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Week 6: Seeing Queerly


"But I who am bound by my mirror   
as well as my bed
see causes in colour
as well as sex"

I forget (more frequently than I would like to admit) that the LGBTQ rights movement has been actively fighting for as long as it has. One of the questions on the lesson plan outline that was meant to be asked to students actually gave me a little perspective. The Stonewall Riots occurred in 1969, the end of the decade that saw the height of the Civil Rights Movement. Both important parts of our country's history and both taking on new forms in the 2018 age. In full transparency, some of my first thoughts while engaging with the texts and videos were "How can I incorporate this information or these significant historical events into my middle school classroom?" And it honestly brought up a common struggle I think I continue to have when discussing or engaging with different kinds of social issues. I teach middle school math, how can I incorporate queerness into my curriculum?

But I think this is where I keep going wrong. It should be a goal for educators to incorporate social issues and ideas of identity into their classrooms and schools because it is important, children may need support or affirmation, and a deeper level of learning can occur when students are working with something they are passionate about. Thus, I am not "wrong" for thinking about how I can use this in my math classroom. However, where I am going wrong is not seeing that there are other ways to be sensitive and mindful about things like sexual orientation.

The picture I posted at the top of this post is a poster I found on a website called Redbubble that sells posters educators and schools can easily put up in the classroom to let it be known that this is a safe environment for all students, regardless of how they identify. Yet, it takes more than a poster to be a true ally. I also found two websites that we as teachers can utilize to make sure that we are not just saying that our classroom is a safe space, but truly creating a safe space. Here is a short (and somewhat obvious, but important) list of tips for being an LGBT ally in the classroom. One thing that really resonated with me is calling out or confronting homophobia. While I may not explicitly or directly discuss LGBT issues in the context of my curriculum, what I can do is to be open and willing to engage in conversations that may be tough, like if I hear a homophobic comment or a student using "gay" in a negative way. It's important for kids at any age to feel safe and to believe that their teacher is there for them, but middle school is a particularly difficult time. It is when students are becoming more self aware and going through so many changes. Another awesome thing I found was this "Safe Space Kit" which is a pretty extensive guide to be true allies to our students.


Comments

  1. UnknownFebruary 19, 2018 at 3:44 PM

    Haley, I really enjoyed reading your post. I can definitely relate to the struggle of how to talk about sexuality in a middle school classroom because I as well teach middle school. It is such an awkward time for some students, and the pressure to fit is even more so. I enjoyed looking at the websites you included; they are some resources I would really like to dig into more in order to help myself talk about sexuality in the classroom.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Victoria RestlerFebruary 19, 2018 at 6:28 PM

    Thanks for this thoughtful post Haley and for sharing these resources. I think the question of how to incorporate issues of identity and history into a math classroom is a great one (and not always obvious!) The tools you present on how to be a strong ally seem adaptable for any teacher/ subject matter and most ages (with a few tweaks). I also wonder about incorporating occasional community-building activities? Have you heard of radical math? This website (http://www.radicalmath.org/) offers a bunch of social justice math topics and lessons.

    Best
    Victoria

    ReplyDelete

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