Despite recent progress towards supporting LGBTQ2+-inclusive education, ensuring that both teachers and students who identify as sexual and gender minorities (SGMs) experience belonging, safety, and security in their schools and communities remains an ongoing challenge. A national survey of Canadian high school students found that 64% of LGBTQ2+ students reported feeling unsafe at school. Similarly, research has shown that LGBTQ2+ teachers are less likely to come out to their administration and 33% had been warned to not come out at school by family, friends, and other educators.
“What do I do at my school? Certainly, we have our safe-contact teachers identified. We also have the safe and caring rainbow stickers. There’s one right as you enter the school, and there’s one on my office door, my assistant principal’s door, and on the classroom doors of the safe contact teachers and other supportive teachers. I’ve had many conversations with my parent council around the work we’re doing in order to have their support for the SOGI work in our school. Our library collection is also growing as we find more and more stories that depict the LGBTQ+ youth and their families and same-sex families. I also have conversations with my staff about heteronormativity, the gender spectrum, and the language we use with students. So, is it working? I certainly know that my staff is very aware. Also, my sexuality is not hidden from my staff, so my staff know who I am. I also let them know that my partner is male and he’s a grade one teacher. I do it because I want them to know that I believe in the normalization of sexuality and gender in our schools, that it is no big deal. It is just who we are.”
-(Elementary school principal)
Although many school districts have SGM-specific policies in place, research points to the ongoing need for school districts to invest the time into building a genuinely accepting and accommodating LGBTQ2+-inclusive school culture that supports and promotes the well-being of LGBTQ2+ teachers and students. Taking a LGBTQ2+-inclusive approach to education is a shared responsibility and school leaders, colleagues, and parents all play an important role in understanding how to best support and learn from the experiences and perspectives of LGBTQ2+ teachers and students.
Grace, A. P. (2015). Part II with K. Wells. Growing into resilience: Sexual and gender minority youth in Canada. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. Grace, A. P., & Wells, K. (2016). Sexual and gender minorities in Canadian education and society (1969-2013): A national handbook for K-12 educators. Ottawa, ON: Canadian Teachers’ Federation. (Published in English & French.) Taylor, C., & Peter, T., with McMinn, T. L., Elliott, T., Beldom, S., Ferry, A., Gross, Z., Paquin, S., & Schacter, K. (2011). Every class in every school: The first national climate survey on homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia in Canadian schools. Final report. Toronto, ON: Egale Canada Human Rights Trust. Tompkins, J., Kearns, L., & Mitton-Kükner, J. (2019). Queer educators in schools: The experiences of four beginning teachers. Canadian Journal of Education, 42(2), 385-414. Retrieved from: https://journals.sfu.ca/cje/index.php/cje-rce/article/view/3448/2727
References
Despite recent progress towards supporting LGBTQ2+-inclusive education, ensuring that both teachers and students who identify as sexual and gender minorities (SGMs) experience belonging, safety, and security in their schools and communities remains an ongoing challenge. A national survey of Canadian high school students found that 64% of LGBTQ2+ students reported feeling unsafe at school. Similarly, research has shown that LGBTQ2+ teachers are less likely to come out to their administration and 33% had been warned to not come out at school by family, friends, and other educators.
“What do I do at my school? Certainly, we have our safe-contact teachers identified. We also have the safe and caring rainbow stickers. There’s one right as you enter the school, and there’s one on my office door, my assistant principal’s door, and on the classroom doors of the safe contact teachers and other supportive teachers. I’ve had many conversations with my parent council around the work we’re doing in order to have their support for the SOGI work in our school. Our library collection is also growing as we find more and more stories that depict the LGBTQ+ youth and their families and same-sex families. I also have conversations with my staff about heteronormativity, the gender spectrum, and the language we use with students. So, is it working? I certainly know that my staff is very aware. Also, my sexuality is not hidden from my staff, so my staff know who I am. I also let them know that my partner is male and he’s a grade one teacher. I do it because I want them to know that I believe in the normalization of sexuality and gender in our schools, that it is no big deal. It is just who we are.”
-(Elementary school principal)
Although many school districts have SGM-specific policies in place, research points to the ongoing need for school districts to invest the time into building a genuinely accepting and accommodating LGBTQ2+-inclusive school culture that supports and promotes the well-being of LGBTQ2+ teachers and students. Taking a LGBTQ2+-inclusive approach to education is a shared responsibility and school leaders, colleagues, and parents all play an important role in understanding how to best support and learn from the experiences and perspectives of LGBTQ2+ teachers and students.
Grace, A. P. (2015). Part II with K. Wells. Growing into resilience: Sexual and gender minority youth in Canada. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. Grace, A. P., & Wells, K. (2016). Sexual and gender minorities in Canadian education and society (1969-2013): A national handbook for K-12 educators. Ottawa, ON: Canadian Teachers’ Federation. (Published in English & French.) Taylor, C., & Peter, T., with McMinn, T. L., Elliott, T., Beldom, S., Ferry, A., Gross, Z., Paquin, S., & Schacter, K. (2011). Every class in every school: The first national climate survey on homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia in Canadian schools. Final report. Toronto, ON: Egale Canada Human Rights Trust. Tompkins, J., Kearns, L., & Mitton-Kükner, J. (2019). Queer educators in schools: The experiences of four beginning teachers. Canadian Journal of Education, 42(2), 385-414. Retrieved from: https://journals.sfu.ca/cje/index.php/cje-rce/article/view/3448/2727
References
With recent events in the U.S., the EdCan Network expresses our solidarity with the Black community and racialized individuals and acknowledges the damaging impacts of systemic racism and violence. As a national not-for-profit education organization, our mission is to ensure that each and every student thrives in our schools based on the values of equity, inclusion, and respect. As such, we remain committed to learning, listening, and knowledge sharing in support of the well-being of staff and students in our schools and education workplaces.
When I first started school, I spoke half English and half Cantonese. I didn’t really understand either language very well. In Kindergarten (English & Chinese school) I basically cried, slept, and peed my pants. After Kindergarten things got better, as I understood more about school life. In the end, school saved me by providing me with the routines and opportunities I needed to succeed in life. I appreciate the music, sports, leadership, and French Immersion programs that were offered to me. I feel fortunate to have had such great teachers in my life, which is why I decided to become a teacher myself.
In Victoria, B.C. French Immersion programs of that time, there were not many visible minorities. My friends were mostly blond-haired and blue-eyed, and I saw myself as a “banana,” yellow on the outside, but white on the inside. I wanted so badly to blend in and be Caucasian like all my friends. I felt that they were better than me and that they looked down on me because of my cultural heritage. There wasn’t much taught about different cultures at school, so I didn’t feel proud of who I was or where I came from.
Today I have two boys, also in French Immersion. They are half Chinese and half Australian. We live on the Saanich Peninsula, where there are even fewer visible minorities. When my older son drew himself as a blond-haired blue-eyed boy (he has brown eyes and dark brown hair), I realized I needed to start teaching more about multiculturalism and diversity.
Today, celebrating multiculturalism is woven into my class, starting with sharing my own cultural heritage. We do a novel study of White Jade Tiger, by Julie Lawson, about Chinese immigrants and the building of the railway. As part of the unit, we go on a wonderful tour of Chinatown that is based on this novel, and eat at a Chinese restaurant there. We also celebrate Chinese New Year, where students learn about traditions such as sweeping the old luck out of their house and letting the new good luck come in. I also let students cut my hair to start the new year off fresh. Students learn how to write the Chinese characters “Gung Hay Fat Choy” (“Wishing you great happiness and prosperity”) and learn how to count to ten in Cantonese. My boys and I make wontons to share with many classes and staff. I’ve noticed that since I have started making Chinese New Year a regular celebration at our school, my boys are prouder of being part Chinese.
This unit includes a project on the students’ own cultural heritage, where they interview their family to learn about where they came from, make poster projects and bring a traditional dish for a potluck. We also invite a parent immigrant panel to come to tell their stories and answer questions.
My school recently held a school-wide multicultural dance performance. There were dances from all around the world, including Israel, China, the Philippines, India, the Caribbean, and more, all woven into a beautiful story. Students helped at recess making the costumes and sets, while parents and I worked nights and weekends, to make the show a success!
Now, we are focusing on integrating Indigenous perspectives and environmental stewardship into our teaching. We make totems, we release salmon, we take nature walks and pull ivy. We also promote environmentally conscious living through recycling, composting, gardening, learning about sustainable energy and using less plastic.
I feel blessed to be able to live in a country with so many different cultures. I am incredibly lucky that my parents chose to come to Canada 50 years ago. I am also happy that I can share my cultural heritage with many youngsters, and that they can share theirs with me. We live in such a rich land with such interesting backgrounds. We can learn so much from each other.
Photo: courtesy Candice Lee
First published in Education Canada, September 2019
While many Canadian teachers believe that religion does not belong in the classroom, the authors argue that religion already is in the classroom. Therefore, developing our own and our students’ religious literacy is an important aspect of multicultural education.
“If you ask me, religion is just a can of worms that you don’t want to open in the classroom.” This comment from a well-intentioned and well-educated colleague was met by nods of agreement by other teachers in the staff room, many offering up anecdotes about how problematic religious issues are and swapping strategies for shutting down these conversations. This seasoned teacher’s comment is a common view, one that we’ve heard repeatedly in our careers as educators: Religion just doesn’t belong in the public school classroom.
Yet, religion is in the classroom. It is in the curricular content students engage in, it is brought into the classroom through current events, and it is represented among the diverse student body. Religious diversity in Canadian classrooms is growing, and so is the potential for thoughtful, deliberate discussion and reflection about religion. Due to a range of factors that include growing Indigenous populations, increasing immigration, and rising numbers of those who identify as non-affiliated, Canada’s contemporary (and future) classrooms include a greater range of religious and non-religious worldviews than ever before. A recent study suggests that by 2036, the number of people in Canada who practice a non-Christian religion could almost double, with numbers reaching up to 16 percent of the population. This is a dramatic increase compared to 2011, where non-Christian religious practitioners represented only nine percent.1
Religiously motivated hate crimes are also on the rise. Internationally, the recent religiously motivated attacks in New Zealand, Pittsburgh, and California are stark reminders of how religious minorities are increasingly targeted. Unfortunately, this trend is also apparent in Canada, where religiously motivated hate crimes have risen dramatically in the last five years alone. (See Figure 1.)
Figure 1
(A compiled graph of data from Statistics Canada)
The current popular strategy among many educators of ignoring students’ religious identities has consequences. First, the failure to acknowledge or address students’ religious identities forms part of a “hidden curriculum” and may suggest that this aspect of student identity is not valued. This risks further marginalizing religiously identified students, especially those belonging to religious minorities, and encouraging religious bullying.2 In teaching children to respect diversity, we cannot simply omit those aspects that make us uncomfortable. Doing so perpetuates a cycle of ignorance: teachers don’t understand religion well or are uncomfortable with it, so we don’t want to discuss it or acknowledge it in the classroom. Students then complete schooling with very little understanding of religious differences and/or with the perception that religious identities are unimportant. This lack of understanding can lead to greater polarization of views.
However, a wide body of research tells us that many K-12 teachers are apprehensive about addressing or acknowledging religion in the classroom. Some fear that acknowledging the religious identities of students paves the way for conflicts with parents who may have strong views, either for or against addressing religion in the classroom. Research suggests that many teachers feel ill-equipped to deal with religious issues because they themselves lack religious literacy. (As described below, religious literacy is an understanding of the diversity of religious and non-religious worldviews held by individuals and communities.) Others may believe that because their own school district is not religiously diverse, considering religious identities has little relevance in their classrooms. Still others may have their own belief systems, either atheistic or religious, that impact their views on the place of religion in the classroom. This article unpacks each of these concerns, ultimately arguing that religious identities deserve consideration, now more than ever, and offers concrete suggestions for doing so.
This is a common and realistic concern. We suggest considering both preventive and responsive approaches to dealing with parental concerns.
It sounds almost impossible at some schools, but we’ve encountered many teachers who do this every term. For instance, one teacher called each parent to introduce herself and describe her teaching approach. This built rapport and gave the parents a chance to see their concerns addressed before their fears arose in class. Realistically, we all know that this is good practice for any type of teaching. It is exceptionally helpful in paving the way for controversial topics.
Concerns about religious issues can be addressed like other parental concerns, but it may require a greater degree of empathy because beliefs and values are exceptionally personal to some individuals. Parental concerns may be based on personal experiences of discrimination or fears of religious influence, so the more you understand their position, the better chance you have of resolving the issue. Take a deep breath and try to understand what is driving their concern.
This will help you and your administration confidently create the space to discuss and teach about religion. In Canada, there are territorial and provincial terms and guidelines for teachers to follow (see “Teacher Resources,” below).
To understand the root of a concern or to empathize in the discussion, teachers need to think from a parent’s perspective first. For further support, we encourage you to contact your school district’s equity and inclusive education coordinator, who will be familiar with the culture of your district and school community.
It’s unrealistic to expect K-12 teachers to be experts in religion. However, there are considerations that can help all educators approach religion in the classroom.
This helps us recognize that a worldview may be experienced differently by each person. For example, just because you have a Jewish student who believes that keeping Kosher is essential to their religious identity, you should not assume that all your Jewish students will place importance on this practice.
For example, for someone from a Judeo-Christian faith, it may be difficult to understand the eclectic nature of some Eastern traditions such as Buddhism (as practiced in some areas) or Hinduism. So, although a student may identify themselves as Buddhist, they may also engage in practices from other traditions, or even identify themselves as belonging to multiple traditions, perhaps as Shinto or Daoist – or both! Another example: while we may find it inconvenient when students are absent because of a non-Christian religious holiday, we tend to forget that our own Saturday/Sunday weekend is based on respecting the Christian holy day.
Canada has over 600 First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities, with great diversity in beliefs. So if you teach in Southern Alberta, for example, first learn about Blackfoot spiritual beliefs and practices.
This means that some students identify with their tradition mostly through belonging and behaviour, not belief. Asking them to explain their beliefs or speak on behalf of their community’s beliefs can be very uncomfortable for them. Always avoid singling out a student to serve as a representative of a particular tradition.
For example, a black Muslim girl who wears a hijab in your class is of a minority race and religion and has a higher probability of being discriminated against due to this intersectionality of identities and her hijab, compared to a white atheist man. She is a minority within a minority. Understanding how social inequity exists within students’ intersectional identities allows teachers to gain insight into the complex issues facing these students.
Teachers may feel that because their own classrooms are relatively homogenous, there is no need for them to be concerned about religious issues. However, there are a number of reasons why religious literacy should be a tool in all teachers’ toolkits.
