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By Carolyn Chin
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A Fictionally Inspired Story
Samantha has finally felt comfortable with her body. She was able to finally go to school feeling happy with who she is and wants to show off to her friends her new hair she grew out over the summer! Her parents have accepted her as transgender when she came out at the beginning of summer vacation. They took the steps to help her school take the transition and everything seemed great!
Then, everything changed when the pandemic hit. She was quarantining and doing school virtually from home. Everything was changing around her. With all these changes, came with hardships she faced virtually. The teacher would still call her "Sam" when they were told countless times. Students now harassed her in a private message via Zoom. She felt alone. Why wasn't it getting better? She just wanted to be accepted for who she was and it felt like she was stuck in a deep hole she couldn't get out of...
How could we in the future help students like Samantha feel inclusive in her class environment virtually or in person? What support options does she have? Let's look into what we can learn for future students like Samantha!
Learning Targets
At the end of this lesson, readers should be able to...
Describe who transgender individuals are and what the school and the administration could do to help a child feel inclusive in schools during a pandemic
Name three ways the pandemic has affected Jo, a transgender individual transitioning during school
Jo had to transition to online schooling while also going through her transition
Jo had to adjust to the different changes in her personal life more so because of quarantining.
Jo adapted and was able to find the support she needed to move forward with her education.
Who are Transgender Students?
Transgender students are young individuals who are transitioning their own gender to the opposite. For example; Sally was born a female and now wants to transition from female to male and be called Sal (short for Salvatore) from now on. People become transgender when they realize their gender identity is opposite of what they were born with and physically show off their gender identity (Frequently asked questions about transgender people 2020). It has become a more popular subject matter in society as more people are coming out as transgender. This has become a new "normal" and we as a society are learning to adjust to how we interact with these individuals and how we can help them. Here I will be putting in specific targets that we, as future educators, can help transgender students feel inclusive and welcomed in school facilities!
Here is a short video about the science of being transgender for readers who are interested in how it works in, and affects, the brain for transgender individuals (Moffit & Brown, 2018)!
“What can the school and staff do to help transgender students feel inclusive?”
Mangin (2019) writes in her article that young children who are transitioning need the most support from their teachers, because this could affect their mental health early on in their development. Teachers and faculty should be able to listen to what transgender students need and lead with that mindset to bring a welcoming and inclusive school for them and future students. Goldberg (2018) takes it a step further and looks into new policies and regulations schools can place to help create a safe environment and give resources for transgendered students to feel included in the school. This includes gender- neutral bathrooms and guidance counselors with special training in helping transgender students and having the proper resources for them if they need the help. Having this positive movement with the staff and facility will bring a safe environment for the student to learn and grow as individuals.
Who is Jo Odell?
Jo Odell is a transgender individual who transitioned from male to female during high school. She is still continuing her transition process during the pandemic, and is trying to go through all the changes happening around her as she tries to change herself for the better. She is a close friend who was able to open up to me about her transition and allowed me to interview her and be her voice for this topic.
Take Away 1 - Being Transgender in School
The interview being displayed has been paraphrased and summarized out versus the original back to back messaging and talking from this interview.
Carolyn: Hello! Thank you Jo for taking the time to let me interview you! Let's just get into it and start off with our first question. How was transitioning while transitioning to online schooling during the pandemic?
Jo: Thank you for asking me Carolyn! If I have to be honest, transitioning wasn't bad at all for me. I can't say the same for other students, but going to online schooling gave me a sense of privacy from society. That gave me perfect alone time to take my transition seriously (via medical treatment and therapy) without having the judgement of my peers and get comfortable in my preferred gender. I can't imagine trying to do this while being in person! The judgement I'd probably receive would heavily affect my mental health.
(J. Odell, 2020)
Take Away 2 - Being Transgender at Home
Carolyn: Wow, I'm glad you were able to find that comfort for yourself! You're an amazing person for taking that big leap for yourself. The next question I have for you is; with transitioning to online school and quarantine, how were you dealing with that at home?
Jo: Quarantining wasn't a personal problem for me as I said, I really enjoyed the privacy. It also helped my mental health a lot since I could transition comfortably to my preferred gender and feel like me. I had to adjust to a lot of struggles with seeing my doctor to continue my process of transitioning with offices closing due to Covid-19 and all. Not everyone is able to receive the same support like I have from my friends and close family. So I can't imagine the stress other transgender folks like me are having from not getting the proper help they need to be who they are.
(J. Odell, 2020)
Take Away 3 - Support and Resources
Carolyn: Yeah, that can be a struggle to not receive that support system to help, but you're very lucky to have great people around you! I have one last question for you; with the pandemic currently going, what support options to transgender people have?
Jo: The biggest thing I've struggled with is seeing inclusivity in the LGBTQA+ community while in school, so out of school it's been tougher. But talking with your counselor and teachers is a great start to finding the support. Also a lot of people are still generally uncomfortable with transgender folks and have a hard time just talking with me. I think starting with just asking me what my preferred pronouns are is a great start towards knowing transgender people. We are humans like everyone else and we would like to have the same respect any other student would want in the classroom.
Carolyn: Thank you for taking the time again to answering my questions. And thank you everyone for reading my interview with Jo!
Jo: Thank you for reading what I had to say and I hope it was educational enough!
(J. Odell, 2020)
Conclusion
Transgender students will probably still continue to face troubles in their educational career. We as educators can take this lesson to understand what transgender students would want and need from our support and the school systems. Communcation is also key to understanding the emotional side of their transition and how to help them find the resources they need to continue supporting them and their education.
Script:
In conclusion, we still have a long way to go to give inclusivity and support to transgender kids. But I believe with understanding and growth within ourselves, we can make a better future for them as educators.
CUT!
Good job!
Thank you!
Pop Quiz!
Q1. What two main factors would help transgender students feel inclusive in school?
A. Family and Love
B. Gender-neutral bathrooms and supportive friends
C. Supportive Teachers and Gender-inclusive Policies
D. Supportive Counselors and Safe Sidewalks
Q2. If Alexander was receiving a lot of backlash and bullying from his family and peers, what should Alexander do to get some help?
A. Talk to his teachers and his counselors to receive the proper support and resources to help himself
B. Talk to his friends about his problems and see what advice they have
C. Talk to his parents and see if they will actually listen to him
D. Chat online with strangers who say they are experiencing the same pain as him
Answers
C
A
References
Goldberg, A. E. (2018). Transgender Students in Higher Education. UCLA: The Williams Institute.
https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4p22m3kx
J.Odell, personal communication, February 6, 2020
Mangin MM. (2019). Transgender Students in Elementary Schools: How Supportive Principals Lead.
Educational Administration Quarterly. 2020;56(2):255-288. doi:10.1177/0013161X19843579
Moffit, M.; Brown, G. (Producers). (2018, September 20). The Science of Being Transgender ft. Gigi
Gorgeous [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=MitqjSYtwrQ&t=9s&ab_channel=AsapSCIENCE
National Center for Transgender Equality. (2020, September 4). Frequently asked questions about
transgender people. National Center for Transgender Equality.
https://transequality.org/issues/resources/frequently-asked-questions-about-transgender-people.
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