LGBTQ+ and learning
OUR STUDENTS ARE CHANGE-MAKERS. THEY WANT TO ENSURE EVERYONE IS HEARD. IN TURN, IT IS IMPORTANT FOR TEACHERS AND STAFF TO MODEL THAT POINT OF VIEW BY BEING LEADERS IN EMPATHY AND COMPASSION.
International Day of Pink is celebrated large at a busy Toronto intersection each year by the students, faculty and administration at the University of Toronto Schools ( UTS). It is a dynamic representation of the entire school’s commitment to inclusivity and creating a safe and welcoming learning environment for everyone.
The instigator for participation in the event was an anonymous survey completed by students at the school seven years ago. It revealed that some feared what others would think if their sexual orientation became public. That realization led UTS guidance counsellor Catherine Wachter, who had been at the school for only a short time, to come out to students and staff at a school assembly.
“I talked about my wife and introduced the school’s decision to participate in the International Day of Pink. It was a culture- shifting moment for the students. They saw that being gay was supported and that they were being heard,” she says. “If I’d experienced something like this growing up, it would have avoided a great deal of hurt.”
At UTS, conversations and action on these issues do not begin and end with a single day in April, however. The school has long had student- led clubs and committees that support its diverse community, including Black Equity Club, Indigenous Solidarity Committee, Gender Equity Committee and Queer/ Straight Alliance. “Our students are change- makers. They want to ensure everyone is heard. In turn, it is important for teachers and staff to model that point of view by being leaders in empathy and compassion,” says Wachter.
Inclusivity is something that is not simply slotted into the agenda when it’s convenient. “It is a way of talking and teaching that is brought into the day- to- day language of the classroom,” says Nicola Townend, a teacher of French and German at the school. “When we come across heterosexism in textbooks, assumptions of family, or features of a language that express gender- dominant forms in adjectives or pronouns, they are addressed as part of the overall discussion.”
In French and German classes, and others, there are deliberate topics where specific vocabulary is introduced. In grade 9 core French, for example, the theme for the year is ‘ Challenging difference and social exclusion’. Students look at a variety of stories that may include characters who are blind, single-gender parents, confused about their sexuality, lack financial means or have Down Syndrome, explains Townend. “This is just one of the ways in which inclusivity is embedded into the curriculum, opening the door for students to speak comfortably about their own families.”
In German classes, Townend discusses the evolution and limitations of the language and how to work around those limitations. One unit looks at the fairy tales of the brothers Grimm. “They are packed with stereotypes and assumptions,” she says. “Once we have explored concepts such as who the prince or princess will or will not marry, students are tasked with writing an original fairy tale for the 21st-century child.”
Being deliberate in advancing inclusivity is important not only for the sake of queer and trans- identified students who want to feel relaxed and safe to learn, she adds. “We are preparing our students for the outside world. LGBTQ+ is part of the community. To leave it out of the narrative we convey would be doing everyone a disservice. We want our students to grow to be socially conscious, thoughtful people who value the differences and similarities of all, and succeed in university and the job market.”
As a student at UTS, Kristine Uchendu was lead for the school’s International Day of Pink celebrations. She is currently studying at Mcmaster University. “High school can become toxic over time,” she says. “In celebrating and highlighting issues faced by the LGBTQ+ community, and talking about it in the classroom, it becomes normalized. When it becomes normalized it becomes part of school culture, allowing people who may otherwise feel isolated the space to be themselves. Remaining ignorant is only a bad thing. Education in all areas of life is extremely important for personal growth.”
Inclusivity is not a topic that is talked about in hushed tones to the outside world, adds Townend. “Our open house each year includes information booths from the school’s Gender Equity Committee and Queer/ Straight Alliance. We want parents to know that it is part of the learning environment at UTS and see it as an advantage.”