Religion comes up in many places in the classroom: in stories, in contemporary and historic events, in the arts! In these instances, drawing attention to religion instead of ignoring it opens up the possibility for expanding one’s worldview, such as learning how Judeo-Christian traditions and Indigenous spiritualities inform Canadian history. Inviting this dialogue supports students’ development of religious literacy, their understanding of world events and their social development.
When students are engaged in questioning and even constructively debating various philosophical and moral dilemmas connected to religious perspectives, they may reflect on their own and others’ perspectives more deeply, creating the possibility for civic dialogue.
A more complicated issue arises when it comes to the question of discriminatory aspects of religions. Every religion has within it great internal diversity and part of this diversity may include religious beliefs or practices that do not uphold the values of a liberal-democratic society. This can be a delicate situation because of the various stakeholders involved: children, parents, community, and school.
It’s important to check our own biases before rushing to judgment about the nature of a religious belief or practice. For example, while there are those both outside and inside the Muslim community who maintain that head coverings are a sign of female oppression, there are also many from both sides who argue it is not. But what if a religious practice or belief is genuinely discriminatory and infringes on the human rights of another student? For example, a student may express the view that homosexuality is a sin, which may be very harmful to LGBTQ2+ students in your class. What should a teacher do in these difficult situations where human rights are at the heart of the issue? Each case will need a unique response, but there are some general principles that can be followed:
Teachers should discuss the situation with school administration to understand what school policies are in place and what their legal responsibilities are. Open communication with the parents to understand why a particular issue is important to that family. Finally, teachers should always discuss the incident or request with the student/s involved to understand their perspective.
Creating class guidelines for a safe learning environment that respects everyone’s human rights should be done in collaboration with students at the beginning of the year to set the right tone. And if a student does express a discriminatory view, instead of just shutting down the student, a teacher might say, “Well, that may be one perspective, but that is a view that doesn’t respect the Canadian Charter of Human Rights, which tells us to value diversity and show every person the same amount of respect.” Depending on the grade level, it may be appropriate to use it as an opportunity to remind the class that there is great diversity of opinions within traditions, thus not everyone who practices that faith will hold that belief.
Although teachers can never be fully prepared to deal with every tension that may arise in their classes – including those related to religious views – they have a responsibility to educate themselves about their own rights and responsibilities and those of all their students. A basic level of religious literacy will go a long way in building understanding of religiously diverse students, just as understanding your legal responsibilities as an educator will give you confidence to address discriminatory views in your class. And finally, developing skills in civic dialogue and debate is a cornerstone to creating an equitable classroom that is inclusive of all forms of diversity.
As a group of scholar-educators with a keen interest in the intersection of religion and education, we are well aware that dealing with religion in the K-12 classroom can present unique challenges that may not always have simple solutions. However, we strongly believe that developing religious literacy is a first step to building teachers’ confidence to address students’ religious identities, and any subsequent conflicts that may arise related to religion in the classroom. As noted earlier, we cannot expect K-12 educators to be religious experts, but we can offer tools that will contribute to building a healthier and safer classroom community.
Developing religious literacy may seem like a daunting task. Remember that as educators, we are lifelong learners, and becoming religiously literate is just one more step on our learning journey. By a) developing an awareness of the religious and non-religious perspectives and intersectional identities of our students and ourselves, b) teaching the discussion and deliberation skills needed to create openings in our classrooms for real dialogue, and c) equipping ourselves with a sound knowledge of our legal responsibilities as educators, we can begin to create classrooms that are truly welcoming of religious and non-religious diversity.
Photo: iStock
First published in Education Canada, September 2019
Notes
1 Jean-Dominique Morency, Éric Caron Malenfant and Samuel MacIsaac, “Immigration and Diversity: Population Projections for Canada and its Regions, 2011 to 2036,” Statistics Canada (2018).
2 Alice W. Y. Chan, “Educating Against Religious Bullying: Considering one root to the issue of religious extremism,” Religious Education and Security (Blog) (2016). https://blogs.mcgill.ca/religiouseducationandsecurity
3 Benjamin Marcus, “Six Guidelines for Teaching About Religion” Education Week Blog (2016). www.edweek.org
Culturally responsive education goes far beyond an initial welcome. It’s about learning to identify and question our own cultural assumptions, and to not just make room for but actively invite in and learn from our students’ varied and rich cultural perspectives.
Two years ago we published an issue on Welcoming Newcomer Students, looking at how schools can provide sensitive and reassuring support to immigrant and refugee students and their families. That was an important aspect of cultural diversity to address, but it is only part of the picture.
Culturally responsive education goes far beyond an initial welcome and orientation. It involves recognizing that our entire education system was built around a culturally specific model, and that this model tends to discount and disadvantage the “cultural capital” of a large and growing number of students whose roots are not Western European. Many educators who come from similarly diverse backgrounds are all too aware of this fact. For the rest of us – those who fit comfortably within Canada’s dominant culture – it’s about learning to identify and question our own cultural assumptions, and to not just make room for but actively invite in and learn from our students’ varied and rich cultural perspectives.
As Stephen Hurley notes in his article describing one school’s committed work toward providing “culturally responsive and relevant pedagogy” to their diverse student population, this isn’t something we can accomplish in a single professional development workshop. It requires grappling with issues of privilege, marginalization and oppression – uncomfortable, challenging and sometimes very personal work.
Policy and curriculum are also important, of course. We have seen, for example, the harm caused by omitting Indigenous perspectives and realities from Canadian history (and other) courses, and most provinces and territories have or are in the process of revising curricula to include a more complete and fair accounting of our colonial history. But policy can’t substitute for awareness and sensitivity on the part of all school staff – what Joanne Mednick Miles refers to as “intercultural competence”. Latika Raisinghani has developed a comprehensive framework for what she terms “(trans-multi)culturally responsive education,” but even here the first step is personal: “an ideological and pedagogical commitment that requires a teacher to first become a (trans-multi)culturally responsive person”. We are challenged to not rely on formal policy and curriculum, but to do what can be done here and now to acknowledge, honour and include our students’ cultural identities, and to work toward a more equitable education experience for all.
P.S. With this issue, we also launch our new department, Well at Work. Watch for more EdCan Network initiatives around workplace well-being in the year to come!
Photo: Dave Donald
First published in Education Canada, September 2019
Muhammad Khalifa’s book on culturally responsive school leadership – an increasingly important expectation in Canada’s racially and ethnically diverse schools – is both a paradigm shifter and a practical tool.
His arguments are unconventional and controversial, but they provide a critically important challenge for high school principals. Based on substantial data collection, a two-year ethnographic study, and his experience as an educator, Khalifa argues that the heart of leadership must be in the community rather than just in the school. To support “minoritized,” marginalized students who have become disengaged with school, principals must reach out to students and their families, bringing the local cultural knowledge into the classroom, curricula, and policy decisions.
Khalifa does not duck talk of historical oppression and present power; he emphasizes the need for all staff to engage in ongoing critical self-reflection that goes beyond the personal to challenge the systemic structures that create an inequitable environment.
Although Khalifa’s text pertains specifically to high school principals in the U.S., it is relevant to the Canadian context, especially in schools with populations of students of colour and Indigenous peoples. One shortcoming is that despite encouraging the use of Indigenous knowledge, Khalifa does not provide many specific examples of that work.
Khalifa’s inspiration comes from “Joe,” an urban principal in an alternative high school where failing students from other schools are sent. Substantial data – including “equity audits” and an intensive study of this ground-breaking principal – reveal what anti-racist, community-honouring, and high-expectations education can look like. Joe’s strategies include everything from ignoring culturally based behavioural rules in order to honour students’ identities (e.g. wearing saggy pants, loud talk, or swearing) to expecting teachers to become involved in community issues and incorporate these concerns into their curricula. Finally, he invites community members to have a say in school affairs and policy making. As a trusted “warm demander,” Joe’s care of students, teachers, and parents lead to a blossoming of students’ self-esteem, self-advocacy, and academic success.
Khalifa’s charts, activities, and end-of-chapter discussion questions are invaluable “how to” tools. Courageous conversations about equity are essential, but this text argues that talk must be matched with brave, persistent action. This is a persuasive new perspective for all educational leaders willing to take a leap to make their schools deeply culturally responsive – well worth reading.
First published in Education Canada, September 2019
Harvard Education Press. 2018
ISBN: 978-1682532072
A brand-new school embraces the opportunity to include culturally responsive and relevant pedagogy (CRRP) in its founding mandate. How did they do it, and what factors were essential for success? What does Culturally Relevant and Responsive Pedagogy mean and why is it important?
There was a time when Canadian students weren’t asked to leave very much at the door when they came to school each day: their collection of hockey cards, a baseball bat, an occasional slingshot. Once, if the story is accurate, a white-fleeced lamb. Like most public institutions, Canada’s schools were originally designed to reflect the cultural values and worldview of a largely white European society and, for the great majority of students, this meant a comfortable continuity between home, school and community.
Since the 1970s, we have seen a relatively rapid demographic shift and a major change in the cultural make-up of many communities. Yet in many important ways, school systems have not responded to this significant cultural shift.
Nowadays, in addition to leaving their personal belongings behind, many students are also asked to check some crucial aspects of their culture at the school door: their family stories, their language, their sense of community connection and their unique perspectives and ways of knowing the world.
For decades, Gloria Ladson-Billings and Geneva Gay have been arguing, in separate bodies of work, that the reasons traditionally used to explain the persistent failure of black students in the United States do not suffice. Through their work, both began to insist that the answer to the thorny problem of race-related school success was not to be found by blaming the students or their family context. Instead, the mirror needed to be turned to reflect both the problem and the solution to this essential equity challenge: the systemic realities that ignored or even actively suppressed the cultural capital that students brought to school.
When Nicole West-Burns came to Canada from the U.S. to work with Jeff Kugler in the Centre for Urban Studies at University of Toronto’s Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE/UT), she brought her deep knowledge and experience of this research to add to Kugler’s many years of working as an educator/administrator in Toronto’s Regent Park. Combining the theories of Ladson-Billing’s Culturally Relevant Pedadogy and Gay’s Culturally Responsive Pedagogy, they framed an approach many Canadian educators now know as Culturally Responsive and Relevant Pedagogy (CRRP).
At first their intensive work with educators was concentrated on ten “Model Schools for Inner Cities” in the Toronto District School Board, but in 2013, they were asked by the Ontario Ministry of Education’s Inclusive Education Branch to mobilize the work in a year-long pilot program, centred in two Greater Toronto Area Schools: William Burgess Public School in downtown Toronto, and Irma Coulson Public School in the town of Milton, just northwest of the city.
CRRP is not a program that can be delivered to schools in a box and distributed at a staff meeting or even on a single professional development day. Instead it is a dynamic framework that provides a set of tools and lenses that, if taken seriously, can lead to thoughtful unpacking, personal reflection and honest dialogue among staff, students and communities. CRRP examines issues of power and privilege, calls participants to challenge the beliefs and assumptions about the students in their class and explores on a very deep level what is necessary to enable all students to be successful in school. It intentionally centres the cultural assets that students bring with them to the classroom and uses those assets as a way to get to know the students and their way of knowing the world, and as a way of engaging all students. But it also forces educators to consider how those assets are put to work to allow students to see themselves reflected in the curriculum and in the life of the school.
To be sure, CRRP is an approach that takes time, resources, vision and leadership. But under the right conditions, it can significantly impact the way we talk and think about race, culture, identity and equity. The story of CRRP at Irma Coulson Public School (ICPS) offers a grounded vision of how those conditions can come together in a very tangible and powerful way.
In early 2013, Principal Merrill Mathews and Vice Principal Mary Marshall were busy preparing to open the doors of a new school in Milton, Ontario – Canada’s fastest-growing town. The neighbourhood in which Irma Coulson was to be located was also one of the most culturally diverse in the Greater Toronto Area. The ICPS catchment area drew families from seven or eight different schools in the Milton area and included a wide range of religious and ethnic groups.
It was this diversity that drew Mathews to his first assignment as principal. The belief that all students could and would excel at Irma Coulson was part of the way that Principal Mathews presented his vision for the school – to potential teachers and staff, to parents and students who would call ICPS home, to potential community partners and to district colleagues. The phrase “Equity and Excellence for All” became the official motto for the school, and appeared on the front doors of the school when they opened in the fall of 2013. On most days, members of the ICPS staff could be seen wearing school T-shirts proclaiming their belief in the work in which they were involved. At the heart of this belief was the recognition that every family enrolling at ICPS had a story richly steeped in culture, and the promise that the school would be a place where those stories were valued.
Vice-Principal Marshall recognized that Mathews’ commitment to the vision ran deep. “His own experiences as a student really played into that and his passion for equity work as an educator from the very beginning of his career. And so, when the opportunity came to be appointed as a principal for an opening school, that vision was front and centre.”
This dogged commitment to a clear and compelling vision is a necessary condition for CRRP. It was something that Kugler recognized as soon as he began to understand that Mathews’ vision would run through the entire design of the school: “The major criteria in hiring new staff to come to this brand-new building was their openness at least to working around equity issues… And to build a school upon which equity was the foundation.”
Today’s complex school context provides many challenges, not the least of which is finding the room to focus on what is important. The CRRP pilot was not an add-on, but something that supported and expressed the grounding philosophy of the school.
In many cases, educational pilot programs revolve around one or two enthusiastic teachers who are provided with the time and resources to engage in the work. By contrast, the CRRP pilots at both William Burgess and Irma Coulson demanded the involvement of all staff from the very beginning. It was a requirement for participation in the pilot.
In addition to the internal resources available at the school level, the Ministry commitment to CRRP came with extra release time for teachers to participate in monthly sessions with Kugler and West-Burns’s team, and for the “in between” work necessary to deepen the conversations among staff.
One of the most important words that emerges when Mathews and Marshall talk about their leadership role is intentionality. At Irma Coulson, monthly staff meetings were intentionally planned in advance, ensuring that the work of the CRRP pilot was maintained as a priority. School Council meetings followed a few hours later, so the admin team could intentionally involve parents in some of these same conversations. Schedules for planning time were intentionally organized to allow grade-level teams to meet together weekly. There was no doubt in anyone’s mind that this was important work and that it involved everyone in the building – not just teaching staff – and extended to the parent community.
Marshall admits that the extra resources provided by the pilot were a luxury, but insists that, if the commitment is there, the work can get done. “I believe that there’s time and space and resources in schools that make a commitment to do this work, to then undertake this work. Now, it may take longer because you haven’t got the richness of resources.” She believes, however, that strategic thinking, a strong sense of direction and the type of intentionality that instills confidence and commitment can make things happen in a very powerful way.
