Fifth grade students in Katie Rinderle’s class at Due West Elementary School in Cobb County had mixed reactions after reading a book called “My Shadow is Purple,” which challenges gender norms, in class earlier this year.
Rinderle is facing a termination hearing next month after a parent complained to school officials in March about the book’s subject. She is believed to be the first teacher to face termination under Georgia’s year-old laws that prohibit teachers from broaching certain subjects in school.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution recently obtained Rinderle’s 437-page personnel file through an open records request, including documentation of investigators’ interviews with students. Here’s what the students had to say to the investigators.
What did students expect going in?
Prior to reading the book, students had a discussion about what they expected the book to be about based on the cover. Students said they thought it would be about how everyone is different and gender stereotypes. They also debated what pronouns to use for the main character.
On the front cover of the book, the character has short hair and glasses and is wearing a blue button-down shirt and a tutu. Rinderle told them to refer to the character with “they/them” pronouns because of the confusion.
What did they think after reading the book?
One student told investigators the book made him feel “weirded out.” He could tell other students were uncomfortable because students who are typically outspoken did not want to speak.
Another student said he felt like Rinderle was sharing her opinion with the class about biases and stereotypes.
Still, another student felt like Rinderle’s intention was to tell students it’s OK to be like the character in the book, but he said he did not understand how the book related to what they were learning in the class.
How did the students complete Rinderle’s assignment about the book?
After reading the book and a classroom discussion, students completed an assignment where they had to draw their own shadow and write a poem about what color their shadow is.
“My shadow is lime, although I seem blue and sporty all the time. I do love a good snuggle with mom, or sitting in a tub with a vanilla bath bomb,” read one poem, written inside a drawing of a child kicking a ball and holding a bat. “I love all the sports, don’t get me wrong, but don’t make me choose between sports and mom. I love both and that is where I belong.”
Another student’s shadow appeared to be wearing a long dress: “My shadow is white, an underestimated thing. When mixed with colors it can do amazing things, but left by itself it’s kinda blank. Add to (sic) much of one color it starts to fade. It can mix with most anything. What an independent color, as you can see. But somethings (sic) aren’t as they truley (sic) seem.”
Another student wrote that you might think their shadow is pink, but it’s green: “It might be that I love the outdoors or that I eat salad while doing my chores. No matter what, when, why or how green is my shadow goodbye now.”
Credit: Larkin House
Credit: Larkin House
What did students say after completing the assignment?
One student felt confused by the assignment.
“The confusing part was that I did not understant (sic) her expectations,” the student wrote. “I even asked her that if I picked anything other than blue, would I be considering myself non-binary? She said no ...”
Students also went home and discussed the book with their families. In an email to the superintendent and school board chair, one parent said they were “forced” to have a discussion with their 10-year-old that they “quite frankly were not ready to have.”
Another parent told the school’s principal that their child had a “measured and fairly benign response” and did not say anything about the topic of gender or sexuality directly.
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