A Michigan elementary school district is doubling down on a lesson for students about using novel gender pronouns, including the phrase “tree,” with the superintendent saying it promoted “inclusivity.”
Schavey Road Elementary School, in DeWitt, Mich., sent out a letter on April 11 informing parents of the school’s plans to “help students share and explore pronouns” in a lesson using the book “They She He Me: Free to Be!” by Maya Gonzalez, which includes cartoon pictures of men and women using interchangeable pronouns. The letter also states parents are able to opt their children out of the curriculum.
“We would like to inform you of a lesson that will be taught in your child’s classroom,” the April 11 letter said. “The lesson goals are to help students share and explore pronouns through discussion and literature to embrace differences and promote acceptance.”
“On the inside, you may not feel like a he or she at all,” the book states. “Maybe they feels most free or you may feel like both she and he.”
Children are taught they can “claim” their pronouns outside “he and she” by creating the way they want to be addressed.
“You can use your own name as a pronoun,” the book says. “You can change pronouns from he to she or she to he. You can use new ones like ze or create your own like tree! Some people use they, which is a perfect way. There are many more pronouns waiting to be discovered and used.”
