Some primary teachers refuse to say “boys” and “girls” at all -- it’s always “team,” “class,” “Grade 1s,” or some other supposedly neutral term. And it’s not just occasionally -- it’s all the time. These teachers comply with staffroom signs reminding us not to use “gendered language” because it’s now considered passé. This really bothers me, especially because we’re talking about very young children. When I say, “Boys and girls,” they seem to light up. It affirms a simple truth about themselves and reinforces their most basic understanding of who they are and how the world works.