Much of the transformational power of CRRP is that it requires a good deal of deep and very personal work. At the core of this identity work is understanding that most Canadian educators have grown up in and have been favoured by the system in which they are now working. It is challenging, if not contentious, to begin the process of unpacking issues of privilege, marginalization and oppression. The work can be emotionally charged and requires participants to come face-to-face with questions and realities that they may be encountering for the very first time.
ICPS teacher Shannon Morgan doesn’t remember encountering any of these ideas in her own teacher preparation program. She does remember clearly the unease on the part of many in the early days of the pilot. “It was the conversations happening, not just in the groups with Jeff and Nicole, but sidebar conversations as well,” she says. “You could really see how uncomfortable this work was, and some people not wanting to say how uncomfortable it was in a large group.”
Yet, this personal identity work is necessary if educators are going to be able to truly understand CRRP. Teacher Phil Gibson, an Afro-Canadian male, remembers the day when he realized that his experience of growing up in Burlington, Ont. was different than other staff members from the same area.
“One of our colleagues was also from Burlington. And when she talked about her experience growing up there, it was like all flowers and roses. It was a great environment. My experience growing up in Burlington was the exact opposite of that. So it kind of jump-started the conversations where people were able to say, ‘I’ve never thought of that!’”
Many leaders and participants might be tempted to back away from these types of conversations and reflection. But Nicole West-Burns insists that we need to stay with them and live through the discomfort. “We talk (to teachers) about the rumbling in your stomach or the things that stand up on your neck and that this is part of the feeling. But the discomfort sometimes is what helps us push through or figure out. And so that’s what we need.”
Moving beyond these initial feelings of discomfort is essential to the work of CRRP. The expertise and sense of confidence brought by West-Burns and Kugler helped the staff move to the next level in their conversations – a focus on the students.
“The intensity of the work built strong relationships with people and established some trust, which is always a challenge in the first year,” says West-Burns. “This wasn’t about jockeying for position, this was about coming together for the good of the kids. This project really allowed staff to establish that from the beginning: This was about the students.”
The personal and group identity work formed the important groundwork for a change in the way that teachers and staff saw students and families at the school. It was noticeable in the way that parents were welcomed into the school and spoken to by office staff and administrators. It was noticeable in what was hung on the walls throughout the school. And it was noticeable in the stories of change that staff began to experience and share with each other.
Phil Gibson is a Phys-Ed teacher at Irma Coulson. He recalls what happened when, during a unit on baseball skills, he decided to bring in cricket equipment as well, placing the game in a cultural context that resonated with many of his students. Students unfamiliar with the game of baseball suddenly felt empowered and affirmed by the opportunity to teach their peers about an important part of their culture. “They were teaching them how to bowl. They were teaching the rules of cricket, talking about how to hold the bat.” Now, Gibson reports, those same students can’t wait for spring and the opportunity to get outside and play cricket again.
Shannon Morgan has many stories about the impact of CRRP but one that she remembers fondly was reported to her by a lunchroom supervisor who had listened in on a conversation among Morgan’s Grade 2 students. “They were all sharing the different creation stories from their different backgrounds and families. In a very civil manner, they were actually engaging in a rich dialogue… They were able to listen to each other and respect each others’ differences, and that was huge for me.”
It could be argued that the extra supports directed toward pilot programs makes operationalization on a larger scale difficult, if not unrealistic. It is true that lighting a pilot light may get things started more easily, but there are lessons to be learned from identifying the conditions that allowed CRRP to take root and drive equity work at ICPS.
The understanding that cultural change is reliant on focused leadership should open up important conversations about how our school leaders are chosen, trained and supported through their work. Creating the ability for principals and vice-principals to develop and maintain that energetic focus is important for everyone in the building, as is the way that we encourage school leaders to connect with each other across a district and beyond.
If a staff is going to follow a leader into uncomfortable and challenging work, there needs to be a strong sense of intentionality. One-off workshops or single-day PD events cannot replace the knowledge that this is the work that we are doing, now and throughout the year.
Finally, outside support and expertise may be necessary to guide the personal work that allows CRRP to take root. Having the resources to draw in that support, especially to facilitate the difficult but essential conversations, cannot be overlooked or taken lightly.
Culturally Relevant and Responsive Pedagogy was originally introduced in Ontario by Nicole West-Burns and Jeff Kugler as a way of addressing a specific group of racialized students proven to be marginalized by the system in Canada’s largest school district. It was soon recognized as a powerful framework that challenges all educators to see themselves and their students differently. Culturally Relevant and Responsive Pedagogy insists that we start to understand that success for all students means embracing the cultural assets that they carry with them every day, and refusing to let those assets remain at the schoolhouse door.
As the two CRRP pilot programs reveal, this is not easy work. It takes vision, time, resources and the courage to stand up to a system that is, too often, supportive of the status quo. At stake is the success of a growing number of culturally diverse students who are marginalized and often alienated by a system built for a different time and place. What’s possible is the nurturing of school communities that reflect, respect and leverage the power of the stories, experiences and ways of knowing carried by all of our students and their families.
Photo: courtesy Halton District School Board
First published in Education Canada, September 2019
In reference to the article (Trans-multi)culturally Responsive Education: A critical framework for responding to student diversity
Does your group still have burning questions or comments? Encourage them to send their questions to Dr. Latika Raisinghani, lead author for this article.
Or, send us your message and we’ll make sure one of our experts gets in touch.
A (trans-multi)culturally responsive education calls for beginning with what the students have, including their cultural ways of knowing, the diversity of their learning experiences, and their self-identified cultural identities. It asks teachers to (re)think: What do we need to “undo” and “unlearn” to (re)create curriculum that is responsive to the multiple needs of today’s diverse students?
“It’s students’ cultural diversity that makes it enjoyable to teach. I can’t imagine teaching in a monocultural classroom… cultural diversity is a gift.”
Canadian teachers in general recognize and value student diversity. Then why, in many Canadian classrooms, do culturally diverse students find themselves “lacking” and “lagging behind”? Why is there a dissatisfaction among parents that schools are not effectively tapping into the potential of their children? For example, a teacher in my recently completed doctoral research shared: “The parents of certain cultural backgrounds complain that I am teaching ‘baby math’ and that their children can do a higher math. I tell them that I am teaching a Canadian curriculum in Canadian style!” Another teacher justified her teaching by claiming: “It makes sense that if they [culturally diverse students] have come to Canada, they need to adapt to our Canadian style of teaching.” Yet another teacher, who felt that only a third of students understand what is being taught in their urban Canadian classroom, confessed: “Sometimes, I wish that I had all Canadian children in my classroom.”
Looking at these statements, one may wonder, what do we mean by a “Canadian style” of teaching in a contemporary, diversity-rich classroom of Canada – a country that takes pride in its multicultural national identity? Who are the students in these classrooms? What do we mean when we wish for a classroom with all “Canadian children”? What could be a curriculum of initiation for these “Canadian children” who are increasingly becoming more and more diverse – culturally, ethnically, linguistically, religiously, geographically, and also in terms of gender(ed) sexual identities, exceptionalities or dis/abilities? No teacher enters in a classroom with the intentions of making learning difficult or incomprehensible for their students. So, why do teachers in these Canadian classrooms continue to teach in a prescribed style of teaching that is trapped within the boundaries of official curricula?
Contemporary Canadian classrooms mirror the growing cultural diversity that is inherent in every aspect of Canadian life. Recent population projections suggest that immigrants, embracing the diversity of more than 200 ethnic origins, will account for 25-30 percent of Canada’s population by the year 2036.1 The Indigenous populations of the country add to this cultural diversity. This exponential increase in the number of students that have come from diverse cultural backgrounds makes multicultural education an essential requirement in contemporary Canadian classrooms.
In the Canadian Teachers’ Federation’s 2012 national teacher survey, the teachers identified student diversity as one of the greatest challenges.2 This concern was reaffirmed by the ten K-12 participating teachers of my doctoral research, who were teaching in public schools in a large urban city in Western Canada. These teachers felt that cultural diversity makes it hard for them to reach their students.
One may take pride in the fact that Canada was the first country that recognized the multicultural nature of its population by establishing a national Multicultural Policy. Since the inception of this policy in 1971, education has been considered the key to address the challenges posed by various dimensions of cultural diversity.3 However, lack of federal control and multiple interpretations of multiculturalism and cultural diversity in various Canadian provinces has resulted in a mosaic fabric of multicultural education that is fragmented and incomplete.4
Often culturally diverse students feel uprooted and unwanted, as their cultural ways of knowing remain unacknowledged and their voices unheard in many Canadian classrooms. Despite claims of multiculturalizing education, the contemporary education system in Canada still privileges Eurocentric, masculine, “white” modes of knowledge as the norm, which only widens the achievement gap for diverse students. Although school policies speak of valuing diversity, the realities of classrooms are often limited to mere “celebration” of cultural ways of knowing in the form of 4Ds: Dance, Dialect, Diet and Dress. Can Canadian teachers, who themselves constantly feel challenged by the growing student diversity, be blamed? How could we change this inequitable landscape of Canadian education, which continues to label “difference” with a deficit-based perspective? Whose responsibility is it?
Education is a collective responsibility. We may hope for a top-down change at the policy level. However, rather than waiting for others, we may begin with ourselves, and think how as educators, we might empower ourselves and our diverse students. One way to do so is by inviting education that is (trans-multi)culturally responsive.
A (trans-multi)culturally responsive education critically examines current practices of multicultural education to unravel the inequities that are embedded in everyday modes of schooling. Guided by critical and transformational multicultural education perspectives5 and Gay’s notion of culturally responsive teaching,6 this education invites teachers to inquire into their own teaching practices and transform these by espousing culturally responsive teaching. Figure 1 illustrates this education framework.
Inviting us to embrace culture as a way of life and cultural diversity as an encompassing aspect of life, a (trans-multi)culturally responsive education calls for beginning with what the students have: their prior knowledges, which may include their cultural ways of knowing, the diversity of their learning experiences, and their self-identified cultural identities. It asks teachers to (re)think: What do we need to “undo” and “unlearn” to (re)create curriculum that is responsive to the multiple needs of today’s diverse students? How might we bring education that educates the heart, mind, body and spirit?7
Envisioning Canadian multiculturalism as jazz,8 where diverse cultural groups’ unique rhythms are recognized as they all come together to create music, this (trans-multi)culturally responsive education invites teachers to think about their students’ culture and cultural identities as continually evolving. Considering the harmony that is crucial to play jazz, it encourages teachers to design their classrooms as (trans-multi)culturally responsive cultural spaces where “difference” among their culturally diverse students is not only tolerated, accepted or respected but valued with affirmation, solidarity and critique.9
Embracing anti-racist, equity pedagogy at its core, this education encourages teachers to become change agents – the cultural brokers and cross-cultural counsellors who are continually working toward dismantling systemic prejudices and establishing an empowering school culture by initiating transcultural dialogues and teaching all students codes of power.10 To translate all these understandings into a reality, it urges teachers to become (trans-multi)culturally responsive educators.
Becoming a (trans-multi)culturally responsive educator is an ideological and pedagogical commitment that requires a teacher to first become a (trans-multi)culturally responsive person. There are three main components to this process:
1. Embrace comprehensive understandings of culture and cultural diversity and acknowledge our identity as (trans-multi)cultural human beings. It is essential to acknowledge that culture is a dynamic way of life. Comprised of consciously and unconsciously learned patterns of verbal and non-verbal behaviours, language, values, beliefs, modes of thinking, norms, and socio-political elements of identity, culture continually evolves throughout our lives. It simultaneously constructs us and is constructed by temporal politics and distributions of social power in society. Moreover, each one of us holds multiple cultural identities as we socialize differently into various modes of life. A (trans-multi)culturally responsive education invites us to transcend our individualized cultural identities to relate with each other as (trans-multi)cultural members of one human kin. Hence, when talking about cultural diversity, teachers need to understand that culture does not simply mean differences based on race, ethnicity, nationality or any other fixed identifications, but includes all dynamic cultural experiences that students bring into school.
2. Educate the (w)hole child intellectually, emotionally, socially, and politically by building a community of learners: By utilizing 6Cs: choice, collaboration, communication, critical thinking, creativity and care, teachers can create welcoming, safe and inclusive classroom environments that support (w)holistic learning of all students. Drawing upon Indigenous ways of knowing, they can foster relational connectedness and affirming attitudes, which value cultural differences as potential resources rather than hurdles in learning. By differentiating their instruction and assessments, the teachers can give students choices to learn through multiple sensory modes. To empower students in collaborative co-construction of knowledge, they can begin by strengthening their own and students’ cultural knowledge base. They may do so by inviting students, parents and community members to share their cultural ways of knowing. Thus, by integrating both historical and contemporary cultural resources into classroom learning experiences, teachers can promote creativity, inter-generational learning and cross-cultural communication. They can develop critical thinking and cultural consciousness by deliberately engaging students in transcultural dialogues, which could enable students to critically analyze the information presented and see and understand the differences in their own and other people’s cultures in a respectful, relational manner. In all these processes of learning, it is crucial that teachers embody authentic caring,11 which emphasizes treating others how they wish to be treated, not how we would like to be treated in a similar situation (i.e. realizing that we cannot truly “put ourselves in another’s shoes”).
3. Engage in critical self-reflective inquiries and complicated conversations to co-construct (trans-multi)culturally responsive curricula: Guided by the method of currere,12 teachers can engage in critical self-reflective inquiry about their own biases and prejudices. They can examine how their pre-held assumptions about specific subjects and students’ diversity might lead them to hold misconceptions and take prejudiced actions towards diverse students. For example, often teachers consider science and math as culture-free, neutral subjects. They may also have stereotypical understandings about student diversity such as: All students of a particular culture are good in math. Beginning with themselves as reflective practitioners, teachers can work toward identifying and dismantling the systemic inequities embedded in contemporary modes of schooling. They can initiate complicated conversations to: 1) interrogate what cultural knowledges are missing in the curriculum that is being taught, 2) identify what is being taught as hidden curriculum (such as through bulletin boards, posters and textbooks), and 3) utilize this information to co-construct curricula that is (trans-multi)culturally responsive.
How can teachers enact these theoretical understandings with(in) moments of teaching and learning? (Trans-multi)culturally responsive education requires teachers to reflect on their own intentions of teaching and constantly inquire into their pedagogical actions and see how these might have contributed to either perpetuating or preventing the systemic inequities. One such inequity emerged during my doctoral research. The participating teachers claimed that they see their students only as “individuals” and treat all students the “same.” They took pride in acknowledging that that they do not consider students’ culture while teaching.
