The second standard of the six that Colorado teachers are supposed to follow is to make their classrooms a safe and inclusive environment for a diverse population.
But when it comes to LGBTQ students and those who don’t identify as male or female, many teachers say they’re lost. They fumble around, don’t know how to respond when a student doesn’t use a “him” or “her” pronoun, or they don’t confront anti-gay bullying.
A new generation is redefining the meaning of gender identity and sexuality and teachers haven’t caught up.
“When they realize, ‘I don’t know what I’m doing,’ (do) you know how vulnerable it feels?” asked Bethy Leonardi, a former classroom teacher and co-founder of a Queer Endeavor, an initiative housed at the University of Colorado Boulder School of Education. “It’s a big deal. They need support.”
Read the rest of the story at Colorado Public Radio.
