A Harmonious Classroom: July 2020

Friday, July 17, 2020

Teaching Gender Diversity in Middle School and Incorporating Intersections with Racial Justice

Grounding Theory: Indigenous Feminism: If you have come to help me you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound in mine, then let's get to work

If Black trans women were free, it would mean that everyone else would have to be free since their freedom would necessitate the destruction of all systems of oppression.

LEARNING ABOUT TEACHING GENDER AND RACIAL JUSTICE:
-Due to cisheteropatriarchy, and colonialism, middle schoolers have unlearning to do

But not as much as ppl might think

Multiple touches help entry points (books, lessons, movies, and teaching it)

Biggest confusion: conflating gender and sexuality

Review anatomy of gender, sexuality, and expression

-Students fundamentally understand that people deserve respect
-Books and key figures are great learning tools--center black-trans-women in this

Sister Rosette Tharp, Nina Simone, Little Richard, Bessie Smith, Storme Devarie, Bayard Rustin, They Call Me Mix, It Feels Good to Be Yourself,

-Every subject must center black transwomen

Science-- be clear in educating (genitalia doesn't = gender)
Name the harm done by science against women and transgender people (Eugenics!)

Ben Barres The Autobiography of a Transgender Scientist

-Middle schoolers need to understand the language/function of pronouns, natural link to gender identity

-Conversations about race in terms of resistance, marginalized peoples' contributions

-Share your gender identity

Let's Get Free: A Racial Justice Approach to Supporting Gender Expansive Youth of Color

Centering the lived experiences of the youth--creating community that sees all the kiddos as individuals

-None of us are free until Queer, Trans, GNC and non-binary, Indigenous, YoC are free
-Gender binary and gender norms are rooted in white supremacy
-We don't have time to not talk about race
-If it's not racially just it's not trauma informed
-Resilience is the baseline, not the benchmark (survival isn't enough--why do people have to be resilient--let's address the harm so we're not always bouncing back from harm!!)
-Trauma is atmospheric, so our healing must be
-Nothing about YPOC, without YPOC
-Gender expansive youth of color are the experts of their own experience

PAT PARKER:
"The first think you need to do is forget that I'm black. Second, you must never forget that I'm black."
-This is just the first step
-Seeing people as whole people--not just their identity markers, but not forgetting their identity either

RYSE CENTER:
-Centering young peoples' voices
-Fostering creativity
-Restorative justice approach
-Youth organizing club
-Sanctuary and safe space
-Opportunities to connect, heal, learn, and lead

IN GIVING SERVICES
-Avoid weaponizing the available and treating them as band-aids for a broken system
-Naming the problems of the system so that people know they aren't the problem
-PPL often sitting in their own pain while trying to do the work of advocating for themselves and uncared for
-Conventional research doesn't center and cherish trans and gender diverse ypoc (seen as problems to be dealt with)
-Ppl are problematized--shows up in state violence, shows up to make the people bad rather than addressing the problem that hurt them

COLLECTIVE LIBERATION--we are a part of the process, we can create the space but it's also for us, it is work we can do together

HEALING CENTERED ENGAGEMENT
-Healing and well-being and fundamentally political
-Young folks develop and analyze these practices and policies that create the trauma in the first place

BELOVED COMMUNITY
-We lead with love and rage
-We prioritize relationships
-We acknowledge injustice and harm
-Modeling healthy relationships by engaging the young ppl with love
-We stop to acknowledge grief and loss
-Grief is needed for healing and movement

SELF CARE
-Seen as an individual rather than systemic--and then we come back to the problematic system
-How can we learn about ourselves from the joy that we give/get from our experiences
-Creating space to center joy and pleasure allows sustainability, collective liberation and healing

Apologizing is important. Acknowledging the harm that has been done.

Gender Spectrum Day 2: Build It and They Will Karaoke

A Case Study from Rockland County Community Center

Running a Meeting:
-Share names and pronouns
-Share something magical in your life
-Share gay/queer history or community leader
-Dinner
-Social time

Other Features: community agreements, themed nights, coping and emotional development skills, community building and advocacy skills, life skills, presence of trained crisis intervention staff, leadership by Black Trans people and other ppl of color
-If you don't know who the black trans people who are already doing the work--THAT is

*CLAPPING for people on all their wins (grades, showing up, community validation)
-baking validation into every aspect of communication and

*This is not therapy*

SUCCESSES:
-Chosen family
-Support Black and Trans leadership
-Creativity and play
-There is not therapy, this is not a support group--it is AFFIRMATIVE
-Holiday wish list (not charity but community caring in a reciprocal way)

EVENTS:
-Drag night
-Couture night (making couture pieces on mannequins out of newspaper--then they wrote the words that people have used against them on the newspapers)
-Dear queer elder letters asking for holiday presents