By contrast, a (trans-multi)culturally responsive educator is cognizant of the fact that seeing students only as “individuals” does not acknowledge their cultural backgrounds. In their efforts to treat all students, the “same,” the teachers may actually perpetuate systemic discrimination by ignoring the difference. For example, when certain female students expressed their discomfort in learning about sexually transmitted diseases and artificial reproductive technologies in a whole-class, mixed-gender Grade 10 setting, the teacher in this case, justified their teaching approach as per the “Canadian curriculum” and with the insistence that they treat all students the “same” as “this is Canada” where most students are fine with discussing such topics.
Many may agree with this teacher’s views, but a (trans-multi)culturally responsive education invites teachers to think and act differently: Would it hurt to consider seeking students’ opinion in advance and to involve them in making certain classroom decisions, such as giving them choices and autonomy to learn about certain topics in individual or group settings? Rather than expecting all students to participate in whole-class discussions and respond to questions verbally, which they may find discomfiting, teachers may consider using online platforms for discussing and assessing students’ learning of these topics. They may also collaborate with community organizations to create opportunities for students to engage with people in a community context and learn these sensitive topics in an authentic, cross-cultural manner.
Differences in students’ socio-economic status (SES) is another characteristic that teachers often do not consider. Again, one may see it as a positive thing. But the issue of ignoring the SES of students becomes problematic when it creates social hierarchies and causes stigma among certain students. For example, it is still a customary practice in many Canadian public schools to send and collect hot lunch and field trip forms through students. Are the teachers aware that students can read their forms and that those whose parents have checked the option requesting financial help, may perceive themselves as inferior compared to the students who are able to pay full cost? This stigma may affect these students’ participation and engagement in learning. Some schools have established online systems where parents can make direct payments. However, the problem persists when teachers give reminders by announcing the names of students who have not paid and/or brought these forms back. This is a structural issue within the school system, and the teachers may not want to communicate with parents about payments or permission slips individually, but they may begin the conversation within their schools and ask: Could there be a way of approaching these parents directly?
Teacher expectations of parental participation in parent-teacher conferences and volunteering may also put certain students on the margins. One may not admit it directly, but often the students whose parents are able to show up for these conferences and volunteer at the school, are regarded with much appreciation by the teachers and school administrators. These students are also reported to have higher self-esteem compared to students whose parents are not able to make it to these events. The teachers may just deal with the matter at the superficial level by sending occasional invitations to these “absent” parents or they may take the challenge to reach out to them on a routine basis. It may sound daunting, but a (trans-multi)culturally responsive education encourages teachers to develop their understandings of different family structures and the diversity of responsibilities that students and their parents may have. It encourages teachers to establish connections with their students and their families, beyond the boundaries of their classrooms. One way to begin might be to hold individual conferences with two or three students each week and to communicate with their families in person or through emails, rotating as needed. Teachers may also approach their school’s multicultural worker and/or parent-teacher association to establish a group where parents of diverse cultural groups may support each other in meeting the needs of their children.
The bottom line is that to reach each and every student in a (trans-multi)culturally responsive manner, it is crucial that teachers make every effort to grow personally, professionally and communally and learn with (and not about) the diverse cultures that they may have in their contemporary diversity-rich classrooms. Further, rather than merely teaching the “prescribed curriculum,” teachers need to engage in a critical self-reflective inquiry by asking: What is missing and/or hidden in the curriculum that we teach in our schools? Why do we need to teach and learn particular concepts? Whose knowledge are we privileging and why? How could we bring diverse cultural knowledges into our contemporary diversity-rich classrooms and co-create knowledge that is (trans-multi)culturally responsive?
Thus, (trans-multi)culturally responsive education is a way of being that involves teaching, learning and living as a (trans-multi)culturally responsive educator. By doing so, we can greet each and every student’s voice with 6 Rs: respect, relevance, reciprocity, responsibility, relationality and reverence for diverse cultures!
Photo: iStock
First published in Education Canada, September 2019
Notes
1 J. Morency, É. C. Malenfant, and S. MacIsaac, Immigration and Diversity: Population projections for Canada and its regions, 2011 to 2036. (Catalogue no. 91-551-X, Minister of Industry, Statistics Canada: January 25, 2017).
2 B. McGahey, “National teacher survey shows diversity as a key challenge in Canadian classrooms,” (news release, Canadian Teachers’ Federation: Jan. 31, 2012). www.ctf-fce.ca/en/news/Pages/default.aspx?newsid=1983984744&year=2012
3 R. Joshee, C. Peck, L. A. Thompson, et al., (2016). “Multicultural Education, Diversity, and Citizenship in Canada,” in J. Lo Bianco, & A. Bal (Eds.), Learning from Difference: Comparative accounts of multicultural education (Switzerland: Springer International Publishing, 2016), 35-50.
4 R. Ghosh and A. A. Abdi, Education and the Politics of Difference: Select Canadian perspectives (Toronto, ON: Canadian Scholars’ Press Inc., 2013).
5 J. A. Banks and C. A. M. Banks, Multicultural Education: Issues and perspectives (Hoboken, NJ: 2010); A. Keating, Teaching Transformation: Transcultural classroom dialogues (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2007); S. Nieto, Affirming Diversity: The sociopolitical context of multicultural education (New York: Longman, 2000).
6 G. Gay, Culturally Responsive Teaching: Theory, research, and practice (2nd edition) (New York: Teachers College, 2010.)
7 J. Archibald, Indigenous Storywork: Educating the heart, mind, body and spirit (Vancouver: UBC Press, 2008).
8 G. Ladson-Billings, New Directions in Multicultural Education: Complexities, boundaries, and critical race theory, in J. A. Banks and C. A. M. Banks (Eds.), Handbook of Research on Multicultural Education (San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2004), 50-65.
9 Nieto, Affirming Diversity.
10 Banks and Banks, Multicultural Education; Gay, Culturally Responsive Teaching; Keating, Teaching Transformation.
11 N. Noddings, “The Language of Care Ethics,” Knowledge Quest 40, no. 5 (2012): 52-56.
12 W. F. Pinar, The Method of “Currere” (paper presented at the Annual meeting of the American Research Association, Washington, D. C.: April 1975).
What is intercultural competence and why is it important? Intercultural competence is the ability to communicative effectively and appropriately with students who are linguistically and culturally different from ourselves. It’s an important skill for teachers who want to more deeply support and affirm the diverse students in their classes.
“Two of my students from Somalia are about to be expelled from school for chronic absences, in keeping with our school’s policy. But I believe we need to talk with the families who may be most responsible, not the students themselves. How do I convince the principal that ‘some school’ is better than ‘no school’ for these kids? How do I find out what is really going on in their lives? What can I do to better understand their behaviour and in turn find a more viable solution?”1
The concern above is not uncommon. Indeed, as a long-time instructor and designer of Teaching English Language Learners (ELLs) courses for Ontario K-12 teachers, I have become all too familiar with many such cases. The thing is, they most often involve a lack of communication among teachers, diverse students and their families. Professional challenges commonly relate to our misconceptions, misunderstandings, and culturally ingrained assumptions about teaching, learning and classroom management that are based on our own cultural backgrounds, education, and socialization. This article addresses the fact that to effectively and more deeply support and affirm diverse students and engage in culturally responsive teaching, educators need to develop intercultural competence, that is, the ability to communicative effectively and appropriately with students who are linguistically and culturally different from ourselves. We need to ask ourselves the questions: Do I meet students where they are at, or do I have other expectations of their behaviour based on feelings I have about my own culture? How adaptable am I? How culturally appropriate have I been with my students when I interact with them? What can I do to shift my thinking?
Affirming different cultural orientations through culturally responsive teaching is not just about “show and tell,” the so-called food, festival, folklore and fashion mantra. Teachers take into consideration a variety of school protocols, such as how and what students are learning, styles of communication, assessment practices, and activities related to inclusiveness.2 However, I argue that infusing appropriate cultural material into curriculum and policy is only one component; most importantly, as educators in diverse classrooms, we need to develop effective intercultural competence, which requires the following attributes:
Understanding different cultural behaviours begins with knowledge – an awareness of what motivates people to think the way they think and do what they do. We need to recognize that the expectations we have as classroom teachers and those of our diverse students may not always align because our respective beliefs about and attitudes toward family, social life, work and education are shaped by our respective backgrounds. For example, the education system in Canada has primarily been based on a Eurocentric, Western model which affirms individualism. As a guideline, individualistic cultures tend to focus on independence, personal achievement and assertiveness, as opposed to collectivist cultures, which focus on loyalty to the group and allegiance to family.3 Differences in values, such as obedience to authority figures, which in a collectivist culture is often exhibited in teacher-centered forms of instruction, can significantly affect students’ ways of thinking and behaviour. As a result, students from cultures with a predominant collectivist orientation, such as Japan, may find self-guided, discovery-oriented activities more challenging than ones that are more teacher-directed and predictable. They may also seem restrained on the emotional level, avoid eye contact with teachers and be reluctant to volunteer answers in class.
Research has also shown that with regard to seeking social support, let’s say, help from a school counsellor, students from individualistic cultures may be more willing because they share the cultural assumption that people should be proactive and talk openly about stressful events. Conversely, students coming from more collectivistic cultures may be relatively more cautious about getting help and disclosing personal problems because they share the cultural assumption that individuals should not burden others, even close family, with their issues. They feel they might disrupt group harmony and receive criticism from others.4 Considering we have students in our schools who have experienced post-traumatic stress, bullying and acculturation challenges, it important to be aware of the latter attitude toward counselling. They may be reluctant to tell their story.
It is also important to recognize that factors such as context and personality can influence cultural dynamics like individualism/collectivism, so even individuals within a particular culture can exhibit different cultural behaviours. Indeed, as we learn about our students’ cultures, it is best not to make assumptions based on experiences we have had with other students from similar backgrounds. Culturally responsive teaching requires teachers to keep an open, non-judgmental mindset.
In many respects, one of the biggest challenges for teachers in any grade is communicating with parents, some of whom may have minimal ability to communicate in English. Like their children, they too are learning to understand an unfamiliar social and school context, which includes their role in relation to teachers and school administrators. Taking the everyday example of a parent-teacher conference, teachers can use a number of strategies to aid parents’ comprehension.5 Before the conference, a list of educational terms and definitions (e.g. learning centres, hands-on activities, critical thinking, task-based learning, goal setting) can be provided. When answering parents’ questions, paraphrasing and then articulating points in succession helps parents understand what is coming. So in reply to the question, “How is my daughter doing compared to other students in the class?” the teacher can say: “You asked about how your daughter compares to other children in the class. First, I am going to talk about her progress, and then I will talk about how she compares with her classmates.” Teachers can also politely ask parents to summarize important components to make sure they are clear, especially if they need to take action such as scheduling time for homework or nightly reading.
Parents may have culturally rooted perceptions about discipline, standardized testing, and other educational practices as well as their role in their child’s schooling. They may have had little, if any, involvement with their children’s school in their home country. Parents may also view teachers as experts and so may not feel comfortable questioning their authority or offering suggestions. When we send notes or emails home with information, we expect (or at least hope) that parents read all the information and will respond to requests, such as providing permission for their child to attend a field trip. We may also make the assumption that if parents do not understand a note from school, they will contact the teacher and ask for clarification. However, misunderstandings can occur and teachers may never be aware of them because the parents haven’t communicated with the school directly. The signal may be that the child is absent from school, which is an indirect way (albeit possibly culturally acceptable from their perspective) of them showing their disapproval or confusion about an activity or event. Or they might write the school an email or send a note with the child expressing their concerns, as opposed to showing up in person. The concept of saving face comes to play in this regard.6 As a social construct related to preserving dignity and self-respect, saving face plays an important role in many cultures. Threats to face are likely to arise, possibly for both parties, when problems related to school protocols are pointed out too directly. Consequently, it is often a good idea to minimize these threats when confronting parents about the fact that they (and their children) have not understood, for example, homework instructions or, as in the scenario above, informing the school of absences and reasons for them.
Parents often have great respect for teachers; however, it is important to establish trust with the family by, for example, meeting with family members in a place they feel safe, such as home or a local community center. Parents should have the opportunity to ask questions they may have about school culture, and expectations for their involvement. They can also share preferred ways to communicate with teachers. For example, if they are more comfortable writing notes and email messages (and using translators or online translation software), as opposed to meeting in person, then their choices should be acknowledged and utilized. Indeed, and especially for parents of ELLs, affirming their home languages and cultures, and showing respect for what they know and what they can offer, are critical factors in helping them become more involved in their children’s education. What’s more, looking at and valuing different cultural orientations may help to identify ways to foster the kinds of relationships between school personnel and parents that will improve student outcomes.
Developing intercultural competence involves systematically observing and critically reflecting on our own, our students’ (and their parents’) behaviours. Although there are several models of intercultural competence, fundamental components comprise three basic elements: attitudes, knowledge and skills. Based on Deardorff’s (2006) Model of Intercultural Competence,7 we can ask ourselves the following questions:
The Mindful Reflection Protocol is helpful in providing educators with a method to foster effective intercultural communication.8Teachers are encouraged to distinguish objective descriptions of behaviour from those which are subjective and emotionally laden reactions. The protocol is as follows:
It is grounded in the notion that we often respond to unfamiliar people or situations with subjective evaluations, projecting our judgments onto what we think we see (or hear or feel or perceive). So we reverse the usual order of response by first making observations and withholding our reactions with words such as “weird” or “unacceptable” – and in the process become more aware of how easily and unconsciously we immediately judge a situation according to our own cultural mindset.
Learning about different cultural orientations, along with on-going self-reflection, allows us to develop intercultural competence and effective culturally responsive teaching. Shunnarah, a kindergarten teacher in a culturally and linguistically diverse school, explains that “developing cultural competence is a process of inner growth. In order for me to be as effective as possible with the students I work with, I must continuously engage in a process of self-reflection. To be able to know others, especially diverse others, one must know the self. So, the growth of a culturally competent educator starts there. We must look within for a deeper understanding of who we are before we can adequately address the needs of our students.”9
Developing intercultural competence involves a transformation in thinking; it is an ongoing, highly rewarding process. Indeed, honest and open communication is key and highly relevant to teaching diverse students who need and deserve to be welcomed, supported and heard.
Photo: iStock
First published in Education Canada, September 2019
Notes
1 Johanne Myles, Beyond Methodology: English Language Learners K-12. (Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing, 2015), vii.
