My name is Abigail Bouchard and I am a sophomore English Secondary Education major at The College of New Jersey. I hail from West Brookfield Massachusetts originally, and ended up here to be a member of the field hockey team and apart of an academically challenging environment. I am very invested in LGBTQ+ rights and equality and strive as a future educator to make every student feel as though their school is a safe space for them to be themselves without fear of exclusion from their peers or the curiculum provided. 

This study looks at an educator who tries to create an inclusive and diverse classroom experience through English education. She uses multiple different methods in order to create a welcoming and safe classroom environment for every student who walks through the door, when otherwise their schooling environment is less safe for LGBTQ+ students than their heterosexual classmates. 

Strategies to use: always use inclusive language, incorporate LGBTQ+ content, and allow for free discussion and ideas.

How I would Incorporate Strategies: As an English educator I would always try to incorporate LGBTQ+ content into my curriculum and create a safe space for LGBTQ+ students by being open to discussion with them. I would always look for ways to improve on my inclusion and take suggestions openly.

Educators in High School settings see binary being created on a daily basis by using wording such as “two genders” “boys vs girls” and so on. However more and more students are identifying out of the binary that has been created and it needs to be addressed by educators to create a welcoming environment for every person who identifies as something other than the antiquated binary created by our society. 

Strategies to use: avoid using gendered terms, avoid seperating by gender, ask in confidential terms about pronouns and preferences, and use prefered terms

How I would Incorporate Strategies: I would create a google survey in the start of the year and ask for prefered names and pronouns to ensure that I was using correct names and references to students. I would also try to incorporate pieces of media and literature that give representation to these students. All while maintaining that my classroom would act as a safe space for students, with no tolerance for bullying or injustices many of these students face.

Diverse literature fosters opportunities for students to be seen and heard through the curriculum and the things that they are seeing and reading. Diverse reading lists allow for everyone to be seen in media and feel less isolated as someone they are reading about is feeling the same as they are. It is an excellent tool to place emphasis on the fact that everyone should be represented in the media we consume in a classroom setting.

Strategies To Use: incorporate diverse and LGBTQ+ friendly literature and media into the curriculum, give suggestions for diverse reads if a student asks

How I would Incorporate Strategies: I would use diverse literature in my curriculum when able to do so, which allows students to see themselves in the media they consume on a daily basis.

This article discusses how educators of all kinds can incorporate inclusive resources and curriculums for their students. An affirming curriculum, addressing questions, and creating a safe environment for all is imperitive. 

Strategies To Use: Adress conflict and comments immediately, side with the bullied, and create teachable moments.

How I would Incorporate Strategies: I would use teachable moments by helping students understand those around them and address any questions immediately. I also would help create a safe space for students who need one.

The paper explains the importance of a diverse set of literature in order to let every student see themselves in media that they are consuming. Seeing oneself in media especially in formative years allows for students to become more accepting of themself because they can see that they are not alone.

Strategies To Use: Diverse liturature set, open honest converstations among students and staff, and creating a list of resources for each child.

How I would Incorporate Strategies: I would attempt to make media I present to my students diverse, allow students to have open conversations, and use a resource list posted in my class for any student who feels they may need support outside of myself, peers, or family.