PANDEMIC SUPPORT:
-Food/nutrition support
-Providing technology
-Socially distanced in-person meeting

ALLIES:
-Mentorship program through a community program
-Not everyone can just come into the space
-Teachers
-Be careful about who you allow in
-For youth, we don't turn people away--they might be showing up as allies and then come out later

Thursday, July 16, 2020

Creating and Sustaining Groups for LGBTQIA+ Children and Families in Elementary School

How can we start such a group at our own schools?
-"Rainbow Clubs" "Affinity Groups"

Safe place to support identities

How to start a group:

Find at least one ally in the community

Principal, union rep, supportive family members,
Who is supporting teachers? What are their views?
How responsive would admin be? Who would I contact first?

Admin would be generally supportive without getting involved
I would connect with other queer teachers

Decide who will plan, host and organize each meeting

Works well in teams
Planning meeting ahead of time
Will you include families and siblings in meetings?
At least one LGBTQIA+ member and one person of color

Who would make good additions to the group?
How can we prioritize black voices?

Decide where and when your group will happen?

Pick a space that won't change during the year
Frequency?
Consider accessibility (time, transportation, internet access)

Where would be the best spaces for us to meet? (Neutral space--SEL room?)
How often? What time of day? (Lunch clubs)

Get the word out

How can we reach most of the community? (Direct outreach usually more effective)

Students, families, staff, allies

Posters? Involve students with flyers? Morning meetings? Newsletters? Class notes?

Host the first meeting

Get the word out 1-2 wks before the first meeting
Give reminders in the days leading up the meeting
Check in with families so we know some ppl will be there
Fams/sibs may be present
Consider privacy (especially online)
Make everyone feel welcome
Take time to reflect and consider what went well

What kinds of activities would we want to do? (choose a structure and a theme for each meeting)
Start with play and chat--open activities for students
Read a story aloud and discuss
Make posters,

Playing with pronouns cards, gender non-binary dolls
Celebrate ally week, no name calling week
Make buttons that show students' pronouns--or just getting creative

Special considerations for online groups:

Greater potential participation
Challenges of coordinating schedules
Find ways to be interactive (chat, breakout, "change one thing," treasure and scavenger hunts around the house
Ensure access to tech

Work time:

Gender Inclusive Classroom's page about Rainbow Clubs
GLSEN School Year Calendar with LGBTQ+ dates
Bi-monthly themes for long term planning
Sample letter to principal
BLM @school coloring pages

TIPS:

Building a larger allies across schools
Building identity maps, race, ethnicity, gender, religion
Snacks, community, fun

Creating Inclusive Curriculum

Why have an inclusive curriculum?

Strongest predictors of students' feeling of safety at school (teaching empathy, kindness)
Benefits all students; "windows and mirrors"-- Rudine Sims Bishop

GSA is great but not the only indicator of inclusive climate @ school

Inclusive curriculum problems

2sLGBTQ topics restricted--how do we talk about gender/sexuality with children when it's seen as taboo?

Quick tips!

Integrate queer/trans lives in the day-to-day (rather than tokenize)

Subtel integration--bring up individuals without in-depth topic discussion
Overt-- openly talk about issues of sexuality and gender

Example: James Baldwin

-Discuss his contemporaries (MLK, give context); he was also queer (mentioning it)

-I Am Not Your Negro

-"Go the Way Your Blood Beats"-- interviews about sexuality and the movement for Black lives

ELA Recs:

-Emily Dickenson, Tennessee Williams, Walt Whitman, Oscar Wilde, Alice Walker, Langston Hughes, "The Color Purple," "Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

ALL THE LINKS:

Understanding Gender Dysphoria

Presener: Aydin Olson-Kennedy

"Coming in before coming out"
-Coming in: Exploration of gender in order to understand their experience

Taking information in privately (YouTube, forums) before they can come out
People can have gradual coming out process as they perceive themselves, understand their own gender

-Coming out: at times people to come out in spaces where there is some distance/safety (text or grocery store

People can be resisted in coming out: being disbelieved as "attention seeking" or a phase
Questions can feel like accusations at first exposure
Coming out is exhausting! People have been doing work to understand themselves for months/years before bringing the information to whoever they're coming out to
(Based on study participants) Ave. age when people recognize their difference (coming in) at 13; disclosure at age 27--ppl doing lots of work coming in for years before coming out
Never ask ppl to "de-evolve" or step back in their movement forward

-Factors that can influence coming in and out

Racial/ethnic identity
Family structure
Religious identity or affiliation
Geographic location
Access to information
Perceived family/social support structure
Designated gender at birth, gender identity, sexual identity
Media

-What is gender dysphoria?

