Talking Points:
“How do we create classrooms and schools where each child, parent, and staff member’s unique, beautiful self is appreciated and nurtured?” This quote from Earley really stood out to me because allowing students to feel that sense of belonging is key. Every student should not only feel heard, but safe. I find something I do often is include my students in decision making. Being the school nurse, it is a little different, but allowing them to have a sense of control can make a big difference. “Do you want your medicine with applesauce or juice? It can be something as simple as that. As Earley states, many students do not feel safe in schools anymore. They are being harassed for being themselves. Earley mentioned how talking about “bullies” can make it seem as an individual problem and not a whole problem. This can cause us to shrink the greater issues at hand. Instead of addressing the bully, we need to address what beliefs are at play here (race, gender, sexuality, etc).
“Educators and scholars of color have argued for many years that multicultural education means moving beyond “heroes and holidays” to integrating the history and lives of people of color into curriculum at every point. The same is true for LGBTQ issues and people”. An example of this is incorporating multiple perspectives on events. Someone in class mentioned during Thanksgiving week not teaching solely based on celebration. Taking time to teach that there is a deeper understanding behind it, that there was a lot of violence and displacement. It is also important to address LGBTQ not just during pride month, but all times of the year.
One student looked at the example in the book: “My mom is swimming.” After hesitating for a minute, the student pulled out a solution:“My parents are swimming.” The teacher moved on to the next child. Later, the mentor suggested gently, “You know, that was an opportunity to mention the fact that some kids have two moms, and that it would be fine to say, “My mom is swimming.” This example from Earley shows just how much inclusion is in our everyday lives. In this example, the teacher should have acknowledged that the student has two moms and that some students may have two dads, and that is okay. It is the norm to mention mom and dad as the parents and we as educators need to normalize different family structures. If we do not talk about these things, these students may not feel heard and be uncomfortable.
Argument Statement:
“Community is built by working through differences, not sweeping them under the rug” (pg.4). This was a very powerful statement because sometimes it is easier to “sweep things under the rug” so to speak. I do this in my daily life a lot, “Oh I’ll just address that later”. Getting into that cycle is not something I want to do, or to reflect on my students. I find in my place of work the most common thing I see is people not listening, and just dismissing. I can say from a personal experience this week I went to someone for comfort. Instead of them listening they said “Oh you just took that too personal”. That response in no way made me feel comforted and made me feel like the situation was my fault. This can tie into race, gender, and sexuality because we should never make someone feel less for being them. We need to listen and acknowledge our feelings. My example was very minor, so I can only imagine what others may deal with.
Connections/Reflection:
I did go ahead and look into my district's policies in regard to race, sexuality, and gender. We do have policies in place. In fact, my district did just revamp some of these this year. Recently there was discussion of putting in tampon and pad dispensers in all the bathrooms to ensure everyone has equal access.
Inclusive criteria can help our students feel safe. This can help students feel comfortable when participating, ask for help, and advocate for themselves. Including LGBQT books can help change criteria for the better. Educators can then focus on promoting understanding and empathy.
As a school nurse, I have had students with a preferred name different from the name on their birth certificate. For these students, I have respected them and used the preferred name. This shows respect for their identity. Something additional I have done is placing “safe” posters around my clinic-making it known that all students are welcome and all feelings are welcome.
I really appreciated reading your post because it connected policy to real actions happening in your district and in your own practice. I thought the example of providing tampon and pad dispensers in all bathrooms was especially meaningful because it shows how inclusion can move beyond words on paper and become something students experience in everyday school life. I also liked your point that inclusive practices help students feel safe enough to participate, ask for help, and advocate for themselves. That stood out to me because feeling safe and respected is such an important part of being ready to learn. I also really admire the way you support students in your role as a school nurse by using their preferred names and creating a welcoming space with safe posters in your clinic. Those may seem like small actions, but they can have a big impact on helping students feel seen, respected, and cared for.
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