Blog #11 💛💚💜🧡🩵💙

 

Queering Our Schools By the editors of Rethinking Schools

RI Laws and Policies

Woke Read Alouds: They, She, He Easy as ABC

Connection: 

The articles “Queering Our Schools,” “The Rhode Island document Safe & Supportive Learning Environments,” and “Woke Read Alouds: They, She, He Easy as ABC” share a clear connection. They all address issues related to gender identity and sexual orientation. They all highlight the importance of this topic, but focus on different aspects, which is what I'd like to explain in this post. The video “Woke Read Alouds: They, She, He Easy as ABC” is quite educational and emphasizes the importance of children feeling comfortable with themselves when called by their name and with the correct pronouns. The person in the video uses the book as a simple reading tool to educate families and young children about the variety of pronouns. This video is an excellent example of curriculum integration at the preschool/elementary level. It has a strong connection to the article “Queering Our Schools,” as both reinforce the value of respecting pronouns. "Queering Our Schools" is an article that emphasizes the need for detailed policies, such as gender-neutral bathrooms, with the philosophical justification of explicit education (like in the video), which goes beyond bullying to address homophobia. Essentially, this article seeks to highlight the problem that many who experience this situation feel excluded. Therefore, schools must go beyond simple "anti-bullying" legislation, which often treats the problem as an individual conflict and overlooks systemic issues like homophobia and sexism. For this reason, this article emphasizes the importance of teachers addressing transgender issues and challenges to the gender binary, ensuring that everyone feels included and supported.. It also calls for changes to the curriculum and school forms that use categories like ".dad" or "mom," when "Parent/Family Member" would be a more suitable alternative..

Furthermore, the article "RI Gender" reinforces these messages by establishing the legal and ethical responsibilities that schools have to protect students' rights and affirm their identities. Taken together, these resources highlight that education is not neutral: it is a tool for social justice that can either perpetuate inequality or challenge it. As a future educator, it is my duty to create a classroom where students, regardless of their gender or identity, feel seen, valued, and safe to be themselves.

I asked Gemini to create an image for me featuring a teacher with a book about inclusion and students around, and this is what came out!!

Question to Share:

What does an inclusive classroom look like to you?  I'm curious about this.