TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – A Florida teacher’s note requesting that her fifth graders try to use gender-neutral pronouns in her classroom has parents divided, according to the Tallahassee Democrat.
Chloe Bressack, a new math and science teacher at Canopy Oaks Elementary, greeted parents in a letter introducing herself. “One thing that you should know about me is that I use gender neutral terms. My prefis ix Mx. (pronounced Mix),” she wrote. “My pronouns are ‘they, them, their’ instead of ‘he, his, she, hers.'”
She added that “students catch on pretty quickly,” even though it “takes some practice for it to feel natural.” Bressack assured parents she wasn’t looking for “perfection,” just that they make an effort. “My priority is for all of my students to be comfortable in my classroom and have a space where they can be themselves while learning,” the letter reads.
According to the paper, comments on the letter in a Facebook group called “Tally Moms Stay Connected” revealed a division between two camps of parents, either strongly in favor or strongly opposed to the idea.
Canopy Oaks Principal Paul Lambert told the Tennessee Democrat that the school supported Bressack’s “preference in how she’s addressed,” and said the only agenda she might have is “teaching math and science at the greatest level she can.”
