planet with skin the color of white paper. People are not actually white (or black for that matter). So, they should just have flesh-toned paper from peach to very dark brown? Are we going to start stocking the printers with white ink to show up on the dark paper colors? Or is white ink also racist?

 

Methinks the paper is white because it makes a good contrast with black ink.

 

This made me laugh out loud:

 

Finally, staff should be prepared to be economical with the truth when asked by pupils what their favourite colour is and, in the interests of good race relations, answer "black" or "brown".

 

Again, is anyone's favorite color a flesh tone of any shade? Whose favorite color is white, either? Favorite colors are the colors of the rainbow, or flowers. Red, blue, yellow, green... :confused::confused:

[KarenNC]

"Fairy tales, then, are not responsible for producing in children fear, or any of the shapes of fear; fairy tales do not give the child the idea of the evil or the ugly; that is in the child already, because it is in the world already. Fairy tales do not give the child his first idea of bogey. What fairy tales give the child is his first clear idea of the possible defeat of bogey. The baby has known the dragon intimately ever since he had an imagination. What the fairy tale provides for him is a St. George to kill the dragon."

 

--- G. K. Chesterton, Tremendous Trifles (1909)

http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/8092/pg8092.txt

 

Yes to multiple shades of "skin tones" for drawing, and of paper, if the kids are cutting out paper dolls. Have book illustrations, dolls, etc with a variety of skin tones, family make-up, gender of people doing jobs, etc in the classroom. Those things make sense. The rest is pretty ridiculous.

[Parrothead]

Witches do not wear pink. I'm offended. :tongue_smilie:

Honestly I wondered if they asked the witches what they prefer. I mean if we want to be politically correct and all that the experts should be asking the witches and fairies what it is they wish to be depicted as.

[valkett]

I think they should get brown paper and white paper and stick them together with the tape, the tape of love.

 

LOL! We love Flight of the Conchords here. I definitely think this is the PC police gone too far. Good grief.

[Truscifi]

Honestly I wondered if they asked the witches what they prefer. I mean if we want to be politically correct and all that the experts should be asking the witches and fairies what it is they wish to be depicted as.

 

You should make a poll. We know we have at least one witch to answer. Do we have any faeries in the Hive?

[Forget-Me-Not]

I love it. One of the comments says, "This is from The Onion, right?" :lol:

[kitten18]

 

 

Again, is anyone's favorite color a flesh tone of any shade? Whose favorite color is white, either? Favorite colors are the colors of the rainbow, or flowers. Red, blue, yellow, green... :confused::confused:

I did mean to say that my favorite color is Brown, but not because it's a flesh color.;)

[JulieH]

People who are feeling defensive can say 'well there's nothing wrong with white paper', but in reality there could be if you don't see yourself reflected in the things around you.

 

What does this even mean? Do any of the "white" people here think about themselves when they see white paper? That is just so WEIRD!!!!

 

This made me laugh out loud:

 

Finally, staff should be prepared to be economical with the truth when asked by pupils what their favourite colour is and, in the interests of good race relations, answer "black" or "brown".

 

Yes, because when a child asks me what my favorite color is, the first thing I think of is race relations. :confused:

 

:lol::lol: This made me laugh tonight! Thanks!!

 

I love it. One of the comments says, "This is from The Onion, right?" :lol:

:lol: I sure hope so because that article is one of the most ridiculous things I've read in a while.

[Mrs Mungo]

The craziest bit of the article? Using Wizard of Oz as an example of how witches are always dressed in black. That movie has a witch in black and a witch in pink. It isn't just griping about "bad" witches, the other witch is a good witch who dresses in black. They fail at their own argument.

[twoforjoy]

That article sure was written to bring out a specific response in a specific group of people, and by the comments on this thread, it worked.

 

I like how they buried under the bump the fact that this is NOT policy in ANY school, but instead is a small number of suggestions given in some "guides" in something called Nursery World Magazine. Call me crazy, but I'm betting that UK school policy isn't generally made on the basis of recommendations in a magazine called Nursery World.

 

But, by all means, let's get outraged over a series of suggestions that nobody is going to follow in a magazine that very few people read. I bet we could find some guidelines in homeschooling publications that would make homeschoolers seems like extremist, dangerous idiots if they were reported in the way this story was reported. But of course this is representative of mutilcultural educational efforts as a whole. Wow, those PC lunatics control everything! I mean, they have lists of suggestions in little-read magazines that are made fun of in a major UK publication and not even under consideration as educational policy. Their plan for world domination sure is going well.

 

Again, is anyone's favorite color a flesh tone of any shade? Whose favorite color is white, either? Favorite colors are the colors of the rainbow, or flowers. Red, blue, yellow, green... :confused::confused:

 

My favorite color actually is brown. Well, brown and purple are probably tied, but I'm pretty specific about the shades of purple I like, while I like pretty much every shade of brown. It's a very warm, soothing color.

Edited September 27, 2011 by twoforjoy

[myfatherslily]

So, wait a second, in an effort to teach our kids to not be racist, we should pick a favorite skin color and tell them we like that best? What?

 

My favorite color is purple. I wish I had sparkly, lavender skin.

 

This article is really just laughable!