Be the Teacher you want to be! Grow with your Students!

I believe that we will be able to teach our curriculum in a natural way towards queer and trans people if we leave biases at the door and are open to discussions with our classrooms without placing judgement or making derogatory remarks and comments. On page 29, of the Deepening the Discussion: Gender and Sexual Diversity, that was published by Saskatchewan Ministry of Education (2015) it talks about providing “safe places, supportive spaces, and activist areas.” I believe that those three matters are what can really make a difference in our school systems. I also believe that building relationships with students is a key ingredient to providing safe places, supportive spaces, and encouraging and supporting activist areas and groups to have a voice.

Integrating queerness into curriculum studies means to be challenging the norm. We are living in a day in age where opinions are allowed and heard, but have room for discussion. We can teach in a way that our students are not “robots” and allow them to explore different learning possibilities. As educators, we fill a big role and we wear many different hats in our roles, but providing that community feeling is important to me in my classroom. It will look relaxed, comfortable and cozy I want my students to feel like family when they are in my classroom. It will sound loud and opinionated, but also thoughtful and respectful of others. It will feel safe! I want my students to be able to come to me and know that I will seek out additional supports if I cannot provide them with the answers they are needing.

I think the rule or discourse teachers need to follow is what they believe is right. I know we have guidelines and stipulations to follow, but sometimes it is easier to do things first than ask permission or questions later and seek forgiveness (queering curriculum). I think as long as your intentions were best for your students you should do them. I know this will not apply to every scenario, but follow you gut and your hearts decisions and go with the flow and energy of your classroom. If your students are curious, explore the topics of sexuality/ gender with them.

I really enjoyed our lecture on Tuesday and learned more about sexual identity and gender and queerness than in any other class. Growing up in a rural community those topics were taboo! It was nice to hear from someone that experienced difficulty, but was able to challenge it and feel passionate about it to pursue it in her life now.