Teachers have hit back at ‘woke’ advice urging educators to call their students ‘future leaders’ and ‘epic humans’ instead of ‘boys and girls’.
The NSW Teachers Federation called on educators to move away from gendered terms in classrooms in an article for the quarterly journal.
Teachers were provided with some suggestions to ‘be more inclusive’ in a double-page spread in the magazine.
‘Have you ever stood in front of a class and said, “Okay, guys, eyes to the front” or something similar?’ the article read.
‘While most teachers have moved away from saying phrases like, “Okay boys and girls”, there are times when we may, accidentally, be addressing whole classes or groups using gendered language.’
The article suggests using terms such as class, people, grade level, students and everyone in the place of gendered phrases.
Teachers were also advised to use ’empowering terms’ including change-makers intellectuals, epic humans, awesome humans, future leaders and superstars.
The Teachers Federation also provided subject-specific terminology designed to help students feel valued and ‘view themselves as professionals’.
NSW teachers have been told to use ‘gender-neutral’ terms such as ‘awesome people’ instead of ‘boys and girls’ when speaking to students in the classroom (stock)
The terminology handout was printed in the NSW Teachers Federation’s quarterly journal and included advise on phrases relevant to different subjects and empowering terms (pictured)
Terms such as artists, historians, scientists and mathematicians, explorers, athletes, scholars and playwrights are also advised.
Teachers contacted radio station 2GB with concerns over the article and the new terminology they’re expected to adopt.
‘When are we going to move away from this woke rubbish in our schools?’ one said.
‘Words such as experts and intellectuals have a clear definition and meaning in society, and we’re now expected to categorise students in the Year Nine woodworking class with the ranks of intellectuals,’ another wrote.
‘As a primary school teacher in a support unit, this offends me,’ a third agreed.
