Creating an Inclusive Environment in the Classroom
Children spend a majority of time in school. Six and a half hours, without adding in travel time. School is where we learn how to function in society. Yes that includes reading, writing, math and science, but school is also a rather critical place for developmental growth. Yet there is always so much focus on curriculum based learning, that we forget students are learning how to be a part of society. One of the first lessons I remember from elementary school was about ethics. When I was eight, all that really meant was talking about classroom rules. It felt like a very redundant conversation to be having again, but nonetheless eight year old me always participated with enthusiasm. As I look back now, the idea of ethics and the conversation around it still seems redundant, but I understand its necessity. The world is opening its eyes to the diversity it has always been submerged in. As an aspiring teacher I would be doing my students a disservice by closing my eyes to a topic because it is out of my comfort zone. Growth may be uncomfortable, but stagnation is paralyzing. As a teacher it is part of the ethical code to create a safe and inclusive environment for your students. It starts with education about topics. Conversations about LGBTQ+ topics and race are an age inclusive foundation to start discussions about inclusivity. If children are old enough to feel its effect on society, they are old enough to learn about these these topics. Conversations about LGBTQ+ topics are important. According to the American Psychological Association(APA), 85% of transgender adults knew that they were "different" since elementary school. I know there are individuals who believe that this may be way too early to have these kinds of conversations but there is no imposition of beliefs, it is an expansion of knowledge, and gives children who may feel "different" a chance to not feel alone. The APA also reported that "On average, gender diverse individuals were 15 years old before they had the vocabulary to understand and communicate their gender identity," and gender diverse students often felt uncomfortable, unprotected, were harassed, or were discriminated against. The APA and the Trevor Project both bring up the fact that LGBTQ+ youth are at higher risk of suicide and suicide ideation (APA, Trevor Project,2022). Evie Blad from Education Week expands on this idea by elaborating on the fact that LGBTQ+ students are bullied at higher rates than their peers (Blad, 2022). I am a huge advocate for mental health awareness and want to take every action possible to help my future students. The Trevor Project also brings up the idea that LGBTQ+ students who had LGBTQ+ affirming schools attempted suicide at lower rates (Trevor Project, 2022). As a teacher you have to teach inclusion to children and this goes for race and ethnicity as well. Recently I watched the Laramie project, and without explaining the entire film, I will tell you that it is about the repots and reactions of the townspeople of Laramie to a hate crime committed to a gay man (Kaufman,2002). Many members of the community reported not wanting to believe that the boys who committed this hate crime were born and raised in Laramie, but it is also evident throughout this film that Homosexuality was a taboo topic in the town (Kaufman,2002). It was barely tolerated and was only okay if it was hidden (Kaufman,2002). This idea of "tolerance" is not enough, and manifests the hate and discomfort that can arise within the LGBTQ+ topic. Proper age appropriate education needs to happen to create a safe, open and inclusive environment. At this time I would also like to extend my gratitude for the Black trans women who began the fight towards LGBTQ+ rights and made this conversation possible. Bringing anti-racist conversations into the classroom is critical and deserves its own separate conversation. This is what I interpret the code of ethics to be discussing when they state that there should be inclusivity in the classroom.
Reference:
Blad, Evie. 19 November 2020. “LGBT Students Bullied at Higher Rates than Their Peers, Poll Finds.” Education Week, Education Week, https://www.edweek.org/leadership/lgbt-students-bullied-at-higher-rates-than-their-peers-poll-finds/2016/09.
Kaufman, Moisés, director. The Laramie Project. 2002.
“Students Exploring Gender Identity.” American Psychological Association, American Psychological Association, https://www.apa.org/ed/schools/primer/gender-identity.
2022.“2022 National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health.” The Trevor Project, https://www.thetrevorproject.org/survey-2022/.
Hello Taylor! I really enjoyed reading your thoughts on this week's discussion. I liked how you incorporated your personal experience about ethics and how discussing classroom rules seemed redundant. You realized from a young age that the rules were important in ensuring a safe environment for all students. When discussing big topics such as gender identity, this can oftentimes seem very redundant, but it is important to discuss the "rules" per se to learn how to address peers. Children are learning from younger ages about each other's differences and it is teaching them to grow up embracing these differences and accepting those who are different. You definitely seem to understand that a classroom is a place for inclusivity, and knowing that so early on is going to make you a wonderful, understanding, and approachable teacher!
ReplyDeleteHey Taylor! i loved how you talked about your ethics class and connected it into this weeks blog. i totally agree that the topics about inclusion with diversity and the LGBTQ+ and that everyone should feel equal. As future educators this topic is very important to discuss and i think you did a reall good job writing about it in your blog!
ReplyDeleteHi Taylor, I enjoyed reading your blog and your take on this topic. I liked when you said, “Growth may be uncomfortable, but stagnation is paralyzing.” This is important especially as an educator because our job is to teach the topics even if they are uncomfortable to talk about. The topic of LGBTQ and anti-racist conversations are important to discuss to inform at a young age. When you stated, “I would be doing my students a disservice y closing my eyes to a topic because it is out of my comfort zone.” I feel that there is many ways we can go about talking about topics that aren’t our favorite to discuss. But we need to still talk about them in order to inform our students at a younger age for them to become aware. Now a days it is becoming a major issue and leading to a higher risk of suicide so it’s better to start young so we can avoid what we can. In my blog I talked about understanding gender diversity and how everyone has different pronouns. We need to talk about this with our students, and make everyone aware of each other pronouns so we don’t make a mistake or assume.
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