2 Calvin Meyer and Elizabeth Kelley Rhoades, “Multiculturalism: Beyond food, festival, folklore and fashion,” Kappa Delta Pi Record 42, no. 2 (2006): 82-87.
3 Geert Hofstede, Gert Jan Hofstede, and Michael Minkov, Cultures and Organizations: Software of the mind. (New York, NY: McGraw Hill, 2010).
4 Heejung Kim, David Sherman and Shelley Taylor, “Culture and Social Support,” American Psychologist 63, no. 6 (2008): 516-526.
5 Gregory Cheatham and Ellie Yeonsun, “A Linguistic Perspective on Communication with Parents who Speak English as a Second Language: Phonology, morphology and syntax,” Early Child Development and Care 181, no. 9 (2011): 1247-1260.
6 Stella Ting-Toomey, Communicating Across Cultures (New York, NY: Guilford Press, 1999), 38, 120.
7 Darla Deardorff, “Intercultural Competence: A Definition, Model and Implications for Education Abroad,” in Developing Intercultural Competence and Transformation, ed. Victor Savicki (Sterling, Virginia: Stylus, 2008), 32-52.
8 Barbara Dray and Debora Wisneski, “Mindful Reflection as a Process for Developing Culturally Responsive Practices,” Teaching Exceptional Children 44, no. 1 (2011): 28-36.
9 Christina Shunnarah, “The Cross-cultural Classroom,” New York Times (September 25, 2008). https://lessonplans.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/09/25/the-cross-cultural-classroom/?mcubz=0
Five years ago, I was assigned to teach Grade 12 English for the first time in years. Eager to prepare, I visited our school book room, but came away feeling uninspired by the options: 1984, Animal Farm, Fifth Business, and lots of Shakespeare.
Having just taught Ontario’s Grade 11 Gender Studies course, which had opened my mind to intersectional ways of thinking, I couldn’t help but notice that the writers populating the shelves presented a very narrow demographic: they were mostly Western, white, male, and long dead.
Thoughts rattled around in my brain. What messages was I sending to students with my book choices? Whose voices were missing? What if I changed everything and sought out texts that better represented my students and community?
That year I made a bold choice to ditch the Bard and privilege the voices of women and contemporary writers of colour. I designed an independent study focusing on under-represented voices in literature, film, and art. These decisions not only opened the door to a new literary world, but delighted my students and re-energized my teaching.
No matter what age range you teach, you too can diversify your teaching library. Wondering why you should, and where to begin? Start with the 3 ‘R’s.
Representation matters. Our curricula and book choices should reflect our students’ diverse identities and experiences.
The Canadian literary scene has recently exploded with LGBTQ+ authors, Indigenous artists, and diverse writers making waves. Think of Vivek Shraya’s beautifully inclusive picture book The Boy and the Bindi or Cherie Dimaline’s dystopian tale The Marrow Thieves. These stories may not yet be part of the traditional canon, but they offer unique and compelling tales worth sharing with young people.
Understand that the book choices we make send implicit messages to students. When we present a narrow selection of artists, we make value judgements about those whose works are ‘important’ and worthy of study, and those whose aren’t.
I often ask my students about the books they’ve studied in school. What were the backgrounds of the writers? How long ago were the books written? Have they encountered protagonists who reflected their own identities? The responses are telling. Young women are often asked to place themselves in the position of male protagonists, but young men rarely get asked to see the world from a female point of view.
This invisibility is a common experience for many, including Indigenous peoples, Québécois, LGBTQ+ folks, and differently-abled people, all of whom are rarely represented in school literature. It is as if we are saying that their experiences are not considered ‘universal’ enough to understand, and that perception needs to change.
By choosing books that reflect a multitude of identities, teachers can affirm the backgrounds of students and open up their worldview. We can help them to see themselves and their own stories as important and worthy of attention.
Another reason to diversify our booklists? There are so many fantastic books out there waiting to be discovered! Look for works of literature that are relevant because they speak to the world we live in today, or illuminate areas of life to which we may not have access.
My students loved Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, which tells the tale of a young black girl who comes of age in an abusive home during the Nigerian war. Though Kambili’s experiences were far from our own in downtown Toronto, the book opened up rich discussions about parent-child relationships and the enduring impact of colonization in Africa.
For those of us who teach in less diverse communities, it is even more important to expose students to multiple points of view. It helps to engender empathy and understanding and combat harmful stereotypes. Reading diverse works can create opportunities for critical literacy, as we deconstruct power and privilege and engage in courageous conversations about racism, sexism, classism, ableism, homophobia, and transphobia.
To find diverse writers for my classroom, I made a pledge to research and read books by female writers, LGBTQ+ artists, Indigenous writers, and authors of colour. In my search I have discovered many contemporary masterpieces, and I haven’t looked back since.
Here’s how you can get started on your own reading journey.
Check out award winner lists, especially those that recognize artists from under-represented groups, such as the Lambda Literary Awards for LGBTQ+ writers or the Caldecott Medal, which awards a wide range of children’s literature.
Find forward-thinking bookstores that celebrate diversity, such as Good Minds, which stocks over 3,000 titles of Indigenous works from Preschool to Adult. Other fantastic stores include Another Story Bookshop and A Different Booklist in Toronto. You can find a children’s bookstore near you using the online database from the Canadian Children’s Book Centre.
Great literature is literally at your fingertips—an internet search can connect you to useful websites, blogs, and booklists. Some of my favourites include A Mighty Girl, ‘the world’s largest collection of books and movies for smart, confident, and courageous girls’; beloved educator Dr. Larry Swartz’s ‘Larry Recommends’ blog; and @loveyolibrary, an Instagram account featuring up-and-coming books for children, curated by Toronto-area teacher Brendon Allen.
Edutopia’s 22 Diverse Book Choices for All Grade Levels
The American Indians in Children’s Literature Blog, which deconstructs and evaluates representations of Indigenous peoples in children’s books
Pinterest’s Diversity in Children’s Books collection
French Toast by Kari-Lynn Winters and François Thisdale
The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi
Under My Hijab by Hena Khan and Aaliya Jaleel
The Can Man by Laura E. Williams and Craig Orback
Not Quite Narwhal by Jessie Sima
The Boy in the Bindi by Vivek Shraya
The Sissy Duckling by Harvey Fierstein
I am Jazz by Jazz Jennings
Don’t Touch My Hair! by Sharee Miller
Not My Girl by Christy Jordan-Fenton
Ada Twist, Scientist by Andrea Beaty
I am Josephine by Jan Thornhill and Jacqui Lee
A Family is a Family is a Family by Sara O’Leary and Qin Leng
Sky Sisters by Jan Waboose Bourdeau
Morning on the Lake by Jan Waboose Bourdeau
Big Red Lollipop by Rukhsana Khan and Sophie Blackall
Tar Beach by Faith Ringgold
Aunt Harriet’s Underground Railroad in the Sky by Faith Ringgold
Nappy Hair by Caroliva Herron
The Arrival by Shaun Tan
Flight Explorer by Kazu Kibuishi
A Long Walk to Water: Based on a True Story by Linda Sue Park
The Skin I’m In by Sharon Flake
Riding the Tiger by Eve Bunting and David Frampton
The Outlaw by Nancy Vo
I Am Malala and I Am Malala Young Readers Edition by Malala Yousafzai, Christina Lamb
The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis
Refugee by Alan Kratz
Shannen and the Dream for a School by Janet Wilson
Fatty Legs by Christy Jordan-Fenton and Margaret Pokiak-Fenton
Blended by Sharon Draper
Rad American Women by Katie Schatz
Not My Idea: A Book About Whiteness by Anastasia Higginbotham
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
Ask Me No Questions by Marina Tamar Budhos
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
Monster by Walter Dean Myers
Moonshot: The Indigenous Comics Collection, edited by Hope Nicholson
Daughter of War by Marsha Skrypuch
Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
American Street by Ibi Zoboi
Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali by Sabrina Khan
Amina’s Voice by Hena Khan
Better Nate Than Ever by Tim Federle
George by Alex Gino
Ghost by Jason Reynolds
Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed
No Fixed Address by Susin Nielson
Lily and Dunkin by Donna Gephart
Kimchi & Calamari by Rose Kent
I Am an Emotional Creature: the Secret Life of Girls around the World by Eve Ensler
The Mi’kmaq Anthology, Volume 2: In Celebration of the Life of Rita Joe by Lesley Choyce et al.
Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah
Funny Boy by Shyam Selvadurai
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline
Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Brother by David Chariandy
Fun Home by Alison Bechdel
She Walks for Days Inside a Thousand Eyes: A Two-Spirit Journey by Sharron Proulx-Turner
Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
Beloved by Toni Morrison
Scarborough by Catherine Hernandez
Tomboy Survival Guide by Ivan Coyote
Son of a Trickster by Eden Robinson
That Time I Loved You by Carrianne Leung
The great majority of Canadian teachers support LGBTQ+ education. Considerably fewer have actually addressed LGBTQ+ issues in their classrooms. The authors explore what is holding teachers back, and what will help them move forward.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, Two-Spirit, queer, questioning and other sexual and gender minority (LGBTQ2+) youth are steadily gaining visibility in schools. For years, the prevailing wisdom encouraged silence on topics of sexual and gender diversity, but a profound cultural shift is underway that helps to ensure LGBTQ2+ youth receive the support they need to flourish in schools. The silence has broken and there is reason to be hopeful.
We now have good advice and resources about how to help LGBTQ2+ youth. For instance, in his EdCan Network Fact Sheet1 from October 2018, Dr. Kristopher Wells identifies four key factors that can make a positive difference for LGBTQ2+ students: inclusive curriculum, supportive teachers and school staff, comprehensive policies, and increasing visibility and inclusion across school communities.
We’ve come a long way in the ten years since the First National Climate Survey2 found little evidence of LGBTQ2+ education in Canadian schools, but there is still a lot to be done. Even with strong advocates providing research-based evidence and resources that embody best practices about providing safe and accepting schools for LGBTQ2+ students, we find educators are sometimes still hesitant to engage in LGBTQ2+-inclusive practices in schools.
When we surveyed 3,400 K-12 educators for the Every Teacher Project on LGBTQ-Inclusive Education in Canadian Schools in 2013,3 we found that the majority showed strong support personally and professionally for LGBTQ2+ topics and education, but that fewer were actually engaging with them in their classrooms. (See Figure 1.)
Every Teacher Project participants identified five main types of barriers that kept them from including LGBTQ2+ related content at all, or integrating it more fully into their teaching practice. By naming the misconceptions and fears educators identify, we want to validate that these feelings and thoughts do exist for many of us and are very real barriers inhibiting our practice. Some fears and apprehensions are well founded. In talking through the fears that educators have expressed, we also have an opportunity to develop a way to move forward.
Fearing that they lacked appropriate training, information, or resources was the most common reason educators provided (33% indicated this held them back from addressing LGBTQ2+ issues). In many ways, this is good news, as it is a barrier that can be readily addressed. With administrative support and prioritization, professional development (PD) training opportunities can be provided, curriculum can be adapted to include LGBTQ2+ content, and resources can be developed and integrated into course materials and school culture. Stakeholders from across the school system, from teacher education programs to departments/ministries and teacher organizations, can all take a role in providing training opportunities and resources. Further, administration can support LGBTQ2+-inclusive education by ensuring that all educators and all staff members in their districts/divisions, schools or regions are provided with training.
Providing training, information and resources also clearly communicates to educators and staff that LGBTQ2+-inclusive education is important. This has the potential to address any concerns educators may have that their administration or school community does not support LGBTQ2+-inclusive education – which we discuss in further detail below.
One in three educators (31%) identified student-based reasons for not addressing LGBTQ2+ topics, such as “my students are too young” (20%) and “I don’t want to embarrass LGBTQ2+ students” (10%). Again, this is a concern that can be readily addressed through training, information and resources. There is age-appropriate content at all levels, from discussions of different kinds of families in early years to discussions of healthy sexuality and sex education in upper years. Again, PD training opportunities and curriculum resources can clearly address these apprehensions and communicate support for LGBTQ2+-inclusive education.
Many teachers and educators have heard stories about parent/guardian, community, or religious groups staging protests or objecting vocally and publicly about LGBTQ2+ inclusion. While we do not want to deny that these complaints or moments of opposition occur, we do want to provide some perspective. Looking to the research, we see that of those educators who have included LGBTQ2+ content, only one in five (19%) received any complaints, and of those who did receive complaints, 72% reported that they had been supported by their principal or administration. Only about one in 20 educators who included LGBTQ2+ content had received a complaint without experiencing the support of school officials.
Religious school contexts make the situation more challenging, but not dramatically so: educators in Catholic schools were only slightly more likely to receive complaints than those in non-religious schools (22% Catholic vs. 18% secular), and educators were only slightly less likely to support LGBTQ2+-inclusive education (83% Catholic vs. 85% secular). However, educators in Catholic schools were much more likely to report that a lack of training prevented them from practicing LGBTQ2+-inclusive education (29% Catholic vs. 17% secular).
Community opposition can be a very real barrier, and “reading” one’s community climate is important. But there are also supportive individuals, both within the school and outside it. There are allies among students, parents/guardians, community members, colleagues and administration – particularly when backed by legislation, policy, training or clearly communicated messages of support from your school or district/division.
One in five educators (21%) agreed with the statement, “Discussing LGBTQ issues with my students would jeopardize my job.” (This was exacerbated for LGBTQ2+ educators, with 34% agreeing their job would be in jeopardy). Job status also affected educators’ readiness to address LGBTQ2+ topics (e.g. 28% of those on term contracts reported that their lack of a permanent contract prevented them). Fear of career repercussions can be a very real barrier, but it is one that principals, superintendents and policy-makers or legislators can address by clearly communicating support for LGBTQ2+-inclusive education throughout the school system.
For example, legislation exists in some provinces/territories and ministry/department of education policy exists in others that provides guidelines about what is expected of educators regarding LGBTQ2+ protections and inclusions. However, legislation and policy may not be enough to assuage the fears or anxieties of all employees. There is a clear need for school system administration to articulate and endorse LGBTQ2+ inclusion to create a culture of support throughout the system. With the backing of integrated supports, such as clear policies, PD opportunities, and availability of resources, administration can dispel fears that educators may be disciplined for engaging in LGBTQ2+-inclusive practices.
