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Beyond Boys and Girls: Creating an Inclusive Classroom for Diverse Gender and LGBTQ Identities through Literacy

Activities Theory in Practice Reflection for HTH 200: Equity, Diversity, and Design Principles Boys and girls is a common refrain in elementary school classrooms. The gender binary is deeply entrenched in our society, and school is no exception. When students partner up in the classroom, girls tend to work with girls and boys with boys. On the playground of High Tech Elementary, groups of boys play basketball while groups of girls hula hoop. Best friends are rarely of different genders. In the face of such self-segregation, its tempting to adopt an essentialist perspective. Males and females are just different, we might conclude; its natural. But is nature the only force at play? To what extent do teachers and parents perpetuate gender stereotypes and expectations for our children? How can we support children who have a more fluid conception of their gender or are raised by LGBTQ-identifying parents? How can we make our classrooms a safe space for individual expression, free from the confines of the gender binary and heteronormativity? During the first month of school, a second-grade teacher told me about a curious experience in her classroom. In between lessons, the class was playing an imaginative game that involved moving around the room as different creatures. All of the students were enjoying the game; they stomped like bears, buzzed like bees, and wriggled like fish. But then, the teacher asked the students to float around like mermaids. Suddenly, a wave of protest rose up from the boys! Eww, mermaids! Were not mermaids. Mermaids are girls. One week on, the classroom teacher and I reflected on this experience. Whats the big deal? she queried. They were having so much fun. Why did the idea of mermaids make the boys so uncomfortable? Good question, I thought. Around the same time, I witnessed a more disturbing incident during an observation in an upper elementary classroom. Students were working on various assignments, and the volume level was fairly high. As I sat down to take some notes, I heard a badgering, belligerent whisper: Gay gay gay gay gay . . . I looked up to see a boy following another around the room, hurling these words into his classmates face. I didnt know what to say, but I had to intervene. Excuse me, I said, We dont use that tone of voice at school. Do you know why? The offending student seemed genuinely thoughtful. It can hurt peoples feelings, he replied, but we dont mind. That word doesnt hurt us. His response didnt surprise me. Throughout my own schooling, I constantly heard the phrase Thats so gay! used in a disparaging way. According to a New York Times (2009) article about the experiences of LGBTQ middle school students, the phrase has become so ubiquitous in the culture of the average middle school that even friends of gay students sometimes use it. I tried to explain to the 4th grade student how using that word in that way was hurtful, no matter who was speaking and listening, and brought the conversation to a close. Although I was glad to have acted, I was unsatisfied with my response and doubted whether I'd really got through to this child. I was left deeply troubled by the derogatory tone he'd used. How could a child so young be so homophobic?

These experiences my living text have motivated me to address the harmful effects of gendernormativity and heteronormativity in my co-taught first grade classroom. While my own personal views will undoubtedly influence my approach, my goal is not for students to adopt my beliefs. My goal is to build a safe, inclusive community, where students are accepted for who they are. As part of this process, I want students to know that they need not conform to gender expectations. Its okay for girls to play sports and boys to be in touch with their feelings. Its okay for kids to dress in a way that suits their sense of identity, regardless of gendered associations around color and clothing. In addition, I would like to expose students to different family structures, including LGBTQ-identifying parents. Once again, my hope is these firstgraders will come to respect same-sex parents as part of our school community, just as they do opposite-sex parents. However children identify, no matter what their family background, our classroom should be a place where everyone feels welcome. To communicate these messages, I taught a unit of study that explored gender fluidity through readalouds, discussions, and a short project. The readaloud books (listed below) feature characters who, in expressing their true selves, do not conform to gender or heteronormative expectations. To aid the students comprehension, our focus skill for each story was to determine the message, i.e. what the story is trying to tell us. After each readaloud, students shared their thoughts about the storys message with partners and then, if they wished, with the whole class. To conclude this literacy-based unit, the class created its own book that affirms individual identities. (Many thanks to Katie Sciurba, Director of Faculty Research at HTH GSE, for this fitting idea. ) To guide students writing and invite ideas around gender fluidity, each student contributed a page using the following sentence frame: My name is . . ., and its okay that I . . . (Samples of students first drafts are included in Appendix A.) After students completed their second draft, they participated in one final readaloud, sharing their individual page with the class. Finally, the book became part of the classroom library, serving as a reminder of the project and the our communitys inclusive spirit. When I first brought up the idea for this unit with my teaching partner, I was a little bit nervous. Like Linda F. Nathan (2009), a principal who took on issues around heterosexism and homophobia in her school community, I wasnt sure how my teaching partner would react to my views and vision. Gender identity and hetero-normativity are more sensitive subjects than math and literacy, and personal opinions deeply affect how we approach them in the classroom. For some teachers, these topics are simply off limits. In the past, Ive worked with educators who thought that any breach of the gender binary would be confusing for children. While I acknowledge that clarity is important, I imagine that the binary is already confusing for children who feel like they dont fit into a particular gender group. Moreover, children may feel limited and frustrated by the restrictive expectations of their assigned group. In grappling with the complex subject of identity, I sometimes wonder if educators themselves are confused. Accordingly, I offer this advice from Stephen Russell, a professor at the University of Arizona, as quoted in a recent article from Teaching Tolerance (2013): Its OK to say, I need to stop and figure this out. Just remember, this isnt about your values. Its about your legal and moral obligation to support every child as the best

