This is an important lesson for the children. They should learn at an early age that person in authority (and women) will lie to them.

Boys might as well start learning about 'women' at an early age.

What a repulsive bigot. I hope she's fired and never works in the field of education again.

(Unless scrubbing toilets in a frat house counts. That would be okay.)

I certainly learned that Tnitsss. In second grade I learned that personal connections trump the stated rules (kid was a teacher's child). In sixth they really highlighted that boy's were not valued (PE teacher slapped a kid and left four bloody scratches on his face. Not a first offense).

I could go on but lots of people have the same tales. I'm kind of torn about where to send my kids. You think the best rated schools would be the best choice. But that's not really true. The best rated schools are the ones most likely to discriminate against boys. I expect this Keller character works at one of the highest rated schools in her area. And she see's nothing wrong with what she's done, as the hollow retraction at he end of the article shows.

If I won the lottery, I'd buy every boy in her class one of these

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-_8NIU1wUM

I've got your pink and purple Legos, right here.

llater,

llamas

I have a feeling that Captain Blakely would not approve, and order Ms. Keller to walk the plank.

That's pretty cool, llamas. If I won the lottery, I'd get them some Mindstorms.

Did the girls actually play with the Legos more when given exclusive access to them, or did they stick with the crayons and dolls? There's no report on whether Keller's "experiment" was successful, I wonder why...

"I tell them, 'You'll have a turn' because I don't want them to feel bad."

'cause not getting to play with the toy of their choice while the girls do is going to make them feel good?

Dee,

The fact that Keller felt comfortable admitting to blatant sexism to a reporter is revealing. As is the update at the end of the article. She will not lose her job. She will not be disciplined. They will just tell her to keep her yap shut around reporters. I expect her attitudes and actions are fully supported by her administration and coworkers.

"I expect her attitudes and actions are fully supported by her administration and coworkers."

Oh, no question. Blatant misandry is practically a prerequisite for a professional educator in this country.

She is sick, twisted and teaching boys to hate women. Zero good will come of her actions.

Did the girls actually play with the Legos more when given exclusive access to them, or did they stick with the crayons and dolls? There's no report on whether Keller's "experiment" was successful, I wonder why...

Posted by: bkmale at November 20, 2015 7:29 AM

As a five year old girl, I would have been playing with the Legos.
I can't imagine the boys stopping me from joining them. They let me play softball with them when I was 11.

The crayons would have been attractive too, but the dolls, not so much.

Keller said: "I just feel like we are still so far behind in promoting gender equity."

And she no doubt considers what she did to be promoting gender equity.

As far as the update to the story - yea, she and the school administrators are just trying to cover their asses by lying.

I hope the parents of students in that school raise such a fuss that the school will have no other choice but to fire her ass; along with the lying administrators too!

@Bkmale: Did the girls actually play with the Legos more when given exclusive access to them, or did they stick with the crayons and dolls? There's no report on whether Keller's "experiment" was successful, I wonder why...

I wonder what the teacher's reaction would be if the girls did stick with the crayons and dolls? That she just didn't try hard enough to mold their sweet little minds?

I guess in the mind of a feminist, women can only be equal if little boys are oppressed. Feminists don't have much faith in women, do they?

I hope the parents of the little boys in Keller's class care enough about them to get them out there and keep her away from them.

I hope the parents of the little boys in Keller's class care enough about them to get them out there and keep her away from them. ~ Posted by: Ken R at November 20, 2015 10:52 AM

I hope the parents of the little girls in Keller's class care enough about them to get them out of there. The lesson she is teaching them is a bad one and will have serious repercussions beyond kindergarten and Lego blocks.

"I'm kind of torn about where to send my kids."

Catholic School. The ones that still have OLD nuns with metal teeth running it.

Or a Holy Spirit Episcopalian School. "We're like Catholics but without the red tape!"

I think this argues for more male teachers.

This woman is a total idiot. Leave the kids alone and let them play with what they want. Like Isab, I'd have played with the Legos too, but 99% of the other girls in kindergarten with me wanted to play house.

The boys never minded if you played Lego with them.

This girl was way into Legos. I still like them, actually. Alas, I always had to fight to play with my brother's -- I never got any as gifts. Only he did. Boo.

I have given my nieces some Lego sets, and they all enjoy them. I also give them to my nephew, and he likes them, too.

If a girl wanted to play with Legos and the boys were keeping her out, I could see intervening. I could also see encouraging the girls to try them. Perhaps, like me and my nieces, some girls might enjoy them.

But it's ridiculous to keep boys away from Legos so they're free for disinterested girls.

The boys actually are lucky, they haven't been accused of sexual harassment.

While the Legos Friends sets annoy me because the figures are not compatible with standard Lego, girls do like them. Get some of those.

If I really wanted everyone to play with legos I'd get pink castle legos, lots of female figurines Friends or regular, including princesses, and little animals like cats.

Or make a lesson plan like if you are learning about pyramids hand out legos and have everyone build a pyramid. Or if you are learning abbout neighborhoods have everone build their dream house and put people in them.

"Did the girls actually play with the Legos more when given exclusive access to them, or did they stick with the crayons and dolls? "

That's beside the point. Denying the boys access is the point. Whether the girls play with them or not is immaterial.

Aren't there kids who play with Lincoln Logs anymore?

My other favorite thing as a kid was puzzles.

The meanest thing about this is that she didn't just tell the boys that they couldn't play with the Legos.

I'm sure that they kept thinking about them and asking for them until they finally gave up because they learned for them later meant never. Then when they ask for something else and hear later they "know" it means never and they truly do give up. Rather than giving them hope, this teaches them hopelessness, but maybe that is the point really.

You can make people equal by bringing one population up or by bringing the dominant population down.

I think we need to bring everyone up but obviously my viewpoint is not universal.

You know, she could have suggested to the girls that they use Legos to build houses or toys for their dolls. That might have gotten them interested in building other things in turn.

Oh wait, that would have required real effort! And wouldn't have involved denying boys anything. Of course she couldn't use that strategy.

Sigh. What a dreadful woman. If I were the parent of a boy in her classroom, I would be raising hell.

If you firmly believe that gender is a social construct, you have to find an explanation for girls having little (or no) interest in something, be it Legos ot STEM careers, that doesn't contradict your theory. It's gotta be those awful boys/men excluding them again!