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"Teachers, your empathy sticks with us. Many of us can come from families who reject us, and our identities, many of us face prejudice in places we should find safety and comfort. School can often be the worst of all for us, because in the environment where we learn we can also be targeted, purposely misgendered, bullied and harassed for something that has nothing to do with our ability to learn. Every teacher I've had that respected my identity, every teacher that used the right name and pronouns for my friends and I, each teacher who defended our right to learn has stuck with me and my LGBTQ+ peers. It means the world to us. Please continue to support us, and protect us. You make school and learning a better experience than it would be otherwise." - Anonymous Student
Ways to make LGBTQ+ students feel accepted
Ways to make LGBTQ+ students feel accepted
If a student comes up to you and asks to be called a different name, check what pronouns they want you to use. Also, check if they are okay with these pronouns being used in front of the class, and if both their name and pronouns are okay to be used around parennts.
Don't assume heterosexuality and stick up for trans people.
Have a no homophobic/transphobic language policy (i.e. no saying gay as an insult or the F-slur or T-slur)
Remember pronouns and correct yourself if you slip up. For more on how to get better at using new pronoun check out the comic below.
Not everyone identifies as what they appear to be. If you're not sure about someone's pronouns take them to the side to ask.
Ask someone before you use their pronouns in class. They may not be out to everyone.
Stop separating the class into groups of boys and girls, or use language that suggests only boys and girls. This can be really harmful for gender diverse students.
Teach our history please! Don't let it undergo erasure!
Inclusive Language
Inclusive Language
Instead of:
Hey girls
Hey guys
Try:
Hey kids
Hey students
Hey everyone
Hey you three
Small changes in language can really make someone's day.
Here's a list of activities to do with your advisory or hapu to promote diversity and inclusion: Activities
Here's a great resource for all things to do with creating a more accepting environment for students: https://www.glsen.org/resources/educator-resources
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