Head Teacher Speaks Out on Children Identifying as Holograms, Cats, and Dinosaurs

Over the past decade, the standards of inclusivity have changed dramatically. While children once identified as boys, girls, or non-binary, some are demanding more boxes to check off. Some identify as cats, others as dinosaurs, and a few even call themselves moons. While parents have the option of handling these sorts of situations how they please, it is a little more difficult for educators. According to one teacher, she even has a student who identifies as a hologram. 

Katharine Birbalsingh, the founder of the Michaela School in West London, tells the Telegraph that she believes that students who choose to identify as these types of animals and objects should be moved to a different school. She believes that the educational system is failing students if they allow this behavior. 

She says that at one school, there is someone who identifies as a male hologram. At another, a group of students identify as cats. She believes that the trends have to do with parents not setting boundaries. She also revealed that more and more kids joining this trend, and teachers "are not allowed to tell you what's going on."

"This is not a school problem, it is a societal problem," Gillian Keegan, the Education Secretary, tells the publication. "As a society, we have lost our way. Teachers and parents have allowed children to lead the way, and adult authority has completely dissolved."

"In schools, we have allowed children to lead the way. We are scared of our children, we are scared of our responsibility of leading, and we are shying away from our duty of looking after our children," Birbalsingh continues.

"It starts from when they are babies or toddlers, and we give them a choice of food, rather than showing them to eat what's in front of them."

"For parents of children who are allowed to behave like this in classrooms, I think they need to move schools quickly," Birbalsingh says. "I don't want to blame the school because I think it's society's problem, but there will be schools that are more tolerant of this kind of behaviour and schools that are less tolerant."

According to Birbalsingh, at a private school in England, "a bunch of girls identify as cats." She adds: "Children like to be different, they like to stand out, and they also want to be part of a group, and if there is a group of children that are different, that is the best thing as far as they are concerned."

"Teachers are not allowed to tell you what's going on in their schools. They are scared of getting into trouble," she added. She believes that the Department for Education needs to act by setting guidelines for teachers about how to handle these situations.