Diagnosis: An incongruence between experienced/expressed gender and assigned gender (for at least 6 mos) based on specific criteria leading to clinically significant distress

This can be harmful as it withholds care until people are in distress--and is not preventative

What it can look like:

Depression, anxiety, disengagement, anger, poor academics, negative body image, exhaustion, distracted but able to focus on specific things (escapism)

Sound like:

What will my family identity be if I come out?
I do/don't hate my body--feeling like they're not doing trans "right" if they don't hate their body
Grief over never being "real"--less than the real they want to be

Might get dysphoric over:

body, facial features, periods, emotions, mannerisms, voice, interests

Dysphoria is trauma; dysphoria can feel like being born in the wrong body

Suicidality may be a something dysphoria evokes

What You Need to Know Before the Gender Spectrum Symposium!

Dear Professionals’ Symposium Attendee,

We are so excited that you will be joining us for this year’s event. We believe we have an incredible program that will provide deep learning, reflection and connection for all involved. Below, please find a variety of items that will help you get the very most out of the gathering.

Here is a short video that will help to explain how to access the symposium. Being part of the event is quite simple and will run through the event website. If you need help logging onto the website, email support@heysummit.com
If you have not yet done so, we strongly encourage you to identify the specific workshops you plan to attend and add them to your online schedule.
Gender Basics Video: Attendees bring with them a wide range of knowledge and experience with the subject of gender. We have created this video to provide participants with some foundational concepts about gender. We have asked presenters to refrain from a lot of “Gender 101” content because workshops are just one hour. This ~22 minute video will do a great job of grounding you in some basic gender literacy and terminology.
Participation Guidelines. The Professionals’ Symposium is designed to be an engaging and respectful community. In order to support deep learning and reflection, it is important that there is plenty of room to explore ideas, express feelings or simply listen without fear of being disrespected. In order to make room for each person’s perspective and give all of us the opportunity to learn with and from one another, we ask you to observe these guidelines.
Racial Justice and Gender Articles. It is not possible to truly be gender inclusive without taking into account the impact of white supremacy, racism, and oppression on transgender and gender diverse young people, especially youth of color. There are many wonderful resources in this regard and these are just a few that we find helpful.

Gender Spectrum Day 1 Webinar: Becoming an Active Ally to the Trans and GNC Communities

Webinar: Becoming an Active Ally to the Trans and GNC Communities

Closed eyes exercise:

Have you ever experienced bullying or discrimination for your gender presentation?

-Think about the incident; what happened? how did it feel? did anyone else step in?

-Imagine it happening every day--even within your own self

If you were an active ally, what would you have done?

*Breakout rooms to share about those experiences*

Discussion:

What barriers might TGNC ppl face when trying to access services?

-Healthcare providers who don't know they're biased--parents can confirm the suitability of a provider

-Use of dead names on documents and healthcare systems, unintentional outing through healthcare providers

-Teachers' use of gender rolls in classroom

What barriers might you have in working with TGNC clients?

-Unsupportive families

-Personal biases

-Status quo

Journaling: How can I use what I've learned about today to make changes?

-Embrace all students where they are in their process of self discovery

-Continue to press myself to make changes around naming and gender ID in school systems

Links:
https://www.buildingallies.org/blog/what-happens-if-we-do-something-different/ https://www.buildingallies.org/becoming-an-active-ally/

Monday, July 13, 2020

Summer Reading for Middle School in Equity, Social Justice, and Anti-Bias

Check this great booklist! I had a fun time assembling it for my 7th and 8th grade students, but I think it has titles that are appropriate for high schoolers and adults as well. I look forward to digging into some of these over the summer as well.

I wrote to my students:

"YOUR ASSIGNMENT: Please choose and read a book from the list before school starts in August. You can absolutely read as many as you are interested in, but you should read at least one.

YOU WILL FIND stories about changemakers: adolescents and teens growing up in countries all over the world, overcoming obstacles to make their voices heard or to advocate for justice. You might notice that themes of race, gender, and identity are common, and you also will find books that guide the reader to develop an anti-bias perspective. I encourage you to go outside your comfort zone and to read about a perspective that's NEW TO YOU!

TAKE YOUR TIME to explore the list, and make selections you are genuinely interested in reading. You can adjust view/sort at the top of the list; hover over a book cover for an expanded view. Make your choice(s) and talk to your parents about your selection. To get the books, I suggest you order from an online independent bookseller (like powells.com or booksinc.net), go to a local bookstore if they're open, or download it to an ipad or e-reader.

YOU WILL HAVE an assignment related to the reading when you return to school, but just take the next month to enjoy your reading. You can reply with questions if you like. HAPPY READING!"