Showing Pride in Our Classrooms

5/5/2021

by Heather M. F. Lyke

-- first published in June 2018 by RPS Secondary Curriculum & Instruction | edited May 2021 —

It’s almost June: a month full of farmers’ markets, graduation parties, and fairs. (If we're lucky, this summer we will have all of that again.) June is also the month of Pride (read about the origin of Pride and other such details here in this CNN article).

Spring and summer are a great time to reflect on our educational practices. Combine that with Pride Month in June, and it’s only fitting to reflect on how our practices specifically impact our LGBTQ+ students, staff, and families. How can we as educators work toward a space where all—including our LGBTQ+ students, staff, and families—feel safe and welcome in our classrooms and schools?

To compile a list of ideas on this topic, I anonymously surveyed three dozen LGBTQ+ individuals and their allies, many of whom are current or former students of schools in Southeast Minnesota (SEMN) and some of whom currently work in SEMN schools. I looked for what themes arose from their feedback, and resoundingly these were the four key takeaways:

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Build Your Knowledgebase

A first step in understanding and supporting LGBTQ+ students, staff, and families is to take a look at your current understanding. I’m reminded of a poster I commonly see in classrooms nowadays that reads, “It’s okay not to know, but it’s not okay not to try.” The same sentiment seems hold true here. If you don’t currently have a full understanding of the LGBTQ+ community, that’s okay; however, showing the community that you are trying to build your understanding goes a long way.

A few places to start:

Know the statistics.

5.6% of American adults publically identify as LGBTQ+ (with younger generations of Americans, specifically those born between 1980 and 1999, that percentage is almost double at 8.1%), according to this 2020 Gallup poll
6.4% of American women identify as LGBTQ+, compared to 4.9% of American men, according to this 2020 Gallup poll
8-18% of 9-11th graders in Minnesota identify as LGBTQ+, according to a comprehensive survey of Minnesota high school students shared in this 2017 Minnesota State Health assessment (see page 14)

As an educator, this data tells me:

If I see 150 students in a day, anywhere from 7 to 27 of them likely identify as LGBTQ+
If each of my 150 students were from two parent/guardian households, roughly 15 to 55 of the parents/guardians I work with in a year likely identify as LGBTQ+
If I work in a district with 100 staff, approximately 5 of them likely identify as LGBTQ+

Know the terminology.
If unsure of what the letters in ‘LGBTQ+’ stand for (or in ‘LGBTQQIAAP2S’ for that matter), take a few minutes and look into this. Consider starting by watching this short video:

Remember that everyone is unique.
Each individual’s ‘gender identity’, ‘gender expression’, ‘sexual attraction’, and ‘emotional attraction’ is very unique, as shown the graphic below:

Keeping this in mind, be careful not to pigeonhole individuals based on past experience or understanding. It is easy to let LGBTQ+ celebrities, stereotypes, and/or personal acquaintances drive one’s perceptions of what an LGBTQ+ person should look or act like, but in reality there is as much variation in what LGBTQ+ persons will present as and act like, as there are with cisgender heterosexuals.

Listen.
This word came up over and over again in the survey responses. In order to truly understand LGBTQ+ students, staff, and families, one has to listen to what they have to say. When an LGBTQ+ individual shares an experience or a concern, this is an opportunity to broaden one’s understanding of those in the LGBTQ+ community. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that being heard often feels a lot like being respected, valued, and loved.

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Ensure a Supportive and Safe Space

Pictures taken at Dover Eyota MS/HS, May 2021

Pictures taken at Dover-Eyota Middle & High School, May 2021

This might seem like a simple and easy thing to do, but the reality is that LGBTQ+ individuals don’t always feel safe and supported in schools. There are a few simple things that we educators can do to send the message to LGBTQ+ students, staff, and families that supportive and safe spaces exist in our building:

Post signs.
If you teach in a classroom or council out of an office that is safe place where LGBTQ+ individuals will be respected and heard, then post a sign that sends that message. This can been seen in this collage of pictures taken in Dover-Eyota's secondary building where many teachers and counselors send a clear message of support and inclusion in this simple way.

