With a focus on students who identify with the LGBTQ+ group, Jey Ehrenhart and Stef Bernal-Martinez highlight some useful strategies for creating a safe and inclusive environment for all students.
Just as we get a look into the lives, identities, and personalities of the white, cis-gendered men in our histories through texts and lessons is school, we should also be representing people of color, Latinx artists, LGBTQ authors, ect. without making students feel “othered.” Stef Bernal-Martinez talks about how many teachers, herself included, have been excited to share lessons on LGBTQ authors but focused on the oppression and failed to explore the author as a whole person with multiple identities. She says that “We want to tell the full story beyond pieces of oppression.” Otherwise, students may feel even more like outsiders.
Stef and Jey also talk about ways to set up an inclusive classroom at the start of the year: Presenting your pronouns at the start of the year, and asking students to do the same gives the classroom community a sense of safety for transgender and non-binary students. This can come in the form of something as simple as a student survey. This is something I have seen happen in my college classes, but never my secondary schooling. It allows transgender and non-binary students to feel seen without any pressure. It also shows the class that you are an allied and safe educator. Another opportunity to improve classroom culture that Stef and Jey suggest is to create a community agreement with students about what is expected during classroom discussion. Included in this agreement should be the understanding that students will conduct discussion with respect to other students and teachers including with respect to individual identities.
Stef and Jey recognize that mistakes happen, and even with community agreements in place, there is always the possibility of difficult and uncomfortable conversations within the classroom.
Misgendering is not always a malicious or hateful act. Often, it is just an accident, but that does not mean it should go unaddressed. If an educator misgenders a student, they should apologize, but Jey Ehrenhart emphasizes that this should be a short apology, and you should quickly move along and refrain from “over-apologizing.” A quick apology ensures that the student feels seen, but over-apologizing and drawing more attention could potentially cause more shame for the student. Stef includes that if this happens and the issue does not seem resolved, the teacher should check on the student one-on-one as opposed to during class.
But what happens if a student misgenders another student? Teachers may reaffirm the student’s pronouns by restating what the student says using the correct pronouns. Jey also suggests correcting the student in a quick and fluid manner.
What about homophobic remarks in the classroom? Jey and Stef are adamant that this must always be addressed. If this behavior is not addressed, the classroom automatically becomes an unsafe place for students. I think this applies to staff as well. If you hear another educator misgendering or presenting homophobic remarks, it must be addressed. Otherwise, you are affirming that it is okay to discard another person’s identity.
My takeaway:
This webinar has made me more confident in my ability to create an inclusive classroom. It gives me a starting off point and strategies to overcome difficult situations should they occur. I really appreciate that this webinar was conducted by two educators who are part of the LGBTQ community because I got to hear about their experiences in secondary school. Jey had some great inputs from a non-binary person’s perspective who dealt with misgendering and other micro aggression throughout their life.
I love that the speakers also included HOW to incorporate LGBTQ+ material into lessons. This is something I have struggled to conceptualize effectively in the past. I knew that just adding text that mirrored student identity was not enough, but I wasn’t sure how to fix this block. It is important to discuss minority artists and authors in relation to all of their identities so that they are humanized in the classroom and students can feel seen. Jey gave a great example of this when they said that they remember learning about Langston Hughes in school, but the focus was strictly about his blackness and oppression, but never about his queerness and how that gave meaning to his work.
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