teacher you can be. You dont have to be supportive of gay rights or gender fluidity to be a resource for a gender-fluid kidthats a very important message for teachers to hear. At High Tech Elementary, I was relieved to learn that my teaching partner and I saw eye-to-eye on these issues. In fact, she embraced my vision for the unit, and was eager to discuss books that promote fender fluidity, examine students attitudes, and create a culture of inclusivity. My site director was also very supportive of my efforts, offering contacts, resources, and funds to purchase books for the unit. These experiences were encouraging; they confirmed that key players at High Tech Elementary are not just educationally progressive but socially progressive. In an admittedly flawed attempt to measure the project's effects, I used a short pre- and postunit survey to see if there was any change in students attitudes. The questions presented as agree/disagree responses to written statements gauged students opinions on the units three main topics: gender expectations, gender fluidity, and same-sex parents. By beginning each statement with the phase Its okay that . . . I tried to get at the units main goal: acceptance. (I also like the word okay because it carries the connotation of normalcy, and I hope we can work towards a society where gender fluidity and LGBTQ relationships are considered normal.) In future, however, I would like to explore kid-friendly language that, in addition to acceptance, shows support and celebration. The survey questions were as follows:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11.

Its okay for a girl to do ballet. Its okay for a boy to do ballet Its okay for a girl to play football. Its okay for a boy to play football. Its okay for a kid to do boy things and girl things. Its okay for a girl and a boy to work together in class. Its okay for a girl and a boy to play together at recess. Its okay for a boy and a girl to be best friends. Its okay for a kid who looks like a boy to feel like a girl. Its okay for a kid who looks like a girl to feel like a boy. Its okay for a kid to have two moms or two dads.

In writing the questions, I discovered how my own thinking is trapped by the gender binary; I often found it hard to ask the questions I wanted without referring to boys and girls. As I move forward in my study and teaching of gender fluidity, I wonder how I can break free of the binary, in my own thinking and in my communication with children. The pre-unit survey data (Appendix B) was fascinating. For the most part, students agreed that it was okay for kids to do particular activities and build relationships, regardless of gender expectations. Out of 21 students, 19 thought it was okay for a kid to do girl things or boy things, and 17 students accepted that a boy and a girl could be best friends. When it came to breaking gender stereotypes, however, there was a more significant divide. While 14 students thought it was okay for a girl to play football, only 5 students believed it was okay for a boy to do ballet. Given this information, one might conclude that for this group of children, it is

