Teacher Tips: Gender
by Lauren Brownlee
O
ne of the most impactful interactions that I had in a class was when I was doing a warm-
up exercise that asked students what rule they would create for our school if they were in
charge. A student responded that she would have teachers stop calling the students (at
our girls school) “ladies.” She said that that practice did not honor the full identities of everyone in
our community. I took that to heart and have worked ever since to use more inclusive language.
Sometimes those kinds of requests can push educators outside of our comfort zones. The articles
in this issue of Connections offer a number of lessons from people who share from their own
experiences of growth. Those lessons include:
Educators need to learn and teach about gender. We must know the difference between
biological sex, gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation. We must also make
sure that our students and communities know the difference.
Educators need to support students in unlearning misinformation about gender. Many
of our societal messages about gender norms put students in unnecessary and often harmful
boxes. When educators hear those messages in school, they should make the most of those
teachable moments.
Students need safe spaces to explore and share their identities. Students should have ex-
plicit opportunities in school to engage in reflection around their identities. Educators need to
establish and maintain community norms that allow students to bring their full selves to school.
Students need a curriculum filled with both windows and mirrors. All students should be
able to see themselves in the curriculum, especially if they have identities that tend to be on
the margins of society. Even if a school community does not have transgender or gender non-
conforming students, schools should be preparing students for a world that does.
Educators are wise to follow the lead of the students. While we want to create opportunities for
students to be able to share all parts of themselves, we also cannot push them to share before they
are ready. For those students who need support around their gender identity or expression, educa-
tors need to demonstrate their care while allowing students to be the leaders of their own journey.
Following the lead of the students can also look like acknowledging, as I did with my student’s
request about “ladies,” that there are often insights we can learn from our students about gender. l
Lauren Brownlee is Director of Social Action at Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart and
a member of the Board of Trustees at Sandy Spring Friends School. This year she is serving
as Visiting Scholar for CSEE. Lauren welcomes emails at [email protected] to
continue the conversation.
CSEE Connections
Summer 2019
Page 31