A barrier reported by a smaller number of participants was opposition from within their school community (14%), such as opposition from school administration (6%), school trustees (4%) and/or colleagues (4%). The easiest way for educators and administrators to address these apprehensions among their colleagues is to find opportunities to make their own support for LGBTQ2+ people and LGBTQ2+-inclusive education clear. Some school districts/divisions and some teacher organizations have organized GSA-style support networks or groups for educators. Teacher organizations offer support for all teachers in many ways – from PD opportunities and training to resources and employment protections – not least of which is informational. They can certainly tell educators what legislative supports exist in their province/territory and what policies are in place (either at the local level of your school board/district/division or at the provincial/territorial level), and can offer advice about resources or LGBTQ2+ practices.
Although these fears are sometimes groundless, whether well-founded or not they can act as real barriers to providing the supports that LGBTQ2+ students need. But it is worth reminding ourselves that virtually all LGBTQ2+ youth experience apprehension and fear when they think about coming out or when they enter unsafe spaces: they aren’t sure how their friends, families, classmates and communities will react or how disclosing their identity might change their lives. Despite their fears, many LGBTQ2+ youth make that leap – and we need to support their courage by summoning it in ourselves.
Educators should know that there is more support for this work than they may think. The long history of silence surrounding gender and sexual diversity in schools leaves the impression that many people do not support LGBTQ2+ inclusion in schools. In fact, the actual support for LGBTQ2+-inclusive education is higher than is often assumed. For instance, when asked about how confident they were that colleagues would support them if they wanted to address LGBTQ topics in the classroom, 67% of educators felt their colleagues would support them; comparatively, 85% of educators approved of LGBTQ2+-inclusive education. It is, of course, true that some people do not support it and will object, but they are in the minority. This is also true among students; in the First National Climate Survey, 58% of non-LGBTQ2+ students reported that they too were distressed when they witnessed homophobic harassment.5 These and other findings from our research suggest that there is unrealized and untapped support within the school community, among both colleagues and students.
There are some relatively low-risk ways for educators and school officials to build a culture of support for LGBTQ2+-inclusive education.
AS LGBTQ2+ STUDENTS gain visibility in schools, educators are increasingly recognizing the importance of providing safe, respectful and accepting schools and classrooms. The Every Teacher Project was conducted with the active support of every teacher organization in the publicly-funded school systems of Canada, which led to participation by thousands of teachers and made it the largest study on teachers’ perspectives on LGBTQ2+-inclusive education to date worldwide. While many teachers expressed apprehensions about how best to do this work, educators clearly support LGBTQ2+-inclusive education and they have identified what they need from their colleagues and administrators to do it well: support for those who are engaged in the work, encouragement through PD and capacity-building training, resources that support LGBTQ2+ inclusion, and clearly communicated support for the work at all levels of the school system.
Photo: Dave Donald
First published in Education Canada, May 2019
Notes
1 www.edcan.ca/articles/how-can-schools-support-lgbtq2-students
2 C. Taylor, T. Peter, T., et al., Every Class in Every School: The first national climate survey on homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia in Canadian schools. Final report (Toronto, ON: Egale Canada Human Rights Trust, 2011). www.uwinnipeg.ca/rise
3 C. Taylor, T. Peter, C. Campbell, E. Meyer, J. Ristock, and D. Short, D. The Every Teacher Project on LGBTQ Inclusive Education in Canada’s K-12 Schools: Final report (Winnipeg, MB: Manitoba Teachers’ Society, 2015). www.uwinnipeg.ca/rise
4 While LGBTQ2+ is Education Canada’s “house style,” LGBTQ was used in the survey.
5 Every Class in Every School: The first national climate survey, 2011.
This infographic aims to provide the straight facts on LGBTQ2 youth by addressing the 5 most common myths and misconceptions that surround sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression in schools.
This infographic was inspired by a feature article by Dr. Kristopher Wells that recently appeared in Education Canada Magazine.
The EdCan Network has also released a new Facts on Education fact sheet authored by renowned expert Dr. Kristopher Wells, entitled How can schools support LGBTQ2 students?, which offers evidence-based strategies on how we can make a positive difference for LGBTQ2 students in K-12 schools.
In addition to the downloadable copy of the infographic, which can be posted in staff rooms and classrooms, here are several practical resources available to support teachers in building their knowledge and confidence on this subject matter.
How can teachers welcome gender diversity every day? Lee Airton discusses how to establish classrooms where all of the ways that your students “do gender” are welcomed and expected, where no one is called out for their gender expression, and where no one is told by others that they are not who they are.
Among researchers and educators focused on gender diversity in Canadian schools, there is certainly much to celebrate. We have a growing body of Canadian studies on how gender diversity is playing out in our contexts of practice. This is an incredible achievement, and a tool in successful advocacy for policy, curricular and legislative changes that stand to improve the lives of gender-diverse students in K-12 schools.
As someone who is active this area, however, I have noticed that school boards tend to interpret their responsibilities in relation to gender diversity as a set of actions triggered by the presence of an out or openly self-identifying transgender student who is in an exceptional situation, usually either crisis or transition. By crisis, I mean experiencing harassment, violence or other situations in which the student is at risk. By transition, I mean beginning to live publicly as a person of their gender. When I review broadly-titled guideline documents for supporting gender-diverse students in public schools, I often find that they only instruct teachers, administrators and others on how to respond to these exceptional moments in the life of an out transgender student.
Of course, there are compelling reasons to devote time and energy to supporting out and openly self-identifying K-12 transgender students through exceptional situations, and a growing body of research shows what happens when we don’t. But I am concerned about the effects of constructing a school’s responsibility regarding gender diversity as only or mostly responding to exceptional situations. I think that this happens at the school level and filters up to the level of board-wide policymaking because exceptional situations are, by definition, outside of the school’s structures, routines and curricula. Responding to the exceptional doesn’t require changing business as usual or acknowledging that the status quo may contribute to the problems facing transgender and gender-diverse students.
I’ve read and heard many moving accounts from teachers about changing their practice once they realized they had a transgender student. These changes are vitally important, but I worry about the transgender and gender-diverse students who are already present in every single school, but whose transness isn’t apparent to the adults entrusted with their care. This is a vicious cycle, because if no visible efforts have been made to make a school climate more welcoming of gender diversity, it is unlikely that these students will voice who they are and access supports that they need in order to be and remain well at school. I’ll return to this problem momentarily.
A pathway of beginning to understand one’s self as transgender, pursuing social transition, beginning to live publicly in one’s gender at school and elsewhere, and then pursuing medical transition aligns with only some transgender peoples’ experiences: those who are often referred to as “binary,” i.e., who were assigned to one side of the sex/gender binary at birth but who are actually on the other side. This is a very common transgender pathway, but it is not at all the only one. Many transgender people do not fit neatly into one or the other of the binary boxes, including a growing number of transgender people who are nonbinary. If a school understands its responsibility to kick in only when a student comes out and experiences harassment or begins a gender transition (commonly assumed to bring someone from “one side” of the binary to the “other side”), then gender-diverse students whose experiences don’t fit these familiar patterns are less likely to have their needs recognized and met by school staff.
There is, in fact, tremendous diversity among transgender-spectrum people, including youth. We know, for example, that the life chances of transgender women of colour and Indigenous transgender women are drastically lower than those of transgender people who are white, middle-class, and masculine and/or men. Schools ought to be sensitive to these different degrees of risk. There is also a world of difference between the experiences of trans youth with family support and material privilege, versus trans youth with neither of these things. Furthermore, presuming trans students to be in crisis can be pathologizing.
If there are no out transgender students at your school, it doesn’t mean they are not there. Rather, it means that they cannot come out and live who they are at school.
For these reasons, I am committed to helping schools shift toward an everyday practice mindset in this area. How can teachers welcome gender diversity every day in classrooms, when there is no situation of crisis or transition? There is, thankfully, an abundance of resources on integrating gender diversity content into your curriculum.1 There is also a wealth of experience in schools and school boards on supporting extracurricular activities like gender and sexuality alliances, or gender-inclusive athletics. In what follows, however, I go beyond the curricular and the extra-curricular to what you can do in the course of your everyday teaching to foster a gender-friendly classroom: where all of the ways that your students “do gender” are welcomed and expected, where no one is called out for their gender expression, and where no one is told by others that they are not who they are (i.e. their gender identity). Gender-friendliness is a practice that I discuss in my recent book, Gender: Your Guide – A gender-friendly primer on what to know, what to say and what to do in the new gender culture.
When I work with teachers, I like to offer two axioms to help us get out of an “exceptional situation” mindset and into an everyday practice mindset. These axioms are:
This axiom is important because gender norms and expectations are a source of anxiety for all students, including cisgender (non-transgender) boys and girls. It is common for young cisgender people to live or express their gender differently from parent or community standards, or to question whether and how they want to participate in their community’s gendered milestones or traditions. Every girl or woman’s degree and experience of femininity will fluctuate across time, and the same is true of boys and men in terms of masculinity. How each of us does gender also changes as we move between the gym, faith-based congregations, formal events, and the workplace, etc. Keeping this first axiom in mind can help teachers to broaden the focus of their gender-inclusive practice in a way that does not predetermine which students need this support and which don’t; if you are teaching as if every student (cisgender and transgender alike) will bump up against rigid expectations, then you are taking care of everyone and also not making assumptions about who a transgender student will be. This is important because the transgender spectrum will continue to expand (reflecting what has always been there but in recent centuries was driven underground), and our transgender-spectrum students’ needs will also continue to change and evolve.
This second axiom speaks to a common assumption that if there are transgender students in a school or class, teachers and administrators already know. In reality, not every transgender-spectrum student is out or apparent to others around them as transgender.
If there are no out transgender students at your school, it doesn’t mean they are not there. Rather, it means that they cannot come out and live who they are at school. We know they can’t because they don’t. Not being open in who we are isn’t very liveable for transgender people; if we can come out, we generally do. In fact, when I work with teachers and administrators who have students who have come out as transgender in their schools, I ask them to cultivate a well-deserved feeling of honour and pride: they have been given a tremendous gift of trust because the transgender students there have come out at all. There may also be students who will come to realize that they are somewhere on the transgender spectrum later on, but were questioning or uncomfortable about their assigned gender when they were in your classroom or school.
How can you follow through on these axioms in your classroom? The four practices on the following pages can be integrated into your teaching right away and with minimal preparation. Each practice aims to help transgender and/or gender non-conforming (TG) students – even if you do not know they are there – to feel expected and therefore respected, not invisible.
By creating moments of dissonance, you are helping all of your students get used to having their gendered expectations countered. This can help them get ready to welcome everyone’s changes in how they do gender over time, including peers who are markedly gender non-conforming or who come out as transgender, but also including their own changes.
“I don’t understand. Why would that be weird if she did that?”
“Hmm. Can you explain to me why he can’t play with you? I don’t understand.”
“Why are we saying she/her for that person? Couldn’t that person have he/him or they/them pronouns?”
“Why are we saying he/him for someone in that role? Can’t women also be [principals, firefighters, CEOs]?”
“Sometimes our assumptions about a person’s pronouns are incorrect; it can be a better idea to say ‘they’ until we know.”
“I don’t know if getting married in a big frilly wedding dress is for me.”
“I don’t think we can generalize about men’s and women’s parenting roles. When my friend Peter and his wife had their first baby, Peter stayed home when his wife went back to work and he really enjoyed it.”
By publicly correcting your mistakes, you are helping your students learn to expect gender diversity as the norm, not the exception. Don’t let your mistakes go by, as these can contribute to the hidden curriculum of gender – that is, add to all of the messages children and youth receive that gender is necessarily binary and rigid, for everyone. Rather, make your mistakes visible and teach a more accurate lesson about the many different ways people live gender.
By owning your own gender-unfriendly content, or drawing attention to your own curriculum resources, etc. that do notwelcome gender diversity, you are helping your students to develop this critical eye. They might even come to correct you! You can introduce a gender-unfriendly resource on purpose to allow this conversation to happen. In my courses at Queen’s, I focus on teaching pre-service teachers not just how to use resources about transgender people or that are explicitly critical of gender stereotypes, but to use any resource to do this work. Here is what gender-unfriendly content can look like:
“Why do you think the author wants us to say ‘he/him’ for that monster? I’m not sure it makes sense for a monster to be called ‘him’! Why can’t they use they/them instead?”
“These are good books, but they don’t include everyone. And they make us think that there are only two ways to do gender. I’m going to work hard to find other books that correct this mistake.”
“Did you notice that this book only has the boys carrying heavy boxes on moving day? Hmm. I might not read that again. Let’s see if I can find a book where gender doesn’t stop people from helping out.”
Good: “We’re going to learn about cancer today, focusing on breast and cervical cancers as examples. But the research on this generally isn’t inclusive of transgender people, some of whom have breasts or a cervix but are not women. This means that many people who may be at risk for these cancers aren’t included in this research.”
Better: Say the above, and lead a discussion –“How might excluding transgender people from research in this area put them at risk?” – or add resources: “If you’re interested, I’ve put two studies in our online folder looking at cervical cancer rates in transgender men.”
Best: Re-write your lesson so that it incorporates transgender-related content (including barriers to accessing care) alongside mainstream content, in a tone that says “this is part of learning about this topic” and is not exceptionalizing.
By coming out as a person with a gender, you are helping your students to see gender as something that is a process for everyone across our lives, including someone they respect and look to for guidance: you. Here I am speaking particularly to cisgender (non-transgender) teachers. Transgender teachers are very often objects of learning and discussion for students, whether we choose to leverage our stories or not. If you are cisgender and/or gender-conforming, you can make your own relationship with gender visible and a tool in your gender-friendly teaching toolkit.
I’m confident that you can think of other practices to integrate into your ordinary teaching day that do the kind of work these four represent. When you set out to make gender-friendly changes, remember that you are always doing two things. First, you’re letting transgender-spectrum and gender nonconforming students know that you see us, and that you are thinking about the ways in which school can be challenging or even unsafe for us. Second, you are helping all students – transgender and cisgender – develop the capacities they need to help you create and sustain your gender-friendly climate, for everyone.
Download the pro-learning session, Welcoming Gender Diversity in Schools and Classrooms.
Photo: iStock
First published in Education Canada, June 2019
The time has come for educators and concerned parents to start challenging the myths and misinformation circulating about LGBTQ2 youth with facts that are based in evidence and research, to break through the fear and silence that still surrounds LGBTQ2-inclusive education in our schools.
In 2005, Canada became the fourth country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage. Since that time, our nation has taken great strides towards the full inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and two-spirit (LGBTQ2) people in Canadian society. Despite these progressive moves forward, students in our K-12 school system still experience significant bullying, harassment, violence, and discrimination. In particular, our transgender, two-spirit, and LGBTQ2 youth of colour often face some of the most hostile and uninviting environments. Much of this discrimination and prejudice is rooted in stereotypes, fear, and misinformation that continues to be perpetuated by those opposed to LGBTQ2 equality.
