“By making part of the educational experience of those in our classrooms and schools about exploring the power of language and identifying the sources of stereotypes, norms, and labels, [educators can promote] the school as ‘a place to question, explore and seek alternative explanations rather than a place where knowledge means ‘certainty, authority, and stability’ (Britzman, 2000, p51)" (Recognizing and Utilizing Queer Pedagogy, Zacko-Smith & Smith, 2010, p8).

 

As the quote above gets at, schools should be an important place to teach students how to deconstruct the socially constructed realities of the world around them. Regardless of what I am teaching, I hope to incorporate conversations about power, race, gender, sexuality, ability, class and other structural areas of inequality into classroom discussion and course materials. As a queer person of color, being able to have these conversations in productive and empowering ways are really important to my teaching philosophy. In trying to incorporate the knowledge of Paulo Freire into the classroom and the ideals of "education as liberation" as a pedagogical practice, classrooms should also be a place where students can meaningfully engage in dialogues for equity and social justice. Even more than that, by bringing in my own identity and experience into the classroom, it allows other students to share their own experiences and creates a space for the entire class to complicate their thinking about the world around them through exploring “alternative explanations” (See Quote).

 

In the New Teacher Book, one chapter in particular speaks to the practices that are necessary to create classrooms for equity and social justice. “We argue that curriculum and classroom practice must be grounded in the lives of our students, critical, multicultural, anti-racist, pro-justice, participatory, experiential, culturally sensitive, academically rigorous, activist, and hopeful/visionary” (158-161). While there are many aspects to this ideal, some sections stand out in particular. One of the most important tenants is “A social justice classroom equips children not only to change the world but also to maneuver in the one that exists” (160). Not only should students be able to learn skills and ways of thinking beyond the world that we have today, but they should also be able to advance in our current world. Beyond this, they should be able to have the skills and the hope or vision to regularly practice this move to go beyond what the world looks like today. A perfect example of this is incorporating texts on Afrofuturism into English courses, which provide a cultural exploration of Black thought and a entry point for thinking beyond our everyday lives through the creativity and vision of Black authors. Because of the nature of the subject, students would also be able to engage in conversations about the current realities of Black people in the U.S. and in the world and learn critical strategies important in moving toward a projustice and antiracist world.

 

While there is a wide variety of strategies to move toward these ideals, some core aspects should be at the foundation of this learning. In “Heather’s Moms Got Married” by Mary Cowhey, she provides a list of things that any elementary teacher anywhere can do to support the normalization of same-sex, non-biological parents. These rules include: (1) do not presume that students live in traditional families with both married heterosexual birth parents, (2) explore and challenge gender stereotypes with your students, (3) teach a lesson on teasing and name-calling, (4) answer students’ questions about gay and lesbian issues in a straightforward, educational manner, (5) replace the phrase ‘moms and dads’ with ‘parents and guardians’ in your classroom and school (109-110). More specifically, she adds that teachers should “set a clear anti-homophobic standard for what is acceptable language and behavior in your classrooms and your schools. Incorporate gay issues into the curriculum - not just in social living classes when talking about sex, but in history, English, science, and Spanish” and “support gay teachers’ ability to be out role models for our youth” (115-116). While these rules speak specifically to how to support members of the LGBTQ community, these simple principles can be applied to other social categorizations or race and gender and can be easily communicated with students. With these principles in mind, educators can move towards the path of creating an equitable, anti-racist, and projustice classroom.

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*Teacher Note: this section originally belongs under Section II.