more acceptable for a girl to break stereotypes than a boy. In considering sexism, the societal system which grants power and privilege to males, I would contend that boy activities are considered higher status and may confer power to both genders. To maintain this dynamic, boys may experience more social pressure to conform to high-status activities; to do ballet, play like a girl, or do any kind of activities associated with girls would compromise their position of power. This idea was reflected in the students project work. Almost all of the boys wrote about sports, while girls wrote about a variety of activities. Work samples that may be interpreted as breaking gender expectations are included in Appendix A: one boy wrote about a dancing video game, while 3 girls wrote about video games, football and soccer, and baseball, respectively. Questions regarding gender fluidity were also divisive. Half of the class agreed that it was okay for a kid who looks like a boy or girl to feel like the opposite gender, while the remaining half disagreed. After reading stories about transgender identity and expression, I was very interested to see whether students responses would change on the post-unit survey. Finally, I was pleasantly surprised to find that all students (with the exception of one unclear answer) agree that its okay for a kid to have two moms or two dads. A part of me wondered whether students understood this family structure to mean same-sex parents; another (bigger) part of me would prefer to believe that they are already open to and accepting of LGBTQ parents. Selecting the readaloud books was one of the most enjoyable parts of teaching this unit. Thankfully, there are dozens of high-quality childrens books that communicate positive messages around gender fluidity and diverse family structures. In alignment with the units main topics, I chose stories that encouraged readers to challenge gender expectations, support gender fluidity, and respect same-sex parents. For each of these topics, I chose a couple of books. The first introduced the subject in a figurative way through allegorical tales with animals or fantastic creatures while the second situated that subject in the human world. This strategy was intended to sensitize children to the issues and develop empathy for the characters before considering them within our own social construct. I also sought books with racially diverse characters so that all children felt they could see themselves reflected in the stories. Many of the books about gender issues included solely white characters, so I spent additional time tracking down books that featured children of color. As educators, we must have an eye on all systems of oppression. In combatting one system, we must make sure we are not reinforcing another. In facilitating the project, I found myself reflecting deeply about my purpose. In planning readalouds for five- and six-year-olds, I had to translate complex ideas into kid-friendly language and distill the most important messages. During whole-group discussions and pair shares, students commented on the characters likes, dislikes, and feelings. While I focused on gender dynamics, they saw real characters struggling to be their true selves. Consequently, I started thinking less about the gender binary and more about emotions, less about the system of heterosexism and more about happiness. This new perspective brought an emotional richness to the work and helped me realize its true purpose. Why do we want to break gender stereotypes in the first place? Why do we want to strike down the system of heterosexism?

Why do we want to end oppression? To figure it out, I had to see through my students eyes: the end goal is happiness Epilogue The results are in! After sharing their contributions to the class book, students found a quiet spot in the classroom and completed the post-unit survey. Identical to the pre-unit survey, questions examined students attitudes around three topics: gender expectations, gender fluidity, and same-sex parents. On some questions, there was little of no change in the number of agree/disagree responses. There were, however, significant differences in two areas. In responding question 2 - Its okay for a boy to do ballet- the number of students who agreed jumped from 5 to 15. In retrospect, I cant help but wonder if this change had something to do with my instruction. In presenting a model for the project, I shared a page reflecting my own experience doing ballet. Regardless, I was happy to see how quickly students had warmed to the idea of breaking gender stereotypes for boys. The second area of change involved attitudes towards transgender identity. On the pre-unit survey, the class was evenly divided on questions 9 and 10, which state that its okay for a person who looks like one gender to feel like another. On the post-unit survey, however, the number of positive responses grew by 6-8 students. In keeping with the theory of sexism presented in my reflection, students considered it more acceptable for girls to identify as boys than for boys to identify as girls. On a personal level, it was encouraging to see personal attitudes shift in a positive direction. On the pre-unit survey, student 16 disagreed with just 4 of the 11 statements; by the time this student took the final survey, however, he agreed with 10 of the statements. Its possible, of course, that individual students agreed with more statements in an attempt to gain favor with their teachers. By the conclusion of the unit, the message of accepting people for who they are would have been clear to many students. Unless students were given an opportunity to explain their reasoning, it would be difficult to gain a deeper sense of their motivation. Nevertheless, I take satisfaction in how these responses signal progress towards a more inclusive classroom.

