George
George is the story of a transgender girl in the fourth grade. George wants to be seen for who she truly is, but she has a hard time telling the people she loves and cares about how she feels and who she wants to be. The 4th grade is in charge of a production of Charlotte's Web, and while George is dying to be a part of the play, she wants one part and one part only: Charlotte the Spider. Although her best friend, Kelly, supports George and her choice to audition for Charlotte, the rest of the school is not as excited. Her teacher tells her that too many girls want to be Charlotte and she cannot have it, so George resorts to being a stagehand and a part of the backstage crew. Kelly wants George to show her mom, her brother, and the rest of the school who she really is and encourages her to be Charlotte in the evening performance of their play. This story follows the journey of George loving and accepting herself, finding the voice and courage to tell people who she truly is, and figuring out how to become the girl she has always been: Melissa.
Talking about gender, sexuality, and gender expression is already a pretty touchy topic and leads to polarized opinions, which is why it is a perfect topic to talk about in a classroom. Not talking about it, saying that it's "inappropriate", or hushing students who ask questions is a disservice to children. All children are curious and inquisitive by nature. They're going to have questions when this topic comes up, so why not become informed and be ready to give them the answers?
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Assistant professor of curriculum and instruction at University of North Carolina at Wilmington Dana Stachowiak is often asked by students whether she is "a boy or a girl" due to her nonbinary appearance, and although teachers call their students down for being inappropriate and not to ask questions like that, Dana says:
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"I encourage this question, though, and I engage in dialogue that puts the onus of understanding on the student to name gender stereotypes and recognize that gender rules are not fixed. The conversation almost always ends positively, with the student understanding that gender identity matching how you feel eclipses societal stereotypes" (Stachowiak, 2018).
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Stachowiak goes on to say that if these conversations are normalized and are no longer
"taboo" or off-limits in the classroom, the schools can become safer places for all students, especially those who do not fit the gender-norms.
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Stachowiak offers six actions that educators can take in order to create a gender-inclusive classroom:
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1. Learn and understand terms and definitions
2. Work through your own biases and beliefs
3. Be proactive, not reactive
4. Plan to support gender nonconforming students
5. Integrate, don't separate, curricula
6. Commit to growing
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It is important to remember that although this work can be difficult, it is so important. It is imperative for educators to know how to support these students once they enter their classrooms. While we may not know all the answers, we should still commit to growing and learning alongside of these students. Once we are able to create a classroom environment that hones in on inclusivity and positivity, we are creating a safe space in our classroom and school system for nonconforming students to feel welcomed into.
Gino, A. (2015). George. New York, NY: Scholastic.
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Stachowiak, D. (2018, July). The Power to Include. Retrieved from https://asulearn.appstate.edu/pluginfile.php/472422/mod_page/content/16/Questioning the Norm.pdf.