This article provides the straight facts on LGBTQ2 youth by addressing the eight most common myths and misconceptions that surround sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression in schools.
Being LGBTQ2 is an identity, not a choice, lifestyle, or phase someone grows out of. Nor does someone become LGBTQ2 because they were physically or sexually abused as a child. Much of this misinformation is rooted in the belief that LGBTQ2 people are abnormal, disordered, or mentally ill. No credible medical or psychological association in the world continues to validate these harmful stereotypes. In fact, sexual orientation and gender identity are considered to be so complex that the exact origins are unknown. However, what is widely known is that any attempts to “fix,” “cure,” or “repair” a person’s sexual orientation and gender identity is not only unethical and unprofessional, it can cause great harm and lifelong damage.
Children report being aware of their gender differences at early ages. Research shows that youth who later identified as transgender or gender diverse reported first recognizing their gender identity as different at an average age of 8.5 years old.1 Sexual orientation is also identified early for many young people. On average, lesbian, gay, or bisexual youth become aware of their different sexual orientations around age ten, yet often do not “come out” and share this information until about age 15 or 16.
Unfortunately, prejudice, discrimination, stigma, and fear all contribute to youth feeling they have to hide or deny who they are.
I once had a school principal say to me, “There are no gay or lesbian youth in my school.” What this principal didn’t realize is that there were no visible LGBTQ2 youth in the school, most likely because it was not a safe place. Visibility and safety are tightly interwoven together, especially in any school-related context.
The belief that you can tell who LGBTQ2 youth are by simply looking at or by listening to them is based in old, unfounded stereotypes and beliefs. Just as not all gay men are hairdressers, and not all lesbians are truck drivers, not all transgender kids are gender non-conforming or cross dress. These stereotypes are rooted in powerful beliefs about gender and how young people should express their gender identity in typically masculine or feminine ways. For example, little boys who like to dance or do ballet are often called “sissies” or “faggots.” Girls who like to play sports or climb trees are frequently called “lesbos” or “dykes.” In these examples, homophobic bullying is used as a weapon of sexism, targeting children who are deemed to be different from the norm. These kinds of stereotypical beliefs often keep young people trapped in “gender boxes,” which serve to regulate and limit the full expression of their identities, hopes, and dreams.
“Why can’t you just keep it to yourself? Why do you have to flaunt it? If you didn’t wear those clothes, this bullying wouldn’t happen to you.” These are all-too-common messages that many LGBTQ2 youth hear on a regular basis. This victim-blaming positions LGBTQ2 youth as a problem that needs to be fixed, rather than focusing on the environment of homophobia, transphobia, and heteronormativity that creates a climate where it is OK to discriminate against and target those who are perceived to be different.
A person’s sexual orientation or gender identity is often still thought of as an invisible difference that can or should be hidden. But at what cost? The cost to LGBTQ2 youth when they feel they can’t be out and visible is well documented. Having to hide or deny who you are can lead to depression, self-harm, increased use of drugs and alcohol, and suicide ideation.
Sadly, in Canada, the three most targeted groups for hate crimes are the Black, Jewish, and LGBTQ2 community. Here we can clearly see the impacts of racism, anti-Semitism, and homophobia and transphobia. Of all the hate crimes committed, the ones that are the most violent in nature, and often require serious medical attention, are targeted toward LGBTQ2 people. This illustrates the power of stereotypes and the processes of dehumanization that position some individuals not as people, but as objects to be hated and destroyed.
No one should be targeted or discriminated against because of who they are, how they act, or whom they love.
There is no doubt that parents play an extremely critical role in the health and well-being of their children. Research indicates having a supportive family is one of the most important resiliency factors in the lives of all young people. Without strong parental support, many LGBTQ2 youth experience poor psychological well-being, lower self-esteem, increased post-traumatic stress disorder, and much higher rates of suicide.
Recently there has been significant debate about parents having the “right to know” if their child comes out as LGBTQ2 at school. Some parents suggest that they should be immediately notified, for example, if their child attends a gay-straight alliance (GSA). Others maintain that it should always be up to the child to determine who should know about their sexual orientation or gender identity.
LGBTQ2 youth should always have the right to “come out” on their own terms and only when they are ready to share that important part of their identity. In some provinces, it is a breach of privacy legislation to disclose a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity without their direct permission. The consequences of “outing,” or unwanted disclosure, can be life-altering. For example, research indicates that between 20-40 percent of all homeless youth are LGBTQ2. In Edmonton, recent statistics indicate that more than 70 percent of youth at one emergency youth shelter identify as LGBTQ2. Sadly, parental rejection is one of the leading causes of youth homelessness. For some LGBTQ2 youth, places like GSAs may be the only safe spaces that they have in their lives.
Ultimately, if a parent wants to know about their child’s sexual orientation or gender identity, all they have to do is ask them. If they are ready, children will gladly tell their parents. If they are not ready or don’t feel safe doing so, no child should be forced to come out. Likewise, no professional should ever share a student’s sexual orientation or gender identity without their direct permission. In fact, unwanted disclosure could be considered an act of unprofessional conduct with serious repercussions.
As the visibility of transgender youth has increased rapidly in mainstream culture, conversely, opposition to the inclusion of transgender students in schools has risen dramatically over the past several years. This opposition has been led by parental rights groups, far-right political parties, some conservative religious organizations, and even a few vocal school board trustees. One of the main arguments against trans-inclusive school policies is the creation of a perceived “loophole” for sexual predators to gain access to female-only spaces such as washrooms, locker rooms, and sports teams. The common refrain heard is that “men don’t belong in women’s bathrooms!” These opponents to trans-inclusion often frame their beliefs in opposition to what they perceive as “radical liberal political correctness,” and call for a return to traditional “family values,” which position and privilege cisgender heterosexual families as the moral bedrock of society.
Historical movements once designed to oppress and counter the advancement of lesbian and gay people have now changed tactics to focus on transgender people, especially in schools. While the focus of these oppressive movements has shifted, the tactics remain the same, with an emphasis on the potential harms of LGBTQ-inclusive policies and curriculum on vulnerable and impressionable children. The goal is to create a “gender panic,” largely fed by emotionally fueled stereotypes and sensationalized claims about transgender people. Similar tactics, for example, were used to oppose the legalization of same-sex marriage in Canada with outlandish statements suggesting that legalizing gay marriage would lead to bestiality and the collapse of the family unit – none of which, naturally, have come true.
These arguments lack empirical validity. What research does clearly tell us is that fears of increased safety and privacy violations associated with trans-inclusive laws or policies are not empirically based.2 In other words, the claims of predators in girls’ bathrooms are a myth based more in transphobia and hysteria than any presumed reality.
By not having explicit trans-inclusive policies in schools, the real risk is to transgender students.3 Many who continue to be misgendered and made to feel unsafe in their schools, are scared to go to the bathroom (which can lead to serious health complications), and/or view their schools as spaces that do not support them.
Thankfully, every province and territory in Canada, and over 20 states in the U.S., have now passed non-discrimination laws or ordinances that explicitly include gender identity. Many Canadian provincial ministries of education have also issued best practices to support trans and gender-diverse students in schools.
A common argument is that LGBTQ2-specific policies are unnecessary, because anti-bullying policies already include everyone. Singling out LGBTQ2 students gives them special treatment that is not afforded to other students. This “one size fits all” approach to policy making is popular, but seldom effective in actually reducing risk and improving the safety and educational outcomes of marginalized students. For example, most school districts now have comprehensive standalone policies in place to support Indigenous students. Educators understand that because of colonization, historical trauma, the legacy of residential schools, and ongoing discrimination in society, Indigenous students have unique needs and concerns that ought to be recognized and supported by all members of the school community.
Research demonstrates that generic or “catch all” policies are not effective when it comes to supporting LGBTQ2 youth in schools. Effective policies must be clear and comprehensive if they are going to have the desired impact. For example, how do school trustees and administrators expect policies to work effectively if they can’t even say or use the words LGBTQ2? This form of structural invisibility, or silencing, tells LGBTQ2 students that their identities do not matter.
Thankfully, the vast majority of Canadian educators (85 percent) support LGBTQ2-inclusive education, including 83 percent of Catholic educators.4 However, far fewer educators (37 percent) report knowing how to create LGBTQ2-inclusive classrooms. This policy-to-practice gap shows that policies need to be supported by high-quality professional development and robust implementation plans if they are actually going to be effective in changing school culture and improving student outcomes. This is why many school districts in Canada have adopted the SOGI 123 (www.sogieducation.org) program to help equip educators with the knowledge, tools, and resources necessary to build inclusive school environments for LGBTQ2 students and families.
Ideally, yes, it would be great if all schools were safe spaces and all teachers were allies for LGBTQ2 students. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. The Every Teacher Project (2015) found that almost half of all Canadian educators surveyed (49 percent) heard homonegative comments (e.g. “That’s so gay”) weekly in their school.5 One in five (22 percent) reported that other teachers were using that same homonegative language at school. Likewise, when teachers hear homonegative comments in their classrooms, yet say nothing, their silence can signal consent to the discrimination. This silence sends a powerful message to LGBTQ2 students that their teacher may not be a safe person to reach out to for support.
To help break this silence, some school boards now require each school to appoint a “safe contact” who acts as a public resource person on LGBTQ2 issues. Often these safe contacts serve as advisors to the school’s gay-straight alliance (GSA). Gay-straight alliances are another important way to create safe spaces and to identify trusted teachers who can serve as important allies for LGBTQ2 students. Some provinces, like Ontario, Manitoba, and Alberta, have passed legislation to support a student’s legal right to start a GSA in their school. This legislation has led to a strong and growing GSA movement across Canada, which includes the creation of many new GSAs in private, Catholic, and faith-based schools.
Research demonstrates that in schools with GSAs, students report more supportive teachers and administrators who “made a real difference in their lives.”6 Students also reported increased friendships and fewer physical, psychological, and behavioural health concerns. Conversely, in schools without a GSA, students reported feeling more socially isolated and having fewer friendships.
It is clear that the more supportive practices a school has in place, such as comprehensive LGBTQ2 policies, safe contacts, and GSAs, the less homophobic bullying students experience and the more connected and supported LGBTQ2 students feel.7 GSAs, LGBTQ2-inclusive curriculum, and high-quality professional development all help to create a school culture that welcomes, affirms, and celebrates LGBTQ2 students as an important and valued part of the school community.
In many schools, LGBTQ2 issues are completely omitted from sexual health education classes. This often happens because of personal discomfort, embarrassment, lack of training, and fear of parental backlash. There is a common misconception that by talking about sex, youth will have more of it; or that by including LGBTQ2 issues, youth will experiment and become gay. In reality, considerable research has shown that abstinence-based education actually serves to increase pregnancy and rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Likewise, no one becomes gay by talking about LGBTQ2 issues. What we do know is that sexual health education should be comprehensive (which means LGBTQ2 inclusive), age-appropriate (with key concepts and terminology differentiated by grade level), science-based (with evidence-based facts), and non-judgmental (not steeped in one person’s or culture’s beliefs).
Unfortunately, STIs and HIV are on the rise among youth in Canada. These are only some of the critical reasons demonstrating why comprehensive sexual health education is urgently needed in today’s schools. As an example, Quebec now requires all students to take sexual health education classes and offers very few grounds for exemption, while Alberta has the opposite approach and provides parents with the legal right to opt their child out of any sexual health classes without providing any reason.
The reality is that the vast majority of students want inclusive sexual health education, not from their parents but from their teachers. They trust their teachers to provide them with accurate information that is free from bias, prejudice, and stigma. And many schools are now approaching sexual health education as a public health imperative, with the belief that providing students with high quality, non-judgmental information is the best way to reduce risk and promote healthy relationships for all students.
Research demonstrates that hostile school climates and school victimization can have significant negative academic and psychological impacts on LGBTQ2 students – sometimes with lifelong consequences.8 Sadly, suicide is still one of the leading causes of death for LGBTQ2 youth who have been taught to hate themselves or have been bullied to death. No child should have to go to school in fear.
The time has come for all educators and concerned parents to start challenging the myths and misinformation circulating about LGBTQ2 youth with facts that are based in evidence and research. We must use these truths to break through the fear and silence that still surrounds LGBTQ2-inclusive education in our schools. Every child should have the right to be themselves fully and completely. Perhaps the greatest gift we can give our LGBTQ2 children is to tell them: we see you, we love you, and we support you.
Research estimates that between .07% to 2.7% of the youth population identifies as transgender.
The 2015 Canadian Trans Youth Health Survey Report, which included 923 trans-identified youth from across Canada, found that:
Language and identities are constantly evolving, especially among youth communities. If you’re unsure what a term means, just ask!
Cisgender: A person whose gender identity and sex assigned at birth are congruent.
GSA (Gay-Straight Alliance or Gender-Sexuality Alliance): Student organizations found in many K-12 schools that create safe and supportive places for LGBTQ2 students and their allies.
Gender Diverse/Gender Non-Conforming/Non-Binary: A person whose gender identity and/or gender expression do not conform to the norms and stereotypes society expects of their assigned sex. Youth may identify with neither or both genders.
Gender Identity: A sense of one’s self as transgender, genderqueer, woman, man, or some other identity, which may or may not correspond with the sex and gender one is assigned at birth.
Heteronormativity: A system or cultural bias that works, often unconsciously, to normalize behaviours and societal expectations that are tied to the presumption of heterosexuality and an adherence to a strict gender binary.
Homonegativity: Negative attitudes towards lesbian, gay, and bisexual people and relationships.
LGBTQ2: An initialism for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, two-spirit. Sexual and gender minorities is a synonymous term. LGBTQ2+ adds a “plus sign” to represent other constellations of identities such as asexual, pansexual, questioning, etc.
Misgendering: Attributing a gender to someone that is incorrect/does not align with their gender identity. Can occur when using pronouns, gendered language (e.g. “Hello ladies!” “Hey guys”), or assigning genders to people without knowing how they identify (“Well, since we’re all women in this room, we understand…”).
Rainbow Flag: An international symbol of the LGBTQ2 movement designed by Gilbert Baker in 1978. Each of the six colours has a unique meaning. Red for life. Orange for healing. Yellow for sunlight. Green for nature. Blue for serenity. Purple for spirit.
Sexual Orientation: Feelings of attraction, behaviour, intimacy, or identification that direct people toward intimacy with others.
Transgender/Trans: A person whose gender identity does not align with their sex assigned at birth.
Two-Spirit: A spiritual identity for some Indigenous people. This term implies the embodiment of both masculine and feminine spiritual qualities within the same body, and has different meanings for different Indigenous communities. Some Indigenous people use this term instead of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, etc.
