Rethinking Gender, Sexism, and Sexuality in Our Schools

Rethinking Sexism, Gender, and Sexuality met four times this summer to think about our individual selves, our school culture, and curriculum, as they relate to LGBTQ students and educators, feminism, and gender.
Many thanks to our hosts and note - takers, including Giovanni's Room, for making space for us.

One participant wrote about an action that she took following her involvement with this book group!

In our last meeting we talked about the idea of doing low/medium/high risk actions to make our schools and workplaces more respectful of gender and sexuality. We passed out stickers that we could put up in our rooms that said on a rainbow flag "this is a safe space for LGBTQ people." I thought about how I wanted to put it low enough for my preschoolers to be able to see it ask about it. So far, with the exception of my enthusiastically supportive co-teacher, no one has commented on it but I'm looking forward to some object being the thing to start the conversation. Somehow it is easier to answer a question then to come up with the right time to bring up a new topic with children. This small, very "low risk" action has made me more open to the next level of actions I could take, and more excited to explore what the next step will be for me in my classroom.

__________

Here are our notes for all of our meetings.  It's a great document.

Some of the things we discussed as we move forward are... 

- having space to continue this conversation as LGBTQ issues, feminist lenses, and ending sexism, applies to our classrooms, schools, and lives.  

- continuing in the form of an ItAG through TAG Philly this winter (see tagphilly.org)

- continuing to use this list to share ideas, stories, and resources

- creating a list of different ways to do this work in small and large ways

- creating a list of points for Rethinking Schools that includes feedback about the text

- using resources similar to those from the British Columbia Teacher's Federation that we shared last night.  

Rethinking Sexism, Gender, and Sexuality

Book groups have been hard at work!

14 of us gathered last week to discuss Rethinking School's Rethinking Sexism, Gender, and Sexuality.  Our next meeting is Monday, August 1 at Giovanni's Room (12th and Pine Streets), from 6-8pm.  All are welcome!

Our work focused on generating questions and topics for us to think about and explore for the next three weeks.  Here's some of what we are considering as we move forward -

Meeting 2: August 1, 2016

Topic: Our Selves and Identities

Discussion Questions:

• How can we help kids challenge masculinity norms?
• What resources can we look at outside of this book to support us as educators?

Chapters/Articles:

• Chapter 4
• Select articles from Chapter 5 (individual choice)
• Ch. 2 - Hello Kitty (p. 63)
• Ch. 1 - The New Misogyny (p. 17)

Meeting 3: August 8, 2016

Topic: Our School (Workplace) Culture

Discussion Questions:

• How do we talk and write about our students?
• What’s distracting us from having a real conversation? (Bathrooms?)

Chapters/Articles:

• Ch. 2 - It’s OK to Be Neither (p. 56)

Meeting 4: August 15, 2016

Topic: Our Curriculum

Discussion Questions:

• What are the similarities and differences between addressing these issues with younger and older students?
• What age-appropriate resources exist for teaching these topics to different children?
• How can we “queer” or “open up” resources that we already use to help students rethink what they’re learning?
• How do we address these topics as they relate to current events?
• How do we get kids more excited about women’s lib?

Chapters/Articles:

• Ch. 3 - Sex Talk on the Carpet (5th grade) (p. 130)
• Ch. 3 - A Midsummer Night’s Gender DIversity (p. 211)

Building a Movement by Reading Together: Sign up for a Summer Book Club Today!

In 2014, when the Caucus of Working Educators was just a few months old, WE teamed with TAG-Philly to offer 9 book groups with about 85 participants for the purpose of bringing people together and learning about social justice unionism, threats to public education, and racial justice struggles in Philadelphia. Last year, WE and TAG sponsored twelve groups with 170 participants with a focus on racial justice.

This year, based on survey results, WE and TAG are excited to announce 15 book groups for 2016!

Want to meet other people committed to educational justice struggles and other social movements in Philadelphia? Want to learn about the school-to-prison pipeline, the #BlackLivesMatter movement, organizing, feminism, gender & sexuality in education, or another topic? Want to read a classic by bell hooks or Paulo Freire or a New York Times best seller by Ta-Nehisi Coates? Want to be part of a strong and growing movement of educators and allies committed to public education?

Sign up for a book (or five) today!

This summer, we continue the tradition of bringing together people from all walks of life and all parts of the city- parents, teachers, nurses, counselors, activists, community members, students, and anyone else!                 

Want to learn more about past book clubs and how they started? Read this article on the Summer Reading Series in Perspectives on Urban Education by WE supporting member Kathleen Riley.