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"and the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate. hate"

 

 

Taylor Swift says it best. Those who don't understand, act out, often in a hateful, hurtful way. Adolescence is a difficult time. Body changes, new attractions, all compounded with spending 6 hours a day with people experiencing the same thing. Now, add in the fact that some adolescents may not fit the norm of everyone else. It's a scary time.

 

I attended high school as a gender-nonconforming youth. People tell you that high school is meant to be the best three years of your life but I was never able to experience that. I was too pre-occupied dealing with my schoolwork, my own emerging sexuality, and my bullies. Looking back, what I really needed was adult to reach out to me. To take a chance on me and ask if I was really okay. So, going forward, I want to be that person for someone else. 

 

I want to make my school and my classroom a safe space for everyone. I want my students to be feel safe in their own school and I want them to know that I will be there for them. To accomplish this, I will be open with my students. I won't make a point to hide my own sexuality as this sends a message that "deviant" sexualities are wrong. This will also make it easier for other questioning students to approach me.

 

I will also be an advocate for our school GSA. If our school doesn't have a GSA, I will start one. The GSA will not only help decrease bullying throughout the entire school but also set an example for students. Egale, Canada's Human Rights Trust, has many great resources on how to start a GSA in your school as well as a partner site dedicated to starting and finding GSAs in your community. As well, it will be my responsibility to establish that my classroom is a safe space. This will involve putting an end to disrespectful behaviours and vocabulary by students. Making my classroom safe will also involve designing my lessons in an inclusive way; not shying away from other sexualities, using inclusive language, and using gender-nonconforming examples will ensure my classroom is a universally designed for everyone.

gender

  1. Use inclusive language;

  2. Never tolerate abusive language in your classroom or in the halls;

  3. Never assume heterosexuality;

  4. Maintain confidentiality within the confines of your professional responsibilities;

  5. Keep an eye out for bullying and act to stop it;

  6. Respect the needs and wishes of Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual students;

  7. Respect the needs and wishes of Transgender students;

  8. Encourage respectful disagreement on issues of sexual identity.

  9. Recognize that you’re not an expert

  10. Acknowledge that building an inclusive community is better for everyone, and fight to make it a school-wide priority

A friend of mine once showed me this website. This blog, by Jamie UTT has some excellent statistics on LGBT youth as well an ten really great ways to make the classroom more inclusive for everybody:

We also discussed in class the concept of gender neutral washrooms. I was pleased to hear that "all new schools built for Edmonton’s public school board will include two stand alone gender-neutral washrooms." I think gendered washrooms don’t actually serve any purpose other than upholding the heteronormative hegemony that has burdened us for too long. Allowing adolescents the freedom to use whatever washroom they identify with empowers them and affirms their unique sexual and personal identity. 

What is one thing you plan to do as a teacher to create an inclusive classroom for gender-nonconforming youth?

Photo taken by me.

This video nearly brought tears to my eyes. I am a big fan of Jimmy Fallon's Mean Tweets, but this really brought a new perspective to my eyes. In this clip, students read mean Tweets that were sent to them. It starts with a laugh track, but by the end, no one is laughing. These are kids I will soon be teaching and it so unfair that they have to put up with this. Regardless of race, gender, ability, socio-economic status, no child should be at the receiving end of messages like these. For me, this video really enforces the message that teens are going through more than we witness in our classrooms, hallways, or cafeterias; every single student we encounter could be dealing with a situation similar to those presented in the video. It is important that I am aware of this and am creating a supporting environment for my students to approach me. I see myself as more than a teacher to my students, I imagine myself being a mentor, a trusted confidante, whom they can always approach in times of need.

I will hang a similar poster in my class, although it will end saying, "You will be educated."

References

Egale. (2002). Egale: Youth and Safer School. Egale.

Holoiday, Leah. (2015, February 4). Gender-neutral bathrooms planned for Edmonton Public Schools. Metro. Retreived from: http://metronews.ca/news/edmonton/1280087/gender-neutral-bathrooms-planned-for-edmonton-public-schools/

Utt, Jamie. (2012). 10 Keys to Creating an Inclusive Classroom Community for LGBTQ Students. Change from Within.

 

how does knowing about adolescent development help me teach?

As a gender non-comforming individual myself, I found that I had already been exposed to much of what we discussed in class. However, it was beneficial for me to be able to take these concepts and apply them to adolescents. I have already been exposed to gender identity and expression, but I hadn't really considered the effects those could have on teens. We've learned that life is hard for adolescents; puberty, fitting in, and developing relationships with parents are just some of what adolescents have to deal with. On top of that, they have to explore and identify this strange feeling of how they feel inside and then come up with a comfortable way to express that feeling. We learned that the two most contributing factors to self-esteem are appearance and social acceptance. Let me tell you, both of those are hard to achieve as a gender non-conforming youth. 

 

Another theory we discussed in class was the gender intensification theory. This was the first time I had ever heard of this. Of course, I have seen it, even withine my own family, but it was the first time I had ever attributed a theory to it. This concept of pushing adolescents towards activities of their "own gender" is problematic for many reasons. Not only does it perpetuate gender stereotypes but it leaves very little room the teen to explore his or her own gender identity. 

 

This is important to keep in mind as I progress through my teaching career as I will absolutely have gender non-conforming youth in my classroom and it is my responsibility (and personal mission) to make sure every one of them feels comfortable. First and foremost, my classroom needs to be inclusive. The space needs to be safe, the students need to be educated, and my curriculum needs to be relatable. 

All of these tips are fundamental for building a positive, welcoming space. One that really stood out for me was "never assume heterosexuality." I think people do this out of habit, not necessarily out of discomfort, but it can harm those who are not heterosexual. Not only does it establish a norm, it perpetuates heteronormativity. 

In all, my classroom needs to be a safe space. With LGBTQ youth being at a higher risk for bullying, depression, and suicide, I need to do all I can to make sure they feel safe and respected (EGALE). Beyond establishing a Safe Spaces initiative for my classroom, I need to ensure that my students are not only respected in the classroom, but that they feel comfortable being themselves and exploring new identities. 

making every space a safe space

making every space a safe space

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