If you would like to print off your own such sign, below are some commonly used ones to choose from (just click the image and then send it to your printer).

Shut down bullying.
A few years ago, the Minnesota Department Education shared that according to the 2016 Minnesota State Student Survey LGBTQ+ individuals are less likely to feel safe in school, more likely to be bullied, and in turn more likely to attempt suicide.

With data like this, it’s hard to deny the importance of shutting down bullying, specifically the bullying of LGBTQ+ individuals, in our schools.

If you’re looking for resources to help you address LGBTQ+ bullying in your classroom/school, consider trying the website Learning for Justice, specifically this webpage which focuses on LGBTQ+ bullying and bias.

Use the correct pronoun.
Many teachers have students complete a survey or fill out an informational notecard at the start of the year; if you do this, consider adding to it the question, “What pronouns do you use?” This opens the door for students questioning their genders to safely request the pronoun with which they each identify. It’s important to know that when an LGBTQ+ individual requests one pronoun but then a different one is used instead, it can be very hurtful: a sign of unacceptance or a lack of willingness to understand.

If you would like to learn more about the importance of pronouns, consider reading this GLSEN’s educator resource page on the topic (GLSEN stands for ‘Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network’).

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Be Inclusive

There is the old adage that one can’t just talk the talk, but must also walk the walk. That also proves true here. Posting signs, shutting down bullying, and using the correct pronouns are great first steps—but these steps lose their power without follow-through.

Some simple ways to demonstrate LGBTQ+ inclusivity are:

Use non-binary language and examples.
In the survey, many SEMN students pointed out that it seemed to them the only time LGBTQ+ examples were provided were in FACS and Health classes, and even then it occurred rarely. I know this is something I personally was guilty of in the classroom. As an English teacher, when crafting a sentence that students were to then edit, I could easily have referred to a family with two mothers rather than one with a mother and a father… Likewise, when using Clip Art in a PowerPoint presentation, I could have easily used a picture showing two boys talking by their lockers, rather than a boy paired with a girl…

Perhaps verbal shifts would be the easiest to make in the classroom. When talking about prom, asking “Have you bought tickets for your dates yet?” sends a much more inclusive message than, “Boys, have you bought tickets for your girlfriends yet?” When talking to a married female parent, guardian, or coworker, asking about her “spouse” sends a much more inclusive message than asking about her “husband.” (For more examples of why subtle language choices matter, read Digging into Diction.)

Include LGBTQ+ references in your class.
Not shying away from LGBTQ+ aspects of your content is another way to send a message of support to LGBTQ+ individuals.

I’ll use another English example, seeing as that is my background. If I am teaching American Literature and we are reading The Crucible, I likely will share with my students facts about Arthur Miller’s love life, most famously his relationship with Marilyn Monroe who seemingly served as his muse for some of his works. However, if in my next unit I teach Walt Whitman and gloss over his relationship Harry Stafford, who was both his lover and his muse, just as Monroe was for Miller, I send the message that heteronormativity is preferred my classroom—even if the signs hung at the front of my classroom say something different. Additionally, as an English teacher, I could easily have books with LGBTQ+ themes and characters on my shelves interspersed with all my other books that students can check out and take home to read.

If you don’t know where to begin in this area, here are some possible resources for you:

CCRLT’s Responsive Reads website, specifically:
The website We Need Diverse Books

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Work Together

Remember that it takes a village to make others feel safe and included: you can’t go it alone. Tap into others to help you meet students’ needs. That, and help others understand the need to work toward a space where all feel safe and welcome in our classrooms and schools, including our LGBTQ+ students, families, and colleagues.

Perhaps the biggest takeaway from the three dozen LGBTQ+ individuals and their allies whom I surveyed back in 2018 can be summed up in one short sentence--a sentence shared by a current SEMN student: “Show love towards all of your students.” Maybe it is just that simple.

Happy Pride ❤.

Heather M. F. Lyke is the Teaching & Learning Specialist for Dover-Eyota Schools and author of numerous articles focusing on quality education. At the time this article was first crafted, she was teaching English and facilitating staff development at Mayo High School in Rochester, MN.