Download the pro-learning session, Understanding Myths and Misconceptions about LGBTQ2 Youth at School.
Photo: iStock
First published in Education Canada, June 2019
1 J. Rafferty, AAP Committee on Psychosocial Aspects of Child and Family Health, AAP Committee on Adolescence, & AAP Section on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Health and Wellness,“Ensuring Comprehensive Care and Support for Transgender and Gender Diverse Children and Adolescents,” Pediatrics 142, no. 4 (2018): 1-14.
2 A. Hasenbush, A. R. Flores, and J. L. Herman, “Gender Identity Nondiscrimination Laws in Public Accommodations: A review of evidence regarding safety and privacy in public restrooms, locker rooms, and changing rooms,” Sexuality Research and Policy Review 16, no. 1 (2018): 70-83.
3 J. Veale, E. Saewyc, H. Frohard-Dourlent, et al., and the Canadian Trans Youth Health Survey Research Group, Being Safe, Being Me: Results of the Canadian Trans Youth Health Survey (Vancouver, BC: Stigma and Resilience Among Vulnerable Youth Centre, School of Nursing, University of British Columbia, 2015).
4 C. Taylor, T. Peter, C. Campbell, et al., The Every Teacher Project on LGBTQ-Inclusive Education in Canada’s K-12 Schools: Final report (Winnipeg, MB: Manitoba Teachers’ Society, 2015).
5 Taylor et. al., 2015.
6 T. Fetner and A. Elafros, “The GSA Difference: LGBTQ and ally experiences in high schools with and without gay-straight alliances,” Social Sciences 4 (2015): 563-581.
7 K. Wells, How Can Schools Support LGBTQ2 Students? (Fact Sheet: EdCan Network, 2018). www.edcan.ca/articles/how-can-schools-support-lgbtq2-students
8 K. Wells, “Generation Queer: Sexual minority youth and Canadian schools,” Education Canada 48, no. 1 (Winter 2008): 18-23.
In reference to the article The Straight Facts: Eight Common Myths and Misconceptions about LGBTQ2 Youth
Does your group still have burning questions or comments? Encourage them to connect with Dr. Kristopher Wells, lead author for the article on which this discussion guide is based.
In reference to the article The Gender-Friendly Classroom: Practical advice for teachers on welcoming gender diversity every day
Gender identity: each person’s internal and individual experience of gender. It is a person’s sense of being a woman, a man, both, neither, or anywhere along the gender spectrum. A person’s gender identity may be the same as or different from their birth-assigned sex.
For most people, their sex and gender identity align. For some, it does not. A person may be born male but identify as a woman, or born female but identify as a man. Other people may identify outside the categories of woman/man, or may see their gender identity as fluid and moving between different genders at different times in their life.
Gender expression: how a person publicly presents or expresses their gender. This can include behaviour and outward appearance such as dress, hair, make-up, body language and voice. A person’s chosen name and pronoun are also common ways people express their gender. Others perceive a person’s gender through these attributes.
All people, regardless of their gender identity, have a gender expression and they may express it in any number of ways. For trans people, their chosen name, preferred pronoun and apparel are common ways they express their gender. People who are trans may also take medically supportive steps to align their body with their gender identity.
Trans or transgender: an umbrella term that describes people with diverse gender identities and gender expressions that do not conform to stereotypical ideas about what it means to be a girl/woman or boy/man in society. “Trans” can mean transcending beyond, existing between, or crossing over the gender spectrum. It includes but is not limited to people who identify as transgender, transsexual, cross dressers or gender non-conforming (gender variant or gender queer).
“Trans” includes people whose gender identity is different from the gender associated with their birth-assigned sex. Trans people may or may not undergo medically supportive treatments, such as hormone therapy and a range of surgical procedures, to align their bodies with their internally felt gender identity.
People who have transitioned from one gender to another may simply identify as female or male. Others may also identify as trans, as a trans woman or a trans man. Some people may identify as trans and not use the labels “female” or “male.” Others may identify as existing between male and female or in different ways beyond the binary of male/female.
Trans people may identify their gender in many ways. There is no single or universal experience of what it means to be trans. As a result, different trans people face distinct forms of discrimination in society, and this may relate to whether they identify as male, female, a person with a trans history, a person in the process of transitioning, a trans man, trans woman, transsexual, or gender non-conforming.
Source: Ontario Human Rights Commission. “Appendix B: Glossary for understanding gender identity and expression.” Accessible from http://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/
Does your group still have burning questions or comments? Encourage them to connect with Dr. Lee Airton, lead author for the article on which this discussion guide is based: www.genderyourguide.com
Email: lee.airton@queensu.ca
Safe and inclusive school environments are especially important to those who have marginalized experiences, such as those who are lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender, queer, 2-spirited, or other gender or sexuality minorities (LGBTQ2+). This article reports on the efforts by the Nova Scotia Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (EECD), in partnership with the LGBTQ2+ community, to transform schools into spaces where all children and youth are equitably included, validated and affirmed.
A sense of safety, acceptance, and belonging at school is essential to the academic development and well-being of children and youth. Safe and inclusive school environments are especially important to those who have marginalized experiences, such as those who are lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender, queer, 2-spirited, or other gender or sexuality minorities (LGBTQ2+).
The Nova Scotia Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (EECD), in partnership with the LGBTQ2+ community, is on a journey to transform schools into spaces where all children and youth are equitably included, validated and affirmed. To allow people to authentically live and express their identities, meaningful and purposeful changes are being made to school spaces, the student information system, curriculum, policies and guidelines, and school-based resources. Although significant changes have occurred to better support the educational experiences of LGBTQ2+ learners, we remain committed to reaching every classroom in every school.
Queer youth are not simply waiting for us to catch up; instead they have become the force of transformation within the education system. Almost unimaginable a decade ago, the subject of gender identity, expression and sexuality has become an undeniable part of the landscape within schools today. Young people are erasing the lines created by the historical binaries of gender expression and heteronormative expectations. Youth, their allies, and parents have called upon the education system to examine how schools need to change to support the identities of all learners and to ensure they have equitable access to all aspects of school life. A report by EGALE Canada (2011), Every Class in Every School,1 stresses the importance of appropriate consultation when considering vulnerable groups, GSAs, teacher preparation, curriculum and policy development.
Over the past several years in Nova Scotia, a strong collaborative partnership has grown between EECD and the Youth Project, a non-profit organization whose mission is, “to make Nova Scotia a safer, healthier, and happier place for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth through support, education, resource expansion and community development.” The Youth Project, through first voice and leadership, has played an integral role in supporting schools and EECD with student workshops, teacher and leadership professional development, Gender and Sexuality Alliances (GSAs), curriculum and resource consultation, and facility design. Through our collaboration with the Youth Project, the education system is becoming more informed, inclusive and intentional in its design and practice.
In December 2012, the Nova Scotia Human Rights Act was amended to disallow discrimination based on gender identity and gender expression. In 2014, the Nova Scotia Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (EECD) responded with the Guidelines to Support Transgender and Gender-nonconforming Students.2 The guidelines were prepared in consultation with youth and organizations representing the LGBTQ2+ community, and included topics such as: supporting students and their individual process, preferred name and pronouns, maintaining school records, gender expression, school-based activities, and access to washrooms and changerooms. They helped educators grow in their understanding of current issues facing transgender and gender-diverse children and youth in schools, and also brought to the surface a recognition of how gendered and non-inclusive many of the beliefsand practices are in the education system, and how they need to change.
Nova Scotia Education and Early Childhood Development data from 2016-17 indicated that approximately 65 percent of schools in the province, with Grade 7 -12 students, had a Gender Sexuality Alliance (GSA). Since this time, the number of GSAs has been growing, with a number of elementary schools now participating. Queer youth tell us that when GSAs are present in schools, they feel safer, more accepted and supported. They can identify and express their gender and/or sexuality more freely and with pride. EECD, with our partners, continues to work to increase the number of GSAs in schools and to ensure they are active and impactful school-based supports for learners. Our goal is to have a GSA in every school, that is celebrated and recognized as an important impetus in changing school culture.
Included in the Guidelines to Support Transgender and Gender-Nonconforming Students, is a recommendation to provide safe access to washroom and changeroom facilities in accordance with the student’s gender identity. The guidelines state:
“All students have a right to safe washroom and change-room facilities. They have the right to use facilities that they are comfortable using and that correspond to their gender identity, regardless of their sex assigned at birth. Transgender and gender-nonconforming students have the right to supports that best meet the student’s individual needs.” (pg. 15)
In response, the team at Facilities Management began to think differently about traditional washroom and changeroom design. They began exploring ways these spaces could be changed to support transgender and gender-diverse students. As a result, a highly consultative process began which included, educators, school administrators, EECD staff, architects, engineers, Youth Project staff, and students, including local LGBTQ2+ students. Through this process, it became evident that addressing gender and gender identity rights actually addresses the universal rights of all people. As a result, new school construction and renovations include innovative washroom and changeroom designes that are non-gendered and inclusive, and respond to concerns in relation to the safety and privacy of all students. Darrell MacDonald, Director of Education Facilities Project Services for the NS Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal, explains,
“Our focus on universality has been the cornerstone of the success of the initiatives. The two foundational elements of privacy and safety, which aren’t limited to any particular segment of society but are truly universal, have allowed us to overcome social stigmas.”
In 2017, EECD introduced the Pre-primary Program to several schools across Nova Scotia, with a commitment to have the program available in all schools by 2020. The initiative provides free and accessible early childhood education to four-year-olds. The Youth Project (YP) consulted with EECD staff in the development of Nova Scotia’s Early Learning curriculum framework. which introduces gender flexible practices and an opportunity to interrupt the traditional gendered behaviours and expectations in early learning environments. We must intentionally support gender-creative children to affirm how they feel and allow them to explore who they are.
Providing children and youth the opportunity to safely express their name, gender identity and preferred pronoun affirms who they are and enhances their sense of belonging. We are reprogramming and creating spaces in PowerSchool, our student information system, and the school registration process, where learners and/or their parents can equitably document their authentic identity. This allows us to register learners without causing undue harm and stress, or inadvertently outing individuals.
Although there was previously a process by which students could identify a preferred name that would be used by teachers and school staff, it was not visible in all areas of PowerSchool. For example, lists generated by the student information system, such as substitute roll call, honor roll, student fees and even yearbook pictures, still displayed the legal name and not the learner’s preferred name. To correct this issue, in 2018, PowerSchool was updated to display the preferred name on all school documents including report cards, and in all areas of the system. Although the legal name remains in PowerSchool, it is only presented on official documents, such as academic transcripts and provincial high school diplomas.
In 2019, the Nova Scotia Vital Statistics Act was amended to include the gender marker “X”, in addition to M (male) and F (female), similar to the change made to Canadian Passports. This has resulted in further updates to PowerSchool and the school registration process. The system will now record gender, instead of identified sex at birth, include the gender marker “X” for non-binary and other gender identities, and will no longer require a legal gender change through Vital Statistics in order to have one’s identity documented in schools. For the majority, sex assigned at birth and gender identity align, therefore no change is necessary. For learners who are transgender, gender fluid or diverse, this change will empower them to safely identify who they are without fear and unwanted stigma. These changes will continue to challenge the strictly held lines of traditional binaries and expand our understanding of diverse identities.
More recently, we have been focusing on the complexities of intersectionality, such as race and socio-economics, in relation to our work in gender, gender identity and sexuality. In addition, we are attempting to make connections with other initiatives, such as inclusive education, culturally responsive pedagogy, and relational approaches. There is an ongoing need to support educators, through professional learning opportunities, relevant curriculum and resources, and innovative leadership. Through all this, it is our obligation to create school cultures that acknowledge and respect all learners and their families. Our experience tells us, this cannot be done in the absence of safe, trusting and authentic partnerships with community.
To guide our future direction, we remain focused on the voices of our LGBTQ2+ learners and the affirmation of who they are in all areas of their lives. Issues of equity must remain at the core of our vision for education. From classrooms, to schools, to government, we are called to educate ourselves, challenge our biases and beliefs, and revise our processes and practices to ensure a safe and inclusive educational experience for all.
Photo:
First published in Education Canada, May 2019
Notes
1 Taylor, C. & Peter, T. (2011). Every class in every school: Final report on the first national climate survey on homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia in Canadian schools, Egale Canada Human Rights Trust. https://egale.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/EgaleFinalReport-web.pdf
2 Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, (2014). Guidelines for Supporting Transgender and Gender-Nonconforming Students (Nova Scotia: 2014). http://studentservices.ednet.ns.ca
When we set out to plan this issue on Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation, I wondered if it might be difficult to find enough authors. Far from it! The people I approached about contributing accepted with enthusiasm, and we had the strongest response to our call for queries I have seen since I began editing this magazine. Clearly, the time is right for us to focus on this important topic.
It’s no secret that updating “sex ed” curricula to include SOGI (sexual orientation and gender identity) has proved controversial in Canada. Significant numbers of parents don’t want their children exposed to these concepts. (Many others do, as a recent poll by the Ontario Ministry of Education survey revealed.) But as Bryan Gidinski points out, children already are exposed. They have classmates with same-sex parents, they see trans people on the street and wonder about them, and they hear the slurs. More crucially, we have students in every school who will be at physical and/or emotional risk if they are not met with understanding and inclusion. And we are not there yet. I recently heard a very upset parent describe how her 11-year-old daughter spoke out against some taunting she observed at school, saying “There’s nothing wrong with being gay.” She has been harassed and bullied ever since, just for voicing her support.
So let’s get down to the how. How do we build a school culture where all students, across the gender and sexuality spectrums, feel (and are) safe, accepted, and free to be themselves?
Our contributors have a wealth of ideas to move us toward that goal. They tackle many of the uncertainties educators face: How to talk about SOGI to very young students; how to handle concerns based on religious and cultural beliefs; how to create gender-friendly classrooms; and the facts to counter common myths about LGTBQ2+ students. In our Voice of Experience column, trans student Kyle George shares how personal gestures of support from teachers made a world of difference to them. Systemic supports are important, but so are the small acts of kindness that tell a student, “I’m on your side.”
For better or worse, school plays a huge role in children’s development. It is not just where they learn; it is their social hub – or crucible. It is where they start to “try on” their adult identities. As Kristopher Wells writes, “Every child should have the right to be themselves fully and completely.” If we can make this the reality in our public schools, that is a big step towards a future where it simply is the reality, and we hope that this issue serves as an important resource to help educators get there.
Photo: Dave Donald
First published in Education Canada, June 2019