L E SSON S FR O M A GE NDE R S T UD I ES C L AS S R O O M
Continued from page 7
3. We want to feel represented in the
curriculum.
There should be more inclusive classes
for students of color, the LGBTQ+, and
other minority students including reli-
gious minorities in our community (and
not just electives).
4. We want more teachers of differ-
ent backgrounds including race, class,
ethnicity, nationality, religion, and
sexual orientation.
Diversity should not just be in the stu-
dent body and curriculum, but also in the
teachers who teach us every day.
5. We want to feel safe to express our
experiences with the community.
Our community is supposed to be a safe
space, but many people don’t feel com-
fortable enough to share their true experi-
ences due to fear of backlash and ridicule
from not just their peers, but also adults.
6. Affinity groups should not be the
fall back for students.
Students should not be forced to feel that
affinity groups are the only safe space for
them to be themselves. Our school can’t
be for some and not for others.
One year later, students contributing to
this article 7 reiterate several specific needs
outlined in the six-point plan. Representa-
tion, accountability and voice all appear as
prominent themes, but so do calls for radical
love and empathy. In the stories that follow,
we see what happens when students expe-
rience both windows and mirrors in their
classes, when we tell the truth about the
past, when students feel responsible for cre-
ating class content rather than just receiving
it, and when community norms are not only
established, but also collectively upheld.
Taken together, these personal narratives of-
fer important lessons and provide a glimpse
into what I get to see every day. It is often
messy and always imperfect, but the main
lesson I have learned from the gender stud-
ies classroom is that when we open spaces
for students to bring their whole selves,
they show up not just for themselves, but
for others as well.
Lesson #1: Give Students Mirrors
Mikala Jones, SFS ‘18
Growing up as a Black biracial woman in
predominantly white spaces, I often felt
isolated from my peers. I was unsure of
myself and where I belonged because I let
7. I did not ask the students who co-authored this article to write on a specific, pre-determined topic. Rather, they volun-
teered to write on what they wanted to write about – what resonated with them, what they found most salient. For me,
this is an exercise of feminist pedagogy in and of itself, and how we as educators can use feminist ethic in any setting or
task. It does not mean that my voice as a teacher is absent or that I have wholly removed myself from the process or power
dynamics (since, in the end, I did prompt, piece together and edit the article). Nevertheless, the voices and ideas present in
this article are the students’, and I have shaped how I chose to write based on their ideas, rather than the other way around.
Page 8 Summer 2019
CSEE Connections