Read-Alouds Challenging Gender Expectations 1. The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf 2. The Paper Bag Princess by Robert N. Munsch 3. Oliver Button is a Sissy by Tomie dePaola Supporting Gender Fluidity 4. Goblinheart: A Fairy Tale by Brett Axel 5. Roland Humphrey is Wearing a What? By Eileen Kiernan-Johnson Respecting Same-Sex Parents 6. And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson 7. A Tale of Two Mummies by Vanita Oelschlager

Works Cited Denizet-Lewis, B. (2009, Sep. 23). Coming Out in Middle School. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/27/magazine/27outt.html?pagewanted=all. Nathan, L. F. (2009, October 1). The hardest questions aren't on the test: Lessons from an innovative urban school. Beacon Press. The Gender Spectrum (2013). Teaching Tolerance, Number 44. Retrieved from http://www.tolerance.org/gender-spectrum.

Appendix A: Student Work Samples First Draft of Community Book Pages

Appendix B: Pre-Unit Survey Results


It's okay for . . . 1. a girl to do ballet. 2. a boy to do ballet. 3. a girl to play football. 4. a boy to play football. 5. a kid to do boy things and girl things 6. a girl and a boy to work together in class. 7. a girl and a boy to play together at recess. 8. a boy and a girl to be best friends 9. a kid who looks like a boy to feel like a girl. 10. a kid who looks like a girl to feel like a boy. 11. a kid to have tow moms or two dads. 1 A D D A A A A A D D A 2 D A D A A A A A A A A 3 A A A A A A A A A A A 4 A A A A A A A A A A A 5 A A A A A A A A A A A 6 A ? ? D A A A A D D A 7 ? ? A A A A A D D A A 8 D D A A D A A A D D A 9 A D A A A A A A A A A N Ab Ab Ab Ab Ab Ab Ab Ab Ab Ab Ab 10 D D A A D ? ? ? ? ? ? 11 A D A A A A A A A D A 12 A D A D A A A A A A A 13 D D A A A A D A D D A 14 A D D A A A A A A A A 15 D D D A A A A D D D A 16 D D D A A A D D D D A 17 A D A A A A A A A A A 18 A D A A A A A A D D A 19 A D D A A A A A D D A 20 A A A A A A A A A A A 21 A D A A A A A A D D A Totals (A-D-?) 14-7-0 5-14-2 14-6-1 19-2-0 19-2-0 20-0-1 18-2-1 17-3-1 10-10-1 10-10-1 20-0-1

Appendix C: Post-Unit Survey Results


It's okay for . . . 1. a girl to do ballet. 2. a boy to do ballet. 3. a girl to play football. 4. a boy to play football. 5. a kid to do boy things and girl things 6. a girl and a boy to work together in class. 7. a girl and a boy to play together at recess. 8. a boy and a girl to be best friends 9. a kid who looks like a boy to feel like a girl. 10. a kid who looks like a girl to feel like a boy. 11. a kid to have tow moms or two dads. 1 A A D A A A A A A A A 2 D D D A A A A A A A A 3 A A A A A A A A A A A 4 A A A A A A A A A A A 5 A A A A A A A A A A A 6 A A A A A A A A A A A 7 D D D A A D D D D A A 8 A A D A D A D A D A D 9 A A A A A A A A A A A N A A A A A A A A D D D 10 A D D A D D D D D D D 11 A A A A A A A D A A A 12 A D A A A A A A A A A 13 A D A A D A D A D D A 14 A A A A A A A A A A A 15 A A D A A A A D A A A 16 ? A A A A A A A A A A 17 ? ? A A ? A A A A A A 18 A A A A A A A D A A A 19 Ab Ab Ab Ab Ab Ab Ab Ab Ab Ab Ab 20 A A A A A A A A A A A 21 A A A A A A A A A A A Totals (A-D-?) 17-2-2 15-5-1 15-6-0 21-0-0 17-3-1 19-2-0 17-4-0 16-5-0 16-5-0 18-3-0 18-3-0

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